Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Breakfast Club (iHeartPodcasts)
Episode: Eating While Broke: James Dumoulin – School of Hard Chicks
Host: Colleen Witt
Guest: James Dumoulin
Release Date: November 29, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Eating While Broke features media entrepreneur James Dumoulin, co-founder of the massive business media platform School of Hard Knocks. Host Colleen Witt sits down with James in Austin, Texas, to explore his journey from working fast food and construction jobs as a teen, to building a digital media powerhouse boasting over 12 million followers. Together, they dig into lessons on entrepreneurship, the importance of failure, navigating business setbacks, building a sustainable brand, and leveraging mentorship. All the while, they sample Chick-fil-A – a nostalgic favorite for James with roots in his work history.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Starting Out “Eating While Broke”

• James’ Meal of Choice: Chick-fil-A 12-count nugget meal with waffle fries and sweet tea—deeply nostalgic for him as his first-ever job was working at Chick-fil-A as a sophomore in high school ([04:13]).
• First Jobs & Learning:
  • Worked Chick-fil-A for $7.25 an hour, then moved to construction in high school ([05:33])
  • “You almost have to...experience that in any capacity...to realize that hey, this isn’t what I want to be doing forever.” — James ([05:42])
  • Colleen remarks on the difficulty and respect she gained from working McDonald's herself ([06:16]).
  • James emphasizes that customer service work teaches you resilience and how to handle rudeness—skills that translate to entrepreneurship ([07:01]).

2. Early Influences: Military Upbringing and Global Perspective

• International Upbringing: Grew up in South Korea (ages 6–10), thanks to his father’s military assignment; learned early how to communicate with people from many backgrounds ([08:43]).
• Military Family and Money Lessons: Parents were middle class, his father both strict and a smart investor—exposed James and his brother to saving and investing young ([11:19]).
  • “Every millionaire and billionaire will tell you to start early…” — James ([12:23])
• Big Life Lessons:
  • “There’s two things that will teach you more about yourself than anything else – traveling the world and fighting. ...Traveling...allows you to look at the world from a much more global lens instead of a very narrow view.” — James ([10:21])

3. Entrepreneurial Journey & Media Success

• Rise on TikTok:
  • Began posting in 2019, inspired by seeing young creators make serious money ([17:22], [21:32]).
  • Reached his first viral video and amassed 800,000 followers in ~10 months ([22:36]).
  • “Where attention goes, revenue flows.” — James ([21:32])
• Birth of School of Hard Knocks:
  • Founded in April 2021 with brother and childhood friend—a blend of content skill, analytics, and digital marketing ([25:04]).
  • Pivoted from static business content to street interviews for unique insights.
  • “We grew from zero to 12 million followers, over 4 billion views in the last four years.” — James ([26:06])

4. Failures, Setbacks, and Key Lessons

• Ad Revenue Crash:

  • Heavy reliance on Facebook ad revenue (peaking at $25k–$35k/month) led to crisis when demonetized after a flagged post ([32:04]).
  • Survived by re-investing in the business and keeping personal pay low ([31:43]).
  • Lesson: “You cannot build a business off of ad revenue because you don’t determine how much you’re paid...or whether you may get paid at all.” — James ([32:37])

• Pivot to Diverse Revenue Streams:

  • Launched a successful content agency leveraging their network for brand-building.
  • Created an online business community, responding to audience demand for access to high-profile interviewees ([35:03]).
  • Quote: “Great businessmen are terrible content creators and great content creators are terrible businessmen.” — Mentor, relayed by James ([33:53])

• Failed Product Launch:

  • Lost $15,000 on an early attempt at selling motivational canvases, because they failed to validate audience interest ([38:00]).
  • Quote: “Most people...fail to ask their audiences why people follow them.” — James ([40:48], [45:08])

5. Building Partnerships and Team Dynamics

• Partnership Model:
  • James, his brother, and their friend founded their business on aligned morals and trust ([47:32]).
  • Not afraid to challenge each other—“You cannot be surrounded by a yes man...got to have those uncomfortable conversations.” — James ([47:32])
• Advice on Partnerships:
  • “As an entrepreneur, I would rather have a slice of a pie than 100% of a grape.” — James ([40:57])

6. Mentorship and Networking

• Structure of Mentorship:
  • For each life area (spiritual, business, etc.) James keeps a handful of mentors on hand ([59:20]).
  • “Mentorship is wisdom without the wounds.” — James ([14:34])
• Finding Value in Relationships:
  • Emphasizes “add value first,” not just seeking favors ([63:02]).
  • "Networking isn't about what you can take. It's about what you can give." — James ([63:02])

7. Personal Routines and Philosophy

• Day in the Life:
  • Highly variable, depends on whether based in Austin or traveling for content ([65:26]).
  • Morning workouts, editing his own videos (he hasn’t yet delegated editing—edit takes 1–2 hours per video; “I’m a Premiere Pro wizard.” [67:42])
  • Editing videos remains “his” task because of the creative touch he brings to content ([69:11]), despite agency staff available.
  • On the road: Filming, interviews, community calls, hustling multiple projects and connections in short timeframes ([71:05], [71:43]).

8. What’s Next for School of Hard Knocks

• Growth Focused: Community is growing, ~4,000 members taking part in weekly calls with high-profile entrepreneurs ([72:48]).
• Exclusive Approach: Doesn’t reveal future interviews until they’re recorded—avoiding “celebrating too early” and guarding against fall-throughs ([73:41]).
• Long-term Vision: Always strategizing the next milestone (aiming for 15-20 million followers, expanding offerings for the business community) ([74:30]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 05:42 | James Dumoulin | “You almost kind of have to...experience that in any capacity...to kind of realize that, hey, this isn’t what I want to be doing forever.” | | 10:21 | James Dumoulin | “There’s two things that will teach you more about yourself than anything else—it’s traveling the world and fighting.” | | 12:23 | James Dumoulin | “Every millionaire and billionaire will tell you to start early because a lot of them, they don’t start putting money away...until their 30s or 40s.” | | 14:34 | James Dumoulin | “Mentorship is like wisdom without the wounds.” | | 21:32 | James Dumoulin | “Where attention goes, revenue flows.” | | 32:37 | James Dumoulin | “You cannot build a business off of ad revenue because you don’t determine how much you’re paid.” | | 33:53 | James Dumoulin | “Great businessmen are terrible content creators and great content creators are terrible businessmen.” | | 40:57 | James Dumoulin | “I would rather have a slice of a pie than 100% of a grape.” | | 45:08 | James Dumoulin | “Most people...fail to ask their audiences why people follow them.” | | 47:32 | James Dumoulin | “You cannot be surrounded by a yes man...got to have those uncomfortable conversations sometimes to ultimately make the decision that’s going to move the needle.” | | 59:20 | James Dumoulin | “In your life you should have mentors for just about every aspect of your life.” | | 63:02 | James Dumoulin | “You should always be looking at how I can deliver value to this person off the bat...how can you add value to their business.” | | 69:11 | James Dumoulin | “I’d say I’m probably the best in the world or one of the best in the world at taking 20 to 30 minutes worth of content and putting it down to one to one and a half minutes.” |

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Chick-fil-A Nostalgia & First Jobs: [04:13] - [07:01]
• Military & International Upbringing: [08:43] - [11:19]
• Early Investing Habits: [11:19] - [12:31]
• On Obsession & Success in Media: [14:34] - [16:34]
• Discovering TikTok & Virality: [17:22] - [23:26]
• School of Hard Knocks: Founding & Pivot: [25:04] - [27:18]
• Major Setbacks & Monetization Crisis: [31:43] - [33:52]
• Building Products & Failed Canvas Store: [38:00] - [40:57]
• Team Dynamics & Avoiding Yes Men: [47:32]
• Mentoring & Network Building: [59:20] - [63:02]
• Day in the Life & Editing Choices: [65:26] - [71:05]
• Looking Ahead for School of Hard Knocks: [72:48] - [74:30]

Takeaways for Listeners

• Adversity Drives Innovation: Facing setbacks—especially being demonetized—forced James and his partners to diversify revenue and build more resilient business models.
• Build Around Your Audience: Successful products/communities come from listening to what your followers want.
• Mentorship is a Shortcut: Proactively seek out wisdom from multiple sources in all life areas.
• Success is Not Linear: Growth in audience doesn't always translate to financial success or business stability; building the right team, systems, and revenue streams is essential.
• Stay Humble & Keep Learning: Even at the top, James edits his own videos, focuses on relationship-building, and remains open to new lessons from every encounter.

To learn more or join the School of Hard Knocks community, follow James and his team’s content for weekly live calls and upcoming interviews with industry leaders.