The Personal Success Podcast with Ryan Watts

Interview with Matt Raad

Matt Raad · May 18, 2026

Entrepreneur · Finance · Leadership · Artificial Intelligencein

Interview with Matt Raad

Podcast: The Personal Success Podcast with Ryan Watts

May 18, 2026 · 1 hr 17 min

Listen to Matt Raad on The Personal Success Podcast with Ryan Watts.

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Interview with Matt Raad

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The Personal Success Podcast with Ryan Watts

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Key topicsNo Followers, No Problem: How Millennials Are Building A Successful Future-Proof IncomeMost online income advice tells millennials the same thing: start a YouTube channel, grow an audience, post every day, build a personal brand. For a lot of people, that advice is exhausting before it even begins. Matt Raad offers a fundamentally different model, one where you don't need followers, a camera, or a content calendar to build real online income. Drawing on decades of buying and growing websites that already have traffic and revenue, he talks about why buying digital assets is the smarter, quieter alternative to the creator grind, and why more millennials who hate the idea of "going viral" are building serious cash flow without ever putting themselves on camera. Digital real estate is the asset class priced out millennials can still enter Real estate has become the wealth-building default, but for younger investors the numbers often do not stack up without huge debt and years of pressure. Matt introduces a different asset lens: websites and online businesses can be bought, improved, monetised, and sold without needing a million-dollar mortgage. Because he and Liz have spent 18 years applying business renovation principles to websites, he can explain the mechanics in plain language rather than hype. This gives investing and FIRE audiences a fresh conversation about ownership when property feels increasingly out of reach. The new burnout is earning good money and still feeling trapped Many burnt-out professionals are not failing financially on paper, yet they still cannot see a path to freedom because the mortgage, rent, commute, childcare, and career pressure consume everything they earn. Matt sees this pattern in millennials, vets, engineers, FIFO workers, teachers, and professionals who look successful but feel boxed in. He can speak to the moment when someone realises a pay rise will not solve the deeper problem because they still do not own the engine producing their income. That makes this a strong fit for lifestyle, career-change, and freedom-focused podcasts. View all topics →

About Matt Raad

Digital Investor and Educator on Building Online Income for Life on Your Terms

30 Years Entrepreneur & business investorSince 2008 Website investing pioneer100–800 Live & online event audienceseBusiness Institute CEO & Co-Founder

Matt Raad is a 30-year entrepreneur, digital investor, and CEO & Co-Founder of eBusiness Institute, Australia’s leading digital skills training organisation. After starting his career as a zoologist studying kangaroos in the Australian outback, Matt rejected the conventional path and built wealth with his wife Liz by buying, growing, and selling businesses instead of relying on property, a corporate career, or the traditional wealth playbook.

Eighteen years ago, Matt and Liz took that same business-buying approach online and became pioneers in buying, renovating, and selling websites as digital real estate. Today, Matt is one of the leading voices helping millennials, burnt-out professionals, and aspiring entrepreneurs build AI-leveraged digital businesses they own, control, and can one day sell as 6–7 figure assets.

Matt’s message is especially timely for a generation that has been sold a path that no longer works: expensive degrees, insecure careers, unaffordable property, and income that disappears the moment they stop working. Through eBusiness Institute and the Digital Investors Podcast, he teaches people how to earn while they learn, use practical digital and AI skills, create cashflow from home, and build real future security through ownership.

A regular guest on major business and wealth podcasts including Rich Dad Radio, Entrepreneurs on Fire, and RASK, Matt brings a rare mix of contrarian thinking, practical strategy, and lived experience.

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About this episode

FeaturingMatt Raad

In this episode, Ryan sits down with Matt Raad, entrepreneur, website investor, educator, and co founder of eBusiness Institute. Matt and his wife, Liz Raad, have spent decades buying, building, renovating, and selling businesses, eventually moving into digital assets and online businesses. Today, they help professionals build income streams outside the traditional corporate path.

This conversation explores why relying only on a job may no longer feel as secure as it once did, how digital assets can create new options, and why the path to online income is real…but not effortless. Matt explains how professionals can start small, build practical digital skills, and create low risk pathways toward more freedom, flexibility, and ownership.

In this episode, Ryan and Matt discuss

Why the traditional corporate ladder feels less reliable for many professionals.

What a digital asset actually is, including websites, blogs, email lists, social audiences, and niche online communities.

Why simple websites can become valuable assets when they attract targeted traffic and generate income.

How AI is changing the online business world without replacing the need for human judgment, trust, and consultative skill.

Why Matt does not recommend e commerce as the first path for many beginners.

How building websites for small businesses can become both a skill building path and a real income stream.

Why the “laptop lifestyle” is possible, but only after consistent reps, learning, and patience.

How to start safely with small steps instead of taking on unnecessary debt or quitting your job too early.

Why networking, partnerships, referrals, and human connection still matter in the age of AI.

How to think about a 12 to 24 month transition from corporate work into digital income.

Key takeaways

A job may provide income, but it is not the same as owning an asset.

Digital assets can include websites, blogs, newsletters, social media channels, affiliate sites, sponsorship based platforms, and online service businesses.

The easiest place to begin is often not buying a large website or launching a complex business. It may be building a simple site, learning how traffic works, and understanding how businesses generate leads online.

AI can help build websites faster, but it does not replace the deeper skill of understanding a business owner’s needs, positioning their value, and helping them generate real leads.

Matt’s strongest advice is to start small, start safe, and put in the reps.

Memorable ideas from the conversation

“Your boss doesn’t even need to know what you’re doing.”

“Why wouldn’t you be building a little asset on the side?”

“The laptop life is real…but it takes reps.”

“If you have a phone, you can start a business now.”

“People see the lifestyle, but they do not always see the hard reps behind it.”

About Matt Raad

Matt Raad is an entrepreneur, investor, educator, and co founder of eBusiness Institute. Alongside his wife and business partner, Liz Raad, Matt teaches people how to buy, build, renovate, and sell websites and online businesses. Their work focuses on digital skills, website investing, digital marketing, and creating alternative income streams through online assets.

Connect with Matt Raad

Matt Raad on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/matt-raad

eBusiness Institute: https://www.ebusinessinstitute.com.au/

Matt and Liz Raad: https://www.mattandlizraad.com/

Digital Investors Podcast: https://www.digitalinvestors.com/podcast/

Digital Investors Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/digital-investors/id1654642750

Digital Investor Show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DigitalInvestorShow

Resources mentioned

Flippa: https://flippa.com/

Empire Flippers: https://empireflippers.com/

Learn more from Ryan Watts

Ryan Watts Life Coaching: https://www.ryanwattslifecoaching.com/