Official Going Full-Time on YouTube

[Stanley | Team TB]

We all do videos for the love of what we do (at least I hope that is the case!). But at the same time there is an understanding that if we succeed there is potential to make a considerable amount of money from the videos that we do. We all see our favorite YouTube creators making what we consider to be a comfortable living on the back of the videos that we enjoy and want to emulate. Collectively we imagine how amazing life would be if we could collect a healthy, steady income and could focus solely on our art.
Despite that, I often get emails from users who have some pretty unrealistic expectations. It is not uncommon for someone to ask me how TubeBuddy can help them start earning $100,000 per month by the end of the year and spoiler alert... it can't. To be fair neither can our competitors... or even a Shoutout from the biggest creators. The conversation at that point typically turns to more realistic expectations.
I did a coaching session with Roberto Blake last year and he had a really cool approach to the entire meeting. His first question was very simple, very blunt and also very insightful;

How much income did I need to replace in order to accomplish my goals?

Not so much how much money I needed to earn... there are variables that come in to play that cause this to be a far more convoluted conversation (insurance, taxes etc all come in to play). The real question is do I want to go full-time, how much to I earn now and is that enough to sustain me long-term, and how much do I need in order to either suppliment that income or replace it altogether.
This is a pretty telling conversation and one that I would like to have with everyone here. We could all stand to learn a lot from this discussion, and so I ask you...

Is going full-time on YouTube your goal? If so what would it take to get you there and if not what is your YouTube goal?

 

[MattCommand1]

So, the people I am closest to are entrepreneurs and small business owners. We have a whole different mindset to the YT thing. For most, being on YT doesn't have to be a full-time income because YT is a supportive/marketing/networking activity to support their mainline business. They don't have this "requirement" to actually do it "full time". They would just like FT results! LOL! There are many benefits beyond the straight financial rewards but it would be naive to think that the financial side doesn't have big weight. Most of them would not necessarily quit their main business to do YT "full time" even if it was sufficient for a "full time" salary.

There are no guarantees on YT or any other entrepreneurial endeavor. You can lose both time and money pursuing the dream. But that is part of the risk. I am an investor and business person. I have been a long time. I've lost money and lost time as well as made money and had good outcomes. I hang out with others similar to me who understand rewards, risks, and investing of one's time, energy, and money. I take risks of my time and reduced income to spend more time on YT. I am looking at the longer-term picture because I know the hardest work and pain is upfront, the first couple years. I don't want to drag that pain out if I don't have to.

So, part of the problem I identified for MYSELF 25 years ago is this. I hated using "leftovers" of my time and energy to give to what is MOST important to me. But that is, in effect, what most people are doing. I understand it and would never tell anyone to quit their full time jobs to pursue YT. But the reality is even if someone reaches a certain income on YT, there is no guarantee you will stay there or go higher. Or sadly, some people who pursue YT may NEVER get there because the road is too long. Life, circumstances, and responsibilities come up and get in the way. Not all entrepreneurial endeavors are successful. There will be roadkill like it or not. YT is no different.

So for me, in a sense, I am "all in" on YT because I made the time for it. It was a choice and also a risk. My expenses are super low and I've avoided the "overhead" many people get themselves into. I've been disciplined in order to have more flexibility with my time. But I also have some residual/leveraged income from work I've done before. So, I am not working from flat ZERO.

Hence, that is why people correctly say, you have to be prepared for "the journey". It is unique to each person.

However, I am desperately trying to find a way to pull back on the editing part. For now, it is a slog and part of the journey. I could throw some money at the problem and hire a part-time editor but I think I have to "earn" that privilege and have my channel do better than it is now. I cannot delegate certain things at this early juncture. It is for me alone to solve and improve.

I believe that thinking in absolute income numbers is somewhat restricting. There is a spectrum way of thinking. The numbers don't always tell the whole story. But again, people have to make the judgment of what is best for them.

 

[Shelly Saves the Day]

So, the people I am closest to are entrepreneurs and small business owners. We have a whole different mindset to the YT thing. For most, being on YT doesn't have to be a full-time income because YT is a supportive/marketing/networking activity to support their mainline business. They don't have this "requirement" to actually do it "full time". They would just like FT results! LOL! There are many benefits beyond the straight financial rewards but it would be naive to think that the financial side doesn't have big weight. Most of them would not necessarily quit their main business to do YT "full time" even if it was sufficient for a "full time" salary.

There are no guarantees on YT or any other entrepreneurial endeavor. You can lose both time and money pursuing the dream. But that is part of the risk. I am an investor and business person. I have been a long time. I've lost money and lost time as well as made money and had good outcomes. I hang out with others similar to me who understand rewards, risks, and investing of one's time, energy, and money. I take risks of my time and reduced income to spend more time on YT. I am looking at the longer-term picture because I know the hardest work and pain is upfront, the first couple years. I don't want to drag that pain out if I don't have to.

So, part of the problem I identified for MYSELF 25 years ago is this. I hated using "leftovers" of my time and energy to give to what is MOST important to me. But that is, in effect, what most people are doing. I understand it and would never tell anyone to quit their full time jobs to pursue YT. But the reality is even if someone reaches a certain income on YT, there is no guarantee you will stay there or go higher. Or sadly, some people who pursue YT may NEVER get there because the road is too long. Life, circumstances, and responsibilities come up and get in the way. Not all entrepreneurial endeavors are successful. There will be roadkill like it or not. YT is no different.

So for me, in a sense, I am "all in" on YT because I made the time for it. It was a choice and also a risk. My expenses are super low and I've avoided the "overhead" many people get themselves into. I've been disciplined in order to have more flexibility with my time. But I also have some residual/leveraged income from work I've done before. So, I am not working from flat ZERO.

Hence, that is why people correctly say, you have to be prepared for "the journey". It is unique to each person.

However, I am desperately trying to find a way to pull back on the editing part. For now, it is a slog and part of the journey. I could throw some money at the problem and hire a part-time editor but I think I have to "earn" that privilege and have my channel do better than it is now. I cannot delegate certain things at this early juncture. It is for me alone to solve and improve.

I believe that thinking in absolute income numbers is somewhat restricting. There is a spectrum way of thinking. The numbers don't always tell the whole story. But again, people have to make the judgment of what is best for them.

Matt, I wanted to take a moment to say Thank You! I see you being all over the forums, helping with questions and giving great insights. I see you, I appreciate you, and I'm so thankful you are here. Thanks!

 

[MattCommand1]

Matt, I wanted to take a moment to say Thank You! I see you being all over the forums, helping with questions and giving great insights. I see you, I appreciate you, and I'm so thankful you are here. Thanks!

Thank you for the positive reinforcement. I appreciate it very much. I am still learning as everyone is. I hit my longest production break since I began my current channel in Jan. In a way, I hate taking a break because I lose momentum. But I realize I occasionally need to take a mental break to take care of my brain. So, I channeled some of my unsettled YT energy here on the TB Forums.

If I am honest, I have mixed feelings about participation. I always thought I would stay a lurker. I feel a bit guilty for taking my attention away from my own channel work. I also got really turned off by a couple recent discussion threads which made me think I am in the wrong place. Obviously, TB is not responsible for some of the kooks and crooks that appear out of nowhere. But they definitely dampen my enthusiasm.

But I enjoy reading the insights of @Damon , @Stanley Orchard , and a few other participants that caught my eye. And now that you have introduced yourself, I appreciate your work too. I especially enjoyed the color branding idea for thumbnails you shared a few weeks ago. I filed it in the back of my brain.

Okay, back to editing my video. Trying to release it by midnight.

 

[Damon]

Yeah, income numbers, well, put it this way. As a kid everyone in the household contributed to the household income. Dad and mom both worked full-time careers as teachers, but . . .

1. There was almost always a garden that produced enough vegetables to stock several large deep freezers.
2. Dad and I stocked several more freezers full of fish during the summers.
3. Dad also had a clock and picture-frame business off to the side.
4. Mom worked a second job at a local community college.
5. Mom also started a school snack bar as a fundraiser for the school.

In other words everyone was contributing in two or three ways to the household income. For some reason many of those lessons have not been passed on to younger generations. Everyone thinks they can just go to college, get a bachelor's degree, land a dream $50k-$60/yr. job and that's the American dream. LIES!

So, to me the idea that YT is something you do full-time is out of touch with the reality I experienced as a kid. It would be nice to have $10k/mo. Google Adsense check, but for mere mortals like us, it's unobtainable.

In other words I see YouTube as one source of revenue. I fish to stock my freezer with meat, so I won't have to buy it in the store. A freezer full of meat adds up to a lot of money if I had to buy it. I plan to put in a garden and mini orchard in my back yard in the spring. That also adds to the household revenue.

All these can be framed into books, e-books, online courses, coaching and the like. That's more revenue.

Also I've gotten back into music over the past two years--basically since the lock downs. Again all that will be turned into music composition services on Fiverr. I can make e-books and online courses for that also.

The main difference between this and my parents now is that I can benefit on multiple fronts. There is the immediate benefit from catching fish and growing your own fruits, nuts and vegetables. There is the potential benefit from monetizing all that via modern tech.

If all else fails, I could go back to frying chicken, but considering the skills I've learned so far, it'd be much easier to get a job somehow related to something I've learned so far on this journey. How many companies are looking for people who can make sense of all this blazing new technology for their brands?

 

[Welcome to Gaming]

If I started earning the same amount on YT that I do in my full time job then I'd quit my job and go full time on YT. Let me tell you, I don't earn much at my full time job.

 

[BunnyBlue]

I am currently not earning anything so any income would be welcome...

 

[BunnyBlue]

How much would you receive if you have just over 1000 subs?

 

[Amanda Summers]

How much would you receive if you have just over 1000 subs?

You have to have a lot more than 1,000 subs to start earning. I have 1,200 on one channel and I have never even sold from our affiliate links, not even 1 thing. I have over 100 videos about traveling to Nepal, a small Himalayan country near India. I'm nowhere near ready to monetize. I've been at it seriously pretending to be a Youtuber for about 3 years. It's fun, like a hobby, but I really need to get it monetized so I'm really getting serious and studying all I can. It's a slow process, discouraging, expensive and time-consuming, but it's a lot of fun. I don't do vlogging. I go get my own B-roll and make informative walkabout videos and just take the camera with me and shoot along the way. A mangy street dog, embassies, what we have for lunch, nothing's safe from my camera and crew.

 

[KS Moto Cafe]

How much would you receive if you have just over 1000 subs?

After being monetized by YouTube, everything comes down to # of views for payment. Number of subs after monetization becomes more of a milestone marker rather than the wealth that the channel has. As well, it depends on that channel's CPM/RPM (basically an average calculation of how much $ per 1000 views). I have seen channels with 5k subs make more money than channels with 100k subs because they are on the rise and are creating content that generates more views. Depending on where you operate from, what language you speak, and what genre of content you are making, YT will set a moving target price for the CPM/RPM for each of your videos.