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Have you ever wondered who works on my Youtube Channel? Meet Tintin Smith, a consultant turned YouTuber turned writer who is now my head of YouTube. Since starting as a content writer his role has evolved significantly. We’ll talk about his journey from the corporate world to working for me, and he’ll even answer some tough questions about how things really work behind the scenes…
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Hey guys I am Tintin I'm Ali's I can go With head of YouTube because it sounds Cooler if someone was like how is Ali Abdal so productive I would say Something along the lines of you had Like a highflying job in a management Consulting firm and now you work for a YouTuber like I was always kind of Tempted by like making money online Being inspired by people like you and Nal ravikant Gary ve breny Brown and I Was like okay the scary thing that I Want to do is to start a YouTube channel I've thought a lot about why am I doing All the things I'm doing like is it Money and being so close to you and Someone who like has you know reached Their financial goals but the primary Goal is actually just to do something [Music] Cool all righty welcome back to the Channel now we're not yet sure whether This is going to be on Deep dive or just On the second Channel um or even on the Main Channel potentially uh but this is I want to resurrect the series uh Meal Time Mondays where I have food with Someone and we talk about things and Today we are joined by Tintin who is one Of my team members Tintin do you want to Introduce yourself to the people who Might be watching or listening to this Yeah um hey guys I am Tintin I'm Ali's i g go with head of YouTube
Because it sounds cooler um but uh YouTube producer is kind of the the role That I that I have which is like Basically um responsible for the channel Grow growing and help Ali make videos Like coming up with video ideas and Working with editors and sponsors and Writers and making them like titles and Thumbnails and stuff and yeah everything To do with YouTube is basically what I Do for ali um yeah that's kind of about It so you used to be a Management Consultant you had like a highflying job In a management consulting firm and now You work for a YouTuber like it seems on The surface quite the Fall From Grace Like how how do you how do you think About your kind of Wendy career yeah I Was working as Management Consultant in Like 2021 and I really didn't know what I wanted to do after leaving University I kind of I started off being A football coach um as like a volunteer Football coach for about nine months for Arsenal Football Club which is pretty Cool but whilst I was doing that I kind Of was like not really sure what I want To do next Consulting seems like a kind Of legit thing that people do um and It's like a good way to kind of get Experience in like professional sense And I had no idea where I was going so I Was kind of like okay let's do Consulting because there low barrier
Entry whereas with things like law And finance and stuff it's a lot harder To get in um because often you have to Just like you have to I think have you a Bit more experience in credibility and Stuff and uh so yeah I kind of went down The Consulting route and then whilst I Was doing That I was always kind of tempted by like Making money online I think was the kind Of broad category Like um yeah the broad the broad kind of Like like motivation and dream and Consulting was just not the kind of Thing I want to be doing really long Term I the main thing I thought about Was like I spoke I yeah the main thing I Thought about was that the people ahead Of me in my consulting job were Not I didn't want to be in their shoes I Didn't want to be five years ahead doing Like a kind of being you know a senior Associate consultant and working on Those kind of projects and stuff I just Thought I projected myself forward and I Was like this is not the path that I Want to go down so I thought what else Can I do whilst I'm working here And from being inspired by people like You and other kind of creators like Nal Rant Gary ve breny Brown like a lot of These kind of people and I was like okay The scary thing that I want to do is to
Start a YouTube channel so that's what I Did and then three months Later wait wait wait that front a lot of People have that that situation around Like oh I'm in my job I know it's not Really the thing for me But and then they might follow and then Like you know a subset of people will Follow people like me and Gary B and Stuff and like you know consume the Content around this but a very tiny Subset of people will actually take Action on this so what do you think it Was about you and your circumstances in Your life that actually caused you to be One of the very small percentage of People cuz everyone basically everyone Listening to this probably has that Feeling of ah you know my job isn't Really the thing but like a tiny Proportion of them are actually going to Do something about it so like what do You think it was that made the stars Align such that you decided to start the YouTube channel I thought a lot about This I thought a lot about it Um I started my job in January of 2021 And then in February I watched one of your videos Which was how writing online made me a Millionaire Um um and your basically your thesis was Or your your the point this story you Were laying out was that you started a
Blog in 2016 and that L then LED you to Like uh starting a YouTube channel which Then LED you to like starting a you know Business around the channel and all that Kind of Stuff and so I was like okay I'm gonna Do the same thing I'm G to start a Newsletter um and I Said which in hindsight terrible ter Terrible route to making money um but The biggest fear for me was Um was doing something that people Didn't expect me to do kind of breaking Out the mold doing going against the Grain doing something a little bit Different on the side and so the Newsletter was really just like an Exercise and getting over all of those Psychological barriers I sent the first Four to myself because I was like okay If I can send if I can just send this to Myself then that will just I know that Doing the thing consistently will lead Somewhere and I can tell people about it In a month but I can just send the first Four to myself so I sent the first four Newsletters about like appreciation About like gratitude just kind of That I wanted to share um I send them to Myself and then after I written four I Was like okay these aren't actually as Crap as I was worried that they were Going to be um I don't mind telling my Friends about them so that was the
Initial everything kind of boils down to That moment of being able to like set up A page on set up an account on review at The time which was like a newsletter Platform owned by suback owned by Twitter sorry um and it came down to Like that moment of actually trying to Be like uh actually doing setting up the Account sending the first email and Being like I'm going to do this every Sunday um and I still send that email Every Sunday but the thing that then Bought like eight months later let me Started my YouTube channel was like okay I've realized That sharing this every week is actually Not as scary as I thought it was there's Now like 50 to 100 people or something Reading it each week just mostly friends And family um and they seem somewhat Interested in it but like mostly Probably read it just because I they Know me and I was like but it's not as Scary as it's not as scary as I thought It would be maybe I can start a YouTube Channel and the thing that made me do That was that I was more scared of never Doing the thing that I wanted to do or Never doing the kind of scary thing than I was of failing um so I was prepared to Make that trade-off of like looking Silly for the benefit of actually Pursuing something that mattered to me And I thought I just thought I just I
Kind of reasoned I reasoned myself there Basically yeah so eight months of Sending a Weekly Newsletter first to Yourself and then to friends and family Finally made you realize actually this Is not as hard as this is not as scary As it once was and the alternative Future where you're Shackled to a job You don't enjoy and never actually Pursuing your dreams was way scarier Than the thought of a couple of people From school laughing at you at the Thought you might start a YouTube Channel yeah exactly yeah and I kind of Wrote about this kind of stuff in the Newsletter itself and then in the YouTube videos as well like all of it Was kind of an exercise in getting over The hurdle of essentially what people Think broadly Um yeah and like my family and stuff and Yeah all that kind of thing why why do You feel you had that huddle I guess I Mean I also had that hurdle and I've Also written about it m videos about it But I'm curious for you like you strike Me as like a confident dude who was Popular in school and like surely surely A confident dude who was popular in School and was good enough at football To be the coach of the Arsenal football Team you know you fall squarely into the Jock category as I or I would have put You in before actually getting to know
You um why does someone like that feel Like I don't I don't want to I'm Scared of what my friends and family Will think that that exactly is like uh What you described as like not that I Was actually a jck I was more like a Sort of middle tier nice guy um sort Of um but very but also very sporty so Which gives you some kind of like Credibility in school I think um yeah The main thing was yeah that you've Built that up and it's like this nice Little image that people have of you I Was like you know happy with my Reputation happy with with kind of like What people thought of me and you're Putting that at risk by by showing People that you um care about something Else and have bigger dreams for yourself And want to do something else and just Showing a different side of like I'm Actually really interested in this thing And I kind of actually want to do Something else and for me going against The kind of conventional like Consulting Path and kind of like conventional Personality and reputation that I'd Built up was like it felt like there was A lot at stake for me um And my older siblings generally were Doing things that were quite Conventional um and I think so there was Something at stake there which is Basically the kind of my like just uh
Yeah what my like essentially the people From school in my head would think of me Who I wasn't even at school with them Anymore but like and and I guess my Friends who are close to me who I knew Would support me but still just like I Guess kind of like broadly showing the World that you want to do something is Kind of scary and then the second thing Is like inter internally you can you can Never if you don't ever try and pursue Your dreams you can never Fail so that whole idea once you Actually get the the sort of thing in Motion then you can actually be shited It you can you can actually fail it can Be something that you sucked at but like If you never actually start the thing if You never actually try and pursue the Thing then it's just a dream in your Head and that's quite a nice idea it's Just like I Never you know I never failed so you Start the YouTube channel eight months In to having written the newsletter at What point like you know you like do you Did you suddenly become a millionaire With the YouTube channel which is why You quit the job or like what was the Story there yeah um I started the YouTube Channel made um like one or two videos a Week um for about three months and was Like really committed and I was like oh
My God this is so energizing I love this So much more than my job I'm going to Like I I feel really confident I can Succeed with this um before really Understood kind of Like I guess longterm what the plan Would have been um but after about like Maybe something ridiculous like a small Very small number of videos like 20 Videos in about three months I was like Okay I'm actually on the wrong path um I'm going down the Consulting route and I want to be in the educa world of Education the world of kind of online Business and the longer I stay in my Consulting job the Uh the like more time I'm wasting so I Basically was I started my YouTube Channel in like early October 2021 and Then I told my manager that I was going To quit around the 20th of December so Actually very very like quick turnaround Because I was just like I'm just going Down the wrong path and I knew that I Could make money tutoring which is Something I'd done in University so I Ended up quitting in January and then Just like being a freelance tutor for a Bit kind of making videos kind of like Working part-time for this education Company that I knew and and that was a Very scary time because I was like I'd Made quite a public exit of the of the Default path um to use like Paul Mill's
Kind of terminology and I was very much Choosing the pathless path and I read That book around then and I was like yes This really Vibes um but that whole Period was really really stressful Quitting my job was like exceptionally Stressful something I've written a lot About in the newsletter um and Like I think it was somewhat unnecessary That it was like a bit public because I Felt like Public in the sense of just like i' sort Of i' sort of shared it on Instagram and So like people kind of in my network and Like would have would have known kind of Like friends from school University all That kind of stuff and I probably didn't Need to put that pressure on myself um But Then uh yeah it was a very stressful Period but I took PTY around that time So YouTube yeah the parttime YouTube Academy um the course that we uh or yeah Um Ali's business like runs and that was In like April 2021 so like two three Months after I'd quit 2022 two three Months after I'd quit and then after That a job opened up um why did you Decide to take the course and did you Pay for it or did you get a scholarship I actually got a scholarship Yeah how how did you Wrangle that had Like hundreds of scholarship applicant
Like yeah I made a two-minute uh two- Minute video and in the video I said Um that well okay firstly I decided to Because I was like this is the dude that I follow in the YouTube world and in the Sort of growing a YouTube channel world This is kind of my main resource for Like um for this stuff the other YouTubers that I knew of like think Media vid IQ Nick nimon um like Channel Makers it didn't seem like they had Quite what I wanted so yeah I mean That's not a plug for our course but Like um yeah it was just kind of seemed Like the best option for me and then but It was quite expensive so I was like Okay maybe I'll apply for a um a Scholarship and my you had to send in a Two-minute video and in my two-minute Video I was like I taking YouTube super Seriously I've made two videos a week For the last five five weeks and in Total over the last six months I've made Around 40 videos that shows you my Commitment um I'm like you know I'm Taking it very seriously I'm very Consistent at this point I've got maybe Like you know I had like 800 subscribers Or something and Um I just can't quite afford to take This course right now would be a sort of Unreasonable amount of my like net worth Was actually like one of the points that I mentioned um so because I just had not
Really saved I had not saved very much Money um and uh yeah and then amazingly I was given the the application yeah the Scholarship and so as you were taking The Course by the way anyone listening we've Not rehearsed this conversation I I Actually don't know any of these details So I'm I'm actually just genuinely Curious as you were taking the course And going through the life cohort what Were you thinking feeling Experiencing about your own like Channel And your own like entrepreneurial Journey if I can just crack this system This I can if I can just crack YouTube And if I can Just keep making videos figure out what Is the thing that I'm going to be like Known for or that figure out my onair Advantage then I'll make one video and Suddenly kind of everything will be all Right or like suddenly everything will Just kind of kick into gear um And I kind of felt like probably didn't Want to quite admit that I didn't know What the plan would be like even like One two months down the line I was kind Of making video I had a good system for Like making videos but I didn't have a Niche I didn't really have a clear thing That I wanted to talk about except for Um broadly kind of careers and life Design was something that I kind of was
Was quite interested in I could have Gone down that but it felt very hard to Have a YouTube channel without having a Main thing without having something else In my life um so I kind of made a few Videos about Consulting and they did Quite well naturally because there was Like you know low Supply and high demand For videos about Consulting and that was My unfair Advantage but I didn't really Want to make more videos about Consulting a because I didn't feel like I knew that much and B because I um like It wasn't the thing that I really wanted To be talking about Um but yeah I was kind of whilst I was Taking the course I was just Like I just want to make some videos That blow up And I was that was just like really what I was feeling and I was like there's Money there's money here there's money In like AdSense in sponsors in Affiliates and like if you can just kind Of get a system going or you make a Video a week then like I'll kind of Figure it itself out as I keep going I Was just like action is the most Important thing um consistency is the Most important thing and I I made a Video a week from that October whilst i S the consulting job I made a video Every single week for an entire year or And like occasionally two
Videos but and I it sort of you know got Me somewhere but like I was just kind of Missing a niche a niche and an unfair Advantage basically was what I was kind Of missing in reflection it sounds like At least part of the decision to do YouTube for you was financially Motivated like you probably would have Seen my videos about like I think that Year 2020 we'd done like a million in Revenue or Did you see the doll sence to be like I Could become a millionaire by doing YouTube like what was the process the Thought process was it was less that I Thought that the I was definitely going To make money with YouTube it was more That I knew that this was the path this Was the general direction that I wanted To go in I kind of was like um very much Taking an experimental mindset in in at The start which was like okay I'm doing The Consulting thing I kind of know that I don't want to go down this route what Is something else that I can explore so I explored YouTube and I was like very Much pulled in that direction and I knew I didn't think that it was going to Solve it was going to yeah I was going To become a millionaire it was more like I know that this aligns way more with All of the things that I want to be Doing so teaching the world of Education the world the possibility of
Like a bigger upside um through because You know there sort of Nal ravan says Like there's infinite on the internet And all that kind of crap and um and uh It was just like that world seems way More interesting to me I'm going to go Towards that world that was what I was That was what I was thinking uh it was Not like I had a grand plan um and Around the time that the job application Came up to work here I was like okay Ali Is making progress in this World and seems like he would be I would Learn a lot about education and online Business working for him so when that When that job came up I was like okay I'm just going to follow this dude or go In this dude's Direction because he's Kind of in this world um and yeah it was Very much like A I didn't know the specifics but I was Just like I was thinking where am I Going to learn the most about the things That I want to be working on if that Kind of makes sense yeah that makes Sense so it sounds like you didn't have A specific destination in mind but you Aligned your direction you were like Currently my direction is Consulting and I can see a few destinations along the Way that don't really Vibe with me Because I can see the destinations but Actually this New Path this pathless Path this like YouTube entrepreneur
Education world there's something here I Don't know exactly what it is and so if A friend had asked you what's all this Leading to your answer would have been I Don't freaking know but I just I'm just Align I'm just tweaking my direction the Compass point so I'm going in that way And I'll go in that direction and see And the path will will reveal itself Over time is that yeah 100% like that's Exactly all of the things I was kind of Writing about in my newsletter each week Was like I don't know where I'm going I Don't quite know what I'm doing but I'm Trying to just kind of pursue the things That matter to me trying to be like Really action biased was a big thing and Um tried to kind of lean into Uncertainty because I knew I just yeah I Just knew that like I was taking steps Towards something but I didn't quite Know what so 800 subscribers you're Making basically zero money from YouTube At that point how were you funding Yourself and you know going from Management consulting to freelance tutor Probably was a big pay cut so how did You think about the money in your life Um yeah money in my life as a consultant I was earning around 30,000 so actually Not that much because it was a it was a Yeah um yeah I mean yeah the often when People think of Consulting they think of Like McKenzie Bane BCG which are the
Kind of three big strategy firms Strategy consulting firms and you do Generally get paid more like 50 60k as a Staring salary um so a little like you Know a reasonable amount more um but Then uh I knew that I Could make like 2 3K a month as a Private Chooser because you charge an Hourly rate of like 4050 quid was what I Was sort of doing at Uni it was kind of A little bit less when I was at Uni but By this point you know I I was a Graduate I'd had a bit more credibility Bit more experience and stuff um so I Just had I worked with all these Different tutoring agencies at University and I just kind of got back In contact and found work through them And um bit of it was an unfair advantage That I had that I knew I could lean on That whereas other people couldn't Necessarily so I definitely was like at The time I was like I know that I can do This I can afford to do this because I Like I went to a good uni I felt Confident shooring people and I've have Experience doing this so uh it was still Stressful the money side of things um And I was I was able to earn around two 2,000 2,500 a month doing it but but I Could have earned more but I didn't want To put too much time into it because I Knew that it was a short-term solution And a lot of this is is actually a lot
Of this is actually documented on on my YouTube channel so like yeah everyone go Check out D's YouTube channel yeah I Mean yeah I'm not post posting there Anymore but like um yeah it's Interesting to to to have like footage Of that journey I guess this episode of Deep dive is very kindly brought to you By short form short form provides Thousands of high quality summaries of Your favorite non-fiction books Including my own feel good productivity So if like me you struggle to find the Time to read as much as you'd like to Then short form is a great way to boost Your knowledge very quickly and easily Their summaries share the key Information and ideas in a book in an Engaging and concise way so you can get A lot of the best bits of a book at your Fingertips now I personally love reading But with a busy schedule there's often Not enough time for it but it's very Easy to read a short form summary while I'm on the toilet or while I'm in an Uber or just in a spare 10 minutes Before a meeting starts and so what I do Is that I often read the summary of the Book in order to decide if I actually Want to read the book in full short form Have all sorts of books available on a Wide variety of topics like philosophy Economics self-help and business you can Highlight the summaries and keep track
Of all of your favorite insights and Even listen to them as well if you Prefer to learn through audio so if you Want to check out the summary of Feelgood productivity uh also please Read the book uh then you might like to Check out short form and if you click The link in the video description or in The show notes then you'll get a free Trial of short form and a 20% discount As well enjoy and happy reading okay so Then you get a job at Ali abdal limited O what what is that like and what Happens Next I felt that I was like I still Didn't feel sure that I was uh like what The future held I was still very much in This kind of like uh uncertainty leaning Into uncertainty just kind of like being Okay with all of that whereas now I feel We're a bit more settled as a business That there is a little bit more Certainty about the future at the time Of joining it was quite uncertain like What the business was doing and how I Fit into it and stuff and so I was just Like okay this isn't yeah this isn't the Like this isn't a sure thing necessarily Um so just kind of like turn up work Hard be useful and um it was very Interesting to see things behind the Scenes um it was nowhere near as Organized as I thought it would be um You uh you were a lot more like kind of
I guess maybe frantic is the word that Like than I thought you'd be in just in Terms of like uh The way you kind of filmed the way it Was just like it was a lot of action you You are very action biased but I think You've maybe like got a bit more sort of Like uh Strategy head screwed on these days but Like I don't know when I when I joined It just felt like it was a lot of action Um but yeah I was kind of like okay I'm In the right world I'm in the right Place I'm in the education space I'm in The YouTube space I'm going to learn Loads I kind of thought that maybe I'd Be able to uh grow my YouTube channel More because I worked for you I thought I'd be able to like uh it would give me Video ideas but then also I'd be able to Kind of like Leverage your audience a Bit and uh and that would be like my Unfair Advantage would be that I worked For you and stuff and I also felt a huge Amount of relief that I had a job uh That I was like secure a bit more stable Financially and a bit more stable in my Career um yeah what was your first week Like and how did that how did that Differ from what your first week like Was like when you had a real job there Was an onboarding process um for you Know it was a very short on boarding Process with Gareth um but and then it
Was kind of straight into work on day Two like day two was was like okay you Here's some stuff to do and I was Writing a notion course I think was my First task and I like um wrote that um I Wrote that in about two weeks um and That was like my main yeah sud I had Like zero meetings and it was just like Okay tinon you're here to write courses Um just get to work and that was kind of What I did and I was the office every Day CU I was like I knew that being in The office every day would be a signal Of intent the best way to learn um and a Great way to kind of meet people it's Like super important I think when you Have a new job to kind of you know be Able to meet people in the team so I was Just there every day writing this notion Course um there were surprisingly few People in the office I remember thinking Um especially in the second week when There was like you know PTY didn't go That well there was like stuff going on Um and a bit of uncertainty around like What we were going to do um And then I went away in like my third or Fourth week because I had a holiday Booked um uh before I joined the company So that was a bit stressful as well Because I was like ah like I should Probably be there but um yeah everyone Was very nice and very friendly and warm But I remember thinking that it was the
Office was a little bit empty in the First one or two weeks um just I think Yeah that was maybe a bit of a hangover From CO as well Um yeah What are some of the major lessons that You've learned from now being in this Role for uh a very long time and I guess Like actually no so bit before we go There so you started off as a course Writer when we thought we needed course Writers and then your then how did your Role evolve over time and how did that Feel yeah I spent four months as working On the creativepreneur brand um which Was something that we thought would be Something that would drisk the business A bit and have something kind of aside From Ali connected to Ali but something Different um and I spent four months Kind of working on that and then Basically we realized that we were doing Too many things in like November of 2022 We kind of realized we were doing too Many things um and that we needed to Scrap cre preneur we needed to kind of Double down on the part-time YouTuber Academy as like a source of Revenue and Ally needed help on the YouTube channel Because at that point uh it was Basically just him basically just you Turning off all Thursday like recording Three videos a week I remember at the Time like three video yeah three videos
In a day um and you were doing it all on Your own I think you felt a bit like Under pressure doing that and there was This day that Daniel Priestley came in To help us like figure out what to do With the business and um he like dropped Some knowledge bombs and everyone was Like whoa okay this is yeah we're doing Too many things we need to do we need to Focus on this and um then after he left The next day it was the start of November I remember it very clearly and Like we were kind of thinking about what To do um and you were like I think I Need some help on the YouTube channel And I think we need to take advantage of This window of opportunity with short Form content on YouTube and so I started Writing I just literally started writing Shorts which at the time felt like Honestly I was like this is so strange That this is where I've like I've come To is just writing these like 200w Shorts that honestly I felt like I was Like what is the I was like this valuable how useful is This like as a task um And that was kind of mostly what I was Doing but then over time since then like The role evolved just naturally to kind Of like helping with long form and then Just like overseeing more more stuff Until I basically kind of like you know Run the YouTube channel um yeah so if
You were able to speak to yourself from When you had just decided to start a new Newsletter and you're speaking to that Version of ENT which I suspect is Actually where a lot of our audience is At like how however old they are I think A lot of our audience is at the point Where they have a they have a job slash They Union about and in a transitionary Stage thinking uh this thing I'm doing Is not really thing I would be doing What what would you say to that person Like tin in from back in the day um Knowing what you know now it's almost Exactly three years ago I've I that I Started the newsletter I think I would Say a lot of the things that I was Saying to myself at the time which was Basically like the path ahead is scary Hard and uncertain But just go in the direction that you Think you want to go and go also go into The world you I think I think I'd Figured out that education was something That I wanted to to work in so I was Like okay I just need to go towards that World and um that was like I didn't know The details of it but I was like that I Just want to be in there and I think Because of the internet because of like The world evolving I just think I'll be Able to make money enough money being in That world and uh potentially more money Than in my consulting job so I'd
Basically say like kind of pick a broad Direction um keep going like appreciate That there are lots of ups and downs um But if you kind of focus on like one of The things to focus On I don't know maybe building market Value but that feels a bit like Niche What do you mean by that like what yeah What is what do you mean by market value I didn't really have any skills um even As a consultant I still I didn't really Develop any skills whereas now I'm like I understand a lot more about like Building a YouTube channel and like even More specific than that like you know Making thumbnails and I could like help Some I have market value because someone Would pay me for help with their YouTube Channel or for the help with their Thumbnails or for help with reviewing Their videos with their video scripts or Like um with the monetization behind Their Channel like all these kinds of Things like these skills have market Value whereas is um there was very there Was a lot less that I would have been Paid for three years ago and my Newsletter had no market value it was Just like my thoughts dream dream and Take action is like a nice summary that I think about basically have a dream in A certain direction and just take Consistent action towards it have a goal And take action nice um what surprised
You about getting to know me other than The franticness of what was going on you Were a lot funnier than I thought you Were going to be your internet presence Is your internet presence is uh is like Broadly you know quite sort of armchair Intellectual Vibes and Like and and I think your sense of humor Doesn't come maybe a bit more these days But at least in your like sort of like 2019 2020 content um like I don't know It just felt like you were yeah you're You're just basically yeah you have a Better sense of humor than I thought you Did um you Genuinely have a very stoic kind of Mindset I feel like a lot of the time um You're quite you're just very positive All the time and I feel like even when Things are hard you manage to kind of Find the fun in stuff and I feel like There are periods in the last year and a Half where the business has been in like Tricky situations and you've still kind Of like managed to have a sense of Lightness and ease a lot of the time um I think You probably a lot more strategic than I Thought you were in the sense That you're just a good entrepreneur and I feel like on the on the on the like Content side on the viewer side it feels Like you are very interested in like [Music]
Um you're doing the content for the Content sake and you definitely are but You're also like there's also a kind of A more kind of like a grander strategy Of like making money behind behind all Of that um in like a in like a very Healthy way I think you know like you Know um that's Like you know why why why wouldn't you Um kind of thing a lot of the kind of Like py ideas that that viewer like me Would have had about how to make money And how to be Successful like you know be consistent Be action biased um do things with high Leverage um kind of like follow your Energy and like uh learn like focus on Learning all of these things you you do You did actually embody and I was like Oh you actually it is actually just Doing these things that is the answer The answer is like is is actually in a Lot of these like these things that People talk about which is just like Action bias like kind of lean into Uncertainty get over the like there's Going to be loads of fear but just kind Of stepping through it like all that Kind of I was like oh okay Yeah actually like Ali's not like a a Superhero of some kind with some un Unreachable skills it's just like his Mindset is very good um yeah being part Of this
Business to what extent do you think Anyone can succeed on YouTube slake Money in this world that that we're In um Yeah I think YouTube is evolving in a Way that means that Like or maybe this has always been the Case I just see it clearer now but you Really do have to have like some kind of Unfair advantage and some kind of clear Target viewer and if you have those Things you actually can you actually can Grow a channel like there's still very Much opportunity to grow and build a YouTube based business um as yeah as I'm Kind of experiencing right now with like A sort of side Hustle YouTube channel I'm like oh you you can grow a YouTube Channel um yeah there's definitely Opportunity but you have to you can't Rely on people just being interested in Your personality um and you um it if you Make some kind of extraordinary videos Or unique videos and your personality Really comes through you know you can Bring people in by being relatable and All that kind of stuff but like um There's just a high a reasonably High Bar for Success um but you only meet That bar by doing it for a long time I Think and figuring all the things out That you need to figure out to be Successful um but yeah there's Definitely opportunity how how has your
Approach to money changed over Time as a broad open-ended question big Numbers seem a lot less like scary than They used to and my imagination can Reach uh like 10 million I can sort of Imagine what like 10 million or whatever Sort of looks like and feels like I know I obviously could of actually can't but Like I just feel like the numbers that We talk about in the business feel have Made money feel like whoa there's loads Of money in the world the numbers are Way bigger than you think they are like In business um and it's still very hard To get going and it's still very hard to Earn like you know $2,000 a month you Have to have some kind of like you know Market value and some marketable skill But um I Think just by nature of being in this Business and the numbers that we kind of Throw around like it's all felt a lot Yeah a lot a lot more uh approachable Potentially and there's a clearer path To earning to earning money um but then Yeah my imagination can't stretch to Like hundred 100 million or hundred Hundreds of millions like I don't really Know what that looks and feels like but Like I I sort of feel like I'm getting a Sense of like um uh yeah how the world Works a little bit more and I would say But I still have huge respect for people Who are able to earn like you know a
Couple thousand pounds on the on on the Side a month because I'm still trying to Do that and it's still very hard um and I I sort of did it for a bit last year As a YouTube consultant I kind of Stopped because I wanted to Pivot but Like uh yeah I have a bigger imagination Though I think does that bigger Imagination tie to bigger Ambitions Around your own personal like how much Money you personally want to make yeah I Kind of think that I struggle with this A bit um like seeing how much money you Make and how much money the business Makes and I'm like that would be so fun That would be so cool um but uh then Also uh proa yeah probably does it Potentially influences me in a bad way Because I sort of like try and skip the Step of like earning like you know 5K a Month and then try and jump kind of in My head and thinking about like bigger Numbers when you kind of have to grow Like you have to kind of go through the The ladders uh the steps of like wealth Creation as Nathan Barry would would Describe um but but yeah potentially I Don't know um I kind of think about it Like right now I have my job and I live Off my salary and I save a bit and stuff And I spend a bit and then anything that I earn on the side is a business and it Goes into as go is like forms part of my Business and the business mindset that I
Have as like a kind of um you know owner Of my of my like of my side hustle Business I think about much bigger Numbers there um and I'm like okay I Could charge XY Z for a client for YouTube Consulting Services um oh maybe Okay over the course of next year I Could make an extra 50k potentially by Doing this I'm like do I want to do that Is 50k kind of worth it I'm like it like It definitely is but I'm sort of Thinking can I earn potentially more Than that in the long term by doing Something else um where there is no Financial return right now but Potentially there's like a you know um a Bigger upside down the line which is Like my YouTube newsletter um but then Uh in my my personal life living off my Salary I'm still quite like scarcity Minded and um uh think about like you Know saving money in in the areas that I Can um so I kind of have like a yeah a Sort of a business hat and a personal Hat I guess does knowing how much money Me and the business make uh make you Feel like yeah what what does that what If anything does that change about the Way that you Operate that make sense it's Simultaneously like damn this takes a Lot of effort and Ali has like a unique Set of skills knowledge experience Unfair advantage that allows him to make
This much money and there are only so Many people who um like yes business There's a Playbook to business but also It's really really hard and um uh Getting to those those kind of numbers And multiples is like really tricky um So and you have to be very very Dedicated so there's that that that Whole side of things it's like it's Basically it's demotivating but then There's the other side of things which Is like no there is kind of like there's A path here you have to learn the skills And it does take a long time but if you Kind of extend your time Horizon For uh these things being possible or For these things succeeding then um You actually can learn all the things You need to learn and kind of like make Sensible decisions make strategic Decisions to kind of hopefully ACR you Know wealth and financial returns over The long term um like there are a lot of Things that you do that are not down to Your unfair advantages but are just down To the fact that you've like learned Something somewhere and then apply it um Which anyone could do in theory what do You feel are my unfair advantages like If you were to now that you've sort of Seen the outside and the inside I guess Sort of 5050 of the time what would you Say are the factors that have led to our Channel kind of being fairly big and
Kind of making a decent chunk of money I Guess you kind of had the external UNP Advantages which were like you know Cambridge NHS doctor um and stuff like The kind of badges which help but then I Think your internal un advantages are That You naturally uh very intelligent I Think is a big one um like you're very Good at explaining understanding things And explaining things um and uh I think That uh like you know lends it very very Much lends itself to YouTube I think You're very action biased and don't Worry about as much uh or naturally Worry as much about what other people Think I know that you sort of did in the Early days but like um or maybe maybe That's actually me misunderstanding your Your journey and it's not actually an UNF advantage and it's something you've Worked through but yeah I would say say Um action bias um I think you said you Have a naturally uh high energy State You you often have a like energy to do Things um whereas I think some people Just struggle more with like just having The energy to do stuff I think um You uh naturally are extremely curious And naturally very much a student um I Guess all people can do these things but Like you know your unfair Advantage is That you're naturally the right fit for A lot of entrepreneurial traits I feel
Um to have a lot of entrepreneurial Traits yeah maybe that's maybe that's me Projecting somewhat but like do you do You feel like like that yeah that's Interesting it's it's sort of like that Thing of you know you can't read the Label from inside the bottle where it's Like I you know the reason I asked that Question is not so you can blow air up My ass but because I'm genuinely C Curious like as someone who was Initially a viewer and now a team member Like what do you see as those advantages Because people often ask me on podcasts It's like well what was the secret to Growing the thing and Stuff and it's like well I've been doing This for seven years now and a big part Of the secret just keep going Um but another big part of the secret is Finding a way to keep it enjoyable which Generates energy and so that's the Energy Point um making sure that like I'm not just making videos for the sake Of the money but feel like there's some Sort of deeper something behind it Um which to me don't feel like unfair Advantages they just feel like I mean Anyone could do that it's just that most People choose not to is is that fair to Say or am I like am I just so out of Touch with like what people are with People other than myself that like I Just Mis uh sort of misjudge how like
The difficulty of this stuff I guess It's hard to know without knowing you Before all of it as well because you may Have been quite different then you may Have been a bit more scared a bit more Uncertain and all that kind of stuff Whereas these days I interact with you And you're just like you have so much Conviction and basically everything that You that you say um but yeah I think I Think one of the biggest things actually Is if someone was like how is Ali abdal So productive I would say something Along the lines of speed um you'll Actually like yes you make things feel Good and stuff but the speed at which You move through life is just so much Quicker than everyone else it's like you Read faster and you learn stuff faster And you process information faster and You make decisions much faster um maybe That's because you understand the power Of making quick decisions but you um Like especially reversible decisions but It is something that I feel like maybe You naturally do um you kind of like you Just make decisions on a daily basis Very quickly like we'll be filming a Video and You'll you you'll sort of like we'll be Like oh should should I have said that Should I include that yeah okay whatever Let's move on and it's like that kind of Speed of thought and that kind of
Cutting through overthinking that I Think allows you to condense like 40 Years of progress into like maybe seven Years or 10 years um because you're just Like you're learning quicker you're Moving quicker you're making decisions Quicker you're like you're typing Quicker you're reading quicker Everything just feels like very fast um And maybe that's just my interpretation Um uh but it feels Like it feels like there is a natural Advantage there the the ability of which You're able to sort of deal with this The speed yeah what do you think about That oh that's interesting that is a Good point Like because like I guess I I I I don't Know the speed at which anyone else Operate so it's it's hard to it's hard To say but I have noticed sometimes if I'm in the car with someone and my Audible or podcast autop plays and it's Playing at like 2.5 to 3x speed yeah Yeah people who are sitting next to me Will be like whoa how do you even Understand that or oh my God this is so Stressful yeah and those are the two Responses that I'll get most often with The exception of Cliff whitesman who was Like oh that's good like I think you Could bump it up to 3.6 um and I'm always a bit surprised Because I'm like I mean you just train
The ability to listen fast and it's like There's not much difference between one Times and 1.1 and then you slowly build Up to 1.2 1.3 1.1 1.5 before you know it You're listening to things at two and a Half times speed and like just learning Two and a half times faster because why Not stuff but that's a that's an Interesting point like I had never Really considered that as being like a Thing But it but yeah it does also feel like a Thing that anyone can do like Increasingly people are watching YouTube Videos at Double speed and installing Video speed controller and all that Stuff and speedify for example has Settings that you can train your Listings but like why why don't more People do this or but but I guess there Is also a counter thing of like well this guy like he doesn't he go he Can't smell the roses on the way you Know you can't smell the roses at 3.5 x Speed yeah I think everyone struggles With that to be honest like I think even If you're moving EX slowly I think most People are still struggling to smell the Roses and they're still thinking about Like they're still stressing about work Or stressing about something else in Their life um so yeah I feel like that's A kind of fundamental human problem is Just like having the time to to be
Present and smell the roses and stuff And I I don't feel like you struggle With that more than anyone else um yeah I sort of know what you're getting at But I feel like there's a deeper thing There which is like that you are just Fundamentally more able To deal with or to just move to move Faster you just like can process Information faster and then kind of turn It around faster and like all that kind Of stuff um And uh yeah that what that's just one of Your unfair advantages I think but like You know um I feel like some to some Extent some people get money and some People don't and I feel like I'm Naturally someone who doesn't actually Get money and I feel like you are like In the sense that maybe understand or Get and receive so so understand yeah um I I'll EXP on it but like I feel like Maybe this again is me projecting and Maybe you actually had to go through This journey and all that kind of stuff And there probably is more that actually But I feel like some people just Understand how money moves through the World and how like money kind of um like Is yeah how to earn money how to get Money kind of how to have market value All this kind of stuff like people just Understand the scale of it and the like The kind of they're just naturally
Entrepreneurial basically people like Gary ve kind of selling sweets at school And like flipping stuff at Agee 11 like That whole mindset is like often what People associate with being an Entrepreneur and you had that from like Age 13 you kind of understood that you Could oh I could do a thing and it would Like I could exchange it for money um And I feel like some people take a lot Longer to come around to the idea of Like yeah doing something useful and Getting paid for it and I feel like some People just understand have that have That entrepreneurial mindset very Naturally um yeah yeah I guess like when I hear the stories of like people who Were like hustling and when they were 11 Selling Suites and stuff I always know I'm going to Vibe with that sort of Person because that was basically what I Was doing just selling websites on the Internet rather than selling Suites and I'm often surprised by the Lack of agen personal agency that people Have when it comes to their earning Potential where it feels like for a lot Of normal people the way you earn money Is at your job and like the way you get Earn more money is by asking for a raise In the right way and your boss is an if he didn't give you the raise Because in line with inflation and it's A very
Like it's it's it's an attitude to money That's around I get what I am Given um which is not at all the Attitude that any entrepreneur has it's Not really I I get what I'm given it's Like I can choose how much money I want To earn and I can do the things that Will take me to get that based on Offering enough value to people who are Willing to pay for it and Stuff yeah yeah agency is like another Thing that's like very natural in some To some people and is not to some people Uh like taking agency over their life And some people just find that very hard And like I think I've had to very much Build that skill and like one of the Reasons I like hanging around with you And I like hanging around with my Housemate Oscar is because uh you guys Are naturally High agency people and you Make life happen and you kind of like Take control over it maybe you weren't Always like that but I very much find That to be the case now and it inspires Me to be like to be more action biased And to take life into my own hands more And and all that kind of stuff which is Something I've always had to work quite Hard for now I feel like the muscle the Muscle is very much there and it's grown And like I can Flex it and stuff and I'm Now quite High agency maybe Rel relative To other people um in my like Social
Circle to some extent potentially but Like uh yeah I feel like that's a Natural thing that some people have and Some people don't but again yeah a lot Of it is learnable so what are the less Fun parts of working in this business Working with me like what are the what Are the Downsides if you had to really spill the Tea or serve the tea or whatever the Phrase Is um serve the tea Uh I would say the downside Is Um I think one thing that I think is Maybe like is public within the team is That you think things can be done Quicker than they can um and and it's Not even a lot of it is not even that They can't be done that quickly or you Couldn't do them that quickly it's just Like to operate at 100% all the time is Super tiring and like that that Kind of I Think the you because it's your business You very much like drag the team Forwards not drag sounds negative but Like you're trying to make it move Faster than every r on naturally because It's your business and so we're like Trying to keep up a bit and I feel like There's always um there's that tension And I feel like yes we're all we're We're there like we're we're we're with
You but sometimes it's tiring to always Be at 100% And um when you weren't in The business or less involved in the Business like post the kind of around The time the Life Update video in December and stuff yeah naturally when You're more involved um things like are A bit more chaotic and a bit more like Kind of lurched into action um which is Obviously a good thing but are they are They actually more productive like yeah Because for example in November December Black Friday we made a lot of money Black Friday and I wasn't involved in That at all Yes um yeah yeah honestly I I I do Actually think about this I I Think I actually don't know there's Something to be said for like if you Just completely left Gareth to his own Devices in terms of making the Productivity product he'd he'd get there Quicker and potentially make something Better potentially But but maybe not like um cuz you will Often take it I I feel like strategy Wise you'll take take it in a better Direction um because you're just more in Tune with Like maybe the Entrepreneurial side of things the the Business as a whole side of things and You just can see things other people Can't it's just so hard to look at a
Business that's not your own as your as Your own it's like with your YouTube Channel I find it so hard sometimes to Really think about it as my YouTube Channel when it's your YouTube channel Um it's just very difficult so uh yeah Honestly I actually don't know the Answer to that question like if you were Just a consultant um for the business Would it move Quicker I think I definitely would have Said no a year ago like a year ago we we We I think you needed to be very Involved to kind of like take us out of The phase that we were in and kind of Turn P into a self serve thingy and that Whole thing I feel like we need that Energy today today I'm less sure because The team is better so um I yeah I don't Know what are your thoughts on that yeah I also think the yeah the team is much Better now than they were two three Years ago as a leader me leaders me and Ang are way better than we were three Years ago Um and yeah it's always a bit of a Balancing out with me of like Knowing like like like between me and Angus around like both of us want the Business to go to 10 million and it's Just that like what to to what extent is My involvement in stuff actually useful But and to what point does it become a Hindrance
Uh to that particular goal um and again I'm not sure I think when it comes to New product development and when it Comes to the YouTube channel those are Two areas that I I need to be very Involved In I think Also yeah it's like because I'm not in The dayto day I do have a more zoomed Out perspective on things than people Involved in the day today do but there's A balance between that but and also like Kind of seagull management where you Come in you make a lot of noise you Over everyone's heads and then you leave Uh and that is like also clearly not Helpful and so getting this Balancing Act between like how involved do I want To be versus how how not involved do I Want to be with things yeah how much do I want to be okay with someone making a Plan taking action on the Thing and if it doesn't have my name Attached to it I'm a lot more okay with It um but if it doesn't have my name Attached to it I'm not uh but for Example with our light mode keyboards For example I wasn't as retentive about That as I as I would be about something If it was like Ali abdal Branded and maybe the thing would have Been better if I'd been more Perfectionistic about it in fact it Definitely would have been better if I'd
Been more perfectionistic about it but There comes a point where you do have to Sort of let go of things and it's like It's it's the yeah it's hard to know What what that what that balances yeah I Mean yeah I don't know the the the Solution but generally things I think Are move faster and better when you are More involved I think that's like a Broad thing but there are some specifics Maybe like customer success where maybe Maybe that's not the case um but yeah in Particular with the YouTube channel like The more involved you are the more Uh well the content will be better I Actually feel like Potentially uh the growth I actually Don't know the more involved you are as In like obviously assuming you're Filming the same number of videos either Way um like because I think you you yeah I feel less sure about that if yeah Maybe that's just biging myself up like If we filmed videos that I wanted to Make versus if we filmed videos that you Wanted us to make we'd probably grow Faster in your mode because you're in The world with the analytics with the Idea generation with everything getting A sense of this is a video that will'll Grow the channel whereas I'm in the World of like oh just I just read a cool Book and I want to share some ideas and We're like yeah but like the the title
Is it doesn't Work yeah yeah then like there's a Middle ground because obviously you come In and you're like tinting that title is Like all over the place like or it's Like you know that's going to make me Seem like a dick or cuz I'm like I'm Like views and you're like brand and Yeah I think there's a there's a middle Ground um so yeah why did you decide to Not be not continue to be consistent on YouTube because you know every week for Two years and it changes your life and You did it every week for one year so Why not why not continue yeah um you Have all the advantages you have all the Systems like if if anyone in the world Could a side Hustle YouTube channel is Probably you so why did you decide to Not do that no I know yeah 100% um So short answer there is actually I now Kind of am I've kind of returned but I'll get to that um I thought when I Joined the business that um that would Actually solve my YouTube problems I was Like oh my God I work for a YouTuber With three million subscribers at the Time um obviously I can just like Leverage that and my YouTube channel Will just Grow um but my fundamental problem was That I didn't have something that I Could continuously kind of talk about Where I had expertise that people would
Listen to me and I sort of wasn't really Going to do vlogs and and sort of Have a like people weren't going to be Interested enough in me I had to be Providing some kind of value and I had That fundamental problem and then I had The problem of being so closely involved With your Channel that I didn't know how To like I didn't know which video it is That were sort of yours or mine to be Honest because um I like talking about a Lot of the same things as you I thought Then maybe I could differentiate myself As doing a kind of careers life design Thing and maybe Court life crisis Niche But then I kind of lost a bit of steam With it lost a bit of motivation it all Felt very much like a sort of heavy lift And like an uphill battle and I was like Okay there's not kind of there's not Legs here so a year ago I could sort of Feel the YouTube channel kind of losing Momentum And um I was like I think I just want to Make something I just want to make Something work and I want to make some And um you'd mentioned YouTube Consulting and other people had Mentioned YouTube Consulting so I did That and I got traction very quickly I Kind of like tweeted a few things and Like two weeks later I had my first Client pay me like1 pound for a for a Zoom call and I was like whoa this is
All um uh this kind of crazy and then I Managed to increase my price over time And I kind of realized through the Process of last Year that people are paying me Because I have some like knowledge or Skills that they want help with and um And I was like That yeah I have market value and that Is my unfair Advantage I should lean Life would be a lot easier if my side Hustles were leveraging my unfair Advantage and the thing that I'm going To continue learning about and the thing That I know about um rather than Something that I'm going to have to like Like rather than something like careers Or life design which are very kind of Nebulous topics which I'd have to um Read books about and whatever to try and Make videos about and I was like life Would be a lot easier if I was more Aligned and we had we actually had a Conversation about it in a cafe and I Was like Ally can you help me out um do You remember in next to your house you With um with your girlfriend and uh in The cafe next To uh I can't remember it yeah it was Right next to your house and um I was Like can I have some life coaching Because I'm kind of like do I be a life Coachy guy about careers or do be a YouTube guy and you were like the world
Has presented you with this opportunity To be a YouTube guy for like a YouTuber With lots of subscribers like growth is Really good it's really good when things Work why don't you do more of that and I Was I kind of thought about it for a bit And I it was just very hard to let go of This of the personal YouTube channel um And stop making videos there had a lot Of identity kind of wrapped up in it so It was very hard to stop doing that but I kind of basically stopped doing that And decided to start a YouTube new Newletter about all the things I'm Learning working with you and um because That leverages my on advantage and the Thing that I'm going to continue Learning about and then I also decided To start a very simple YouTube channel Which was like um essentially just Screen recordings of me talking about YouTube um and uh that I've seen a lot More just like signal of interest of Doing those two things than I did with Uh my personal Channel um um and so I Made this kind of transition basically So I haven't stopped YouTube completely And uh yeah I'm now kind of trying to Upload a video a week on that channel Just a loom and I'm going to just make It better over time you know who knows What the products will look like in a Year's time it could be like they're Really edited and they're kind of like a
Whiteboard Vibe and I've got Thumbnails but to start with I um I was Like what is the unfair Advantage here That I can Leverage is my knowledge of YouTube and the fact that I work for Ali And the fact that what people want to Talk to me about YouTube and I'm just Going to do the lowest lift version of This that I can imagine because that's The thing that I'll be able to be Sustainable with um yeah there it is Yeah and uh um and I can this I can be Sustainable with it's a lot easier than Making kind of talking head videos and Yeah it's sort of slowly working um and I'm the reason I stopped Consulting was Because I bit scheduled outside of my Job and um it was like a bit of a Time Drain and there was a limited upside Whereas this there is in theory a kind Of you know a bigger upside if if things Go well and you know um and it's the Thing it's the world that I Understand so yeah that's kind of why I Stopped making videos on my personal Channel yeah I remember I remember us Having that conversation and me kind of Telling you That like it's it's very hard to make Any business work but when you get Signals of interest from the market That's where you're like you should Really think about it and trying to be a 25-year old life coach versus trying to
Be a 25-year old YouTube growth guy Working for me like yeah you know I know Which of those I would bet On um I'm just confident if I keep going I'll just something interesting will Happen again you know something will Come out of it and things things have Already um and yeah I'm not setting my Sights on so I've realized money is not Actually the thing that I really really Want it's more like I want to do Something interesting I want to help as Many YouTubers as possible um I don't Like safeguarding the information with Like one client I like kind of sharing Things with more people um and Also yeah Consulting is kind of tiring Especially given that I do it in my job As well as part of the parttime YouTuber Academy yeah speaking of um so you do Weekly office hours for our YouTube Accelerator clients uh students link Down below well it's not even link down Below go to academy. if anyone wants to Sign up um what have you learned about Talking to YouTubers who want to grow Their YouTube channels every week around What it takes to grow a YouTube channel Like what have been the surprising Things the surprising things are um yeah Probably a lot of things that you Resonate with um one is like a lot of Questions are answers that you can get Get elsewhere um kind of through content
Or through just like you know watching Other videos or like um watching the Course itself Um then I think some people think they Some people over complicate it some People like try and do kind of like Hyper they try and game YouTube um too Much um and try and like overedit their Videos kind of retention hack Make the Thumbnail super click baity that kind of Thing um I think some people think the Timeline is way shorter than it is in Terms of being successful like yes you Can blow up your channel quickly if you Know how to make sick videos and you Have an unfair advantage and all that Kind of stuff um like uh the kind of Stuff that you've been preaching for in YouTube in part time YouTube Academy for Ages um but if you don't know anything Then like how can you expect to have a Um you know to grow your YouTube channel Quickly I think a big thing is not being Clear on why you're doing it so what is Your goal is it um are you doing this to Express yourself like deep down is this What this is really all about are you Doing it to money um if you are is YouTube the best option and um if you're Doing it to make money in the sense of Like Get clients make that the very Clear goal make I'm trying to get Clients my business that is why I'm Doing YouTube um if the goal is to like
Is for brand and just like have a kind Of YouTube channel for brand purposes For like personal brand or business Brand then like be very clear about that Um so kind of be very clear about why You have the YouTube channel in the First place um and yeah what else are The things that people do Um yeah not leveraging their uner Advantage not understanding that I feel Like I was speaking to someone who was a Mortgage broker the other day and she Was trying to make her videos appeal to Like a sort of 15 20 year old Market by Kind of like editing them loads and I Was like you don't need to do this You're just a mortgage broker like you Just need to say I'm a mortgage broker And talk loads about um like just share So much value about like how to how to Help kind of people in their 30s get Better mortgages um because that was Those were who those were who her Clients were um and those were what she Was trying to do with YouTube was get Clients and she just kind of was like Over complicating the process so yeah on That note I think a lot of people take The like the average age of our student Is about 36 um we have like real adults With real jobs who go through our Courses uh because of the price point And because of VI but a lot of the Advice on YouTube out there uh is aimed
At kids it's like make the thumbnail Super Mr beasty make the editing super Retention etc etc really make the title As clickbaity as possible and it's like You know if you're a 48-year-old Finance Like like CFO and your business is Fractional CFO Services why are you Trying to make videos appealing to 14-year-olds like make videos appealing To their dads who are running businesses Which is very different to how you make Videos that appeal to a 14 yearold um Just something that I keep having to Hammer in my sessions as well yeah 100% It's just really hard though you're just Learning a thousand skills and so it Just takes time and like if I could go Back back and tell myself like stuff I'd Probably just say like keep going you're Kind of doing you're doing all the right Things like the main thing what it's Funny how genuinely the main thing is if You actually are taking this seriously The number one thing you could do is Keep going as as long as you also have a Commitment to improving and learning Because by keeping going you are forced To figure out these things you are Forced to figure out your unfair Advantage you're forced to um figure out Your Niche you're forced to kind of like Uh make better videos and all that stuff So like Kind of start keep going get better is
Like Actually the the three-part method that Like has the most truth behind it I Think like yeah there's definitely Something to that and and this is partly Why I still am bullish on the one video A week philosophy because people Sometimes are ask in the sessions be Like but like isn't it better like to Make a really high quality video instead And I'm Like yeah but the way you get to making A really high quality video Is by making lots of videos and Improving at the process over time and Generally when people think high quality Video it's like a video that takes four Weeks to edit is unlikely to be a video That leans into anyone's unfair Advantages and yeah I just think the Value of just keeping going yeah yeah Because if the go if the goal is like if The goal is like be James Johnny and Make documentary Vibe videos then and Kind of establish yourself as some kind Of like you know high production value Channel Then you need to figure out how to make Really really good videos and do that Maybe on a less frequent basis but you Need to be really clear on like what is The what is the point in the channel Who Am I who are these videos for um can I Do this for can I do this sustainably
Alongside my job do I have the money Time energy to do these things like all Of it's a puzzle it's just a big puzzle Um and yeah which is why I've gone for Looms because I I don't I don't have the Time or I don't want to put in the time Um to sustain a different kind of YouTube channel and I think it's the Simplest way for me convey value so I Was going to ask you about this like This is Breaking All the Rules in the YouTube Playbook basically you have no Thumbnails you know the titles are Reasonable and you're just doing a loom Loom video recording with no editing What's the rationale there I think I I Think it is a very good idea but I'm Curious about like what was the thought Process okay the first thought process Actually is like what what what can I do Um Sustainably that's that was crucial so I Was like what can I do sustainably like I can make one video that looks like Ridiculous but what can I do on a Consistent basis That leverages my unfair Advantage um And yeah basically that um and I was Like to be Honest like sitting down and recording Videos and working with an editor I was Like can I can I just strip all this out Can I just like talk to YouTubers um in a what's the simplest
Way I can do that and I kind of landed On looms and because I in the way I kind Of got there was just like I want to Talk about thumbnails and to talk about Thumbnails you kind of need something on Screen it was kind of hard to do that Like in a talking head video like this And then talk about a thumbnail that Maybe is on your computer and hope the Editor kind of puts it over the top I Was like why don't I just talk about the Thumbnail on the screen um so I was like Okay looms and then I was like yeah no One else on YouTube is really um sharing Kind of unfiltered advice like this it All feels a bit retention hacky it all Feels like they're trying to get you Into their course it all feels like They're kind of um uh trying to game you A little bit and I was like I reckon There's a market out there um of people Which I know these people because we Talked to them in the parttime Academy I Was like who just want some kind of um Helpful videos talking over thumbnails And other things um where there's no Kind of retention hack and it's just Like high quality information from Someone that they think is credible so Yeah I actually think I may go with Thumbnails in the future um the reason I Haven't got thumbnails is partly because Partly because it takes time to make it Thumbnails and partly because I think
Maybe there's an unfair Advantage there Because my channel is so different to Everything else um that there's that There is like um long-term an upside There And uh potentially so yeah I'm kind of Experimenting I I literally am I feel Myself like week to week applying all of The principles that we that we believe In of like a video a week kind of like Um like don't overthink it um unfair Advantage like clear Niche clear Target Viewer have a clear system spend a bit Of time in the week kind of like writing The video and then it comes to filming Day and batch them and all that kind of Stuff and I still struggle even with Just looms I still struggle but like um Yeah that's why the channel currently Looks and feels the way it does yeah I Know it's really good 359 subscribers Only eight videos that's like pretty Solid stats your video from one day ago Has already got 132 video 132 views Which is like a third of your subscriber Count so it's sort of the equivalent of Me doing a video that does 1.5 million Views in like a day and um I know the People those 132 views are in theory Like you know reasonably high quality Views um the people that I kind of want To be in front Of um yeah but also I don't know I don't I don't know I don't like even given the
Amount that I feel like I know about YouTube I still don't know if this will Work SL what this will look like in six Months time I'm just trying to keep Going and experiment and figure it out And kind of be strategic and stuff and Um uh yeah I'm still like just you know Exploring I think it's a real like a lot A lot of your journey to me including The way you're approaching this extra YouTube channel is there this quote from Roomie which is something to the effect Of when you step on the path and walk on It then the path will Appear and so you are stepping on the Path and walking on it and the path is In is well it's it's going to appear and You don't know what form it'll take you Don't know what destination it will take You to but you just know that hey I'm Doing sensible things and I'm going to Keep doing them for a long time Something interesting will happen it is That is the philosophy I think and Um Sometimes I think I'm like I sometimes I Wish I was further ahead than I was than I am sorry um and you get kind of Frustrated with all that kind of stuff But like we yeah we talk a lot about Infinite games and I Tred to remember Like I actually am kind of doing all the Infinite games that I want to be doing Like you know I love teaching I love
YouTube I love like working this Business and all that kind of stuff and So I'm like generally just trying to Keep doing the things doing currently Um but yeah there's a whole there's a Whole thing there yeah like the the Reward for good work is more Work um and that thing around you know Like I I can I can guarantee that there Is no achievement that you can ever Achieve that will make you any happier Than you are than you are right now Uh um you know you could be making 500k A year and it would not change your life Very much you'd go and fanc your Holidays you'd have a bigger bedroom uh But beyond That you know I'm I make more than 500k A year I'm sitting in my mom's house in The spare Room freaking like you know tie food Takeaway in a little box I've gone Bougie and then I put the noodles into The bowl just because we were doing it On air otherwise would have be the Box There's like all around me because Like as long as behind the camera as Long as long as the camera viewing looks Good behind the camera no one needs to See all the boxes and stuff that have Been pared around it's all the same Stuff it's all the same stuff that I was Doing when I had fewer subscribers than You did than than you do now yeah I
Think yeah I think that is um something I've also realized through working with You is like is nothing profoundly Changes um but the I've thought a lot About why am I doing all the things I'm Doing like is it money and I think being So close to you and someone who like has You know reached their financial goals Um I've realized that it's really not For me actually that's obviously a Secondary goal but the primary goal is Actually just to do something cool I Want to that that's kind of it it's like I want to have like built Something and contribute to Something in Like a in a cool way and I want to like Um have like essentially achievement but Kind of like maybe a more kind of Dressed up version of achievement like Um build something like satisfying for Myself um kind of like you know explore My potential and um all that kind of Thing maybe there's a bit of a status Element there like trying to achieve do Something cool so that I can get kind of Respect from others and stuff and like That's kind of fun but it's actually Less about the money because like if I Wanted to make lots of money I would Probably I'd probably quit my job and be A full-time YouTube consultant and build A business around YouTube Consulting um Or something uh but yeah I think I Want to just like like 100,000
Subscribers on the YouTube channel would Actually mean more to me me than making Money from the YouTube channel just Because it'd be like I did something I Managed to like yeah to build something Cool I think that's I think I have an Attachment to that idea now in hopefully A healthy way Um maybe there's all sorts of things Going on there and like you could Interrogate me on why and stuff but I Yeah nice that's very good we'll save That for round two of this um Deep dive Conversation Yeah um thank you everyone for watching SL listening tinon any uh final parting With wisdom for people who may have Watched all 1 hour 20 minutes or Listened to 1 hour 20 minutes of this This episode I feel like I share a lot Of Life wisdom and I don't really Actually at least like life wisdom that I currently learning myself and I don't I I don't know basically um yeah Entrepreneurship is hard but um it is a Kind of there's like a um a skill set Involved with figuring stuff out and Kind of keep moving in the in the I Think broadly like identify what What it's all the you talk about on Your videos like kind of actually that Is actually a really good final that is A really good final point is Um even though I work very closely with
Ali I also um want to be kind of Reminded of the the lessons and stuff That Ali learns and like all the things That we talk about in the business Basically everything is public in the Videos so sometimes even I like go back And watch a video to to just hear Ali Talk about something I'm like oh that's Such a good point and I have more Context maybe for what they mean because I speak speak to Al about them Separately but basically everything Everything you kind of need is actually In the videos like I think like all the Encouragement inspiration tools tips Techniques like a lot of it is on your Channel um so I think it is actually a Very good resource to mine um yeah That's a final point I guess thank you For a plug for the Channel and where can people learn more About you and your little uh Endeavors YouTube to. sub.com is my YouTube Newsletter which yeah fantastic and if You guys if anyone listening to this Wants to start grow scale YouTube Channel you should check out a YouTuber Academy uh or the YouTuber accelerator Where you get access to weekly office Hours with tinted where he can give you More advice specifically about how to Grow your channel anyway thank you for Joining t for this experimental episode Of Deep dive and see you
Later bye guys all right so that's it For this week's episode of Deep dive Thank you so much for watching or Listening all the links and resources That we mentioned in the podcast are Going to be linked down in the video Description or in the show notes Depending on where you're watching or Listening to this if you're listening to This on a podcast platform then do Please leave us a review on the iTunes Store it really helps other people Discover the podcast or if you're Watching this in full HD or 4k on YouTube then you can leave a comment Down below and ask any questions or any Insights or any thoughts about the Episode that would be awesome and if you Enjoyed this episode you might like to Check out this episode here as well Which links in with some of the stuff That we talked about in the episode so Thanks for watching uh do hit the Subscribe button if you aren't already And I'll see you next time bye-bye
