How to make money on YouTube without filming videos by yourself (feat. @NateOBrien)

Summary

In this insightful interview, 25-year-old YouTuber and investor Nate O'Brien shares his journey on YouTube, managing multiple channels, and his recent hiatus. Nate discusses the challenges of content creation, the importance of diversifying income, and his ventures outside of YouTube, including a media company and a venture fund. He also provides advice for aspiring creators, emphasizing the value of quality over quantity and the strategy of not reinventing the wheel. Nate's experiences and insights offer a roadmap for success in the digital age, highlighting the balance between creating content and building a sustainable business.

Takeaways

• 😀 Nate O'Brien, a 25-year-old American YouTuber and investor, manages multiple YouTube channels with over 3 million combined subscribers.
• 🚫 Nate has taken a break from posting videos on his main YouTube channel since October 2023, feeling he has said everything he needed to on YouTube and doesn't want to repeat content.
• 🔍 Nate, along with his brother, owns a media company with a focus on finance and software tutorial channels, aiming for search-based content rather than viral videos.
• 💼 He emphasizes the importance of diversifying income sources, rather than relying solely on YouTube ad revenue, which can be unpredictable.
• 🏢 Nate's day-to-day activities now involve managing a venture fund called Road Runner and his media company, moving away from being on camera.
• 💡 His advice for new YouTubers is to identify gaps in the market and create content in areas with high demand but low supply.
• 📈 Nate's revenue streams are heavily reliant on affiliate marketing, with AdSense as a secondary source, and he has experienced issues with sudden drops in AdSense revenue.
• 🤔 Nate is cautious about the future of YouTube with the rise of AI and automation, but believes the platform will adapt its algorithms to maintain user engagement.
• 💰 He has a diversified investment portfolio with the majority in stocks, a portion in index funds, and 5-10% in crypto, stored securely in hardware wallets.
• 🏠 Nate is not interested in real estate as an investment, preferring liquidity and diversification over the potential tax benefits.
• ⏳ Looking ahead, Nate has no specific plans for the next five years but hopes to slow down, possibly start a family, and continue working on projects he loves without financial worries.

Q & A

Why did Nate O'Brien consider making a 'leaving YouTube' type of video?

Nate O'Brien thought about making a 'leaving YouTube' video because he felt he had said everything he needed to say on YouTube and didn't want to keep making similar content, which he compared to being on a hamster wheel.

What is Nate O'Brien's current involvement with YouTube?

Nate O'Brien has taken a break from posting videos on his main YouTube channel since October 2023 and is considering a return when he feels inspired, but he is currently focusing on other ventures.

How does Nate manage his YouTube team and keep track of content?

Nate uses Dropbox Business and Business Plus for his team's workflow, which integrates all the necessary tools into one shared space, including file storage, sharing, tracking sent proposals, and real-time collaboration through features like Send, Track, and Replay.

What is Nate O'Brien's background and how did he start on YouTube?

Nate O'Brien is a 25-year-old American YouTuber and investor who started on YouTube in 2016 when he was 18, focusing on finance content because there was a gap in the market for such videos at that time.

What is the primary focus of Nate's media company?

Nate's media company focuses on owning and operating multiple YouTube channels, primarily in the finance and software tutorial niches, with an emphasis on search-based content rather than viral videos.

How does Nate decide on the success of a YouTube channel?

Nate assesses the success of a YouTube channel based on its ability to generate cash flow and its potential for growth. He is willing to invest in a channel for up to two years of consistent posting before deciding whether to shut it down.

What is the process for finding and hiring content creators for Nate's media company?

Nate finds content creators by posting Google Forms or Type Forms seeking freelance work. He receives hundreds of applications, reviews them, and selects the best candidates, giving them a lot of trust and responsibility from the start.

How does Nate approach affiliate marketing on his YouTube channels?

Nate focuses on creating content that aligns with what people are searching for, such as top investment apps, and then includes affiliate links to those products. He also drives traffic to companies and then negotiates affiliate partnerships based on the traffic generated.

What are Nate's thoughts on the future of YouTube and the impact of AI on content creation?

Nate is unsure about the future impact of AI on YouTube but believes that the platform will adapt its algorithms to filter out automated content. He thinks YouTube will continue to improve recommendations to keep viewers engaged.

How does Nate manage his personal finances and investments?

Nate keeps a significant portion of his savings in individual stocks and index funds, with a smaller percentage in crypto assets. He also maintains a portion of his savings in cash, which he keeps in high-yield savings accounts or short-term treasuries.

What advice does Nate have for people who want to be successful on YouTube?

Nate advises against reinventing the wheel and suggests that people should look at what's working for others and then modify it slightly. He also emphasizes the importance of consistent posting and focusing on quality over quantity.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 Nate O'Brien's YouTube Hiatus and Business Ventures

In this segment, Nate O'Brien, a 25-year-old American YouTuber and investor, discusses his decision to take a break from YouTube, where he has been active since 2016. Nate manages multiple YouTube channels with over 3 million subscribers. He talks about his last video posted in October 2023 and his contemplation about whether to create a farewell video or to simply disappear and return when inspired. Nate expresses his desire to avoid repetitive content and his readiness to move on after saying everything he wanted to on his platform. He also introduces his involvement with Dropbox Business to streamline his team's workflow and mentions his venture fund, Road Runner, and media company, which he operates with his brother, focusing on the business side of content creation.

05:01

🚀 Diversifying Beyond Personal Branding with Media Channels

Nate shares his insights on personal branding, stating that there's no equity buildup in a personal brand and the difficulty of selling it. He discusses his transition from personal content creation to establishing a media company with his brother, which currently manages several YouTube channels. Nate explains that the company focuses on search-based content rather than viral videos, and they have scaled down from 15 to a few main channels. He talks about the process of starting new channels, the importance of identifying profitable niches, and the challenges of growing a channel. Nate also shares his approach to finding and hiring talent for his channels, emphasizing trust and responsibility in his team.

10:02

💡 Identifying Market Gaps and Monetization Strategies

In this part, Nate discusses his strategy for identifying gaps in the market and creating content that fills those gaps. He talks about his experience with long-form finance tutorials that gained significant traction due to their unique format. Nate also shares his thoughts on the current state of the finance niche on YouTube and the importance of finding underserved areas within it. He hints at a new niche that he finds exciting but keeps it confidential due to its competitive nature. Nate also touches on the potential impact of AI and automation on content creation and the future of YouTube.

15:03

💸 Revenue Streams and the Challenges of AdSense Fluctuations

Nate delves into the revenue streams of his media company, highlighting that it now outperforms his personal YouTube channel. He mentions affiliate marketing as the primary income source, followed by AdSense and sponsorships. Nate discusses the unpredictability of AdSense revenue due to YouTube's algorithmic changes, which have negatively impacted many creators who focus on search-based content. He also shares his preference for affiliate marketing over flat-fee sponsorships due to the unlimited earning potential of the former.

20:03

🤝 The Dynamics of Early-Stage Venture Capital Investments

Nate talks about his venture capital fund, which he started in 2022 with his partner Sebie. They invest in early-stage, pre-seed companies, primarily in the consumer tech sector. Nate shares that they have invested in 14 companies so far and plan to invest in 15 to 20 more. He expresses excitement about the potential influence on the future through these investments, rather than just the financial returns. Nate also discusses the challenges and rewards of working with early-stage startups and the long-term nature of venture capital investments.

25:04

💼 Personal Finance and Future Aspirations

In this segment, Nate reflects on his personal finance situation, admitting that he no longer lives as frugally as he once did, due to his increased spending on travel and dining out. He estimates his expenses to be around 10% of his income, allowing him to save a significant portion. Nate also discusses his investment strategies, revealing that the majority of his savings are in individual stocks, with a portion in index funds and a smaller percentage in crypto assets. He shares his thoughts on real estate as an investment and expresses a preference for liquidity and diversification over real estate holdings. Looking ahead, Nate envisions a future where he can slow down, start a family, and focus on work that he loves without financial concerns.

🛣 Advice for Aspiring Influencers and Content Creators

Nate concludes the interview with advice for those starting out in the influencer and content creation space. He emphasizes the importance of consistency and quality over quantity in posting content. Nate also suggests that new creators should not try to reinvent the wheel but instead learn from what is already working for others and make slight modifications. He acknowledges the challenges of getting started, including dealing with self-doubt and criticism, but encourages persistence and learning from the experiences of others.

Keywords

💡YouTuber

A YouTuber is an individual who creates and shares content on the YouTube platform. In the video, Nate O'Brien is identified as a YouTuber and investor, highlighting his role in managing multiple YouTube channels with a significant number of subscribers. His experience and insights on YouTube success are central to the video's theme.

💡Investor

An investor is someone who allocates capital with the expectation of generating a return or profit. Nate O'Brien is described as an investor, which is relevant to the video's theme as it discusses his venture fund, Road Runner, and his investment strategies in early-stage companies.

💡Personal Brand

A personal brand refers to the image and reputation that an individual projects, often used for personal development and career advancement. Nate discusses the limitations of a personal brand, such as difficulty in selling it, and his transition from personal branding to building a business separate from his personal identity.

💡Search Content

Search content refers to the type of content created with the intention of ranking high in search engine results, thereby attracting organic traffic. Nate mentions that his media company focuses on search content, which is a strategic approach to gaining visibility on platforms like YouTube.

💡Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing strategy where an individual earns a commission for promoting another company's products or services. In the script, Nate explains that a significant portion of his revenue comes from affiliate marketing, particularly through finance apps.

💡AdSense

Google AdSense is a program that allows website and video content publishers to earn revenue by displaying targeted ads on their content. Nate discusses the unpredictability of AdSense revenue due to YouTube's algorithm changes, which can significantly impact earnings.

💡Venture Fund

A venture fund is a type of investment fund that focuses on investing in early-stage, high-potential, growth companies. Nate O'Brien's involvement with the venture fund Road Runner is a key aspect of his current activities, as he invests in pre-seed companies.

💡Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern where individuals doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent fear of being exposed as a 'fraud'. Nate admits to experiencing imposter syndrome, especially when he started giving advice on investing at a young age, which adds a personal dimension to his journey as a content creator.

💡Revenue Stream

A revenue stream refers to the different sources through which a business generates income. Nate discusses diversifying his revenue streams beyond his personal YouTube channel, which includes his media company and venture fund, emphasizing the importance of not relying on a single income source.

💡Content Creation

Content creation is the process of making and editing media content, such as videos, for distribution. The video's theme revolves around content creation, as Nate shares his experiences and strategies for creating and managing multiple YouTube channels and the challenges that come with it.

💡Influencer

An influencer is an individual who has the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others because of their authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with their audience. Nate's advice for influencers to focus on quality over quantity and to be consistent in posting is relevant to the video's theme of achieving success on platforms like YouTube.

Highlights

Nate O'Brien, a 25-year-old American YouTuber and investor, manages multiple YouTube channels with over 3 million combined subscribers.

Nate has recently disappeared from his main YouTube channel and is considering taking a break or retiring from video creation.

He believes in not reinventing the wheel and suggests learning from successful people to achieve success.

Nate discusses the challenges of managing a team of 10 and the benefits of using Dropbox Business for streamlined workflow.

He shares his experience with the feature 'Send in Track' which helps in tracking the engagement of proposals sent to brands.

Nate highlights the importance of having a diverse income source instead of relying solely on YouTube ad revenue.

He mentions his venture into creating a media company with his brother, focusing on the business side of YouTube.

Nate explains his shift from personal branding to building a business that can be separate from himself.

He talks about the process of starting new channels and the importance of identifying gaps in the market.

Nate shares insights on the production cost of videos and the strategy behind hiring freelancers for content creation.

He discusses the approach to channel management, focusing on search-based content rather than creating viral videos.

Nate reveals that his media company's revenue has surpassed his personal YouTube channel's revenue.

He advises on the importance of affiliate marketing over flat fee sponsorships for higher potential returns.

Nate shares his experience with investing in early-stage companies through his VC fund, Road Runner.

He talks about his personal finance strategy, including diversification across stocks, index funds, and crypto.

Nate expresses his preference for liquidity over real estate investment due to the desire to avoid complications.

He provides advice for aspiring influencers, emphasizing consistency, quality over quantity, and not reinventing the wheel.

Transcripts

I was thinking if I should make like uh

I'm leaving YouTube type of video I

think I just said everything that I

needed to say on on YouTube that sounds

like a lot of headache to me I really

don't want to make videos have you

thought about buying real estate I'm not

a real estate person why I'm not sure if

I can share it cuz it's like super just

competitive one advice for everyone who

wants to be like as successful as you

are don't reinvent the

[Music]

wheel guys welcome to Sil com Val girl

we have an amazing guest today Nate

O'Brien thank you so much for making it

meet Nate O'Brien a 25-year-old American

YouTuber and investor Nate manages

multiple YouTube channels with over 3

million combined subscribers and

recently he disappeared from his main

YouTube channel so we're going to talk

about what happened we'll also talk

about his secrets of making money on

YouTube and operating multiple channels

simultaneously please welcome Nate

O'Brien Nate youve been on YouTube for

how long it's been too long uh 2016 so

what is that 7 years 7 years that's

almost 8 years yeah what is going on now

where are you where are your videos I

miss them um yeah I I think I'm taking a

little break a little retirement but uh

I'll probably be back at some point yeah

you posted your last video in October

2023 when is the next video coming out I

I really don't know I was thinking if I

should make like uh I'm leaving YouTube

type of video but then I was like I'm

just going to disappear and just come

back and like when I when I feel

inspired to come back what happened um I

think I just said everything that I

needed to say on on YouTube you know

like and and there's nothing worse than

like someone repeatedly making the same

videos like years and years and years

and like he feels like a hamster wheel

and so once I made all the videos that I

wanted to make over like the past like

six years or so I was like okay that's

everything I needed to say and um now

it's time to move on this part of the

video is brought to you by drawbox being

a creator and an entrepreneur means

having multiple teams to interact with

and it also means constantly switching

from one task to another as a YouTuber

with a team of 10 who experience

frustration of losing critical content

material more than just misplaced notes

imagine the agony of losing hours trying

to find documents consolidating feedback

or tracking files slowing down our

entire production process Dropbox just

launched Dropbox business and business

plus which has been a game changer for

teams like mine he has created a

workspace where all the tools that you

need are integrated bringing our work

into one shared space apart from the

expected file storage and sharing

capabilities that come with drawbox my

team's top two favorite are send in

track and replay you create a perfect

deck and a pitch presented to a brand

and nothing happens then you start

wondering is it me or was the email even

delivered have they even read it sen and

track is great for producing those

unknowns not only can you track whether

your proposal has been delivered but

also see whether the company reviewed

your slides and how long they viewed

each slide it's invaluable to understand

their engagement see you can address

their concerns or tailor your pitch for

Maximum Impact all while having the

ability to control downloads another

product my team and I collaborate

through is replay my team is all remote

and our main projects are our videos for

this and two other channels with replay

we can share feedback in real time all

markup from everyone on the team are now

in a single location no need to send the

video back and forth our editors

absolutely love this also what I noticed

when interviewing successful people is

that they're very organized in the

office in their house with their apps

everything with drobbox business and

business plus you can focus on what

matters the most for your business with

just one platform it gives you all the

tools you need in one place in addition

to Seamless app integration with ad

dilby Cana and more this has been a game

changer for my team and if it sounds

like it could benefit yours click the

link in my description to learn more now

back to the video so what are you doing

what is your dayto day now uh right now

um saie and I have the Venture fund Road

Runner which takes up a good amount of

time and then uh my brother and I have a

media company we own some YouTube

channels and it's a little bit more on

the business side so it's like I don't

have to be on camera and and so that's

kind of where some cash flow comes from

uh which is I'm glad I set that up

because I think a lot of creators like

they get on that hamster wheel and they

can't get off because it's like their

only income source and luckily I've been

able to diversify quite a bit over the

past uh few years when did you start

doing that was there a moment when you

were like okay I am tired of being in

front of the camera I'm tired of

repeating things when did this click

happen

so so I I feel like it the click

happened before I even started my my

main Channel okay because I didn't how

old were you by the way 18 18 yeah

that's amazing so um but when I started

in 2016 I I was like I really don't want

to make videos but someone's got to make

these Finance videos because there there

was nobody making the content back then

so it was like a big opportunity um so I

said you know what screw it I'm just

going to turn on the camera I'm just

going to make the videos even though

it's like not my natural tendency to

like create content um and so yeah I

started that in like late 2016 and then

probably by sometime in 2018 my brother

and I started working on some other

things um so that I could eventually

plan to phase out my personal brand so

can you talk about like how you think

about starting a new channel uh where

does the idea come from do you think

purely uh whether it's going to make

money or like what's the thought process

so I think the biggest thing that I've

realized with a personal brand is that

um there's no real like Equity buildup

in a personal brand it's it's like hard

to sell like you can't like like I I

can't really sell the natal bran YouTube

channel I mean maybe someone would buy

like revenue streams from that but um so

I wanted to build something that would

be like separate for myself um and then

that was that was the main factor and

then also it was like what what makes

money are you not interested in like

growing your personal brand anymore no

you don't want to be recognized you

don't want to be yeah I'm just a very

private person so like do you have a

home by the way cuz I see you traveling

all the time um I'm based in

Pennsylvania um and I'm trying to slow

down and not travel as much anymore I

see you in all the different places you

know Orange County the B I was in Mexico

yesterday Mex yeah and so 2018 you

started the another like Media company

with different how many channels do you

have there uh we at one time we had like

15 but now uh We've scaled it down quite

a bit so we can just focus on on a

couple of of main ones um so you know

there's like eight but a couple of them

don't really do much and then you know

there's like some okay I'm going to ask

a lot of questions about that so all of

those channels are in finance or like uh

finance a lot of like software um lot of

tutorials it's like the super boring do

you understand software um or you just

find people who yeah we find people to

do it um so like yeah just just things

that like aren't super flashy like we

don't go for viral videos it's literally

just like what do people search for and

how do you just rank how do you think

about like whether the channel is

successful or not how many videos do you

have to make in order to decide whether

to shut it down or I'd say like two

years oh two years of posting every week

um sometimes every week yeah sometimes

like less um but just kind of like

laying the groundwork for search content

is like it takes a long time wow so it's

you're not going to like blow up with

search content how much does it cost to

produce one video depends on the topic

but right now it's like um few hundred a

video it's like 3 to 400 so or like Clos

to like 8 to 900 3 to 800 in that range

just depends on who's filming it and

who's editing it and so you're paying

the person who's in front of the camera

you're paying the research right or they

do the usually the person who's who's in

front of the camera is also the one

researching how do you find them though

I'll basically just post like um like

Google forms uh or like type forms say

hey look like we're we're hiring some

people for next year um if you want some

freelance work then you know fill out

the form and we get like hundreds and

hundreds of people who apply there and

then we just stiff through them all and

find the best candidates and then when

we hire somebody we just give them a lot

of like a lot of trust and a lot of

responsibility up front and then see

what happens so per chance if you have a

channel is just one person or you have

multiple faces No we mix it multiple

people yeah for that reason easier yeah

and and it's also not as big of an issue

of like um like we're not worried about

a filmer leaving because if they leave

there's other people who are mixed in

and then also people who watch the

videos they're they're finding it by

like searching on Google or searching on

YouTube and so they're not like

connected to the person like they're an

influencer um so totally search based

interesting how many people do you have

working for you for um or I guess nine

channels together with yours it's it's

not that many we try to keep it pretty

lean so it's like around 10 give or take

I mean there's a lot of it's a lot of

contractors um and then we hired

somebody to like hire people so that we

don't have to like deal with all the the

management stuff um but my goal is

always to keep things really lean and

really really small cuz I just like my

biggest nightmare is ending up like Dave

Ramsey with like a thousand employees in

a big office and yeah so they're mostly

editors or uh filmers four filmers um

two editors and and then like thumbnail

um some other people in the mix there

for other random things like for you

know like copyrighting and everything

and and four filmers they film for

several each filmer is responsible for

several channels then right if you have

eight yeah that's so cool and for topic

research can you give some advice on

like how how you do your research vid IQ

or just Googling so I used to use a lot

of those tools vid IQ and budy and um

you know all those SEO tools um now it's

just I I I don't know how to explain

it's probably just like gut like feeling

where you just know in a certain Topic

in a certain area that there's like

demand and I'm always just searching for

that like mentally every day thinking

about like what's what's like like a an

area that there's there's like a gap in

the market where there's not enough

content on that do you still feel there

are gaps in the market in 202 oh totally

totally yeah tons oh that's that sounds

promising because I feel like sometimes

I feel like if I start researching a

niche like oh yeah like this has already

been said there's so many YouTubers and

this Niche this niche but you feel like

every Niche is unoccupied or like what

would be the top niches I'd say like

Finance is definitely flooded now like

that was the opportunity when I started

and like when you started uh Silicon

Valley Girl 2018 yeah around then that

was like perfect time for like Finance

content right now yeah it's it's just

more like Niche content or different

styles of content so like with Finance

videos right um the one thing I think I

did pretty well was like in 20 like

around 2020 I realized that a lot of the

finance videos that people were making

were like 10 minutes long I said okay

what if I just make an hour long or

2hour long tutorial on like the stock

market and nobody else had really done

that and so I was able to like that

those stock market tutorials got like

three or four million views each because

nobody was like people wanted doing the

one yeah the was like okay I'm sick of

like the 13-minute video telling me to

like invest in a Roth IRA how do I

actually do it I want like the full like

mean potatoes you know like they want

like yeah yeah so that's interesting

Okay so what are the what is the niche

that you excited about if you can share

uh I'm not sure if I can share it it's

cuz it's like super just competitive

okay maybe like um for people who are

just starting out if they're picking a

niche that's so tough cuz I think I have

like Tunnel Vision on like this specific

area Finance right yeah Finance or just

like uh like educational info content

but there's there's something there for

everyone it's like the way to to to find

something like that because it's it's

hard to like just describe the exact

niches it's more of like when you go

onto YouTube and specifically YouTube

like long form videos and you find

someone with very few subscribers but

they're getting a lot of views that's

like the imbalance that's like the

biggest green green light ever and they

getting more views than subscribers like

how's this person they have like 2,000

subscribers but they're getting 20,000

views a video and like like you can

sense that they're like getting ready to

blow up especially if you watch videos

and you're like they're not even that

good like like you think you could maybe

improve on them somehow that's like

most amazing thing ever and and um it's

so rare to find that but when you do

like really really take note on that and

so every channel is now profitable right

so you spend like no no not every

channel is profitable we just started a

new one um and you're going to give it

two years is that two years to to become

profitable I think it'll probably start

cash flowing in the next like 16 months

maybe uh but it takes a long time to

like get it off do you share those names

of those channels or no but I'll I'll

tell you afterwards but like you don't

share because you think it's a great

opportunity and you don't want other

YouTubers to um yeah it's just like I

just don't really talk about it too much

but yeah I've talked to a lot of

YouTubers recently and I feel like a lot

of YouTubers are digging into like how

can I remove myself from the picture but

still use my talent what do you think is

going to happen to YouTube like because

if everybody realizes you can like Jake

Tran he makes videos without even

showing his face right if there is a

software that can automate b-roll

there's 11 Labs that clones your voice

with pretty much it sounds like a normal

voice do you think it's going to be

flooded in a in the next couple years

yeah I'm I'm not sure what's going to

happen with that I mean it's it's um I

think YouTube's going to find a way to

to still filter it out and cuz like

people have to remember like YouTube is

on the Creator side um like where like

they want people to stay on the platform

as long as possible so they're they're

probably just going to get better at

like the algorithm with like

recommendations and um you know I'm

actually not sure though where where

that's going to end up but I think

that's the question with everything with

with AI yeah yeah it's crazy to to just

realize everything can now be automated

yeah even like the yeah all the work so

eight channels some of them were not

profitable yet but you're going to

invest for the next 16 months can you

talk about like um overall Revenue if

you're okay with say numbers say numbers

if you're not okay with telling me the

exact numbers you can say like what's

the proportion where where the does the

money come from like Number One Source

SCE number two I got you yeah um yeah so

I mean it's definitely like makes more

than my like YouTube channel like my

personal brand okay so that will be your

media company will be number one well

congratulations that's amazing I think

it's so cool like for every YouTuber

just doing something that's bigger than

your primary Channel yeah that's the

goal yeah I think that passed it like

2020 maybe or 2021 so it took you like

you started 208 so years um and that's

kind of why I've also like not really

posted much on my channel it's like

slowly phed out but yeah from that the

actual breakdown from like revenue from

those it's it's very heavily like

affiliate a lot of those like uh Finance

MH apps um and then AdSense AdSense is

good but there's like a weird bug on

YouTube right now where they'll just

like kill your your AdSense it'll drop

like 90% it's happened to so many people

that I know especially who make like

search based videos

um where like say your Channel's making

like $10,000 a month in add sense and

then all of a sudden one day one day

just goes down 90% ,000 a month no and

we've talked to so many people at

YouTube about this and they're like like

they don't have a clear answer I think

it's cuz they think that like there's

traffic coming that's like not um oh bot

like Bots or whatever exactly but it's

but like I know so many people that this

has happened to and they're not driving

B like they're not botting so that's

that's the part that's kind of weird

interesting yeah that's that's the thing

with being dependent on one source of

income but your number one is affiliate

right yeah the second would be AdSense

um maybe sponsors probably like flat fee

sponsors but we don't do a lot of those

anymore the reason why I don't like a

lot of flat fee sponsors is like let's

say on my YouTube channel right like a

company might offer like $20,000 for

like a flat fee like mid roll like ad in

a video my problem with that is like I'm

kind of maxed out then at $220,000 if

you insert an affiliate then you can

make so much more right that basic

unlimited upside um that's great that's

great if you figured out the affiliate

part yeah and so then it's like I just

feel like with the flat fee sponsor it's

like I feel like I'm really trading my

time for money it's like if it takes me

all day to make a video and then I'm

maxed out at like a certain amount you

still get

AdSense yeah and you still can you can

still put other affiliate links in in

description no maybe it depends we some

yeah sometimes they're super strict but

sometimes they're like whatever can you

give advice on like trying to someone

who's trying to to figure out Affiliates

um the biggest advice I would say is

like just like knowing when people are

warmed up to something so like um

because a lot of our volume comes from

search like people are already looking

for something specific and so then we

have it there like if they're like okay

like what are the best investing apps

right and they search that on YouTube M

and now the five best investing apps

that we talking about we have an

affiliate link to each one of those like

the conversion is going to be through

the roof because because it's so like

they're so ready for it but also top

five investment apps like Vanguard

wouldn't have an affiliate how do you um

well so or you just don't include it no

no no no no So like um we'll usually

either like link to it or um we've do

this a lot where we'll just drive

traffic to a company without even being

like an affiliate partner with them and

then like once we like hey like we got

like we got 10,000 like clicks sent to

your website I'm sure we drove like at

least a few hundred customers we should

work together were you able to do

something yeah we do that all the time

with companies where like they don't

have an affiliate program and then we

just send them a lot of traffic we like

you guys should really make an affiliate

program that's great that is awesome

what about your um VC company you said

it's taking up a lot of time do you

interview a lot of startups what's the

process there yeah so um my partner on

the fund is is sebie which you know and

hopefully some people know him as well

um and we started that in 2022 um and uh

you know we raised some money for a lot

of it's our own money as well and we

just invest into early stage like preed

seed companies um a lot of consumer Tech

but any exits not yet but it's coming

things are looking good yeah I'm I'm I'm

very excited in in especially like the

past like two or three months um where

the the thing with like when you invest

into really early stage companies where

it's literally like an idea or like they

barely have like an MVP is like there's

basically like a one to twoe period

after you invest where you're like

praying and and so doubtful and then all

of a sudden and sometimes this can take

a long time like look at figma which I

guess that figma adobe deal got canell

but I mean they they were founded like

over a decade ago and for like the first

like eight years it was just like flat

like it did nothing and then all of a

sudden it was hockey stick so um yeah

things are looking good we're still

investing and like deploying the funds

um how many companies do you invest in

each month so far we've invested into 14

um since May of 2022 so almost two years

14 companies and we probably still have

another um I'd say close to 20 companies

that we'll probably invest into in total

maybe maybe 15 to 20 yeah do is it only

you and sebie yeah it's myself and sebie

um who like are the GPS on on the fund

is that what you most the most excited

about uh in in what you're doing yeah

it's definitely the one that like I wake

up and I just get super excited about it

um and talking to people and Founders is

such a great way to just stay in the

loop with like what the future is like

what the world's going to look like in

10 years um or even in 50 years and um I

think the best part about it is like not

the returns or the potential returns but

like as a person with like investing

have like a tiny influence on what the

future's going to look like because you

know even if like a check that you're

writing like an angel check is maybe

like $110,000 even like that $10,000

might make or break it for the company

so yeah that's that's really cool that's

exciting uh can we talk about your

personal finance a little bit when like

your expenses what's the fraction of

your total income right now cuz I know

you're you live a fugal life um I say

you're like desk setups yeah

well no I actually don't think I live as

Frugal of a life anymore because you

travel travel and then also I I I like

eating out a lot like restaurants and

guilty pleasures yeah so I definitely

spend a lot more than I used to like if

people watch like my minimalist videos

in like 2020 it's definitely I've

changed a bit um but expenses as as a

total of my income is probably like

maybe like 10% and so you're able to

save around like 90% well yeah the the

IRS takes half but uh have you thought

about buying real estate um not really

no I'm I'm not a real estate person why

um you know people always say it's great

for for taxes but then you're then

you're stuck in real estate and you're

going to have to recapture all of those

gains at some point if you ever sell so

then it's like you can't ever sell you

you can sell sell and you buy another

yeah but then you have houses all over

the world that sounds like a lot of

headache to me

but you can hire a manager yeah I know

but uh I would rather be more liquid and

real estate just doesn't it doesn't

excite me yeah interesting yeah wow

you're the first person yeah cuz

everyone is like oh I'd love to buy

something it just seems boring to me

like I I would rather rent and um I'd

rather invest in the stock market or so

all any other asset all ofia if we take

the all of your savings like what

percentage is in cash what percentage in

is invested what's what's in crypto

what's in stocks uh the majority is

definitely in stocks individual stocks

actually oh risky yeah um yeah and then

I have a good chunk in like you know

index funds um crypto I'm pretty

Diversified with like how much is in

crypto um like percentage mhm uh usually

around like 5 to 10% I try to keep it in

that range is it on Ledger um I I have

hard like wallets yeah yeah yeah yeah

yeah I after 2021 you don't trust I

wouldn't trust keeping any crypto on any

exchanges yeah so okay crypto um stocks

how much do you have in cash in

percentage it's probably maybe around

like 20% or so uh I I usually don't have

like a ton of cash on hand is it in on

high high yield savings account uh like

short-term treasuries yeah it's a little

bit better like higher yield than a

where did you buy them uh just through

my brokerage yeah M yeah but it's it's

like right now you could get like 5% on

like short-term treasuries short term

meaning like like 6 months you know 3

months one month it could be yeah

anything under like a year for some

people that might be kind of complicated

to buy those specifically you can put

your money into like things like uh

funds that basically are that but like

they're liquid and they're not it's not

the actual like bonds or notes

themselves where do you see yourself in

five years like what's the goal with all

of this uh in five years I I have no

idea um probably probably Slow Down

Start a family I wanted to focus my

early 20s on just like building a nice

Baseline of like you know have enough

money set myself up so that if I don't

want to work I don't have to which I

think I'm like at that point now and now

I can just work on things that that I

love you know and that I really want to

do and so maybe like 5 years from now

I'll just big farm you know cattle or

something and like I'll be able to do it

cuz I won won't be worried about paying

the bills you're living a life that's

amazing you're how old are you now 25 25

traveling the world having your income

figured out your retirements oh sorry

your retirement account is probably all

ready for you to retire yeah that is

perfect okay let's wrap up this video

with one advice for everyone who wants

to be like as successful as you are and

it's just starting out I'd say don't

reinvent the wheel MH yeah like people

try to create like some you know crazy

new formula or something I would say

just like look at what's working for

people then just like modify it ever so

slightly post just yeah and and for

influencers um

I guess consistently post but it's more

of just like I'd focus on quality over

quantity also if if you're trying to do

the influencer out yeah but also like

for you 16 months I'm I'm just thinking

eight channels 16 months you're posting

every week right um yeah every week or

you know a few times a month and it's

yeah that's amazing week that's you know

you're really diligent about actually

making things happen that's the because

I know some people like they posted

videos oh they didn't perform it's not

for me people don't like me yeah or just

like getting started is the like hardest

part it's like oh I don't know what like

when I was 18 I was like who's going to

listen to me about investing in the

stock market I'm 18 did you have

imposter syndrome when you started

totally yeah I mean I still do everyone

everyone does you know does anyone ever

tell you like oh how can you talk about

this you don't have a license or

whatever no and that's what I was

shocked by when like people were

listening to me when I was 18 I was like

what this is kind of scary you're also

very humble and you're like this is what

it looks like for me you know I'm just

sharing yeah that was great thank you so

much Nate you're super inspiring and I

hope more people who are watching their

18s they they will be like oh my God I

want to do the same thing as Nate be

consistent right and don't reement the

the wheel yeah thanks for having me on

thank you so much that was amazing bye

guys and please subscribe to Nate's

Channel I hope he's going to post

something