Why I Disappeared (What Happened)

Summary

In this reflective video, the creator announces his departure from YouTube after eight years, sharing personal insights and reasons behind his decision. He discusses his journey starting a channel in 2016, focusing on personal finance content when it was scarce, and the satisfaction of building an audience. The creator reveals his early goal of financial freedom by age 25, which he achieved through various forms of leverage. He also touches on the pressures of constant content creation and his desire for privacy. Looking forward, he shares three personal goals for the next five years, including starting a family, scaling his businesses to $100 million in annual revenue, and purchasing a large farm in Pennsylvania. The video serves as a heartfelt farewell and a testament to his growth and the transformative power of content creation.

Takeaways

• 😀 The creator has not posted on the channel for almost a year and shares personal reasons for the hiatus and future plans.
• 🎥 This video is likely one of the last to be created on the platform, indicating a departure from regular content creation.
• 🚀 The channel started in 2016 focusing on personal finance content when it was not widely available on YouTube, and the creator grew with the niche.
• 💡 The motivation to start the channel was to fill a content gap and the creator enjoyed building and growing the channel as a tangible achievement.
• 💰 Financial freedom by age 25 was a goal set early on, and the creator believes they have achieved this through various means of leverage, including social media.
• 🔧 The creator learned about leveraging human capital early on through a firewood business, realizing the potential of employing others to grow the business.
• 💼 The power of money as a form of leverage is highlighted, with the example of earning interest on a large sum to achieve financial stability.
• 📈 Social media is recognized as a powerful tool for leverage, allowing one-to-many communication with minimal effort.
• 🏠 A strong desire for freedom and minimal obligations in life is expressed, including the experience of living in a truck for freedom.
• 🔚 The creator stopped posting because they felt they had said everything they wanted to on their channel and did not want to produce repetitive content.
• 🔄 The 'creator hamster wheel' is described as the pressure to constantly create content, which the creator found unfulfilling and chose to step away from.
• 🤫 Privacy is valued by the creator, who has always tried to keep many personal aspects off the platform despite sharing quite a bit over the years.
• 💡 The creator is at a point where they no longer feel the need to monetize their channel or continue creating content for the sake of maintaining an online presence.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A goal for the next five years is to start a family, which the creator acknowledges requires work and is not yet a priority.
• 💼 Another goal is to scale the family business to reach $100 million in annual revenue by the time the creator is 30.
• 🏡 The third goal is to purchase a large farm in Pennsylvania, ideally 500 acres or more, by the age of 30.
• 🙏 The creator expresses gratitude to the audience for their support over the years and hints that the channel may not see much more content in the future.

Q & A

Why did the creator decide to stop posting on the channel?

The creator felt they had said everything they needed to say and made all the videos they wanted to make. They didn't want to create repetitive content or regurgitate the same ideas every year.

What was the creator's initial motivation for starting the YouTube channel in 2016?

The creator started the channel because they were looking for personal finance content on YouTube and found that it didn't exist in 2016. They wanted to fill that gap in the market and grow a channel in a niche that was developing on the platform.

What is the creator's view on the idea of 'Creator hamster wheel'?

The creator describes the 'Creator hamster wheel' as the constant pressure to create content and keep people updated. They felt this pressure to always post, even if they didn't want to, which contributed to their decision to stop creating content.

Why did the creator choose to make personal finance content?

The creator chose to make personal finance content because it was a topic they were passionate about and there was a lack of such content on YouTube at the time. They also enjoyed the process of building and growing something, which in this case was their YouTube channel.

What was the creator's goal when they were 14 or 15 years old?

The creator's goal when they were 14 or 15 years old was to retire by age 25 or at least achieve financial freedom, so they could do whatever they wanted for the rest of their life.

What does the creator value in life?

The creator values total freedom in life, the ability to make their own decisions without obligations, and the opportunity to grow and build things, such as their YouTube channel and their businesses.

What is the creator's opinion on using social media as a form of leverage?

The creator believes that social media is the ultimate form of leverage because it allows one to reach millions of people with the same effort it takes to have a single conversation.

What are the creator's future goals for the next five years?

The creator's future goals include starting a family, scaling their companies to reach $100 million a year in revenue, and buying a large farm in Pennsylvania, preferably 500 acres or more.

Why did the creator feel the need to share this video?

The creator felt the need to share this video to provide closure to their audience, explain why they stopped posting, and share their future plans. They also wanted to reflect on their journey and have a record to look back on in the future.

How does the creator feel about the potential money left on the table by not continuing the channel?

The creator does not feel the need to continue the channel for monetary gain. They believe they have said everything they wanted to say and are not motivated by the potential money that could be made.

What was the creator's experience living in their truck?

The creator had a fun experience living in their truck and recommends it to others as a way to experience total freedom, being able to decide where to go and what to do each day.