Utility Planner Earns $300,000 From YouTube Channel

Notes from Chris

Episode 1508

In 2016, Ryan Scribner was working as a utility planner, earning a good salary. Although he was no fan of the nine to five, he liked the paycheck and was investing to look after his future.

Unfortunately, most of his colleagues weren’t doing the same. In fact, he was shocked that many of them, on similar high salaries, were still living paycheck to paycheck.

Ryan knew it wasn’t a lack of intelligence driving these people to bad financial habits. After all, many of them, like him, had sophisticated degrees. No, he knew it had to be something else and, after thinking about it, he became convinced it was due to a lack of information. It’s hard for people to do the ‘right’ thing financially if they don’t know what the right thing is.

He began to think of ways to change that, to help people in a similar situation make smart financial decisions. Eventually, he decided to start a YouTube channel.

Promising himself he wouldn’t overthink it, he launched the channel under his own name and began shooting videos with his phone in the front seat of his car. His first video was a fifteen-minute exploration into how young people can build credit…. And it was not a viral hit, mustering up very few views.

He kept those original videos very broad and covered the basics. Topics included things like ‘Stocks For Beginners,’ ‘How To Invest In Stocks,’ and ‘What Are Bonds?’ But, what seemed like pretty boring topic ideas were created with a strong intent. You see, Ryan was using basic SEO to create videos with titles he knew people would be searching for.

With this constant stream of views, Ryan began to expand outside of YouTube ads for additional income streams. One of which was a beginner's guide to investing ebook which he priced at fourteen dollars. He posted links to the book across all of his videos and the first sale came in during a night out at a concert. It was a new revelation for Ryan, who for the first time realized he could make money directly from his own content, not just ads.

He leveraged this knowledge over the next year. Soon, selling ebooks and courses became a key part of Ryan's business. A business that is thriving in a truly impressive way. Next up for Ryan is building a new home studio—another investment, but one that seems justified, since the YouTube channel and his related product sales are earning well over three hundred thousand dollars per year.

 

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Check out Ryan's financial advice videos at his YouTube channel, YouTube/RyanScribner and at his website, investingsimple.com .

SEE ALSO:

• Accountant Starts Net-Zero Personal Finance Hustle: An accountant finds a way to bridge the gap between financial advisers and tax professionals by transferring some of the skills from his day job to his own self-employed income.
• Trio of Friends Generate Wealth With Financial Advice: When three friends invest in an effort to escape the rat race, they bank a good return by offering their strategies as online financial advisers.
• JP Morgan Employee Starts “Money Therapy” for Millennials: She leaves her job to join a startup, then starts a business of her own—and then starts a side hustle to fund the business. Did you get all that? If not, just listen to hear how she earns $250/hour on the side.

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,