My entrepreneurship story began on the 20th of February 2014, when I created my first YouTube channel. I spent an entire year consistently making videos, learning what a brand is, and garnering a community that enjoys the content I created. Then it happened. What every person that makes YouTube videos hopes to happen, my videos began to be served in search, attracting a mass amount of attention seemingly overnight. I still remember the moment I realized my videos were being served to a much larger audience. I was sitting on the couch, responding to comments when I was bombarded with a sudden influx of negative messages from strangers.
I was on the cusp of success, of having my dream career made into a reality. All the hours of dedication and passion were about to pay off. Well, maybe that's exaggerating a bit. I was at the base of the mountain and the welcome gate had just been opened. Then I ruined it. Okay, that sounds dramatic, but it is true. It slipped from my fingertips just as quickly as it had appeared. I hadn't planned for the sudden increase in views and subscribers. I had only been on the platform for a year and didn't truly know what my brand even was or how to carry this amazing opportunity further. This story is pretty predictable because it isn't unique in the world of YouTube. It's more common than not. In a series of critical decisions, I made mistake after mistake. I abruptly changed my content, I was obsessed with the idea of "looking more professional", I passed up valuable opportunities, and I began to doubt myself. I was looking at the competition and their growth trajectory and was quickly feeling like I was falling off, soon to be left behind in their dust. It was a mess. I was a mess. But that's why my favorite saying is, "hindsight is 20/20" because it really is. I could have let this flub up defeat me. I could have fell of the platform that I love so much and never return again. Or I could let my past mistakes and failures shape my future.
I am adamant that I wouldn't know a fraction of what I now know about search engine optimization, brand management, and self confidence if it wasn't for those errors in judgement. One year ago I made the decision to leave behind that dying channel for a plethora of reasons, mainly being a divided audience, an inflated subscriber number from subscriber burn, and YouTube's reformed ad revenue policy. This past summer I made the decision to come back with a new channel, with a new brand strategy, and a new-found confidence in myself. Will I be able to recreate the same amazing opportunity and utilize it to its fullest potential? Hopefully, but maybe not. At least I'll know I gave my passion a genuine try.
I signed up for this course because I want to gain more knowledge on what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Well, not just an entrepreneur, but a successful one. I want to hear the great success stories just as much as I want to hear the stories of the many that have failed. I, more than anyone, know how valuable mistakes can be thanks to the wisdom of time. I hope to leave this class with the ability to look at my past with a new type of scrutiny. I want to pull as much as I can from my life experiences to further figure out what it is that I want for my future and how I can get there. Sometimes all it takes is a new perspective to make a dream obtainable and I think this course can offer that.
Dear Kay,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your story - it was amazing to read! First and foremost, you're a great blog writer - I could hear the tone of voice you were aiming for as I read your post! I wanted to say that I really loved reading about your story. It's cool to hear from the behind the scenes of a youtube. I wouldn't say I am an avid youtube watcher but I do watch youtube I good amount and am aware of most of the famous youtubers. I always wondered what it was like to start off a channel and how fast one's videos could blow up! That's so cool that you got to experience that - weather it was a good or bad one I am sure you learned a lot :D