The game changer you need to grow your channel

How to YouTube #41

Information isn’t enough.

By now, you’ve probably consumed 90% of the available information on how to grow a YouTube channel and business.

Most of it is free, and really good.

The occasional course can be helpful, but in general you’re aware of the important nuggets of information.

Yet, you don’t quite know how to move forwards.

And you don’t really know what you’re doing.

So, what are you missing?

When I started YouTube in 2021, I felt stupid for a while. But for the first 4 weeks, I felt really stupid.

The only source of comfort I had were the YouTubers I followed telling me that starting a channel was a good idea.

Otherwise, I knew no one doing something even remotely close to what I was doing.

But then, suddenly someone appeared in my life to change all that.

A friend of mine told me her brother Ahmed had seen my videos, and had also just started posting on YouTube.

Ahmed messaged me saying “Hey Tintin, my sister showed me your YouTube channel cos I've started to make videos on YouTube recently too. I have no mates doing what I'm doing (as supportive as they are) so was excited to get in touch!”

It was exactly what I needed at the time.

A friend who understood my YouTube dreams and all the pain that came with it. We immediately became close friends and messaged incessantly about YouTube.

My friends and family were supportive, but they didn’t ‘get it’.

For 6 months, Ahmed was the only person who really understood what I was doing. But that was enough.

We learned so much from each other. More importantly, we held each other accountable, cared about each other’s dreams, and made the journey fun for each other.

In April of 2022, I joined a live cohort of Ali’s Part-Time YouTuber Academy, and suddenly I found loads of other people doing the same thing.

Ahmed and I weren’t alone.

Then I got a job in the YouTube world, and found loads more friends to support me at every stage of the journey. I built a network of cheerleaders, and it’s made the journey so much easier and fun.

Today, I go to WeWork in London with my friend Saf 1-2 days per week.

He’s running a YouTube agency, and we’re at similar stages of the entrepreneurial journey.

Even though it’s 3 years later, and I’m surrounded by entrepreneurs and YouTubers now, I still need emotional support. Especially from someone at the same stage as me.

Without Saf, I’d feel so much more lost and alone, and like my dreams were totally mental. The days co-working with him keep me sane.

When I was working for Ali, I noticed as his business grew, so did his need for advice from people at his level.

Talking to his team was helpful, but sometimes he needed to talk to another entrepreneur managing 10+ employees, just to feel validated and understood.

So, information is probably not your bottleneck.

Consistent action, support and accountability is probably your bottleneck.

Building a channel and business is really hard, but it’s so much easier when you can share the weight of the journey with others.

I’d highly recommend doing whatever you can to find at least one person to share your online journey with.

Especially at the start when you don’t want or need to spend money on a coach.

Set up regular calls or meet in person, set goals together, and keep each other going. It’ll be so much more fun, and might just change the course of your channel and business.

Good luck finding your YouTube soulmate.

Tintin 🫡

P.s.

One of the ways I’m solving this problem is launching a 6-month group coaching programme for educational YouTubers.

The goal is to work closely with 10-20 YouTubers to help them build a sustainable $100k+ business. There will be a big focus on support and accountability, as well as regular workshops.

I’m keeping it small to start with to focus on results. And because I’m building out the programme in real time, this first cohort will get extra time with me, plus 50% off the final price.

If that sounds like something you’re interested in, fill out the application form here.