Becoming a content creator is challenging, especially if you don’t have a goal in mind. Today, let’s focus on staying a solo entrepreneur (or solopreneur). This term means creating a business by yourself, for yourself.
Solopreneurs limit their reach purposely so they can better control their time and resources. I choose to stay in a “company of one” because of the way I envision life in my 50s, 60s, and 70s.
I want to wake up, write an article, publish a book, and spend the rest of the day with my family. I have no ambition to respond to emails and comments, go on podcasts, or attend conferences.
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Behind the scenes. There is no doubt that blogging is more of a behind-the-scenes operation. YouTube prefers people who let their personalities shine through their videos. Also, you’ll need a lively comments section for your videos to go viral across YouTube.
From the beginning, you’ll need to decide which route you want to take. Of course, you can always cross over and maintain both business models.
Size matters. I hate editing videos with a passion. I have zero plans to build a nice studio with lightning, top-notch cameras, and aesthetically-pleasing backgrounds. I like the idea of creating content quickly and quietly from my laptop.
If you dedicate two hours a day to your blog (writing articles), you can have a very successful income stream. YouTube will take more time, especially as you grow in popularity.
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Eventually, for YouTube videos, you will need to write scripts, edit color, add intros, add outros, make cuts, etc. You’ll become a full-on director, producer, and editor. These unique skill sets can give you a massive advantage in the job market.
However, if you plan on staying a smaller YouTuber (say 10,000-30,000 subscribers), you can keep your videos much more straightforward. The more mainstream you become, the more time, energy, attention, and money you will need to dedicate to your channel.
How much time do you have for your income stream? I love blogging because you can keep things asynchronous. This means the work you do today does not affect today’s business.
It takes six months for Google search to index your blog posts for search. Once you have more authority, it may only take a month before you start ranking for new articles.
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This dynamic means you can release an article with no fanfare, and it will gain traffic over time. Youtube is the exact opposite.
With YouTube, you have perhaps 2-4 hours to make a massive impression with your video. If it doesn’t hit all the popularity metrics from the beginning, there is a good chance it will get lost in the crowd.
Of course, people can still find it via search and your profile, but it will most likely lose traffic over time. That’s why I consider blogging the long game—your traffic increases over time.
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Adding income streams. You can add multiple income streams to both business models reasonably easily. Some of the additional revenue you can generate comes from online courses, affiliate marketing, and merchandise.
These income streams are a numbers game. You can predict that 1% of your audience will purchase your online course (I’m guessing). Therefore, YouTube will likely get bigger numbers out of the gate (bigger audience).
As a solopreneur, you’ll have to be careful not to get greedy when dealing with these additional income streams. If you have a blog, there is the allure to make more money by hosting these products directly on your own website.
You can keep much more money by selling books, courses, and merchandise directly on your website. However, this method has a huge caveat—you’ll be on the hook for customer service.
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Virtual assistants. You can hire virtual assistants (or automation) to make it easier to track your products, customers, and customer service. But then you’ll become more of a business person than a content creator.
I am a firm believer that more content equals more cash flow. That’s why you should consider leaving all the heavy lifting to other platforms.
For example, Amazon can handle your ebooks, audiobooks, hardcovers, and softcovers. Yes, they will take a massive cut of your profits, but you’ll keep your time.
You can use Redbubble to handle your print-on-demand merchandise. You can sell your printables on Etsy. These platforms also have their own built-in audience and search engines; therefore, you are actually multiplying your reach.
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Keep your time free. As a solopreneur, you’ll need to keep your time free. I set one goal per day—to release a book. I then have projects I like to achieve over time.
I slowly work towards my projects as I have free time, not stressing if I don’t accomplish them quickly. I still have a full time-time job and family that keeps me busy.
It’s the same for YouTube. You may do the script one day, record the video the next, and edit and release it the final day. Take a day off, and do the three-day cycle again. This will give you two videos a week.
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Focus on the content. Eventually, you’ll have enough content, organic search, and a large enough audience to focus less on production and more on expanding your business. Do not try this too early.
It may take 3-5 years to reach this point. I plan to earn $3,000/month in Amazon sales and have 2,000+ books before I slow down and focus on the business. Your content is all your audience will see, so make sure you have a ton of it.
Don’t release two books or ten videos, then attempt to add affiliate marketing or an online course. Once you set up your “content factory,” keep pumping out quality content until you reach the income level you desire.
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Then you can slow down by 50% and diversify into much more lucrative income streams. The book “Content, Inc” discusses building a content-focused audience, then releasing a product or course once you reach mass-market appeal.
Don’t get caught up in the hype of adding multiple streams of revenue upfront. It takes years to build an audience that will purchase things from you. You’ll lose them forever if you spam their emails before they know you.
Conclusion. Life as a solopreneur is excellent if you pace yourself. Your first goal is to pump out as much content as possible. Eventually, you’ll become amazing at creating quality content.
At this point, you’ll go into the grind of your life. It may take between 2-4 years before you can slow down. But after you achieve success here, you can parlay that into multiple other income streams, businesses, and opportunities.
Look at any professional athlete. They train for 10+ years and earn their way to the professional league. They then grind in the league for 7-10 years, making a name for themselves. Finally, they retire and leverage their name for the rest of their life.
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You will be doing the same exact thing. You will train (creating crappy content), join the league (making great content), grind the league (building a catalog of amazing content), and then retire (slow down).
You can then parlay your blog, book, or video success into other opportunities for the rest of your life. It’s pretty fun to go from a no-name person to a superstar.
Which is the better income stream for a solopreneur? I am biased towards blogging, but I can see the case of YouTube. If you can produce a high-quality video every day, YouTube will be the winner.
However, achieving this level of editing and producing takes years of practice. Blogging will be more accessible to the masses. Plus, I love being a Blogger! Good Luck!
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