Tried using an iPad pro as a workstation. Terrible ergonomics. iPadOS multitasking is a terrible experience. USB-C transfer speeds were bad. Overall very disappointed with the experience. Went back to Macbook Pro after a couple of weeks of pain.
755 karma · joined January 13, 2016
Previously co-founded and was CTO of Fyndiq.se, one of Sweden's largest e-commerce marketplaces.
Before that he arguably was a lot more well respected as an entrepreneur - keeping a lower profile and building a couple of extremely successful businesses in parallel.
My big question that I’m still searching for an answer to: Did he drastically change as a person in the last couple of years? Or was he just “lucky” to build SpaceX and Tesla into tremendous successes? Or is he still a genius and all of us simply can’t see how he’s making Twitter into the next big success in his CV?
If he did change as a person - why? What happened? Bad breakup? Drug abuse? Depression? Too much self confidence? Too much stress for too long? Something else?
Biggest problem was ergonomics. So incredibly bad ergonomics to work on an iPad, even with the pen. Impossible to work without strain in neck and arm.
So I'm back to Macbook and I will never again attempt to edit video on an iPad.
This was actually so hard for me in the beginning, that I avoided talking directly to the camera for a long time. Instead I recorded footage of me doing things and then did a voiceover track to put over that.
But it is mostly a matter of practice and becoming used to, and comfortable with, that situation.
After 1-2 years of weekly videos it didn’t feel weird anymore for me. And nowadays I can talk just as naturally to the camera as to a friend.
But yeah definitely a big hurdle for many people I have talked to as well.
I think what I nowadays do, without thinking about it, is I imagine the camera is a person in my core audience.
But I’m not doing this for the money. I do it because it is the most fun project I have ever done. I would do it for free. If I go too long without posting a video I actually start feeling depressed. So for me it is therapy. But it is nice to earn a living from doing something you must do to be happy :) And also it feels nice when people ask what I work with, to mention something that actually earns me a living.
YouTube is pretty much the only viable platform if you make long form content and want to earn money doing so.
Typically the deals are only on a video-for-video basis, even if I had contracts lasting up to 5-6 months at most. So it is easy to ask for a new price when you negotiate the next deal.
I think of every video like a lottery ticket. I know a certain percentage of them will become "hits", ie. give me 100k+ views. And I know the more videos I make, the more of these hits I get. I also know that over time I will get better and better at my craft, and increase the likelyhood of any video to become successful. I never had a schedule, and I don't beat myself up if I don't post a particular week. I just keep working on my videos a little every day, and post the video as soon as it is done. It has resulted in 1-2 videos per week over time.
I know that it is probably best to keep a schedule with strict times, because then the audience will show up once they learn the schedule. But I am always too eager and can't bring myself to not post immediately, and it has worked okay for me :) Most important thing I think is that you don't take long breaks of several months. I think your audience cares about consistency, but not the algorithm.
Took me around 5 years of posting a video a week to get here. Now I finally make a living. Started working full time about a year ago. Before that 15-20h per week for years. I talked to some other youtubers, and I think my "path" to making a living from youtube, and my income breakdown, is pretty standard.
Key takeaway here is that youtube is a looong game. You will be unlikely to succeed unless you love making the videos so much, that you are happy to do it almost for free, consistently, for years. And the money is not in adsense, but in brand deals and affiliate links (which are often part of brand deals).
Here's my channel if anyone is curious: https://youtube.com/MicaelWidell
7 years ago I decided to just leave it all, reset my life, and try something new. After trying some different things I found a new passion for photography. Which in turn lead me to start a youtube channel about photography. Which is now my full time job. Never been happier in my life!
If anyone is curious about my story, I have a 20 minute video about the transition from tech entrepreneur to photography youtuber here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfHvh87gm7M
I would argue you have so much more to win, than you have to lose, from letting go of that fear to share your life online.