“It’s 2 1/2 years of basically expecting nothing to happen and the all of the sudden it just explodes and you’re like...what...what happened”
We live during a downright crazy and absolutely amazing time to be alive. Limitless information at our fingertips, gluten free pastries, and snuggies are all a part of our reality. Perhaps more important than any of those innovations (except for the snuggie) is the change of the business and socioeconomic landscape that has happened over the past decade. We now live in a time where there are almost zero barriers to entry to jump headfirst into your own world-facing business. Success is certainly not guaranteed, but the fact that you can even try is a wonderful gift. I, for instance, have a podcast. Do I have a degree in journalism? No. Do I have any idea how to produce a real radio show? I don’t think so. Did I have any idea how to make my own website or podcast all of six months ago? Absolutely not. And yet here I am. Today’s guest has used this new business landscape and in just over two years completely changed his life. Stefan, a.k.a. Datto, went from being a guy that liked playing videogames in his free time to a guy that has a half million YouTube subscribers to his relatively new Datto Does Destiny gaming channel. Stefan now makes a healthy income playing videogames all day, not working for anyone else. So, how did all this work out for him, what lessons has he learned, and what is it really like to live the dream?
“The launch of this channel basically changed my life and saved my life”
“The first half [of a content cycle] I stress out because there is so much stuff to cover and I have to work so much. The second half is where I’ve talked about everything so now I’m freaking out because I don’t have any more video ideas”
Contents
2:10 – Why Blake thinks Stefan’s channel is great.
5:50 – Being yourself.
8:11 – Stefan’s history and first YouTube channel.
11:15 – Starting the Datto Does Destiny channel.
12:45 – Stefan’s inspiration for his channel.
13:25 – The name of the channel.
14:10 – The growth and success of the channel.
16:40 – Making the channel a full time job.
18:35 – Making income from YouTube.
20:30 – How has Stefan’s life changed.
24:40 – Joining Polaris.
25:20 – The variable ways for Stefan to make money, and not making the money grab.
31:40 – Stefan’s insane schedule.
37:40 – How has his schedule impacted his social life?
40:20 – Does Stefan still enjoy playing Destiny and other games?
42:10 – Stefan’s relationship with Bungie
45:50 – How much do you keep vs throw away.
47:40 – Advice for success on YouTube.
