76K Subscribers in Less Than a Year? Here's How She Did It

Summary

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Podcast Summary:

Content Is Profit – “76K Subscribers in Less Than a Year? Here's How She Did It”
Hosted by: BIZBROS
Guest: Shannon (Sunshine’s Hot Dogs)
Date: December 9, 2025
Episode Focus:
How Shannon grew a YouTube channel to 76k subscribers in less than a year through authentic vlogging of her journey starting a hot dog cart business—covering vulnerability, starting from scratch, consistency, niche content, and adapting to growth.

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Episode Overview

In this episode of Content Is Profit, the BIZBROS welcome Shannon, creator of Sunshine’s Hot Dogs, who exploded to over 76,000 YouTube subscribers in under a year by documenting her hot dog cart business from day one. The conversation serves as a deep dive into the reality of business vlogging, battling vulnerability, staying consistent, and not overthinking the creative process. Shannon and the hosts also touch on harnessing community, the unpredictable path of content virality, and balancing authenticity with scaling a personal brand.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Starting the Journey: Action Over Perfection

• Shannon began her YouTube channel on January 1, 2025, shooting entirely on her phone, with “no prep, just effort.”
• The first three months were spent documenting the business build: setting up the cart, forming the LLC, getting licensed and insured.
• Key Moment:
  C (Shannon): “Effort. And here we go. I just set up a phone and I’m like, hey guys, I just bought a hot dog cart...My roosters are crowing in the background and it’s very like, I’m like, what am I doing? I watch it back and it’s so cringy. But it worked.” [02:54]

2. Breaking Through: Viral Content Through Realness

• Her first major hit came with the video “first day running my hot dog cart” in March, about three months in, leading to a subscriber surge.
• Shannon’s style is organic and unfiltered, focusing on genuine moments rather than heavy editing or scripting.
• Memorable Quote:
  C: “Definitely vlog. Like, it’s very real. What you see is what you get...it’s very real. Very me.” [01:36]
• She publishes weekly, emphasizing consistency over perfection.

3. The Power of Just Starting & Not Over-Consuming Advice

• Shannon avoided overconsuming tutorials or vlogger advice, crediting that for keeping her content authentic.
• Quote:
  C: “Maybe that helped me in the end—not following any sort of script and not overthinking it…I didn’t expect the videos to really go anywhere. Maybe a hundred, two hundred views, maybe help a couple people.” [04:07]
• She sees over-researching as a potential trap leading to creative paralysis.

4. Organic Content Creation Process

• Shannon doesn’t plan videos strictly in advance; she lets her days unfold and selects highlights for vlogs in editing.
• C: “It’s probably way more simple than you think. It’s just get out in the world and do something. Something naturally is gonna happen…Then I go back and I’m like, oh, this part was kind of cool. I’m gonna make the title about this.” [07:58]
• Editing time improved from four days to two, freeing her to try new things (e.g., going live).

5. Dealing with Vulnerability

• On-camera vulnerability was initially tough, especially as a woman wanting to feel confident on screen.
• Community resonance and consistency keep her audience invested.
• C: “It’s gotten more natural over time…I enjoy just bringing realness... I have real struggles, just like everyone else, and showing how to push through those…hopefully be inspiring for someone.” [13:25]

6. Balancing Business and Content

• YouTube and the cart business now balance each other: if platform revenue is down, she pivots to more gigs with the cart, and vice versa.
• C: “I thought I was going to run the hot dog cart and vlog a little, but YouTube has now overcome the hot dog cart in a way. But they balance each other out...So if views are down, I just work harder at the cart.” [14:56]

7. Consistency, Authenticity, and Community

• Building a niche community has been crucial, with many subscribers participating in the journey and even donating or offering advice.
• C: “There’s not many hot dog cart content creators out there, so I don’t know what I would do in a cooking niche or something. But yeah, just showing up, being consistent.” [10:43]
• On tough weeks, Shannon leverages her high-energy days to bank extra content for the lows.

8. Managing Public Filming Anxiety

• Filming in public was—and remains—awkward. Shannon overcomes discomfort by staying focused on the payoff and normalizing “cringy” moments through bloopers.
• C: “I get so embarrassed filming in public, like at the hot dog cart, not so much… But walking through Sam’s, my aunt’s following me with the camera, I want to just hide under a rock.” [20:11]
• Hosts share similar struggles, noting it's easier in their own studio environments.
• Handling awkwardness: “It feels very awkward and weird when you’re there, but when you go back and edit…okay, it wasn’t that bad.” [22:00]

9. Navigating Growth, Monetization & Niche Dilemma

• The rapid growth surprised Shannon. While YouTube now pays her bills, she’s mindful of algorithm volatility and the necessity of consistency.
• The niche (hot dog cart vlogging) is unique, creating a less crowded space and a loyal following that has followed her into broader storytelling.
• Discussion on “Should the niche be you?” versus a specific topic:
  • C: “I think there’s room for just storytelling…Just your life. That’s kind of what mine has turned into…If you start somewhere and start building that fanbase, it can trickle into other things.” [29:39]

10. Balancing Personal & Family Privacy

• Shannon's family adjusted to vlogging naturally, seeing the bigger picture without feeling like everything must be filmed.
• She’s careful not to overdo filming and keeps sensitive or low-energy footage offline unless appropriate.

11. The Limits and Lessons of Analytics

• Viral hits can be unpredictable. “Behind the scenes” content sometimes performs better than big event videos, teaching her not to rely solely on data-driven planning.
• C: “You might think you have the best video...and it could flop. And then you have one that’s half-ass...that just takes off. Once you put it out, there’s no telling what it’s going to do.” [35:30]

12. Advice for Aspiring Creators

• Creating for money alone is risky due to revenue unpredictability and platform volatility—sustained effort and genuine enjoyment is critical.
• C: “People think you just throw a video out and, oh, you got lucky, it went viral. No, there’s so much work behind the scenes… consistency… The money can be great one month and down the next.” [37:23]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Taking Action Over Overthinking:
  B: “Just get started. Build a habit of consistency…” [09:39]
• On Authenticity vs. Algorithm:
  C: “I’ve gotta just keep being myself. Just let whatever happen…” [16:24]
• On Family and Vlogging:
  C: “I want everyone to have their level of privacy, and I think that’s super important.” [33:01]
• On Growth and Staying Grounded:
  C: “At the end of the day, you don’t want to get too big for your britches. But at the same time… I want to be the first in my family to become a millionaire.” [45:00]
• On Community Feedback and Iteration:
  A & C brainstorming:
  “Collectible cards, signed…then people can buy them and the profits go to a nonprofit…” [39:06]
• On Inspiration for New Content:
  A: “You encouraged me to finally vlog with the family. Like, you are the reason last Thursday, we went to the park and I took the camera…” [18:25]

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Key Timestamps by Segment

• Introduction & Background: [00:00 – 02:31]
• Starting the YouTube Channel: [02:32 – 04:41]
• Overcoming Perfectionism: [04:43 – 05:58]
• Shannon’s Content Creation Process: [05:59 – 08:58]
• Consistency & Mindset: [08:59 – 11:38]
• Vulnerability & Audience Connection: [11:39 – 14:13]
• Balancing Vlogging and Business: [14:14 – 17:08]
• Dealing with Growth & Content Direction: [16:11 – 17:39]
• Public Filming Challenges: [19:43 – 23:08]
• Community & Family Dynamics: [32:29 – 34:52]
• Analytics, Virality & Authenticity: [35:06 – 36:16]
• Advice to Creators (Motivation, Money): [37:23 – 39:02]
• Outro & Final Thoughts: [50:29 – 52:30]

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Takeaway Lessons

• Just start. Don’t wait until it’s perfect; authenticity beats highly scripted, overproduced content for community building.
• Vulnerability builds connection. Letting your real self show attracts loyalty and longevity.
• Consistency matters most. Viral moments aren’t predictable, but showing up regularly is key.
• Don’t rely solely on analytics or “formulas.” Sometimes your least expected content resonates most.
• Organic evolution is valid. Starting in a niche can grow into broader storytelling—sometimes the niche is just “you.”
• Balance personal life and content thoughtfully. Not everything needs to go public, and reading the room (especially with family) is essential.
• Enjoy the process. Monetization is possible, but a passion for the content itself is crucial for sustainability through ups and downs.

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Find Shannon: [Sunshine’s Hot Dogs YouTube Channel]
Podcasters: [Content Is Profit (BIZBROS)]
Not ready to vlog? Just start—cringe and all!

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Transcript

[A]

Well, Fonzie, stop the cheat track. It's time to start Content Profit.

[B]

Guys, I just don't. Don't leave the house that often anymore.

[A]

Welcome back to Kanti's Profit. Today is a very special day. We have Shannon here.

[B]

Let's go.

[A]

And Shannon came to the studio.

To start her podcast, which you just recorded your first episode. But most important, when you came in and you told me what you did, I was like, holy crap, we need to talk.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So tell us what you do, because I'm going to do the holy crap phase again.

[C]

Okay. Well, I started my journey recently with a hot dog cart, and I figured I would film the whole journey of getting it set up and put it on YouTube. And I did, and it kind of took off, and here I am.

[A]

It kind of took off?

[B]

Yeah, it was crazy.

[A]

You had what, over 80,000 subscribers?

[C]

I'm right at like 76,000. We're inching our way to 100K.

[A]

My goodness. And in less than a year. Right. Like, this has been quite a journey.

[C]

Yeah, we're in November now. So I started my channel basically January 1st of 2025. And my first video that really took off was my first day running my hot dog cart, and that was in March. So we've been about eight months since my first, like, viral video that really kicked up my YouTube channel.

[A]

And how long were you publishing before that first that video that you said?

[C]

Three months.

[A]

Three months? Weekly.

[C]

Weekly. Once a week, every week.

[A]

Will you consider a vlog, or more of a scripted type?

[C]

Definitely vlog. Like, it's very real. What you see is what you get. There's not a. I spend a lot of time editing, but it's not heavily edited. It's. It's very real. Very me.

[B]

It's very organic.

[C]

Yeah, organic.

[A]

We're gonna put the link right. Right below. We'll go check him out. Sunshine's Hot Dogs.

[C]

Yeah, right.

[A]

On YouTube. I was like, I was hooked. I started watching the videos.

[B]

I'm like, yeah, it was really cool. So, quick question. The three months that you were publish the video that took off?

[C]

Yes.

[B]

You said the video that took off was your first day running the hot dog stand?

[C]

Yes.

[B]

What were you doing the three months before? Was it prepping or what?

[C]

Yeah, basically I was documenting the journey of getting the. The business established. So I know a lot of people out there don't know how to start a business. They don't know how to start an LLC or get insured, and those things I had already gone through. So I kind of knew how to do all that. And I thought, wow, I could probably help some people start whatever journey they have. So it was basically just me getting the cart set up, trying to find a place to put it, getting it licensed and things like that.

[B]

Okay, how much research do you do pre launching all this? And I'm asking because a lot of people would be like, I'm launching a business and I have to do content. That sounds like very overwhelming. You know, I need to focus on one of the things.

[C]

Right.

[B]

So I'm curious on like, did you do any prep or you were like, effort. I'm just going to do it basically.

[C]

Effort. And here we go. I just set up a phone and I'm like, hey guys, I just bought a hot dog cart. Let me take you outside to go look at it. And you know, my roosters are crowing in the background and it's just very like, I'm like, what am I doing? I watch it back and it's like so cringy. But it, it worked.

[A]

Do you watch your videos again once you publish them?

[C]

You go back, let me be real. No.

But while you're editing that first. Yeah, editing a lot. And then that very first video, I did go back and watch that like a month ago and I was like, wow, this is where it all started.

[A]

That's amazing.

[B]

There's been some progress.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

That's so cool. And you know, obviously, you know, we've had a bunch of people here on the show and very different backgrounds, but I don't think we've had somebody with your background where it's like effort. I'm gonna do this on YouTube document actually following. I don't know if you followed at somebody's advice, but there's a lot of advice online from like these big influencers, people that are big on social media, especially teaching the business people how to do content. They're like, dude, just set up a camera and to film your day. Right. And talk about the things that you're doing.

[B]

Right, right.

[A]

How much of that was like external or where you're like in a point in a point in your life where you're like, I'm just want to try something new and go and take the leap.

[C]

That's a great question. I really didn't take any advice or watch any videos and maybe that helped me in the end is. Is not following like any sort of side. It's like script and not overthinking it. I think that's where a lot of people could get hung up. Is overthinking everything, which I'm guilty of that at times, but I didn't expect the videos to really go anywhere. Maybe 100, 200 views, maybe help a couple people.

So I wasn't expecting it to. To take off like it did. So I had. I didn't have huge expectations of, like, all right, guys, I need my camera angles.

[A]

This.

[C]

I just. Just went for it.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Well, real quick, Were you consuming something before that? Like, were you watching other people vlogs?

[C]

No.

[B]

Like, how do you get the idea of, I'm gonna start a vlog while I do all this?

[C]

Okay, so I'll tell you. I had a cleaning business first. I was like, my very first business. I had a cleaning business, and it was before the TikTok era and, you know, before all that. So when I had the cleaning business, it was. Me and one of my best friends ran it, and we were hilarious. Like, there was a lot of. There was so many funny moments that I have, like, my memories, you know, my pictures and stuff. And, I mean, it was so funny. I thought this would have went viral probably on TikTok. Had TikTok been a thing back then, and. And I always hated that I missed that opportunity to film even, like, the cleanings before and afters or, you know, showing people, okay, I'm scrubbing this tub. People will watch it. They'll sit. Watch what? You know, So I really felt like I missed the ship on that. So when I decided to start the hot dog cart business, I'm like, okay, this is my time to really put out a vlog of what I'm doing. And. Yeah. And. But I didn't really consume a lot. I consumed more, like, educational stuff.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

You know, encouraging type, you know, motivational. Yeah, motivational. That's the word I'm looking for.

[A]

Do you find that maybe, like, if you would have, like, watch all the tutorials and be like, okay, this is the way that a vlog should be film or should be scripted. Like, why do you think it would happen? And I. And I'll tell you my personal experience with that. Like, do you think, like, it would. It would have stopped you from doing it? Overwhelm or, like, what.

[C]

I feel like it may have taken some of the authenticity away from it because I would have overthought too much about getting the right equipment or the right everything. I can be a perfectionist sometimes, and I will overthink it until I get paralyzed of not and then not do.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So I feel like I could have faced that if I would have, like, went too far into it.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, I saw. I saw a clip this morning from acquisition.com CEO. He was making this presentation, not Alex, like the new guy that's, you know, running the whole thing. And he's showing this example, this lady, like, dancing to a beat, right? And it's like 90 million million views, right? It's like. And he's talking to a bunch of business people, right? It's like everybody here is overthinking it, right? Everybody here is like, the perfect hook. The perfect thing is like, you know, put new ideas or test validated ideas type stuff, right? And it's like everything is an experiment. He was trying to encourage people to try these new things, right? It's like. And, you know, we've. Since day one of the podcast, we have this concept called the publishing pyramid. It's like, you know, the more things you add to this thing, the more friction it becomes. And then it's. It's like this big boulder trying to move, right? To be able to publish something. We're like, okay, how do we personally remove the friction? As a creator, maybe as a. As a business owner, right? Do you have a process to, like, prep for these videos? Like, how do you stay consistent? You're like, you look at your week and be like, okay, this is an event. I'm going to document that one event, right? Like, and then from the ideation, I'm assuming is like the thing like the day, right? I'm like, I'm going to go film there. Then you create throughout the day. Then you edit. Do you edit, like in a day, in a few days? And then how do you schedule those out? Like, what's that process that for you?

[C]

So it's probably way more simple than you would think. It's just get out in the world and do something. Because something naturally is gonna happen, right? Like, something entertaining is gonna happen if you just, you know, just get out there and start filming. I never have, like, I never have, like, okay, today video idea is gonna be blank. I let the day happen and then I go back and I'm like, oh, oh. Well, this part was kind of cool. I'm going to make the title about this. So that's that. Of course, I plan, like, my hot dog days. And I've gotten. I've gotten used to going live now, so I'm trying to go live more. So I'll have, like, if I'm working the cart three days, I'll be like, this day is going to be for vlogging this day Will be. I'll go live. Live from the cart, so. And then editing. It used to take me four days to edit one video, and now I've got it down to two days. That's super excited about that. So that's opened up more time to do things this, like the podcast and who knows what other fun adventures.

[A]

So good.

[B]

That is awesome. There's a graph that I've kind of talked about here on the. On the show before, but is. And I'm drawing here for those are just listening. But pretty much it's like the intersection between your motivation and then kind of like all the amount of information that you consume. And it gets to a point where it's like diminishing returns. Like, you're just learning so much that. And he's like, it hits big motivation. And you're like, one step away from just being way too much information. And now your motivation decreases and you're like, yes, I'm overwhelmed. You know, I can quickly go from that. So what I'm seeing here is like, you're definitely on the part of the graph where you're like, I'm motivated. I'm just going to do it. I'm going to take action.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which I'm a brother mentioned. It's a huge lesson for everybody. Right. It's like, just get started. Build a habit of consistency.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

And then see how it goes. Right?

[C]

Absolutely.

[B]

I think the timeline, you know, obviously you said it took you like, three months to get that first hit. That timeline varies for a lot of people. Some people, right. If you're listening to this, you're like, when is it. When it's my turn to go viral or, you know, to get all the views and it changes. Right. For some people, I will say it might never come as well. They're going viral. But as long as you're like, have a clear message and you know who you're talking to, that's what matters the most. Like, you're resonating with your audience, and I think you do a great job of that. So I'm curious on what has it been, you know, that connection with the audience? Cause I went through your comments and you get a lot of people invested. Like, there's people like, donating also, you know, donating money to you, and they're talking and giving you tips. Like, hey, I ran this hot dog card for years. I would probably change this or that. It's like a very cool community.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So how's that?

[C]

The Sunshine family. That's what I call them. The Sunshine family. I love it that has come. I'm very grateful and I'm very humbled at the quick growth. I know that's not everyone's story, and I. I'm super grateful for. For where I've gotten. I think what's helped get me here is just by being consistent. I'm in a niche. Like, there's not many hot dog cart content creators out there, so I don't know what I would do, like, in a cooking niche or something, you know, something else. But, yeah, just showing up, being consistent. And one thing that helps me is, you know, we're human. We have good weeks, we have bad weeks, we have weeks where we don't feel as. As motivated. And what I do on my good weeks, I pack in, like, when I'm feeling good and I feel good about myself and I'm feeling. I do as much work as I can. That way when those weeks come that are harder, hey, I've got. I've got a video in the chamber. Let's pump that out. And that way you don't get overwhelmed.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah, I like that. What does that just for. For conscious here, for whoever is listening. What does a good week look like in comparison to, like, a bad week for you?

[C]

So I think for me, being a woman and being on camera a lot, you know, you want to feel pretty, and that's huge for me. Like, you want to feel pretty and you want to feel confident. And we, as women, we sometimes don't always feel that way. Maybe a week out of the month that we just feel horrible and grumpy and we want to cry, you know, So I give myself grace on, you know, a week where it's harder for me and. But, yeah, I think that just when you don't feel as confident because we're putting our face and our voices forward for the public, it's a very vulnerable place to be. So. Yeah, but, yeah, that. That helps me get through. Yeah, sure.

[B]

Just mentioned vulnerability. I think that's key, especially when blogging. Yeah. You know, I see the. I don't really watch too many vlogs per se, but the few I watch, I just like, because of that level of connection, of depth.

[C]

Right.

[B]

And I would say most people have a hard time being vulnerable. Right. Like, yeah, why am I going to be opening up to somebody that, you know, on the other side I cannot see? I don't know who they are. They're going to judge me or they you. All these things.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Was that a challenge for you, being vulnerable or did it get more natural.

[C]

It's gotten more natural over time. I think being real is so important in a time like today because, you know, you have social media and people will post their perfect life on Facebook. But you might know that family personally and you know, like, they're going through financial struggles or a divorce or, you know, they might be going through hard things, but it's. Everyone's goal is to put this perfect life out on for, you know, their friends and everything. And one thing I enjoy is just bringing realness, you know.

So it's easier for me to be vulnerable because I, I feel I can connect with a lot more people by, by just being myself and, and I'm a real human, you know, I have real struggles just like everyone else, and showing how to push through those and hopefully be inspiring for someone else. That.

[A]

Yeah, you know, that's awesome. Are you at a point, like, obviously, you know, I think you're, you're thinking about taking this and continue, right? No, there's like non stopping.

[B]

You. Yeah.

[A]

Are you at a point now where like, you're like, okay, this became like a big pillar of what I do. Right. You have the hot dog cart, which I imagine like the initial goal was like, that's the business.

[B]

Yeah. You know, we should have done. We should have had some hot dogs.

[C]

Oh, I should have think about that.

[A]

It's okay for part two.

[B]

Part two, we'll do it at the hot dog.

[C]

I'll bring the cart to the parking.

[A]

Lot, we'll drive to the.

[B]

You.

[A]

We'll make a day out of it.

[B]

Or you can, if you come here, we'll let everybody know. So then everybody can go and, you know, have a hot dog day.

[C]

Yeah, I love it.

[A]

So like, obviously, you know, things take off after a few months on the channel. So you have the business now. You have the channel. Right. You're. You're monetizing that channel in a way.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Does it bring you business to the hot dog car or it's like more like a separate. And you're like, okay, now are you thinking like, how do I sustain this? Right. How do I build a system? Like, now is it boring? But like, okay, this isn't. The process is like, how do we continue to do this? Or you continue to tackle it very organically.

[C]

So currently it's very organically.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But it's, it's kind of an intimidating place to be because I, I want it to keep going and I want to keep growing. And initially I thought I was going to run the hot dog cart. Vlog. A little. But YouTube is now overcome the hot dog cart in a way. But they balance each other out, you know, if. If views drop and you know, because I am monetized. So I count that, that YouTube check now, you know, since I quit my regular job for this. So if views are down though, I just work harder at the cart or pick up some more gigs so they truly balance each other a lot and. But I really am enjoying this YouTube thing a lot more than I ever thought I would. It's so fun. Like, I'm having a blast.

[A]

So that's very cool.

[C]

Knows where that will lead.

[B]

Yeah, I think that's. I don't know, I think that me personal, my personality might be like a challenge because I'm like, see it grow. And I'm like, all right, how do I go into the systems? How do I. And I love that you're like, I'm just going with it. You know, you obviously put in great effort and great thought into it, but I love that you're not overwhelming yourself with, you know, what if. And it's just like, let me work on what's working right now. Keep doing more of the same.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And whatnot. But I'm curious, have you had any conflicting thoughts in terms of, you know, should it change the. The type of videos that I'm creating and all these things, you know, have you doubt yourself throughout the process and all?

[A]

Like, today we're trying these three new kinds of hot dogs, like the $1 hot dog to the $10,000 hot dog.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

So of course, naturally I've looked up like ideas like that, like what could spice it up, but it feels so non authentic to me. So I'm like, I've gotta just keep being myself. Just let whatever happen. I don't know if this is like a type A versus type B personality thing. I'm. I'm very like my oldest daughter who was here today, she. She's more of the type A personality. She needs things planned out and very organizational and I'm just like, wing it. Let's see what happens. And that would drive her crazy. She could never. Yeah, you know, me and my youngest, we just wing. Wing it. But I think that that can help at times too.

[A]

Is. Yeah.

[B]

You know, oh, 100. Yeah.

[A]

I think that's a very incredible place to be as a creator to and a business owner. Right. Because like, the business itself already brings a ton of stress.

[C]

Right.

[A]

So then if you're going to bring extra stress with this thing, you know, I feel a lot of people that might be starting to do this. They put all the eggs in the basket of, like, content. When there's, like, you know, maybe other marketing tactics that you can go do. You can go knock on doors, you can go do this. Like, it's almost like people forget the traditional things that have worked, you know, 24 7. Yeah.

[B]

Door to door hot dog sale. Yes.

[C]

Would you like to have.

[B]

You can imagine.

[A]

Have you had your sausage today?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Who knows? That will be a great video, right? Like, how many again, going through those crazy ideas, right?

[B]

Like, don't overwhelm her.

[A]

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. That could be, like. That could be us, you know, collaborate. That's a collaboration between content, profit.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

You know, how many hot dogs can Shannon sell door to door today?

[A]

Versus. Versus.

[B]

Yeah, that'll be good.

[A]

But no, I. I mean, I. I think a lot of people are like, okay, how do we stay consistent? It's like, remove that friction, right? Like, and at the end of the day, like, if it syncs up with your personality, it's something that, like, it's almost like a second nature, right?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Can I tell you a story?

[C]

Yeah, of course.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

No, I don't want to hear it.

[A]

You are here late.

[B]

Stop.

[A]

All right. So you encouraged me to finally vlog.

[C]

Yay.

[A]

Yes. That makes me so happy with the family. Like, you are the reason last Thursday, we're into the park, and I. And I took the camera, and I'm like, I'm a gearhead. He will tell you.

[C]

Yeah. I'll be like, the backpack and the.

[A]

Headphones and pretty much, I'm like, almost camera. Do I take, right?

[B]

I'm like, yeah, it's like a sound like the boom arm with this. Like, what is the guy doing?

[A]

We hired the whole crew to follow. No, I'm kidding. But it's funny because I'm like, okay, that's part of the overwhelm. Like, I identified. It's like, okay, you know, we have access to nice equipment, right? We have access to this thing. And then you're like, which one do I take? What angle do I do? And then we start overthinking, like, oh, I'm gonna set up the thing, like. And I'm like, you know what? At the end of the day, when we walked in that park, because we. We went to, like, the Merry Christmas party in Orlando with the kids, I had this backpack, and I'm like, I ditched it to, like, literally, like, what's it called? Like, a fanny pack, I guess.

[B]

Call it how it is a fanny pack.

[A]

Proud owner of an alpaca fanny pack. Sponsor me. Alpaca. No.

[C]

Right.

[A]

But it's literally, I. I had two cameras in there, like the. The DJI Osmo. And I ended up doing that. The whole thing. I'm like, this is easy PC. I take it out. Film the thing.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I. I share how I feel. And at first, it was like, hell. And all the videos that I saw about the thing was like, oh, this is dreamy and all. You know what? No, this is hell. There's so many people in here. What are we doing?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And. And it's, you know, it's there now. Got to edit it. We'll see how it comes out. But do you ever feel weird about the people around? Right?

[C]

Because, like, oh, that's the worst. Oh, God. See, people don't know that. People don't know that about me.

[B]

Right? Yeah.

[C]

I get so embarrassed, like, filming in public, like, at the hot dog cart. Not so much. Because, like, people. Most people that come to the cart, they know we're vlogging.

[A]

But you have a little sign there that says, you might show up.

[C]

And we have tripods set up. Like, you can clearly see. It says YouTube on, you know. So most people know. But when we go do, like, a shopping trip and we're, like, walking through Sam's and my aunt's following me with the camera, I want to just hide in a rock, under a rock. It's so bad.

[A]

How do you overcome that? Because, like, it's like, obviously, you know, if you're in a podcast, you're in your environment, right? Like, if you come to the studio, you're in the studio or you're in your house, right?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And it's like, okay, I can be fully myself, right?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

But then when you are there, I remember that trip to Boise that we're like, we vlog the trip to Boise.

[B]

And you were the Will vlog. I was like, I mean, this is.

[A]

Why I'm so excited, this conversation. Because I've been like. I've been feeling that struggle for so long. Like, I've been wanting to, like, document that thing. And I force, like, it's. It's been so hard.

[C]

That is.

[A]

And in that tree for Boise, we're in this gas station, and we're like, you know, getting this ice cream. We have the camera on. The manager goes like, you cannot film here. Please get out.

[C]

That was like, I'm done.

[B]

Nightmare. Yeah.

[A]

I was like, I did not take the camera the whole trip. Again, like, that was Sit for me. And I'm like, man, what are we talking about? We've done like 400 episodes. This podcast. Like, this is insane.

[C]

It's different. When you're in your comfort zones versus.

[A]

In public, how do you deal with it? Like, how were you able to Overcome.

[C]

That when YouTube started paying the bills?

[B]

I'm not gonna lie. That was gonna be my comment, but I was like, I'm gonna. I'm curious to see what she's gonna say. But I was literally gonna be like, I mean, once you have those views and, like, you probably get some reward. But what happened? Like, my question would be pre that, right? Because obviously you had to deal with that before you get the check and all that stuff.

[C]

Yeah, I did. It's just. Okay. One thing that I learned is it feels very awkward and weird when you're there, but when you go back and edit it and you get to see, you're like, okay, well, that wasn't that bad. If you just try to, like, filter out all the people as much as you can. And then when you get to see the final product, you're like, okay, yeah, it wasn't too bad. I felt horrible and awkward and weird, but it came out okay.

[A]

What was it? What was the first, like, in public thing that you did?

[C]

You remember Sam's? Yeah. And Sam's shopping.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And even, like, up until, like, a few weeks ago, we were in Sam's and we were filming, and I started looking at the camera. I was like, all right, guys, we're gonna grab some bread. And then someone came around the aisle, and I was like, oh, I have to wait. And then those clips go to bloopers, because I show the bloopers at the end of all my videos.

[B]

Absolutely. I think. I mean, I think it's also important to remember that. That most people don't really, like, we think they're thinking about us, right. And it's like they're all in their own world thinking about their own thing, and they don't really care. And I know. Easier said than done, right?

[C]

It is. That's still something I'm working on myself, so. But the main thing is just do it. Just go for it, and then it will hopefully get easier.

[B]

Yeah, there's. There's this guy I've. I've sent you the videos is this guy that goes to, like, Target or something like that. He does, like, reels or tick tock, whatever, and he finds a random person and he's like, excuse me, like, can you record me here doing a little Dance. And they're like, yeah, sure, whatever. And it's like, he gives him. And the guy starts, like, dancing, like, grinding, like, by himself and stuff. It's, like, super awkward. Oh, my God. And then you. In the video, you hear with the music, but then it changes to the shot that the guy is actually recording, and the guy has no music, so he's, like, dancing in there, you know, and, like, you know, like, smacking on this, you know, whatever is in there on the columns and. And the people recording all these. I was like, how is that guy not dying of embarrassment? You're like, I'm embarrassed watching this. But at the same time, I'm like, that's amazing.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, that is amazing that somebody can, you know, do that. Be that shameless, do that type of stuff. And then at the end, he's like, awesome. Thank you. And he grabs the phone and leaves and doesn't tell them anything. And I was like.

[C]

And I'm like, oh, my God.

[B]

He. I'm sure he, like, tells after, right? And in the comments, somebody was like, do you tell them after? And he's like, no, I just like to leave them with a core memory right there. I was like, oh, Jesus.

[C]

That's a gift.

[B]

Yeah, that's a gift right there.

[A]

It takes a special kind of person, you know?

[B]

So next time, think about that. Be like, if that person can dance to no music in this way, to somebody. I was like, I can, you know, talk about Bread and Sam's. Yeah, I love that.

[A]

You know what helped me, like, on that trip, specifically? Because I told my kids that we're gonna make a movie together.

[C]

Oh, I love that.

[A]

So they were holding me accountable. They were like, papa, what is the adventure? What are we doing next? So, like, I frame. I gave it, like, a. Like, a frame of, like, we're gonna do five challenges. And it was more like. And the five challenges were like, you know, spot a character or take a picture with this character. Do something scary. And they were like, what's next? And I kind of. That drove the day on that sense.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So that. That helped personally. And it's like, how do you. How do you, you know, continue to push with this thing? Like, does it get easier on your side, emotionally? That kind of stuff. Right. Ob know it's paying the bills.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Does it ever get easier?

[C]

I'm gonna be completely honest. It hasn't gotten easier for me yet. It still feels cringy. It still is. Is hard to do. And I'll. I have a second channel that I'm gonna come. It's called Sunshine's Eats tv, where I'll be cooking and going and trying restaurants. Well, one thing that's holding me back is I tried to go film in a restaurant the other day. And, like, I'm terrified of it, you know, of like, filming the waitress bringing the food. So I. I have another idea where I'm going to maybe take the food and go eat in the back of my. I'd be like, backseat diner or something. So I'm literally probably going to have to do that because I'm having trouble overcoming that.

[B]

I like that. How do you feel about the honesty part? Like, if you do that, would you approach it in the way that you're like, guys, I'm terrified of filming in the restaurant. I would be like, would you let them know?

[C]

Yeah, I've already, like, played that scenario in my head. Like, hey, we're in my backseat.

[A]

Because.

You'Ll probably have a restaurant owner that watches and be like, hey, come. Like, it's okay. We'll like, make it super, super easy for you. Like, I saw. I'm like a top consumer. Like, I'm watching everything. But we discovered, like, this couple and they do restaurant reviews and the guy is like a foodie, and that's what they do. So they were like, going through, like, Disney restaurants. I'm like, katie, my wife, is like, zero contents. You're like, you know, point that camera away from me.

[C]

Right? But you're beautiful.

[A]

Yeah, it's like, no, like, okay.

[B]

But like, she goes crossing his fingers. She listens to this.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

She's listening to one episode out of the 600 something. And it's because the guest was in a High School musical as an extra, and she's like, oh, my God, that's great. I'm like, oh, my God.

But like, she was so invested. And it's like this, you know, couple just documenting where they were eating and like, oh, you know this. I'll give it a 10.

[C]

I wanted to do that because people were like, you're working so hard on the cart, but people will watch you do anything. Like, we like you for you. Go do anything. You know, you don't have to work so hard, but not going to give up the hot dog cart. But I thought it'd be a fun little. Another way to make a little bit of money. But I cannot get. And people are asking because I have some subscribers there already, and they're like, when's the content coming? I'm like, it's coming, I promise. But they don't know yet that that's.

[B]

You, like, promoted on your main channel. And you said, I'm going to be doing this.

[C]

Yeah, I said, content coming soon. Join my other channel. And I think it's got, like, 1400 subscribers waiting on a video to drop. So that channel will be monetized. When I get the 4,000hours, I just have to post. Post some content.

[B]

But you might get it on the first two, three videos.

[C]

It could.

[A]

Okay, I offer ourselves to go with you. Let's do it with you, and we.

[C]

Can all get over our fears together.

[B]

I will say I'm a terrible. I'll probably be a terrible foodie reviewer, just as I am a terrible movie reviewer because I like them all. I was like, what do you like that movie? I'm like, like, that movie is Great.

[A]

This is 10 out of 10.

[B]

Yeah, 10 out of 10. It was so entertaining. And it was like, what? This movie was terrible. And I'm like, that was food. So I'm like, yum.

[A]

This is.

[B]

It's better than pasta and tuna, you know?

[C]

Yeah, exactly. Beats ramen.

[B]

Yeah, beats ramen.

[A]

So, you know, we're talking before the show where we have, you know, business trying to be creators, and then you have creators building businesses, right? And kind of like that intersection in there. And one of the big, I guess, dilemmas or people or big decisions that people have to make is like, what is the topic? What is the niche? Like, how niche does he have to be? Like, what if I'm too general? And I saw Gary V. Video last week where it's like this, like, professional ex NFL player, and he's like, I don't want to be known as the NFL player. Like, I like all these other things. And he was telling him, he's like, okay, well, maybe the niche is you. And he's like, you. And then you do these things and then you document these things and you share those things. Right? It's like, like, how, like, was that calculated as far as, like, the hot dog car was like, okay, like, this is gonna make sense. Or like, how do you maybe encourage people and, like, how do they find their one thing? I personally struggle a ton.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And I felt very identified with, like, that story with Gary because, like, I like, you know, sports car. I. I like gaming. I like, like, you know, doing cool. Right.

[C]

Right.

[A]

It's like, it's almost like, do cool and, like, film it. Right? It's like, all right, you know, what does that mean to you? I'm like, it means, like, I don't know, going motocross, going to the beach, going to whatever, like how, you know, point people in the right direction there.

[C]

I think one thing that I try to drive home a lot is just being your authentic self. And maybe you do a lot of cool, you know, maybe you like the sports cars and the. And then you go with your kids to the parks and maybe someone would want to just see what, what you're up to for the week. You know what I mean? What did he do this week? Was he with his family or did he go to the beach or, you know, whatever it is. And I think, I think there's room for just storytelling, just your life, you know, vlogging your life. That's kind of what mine has turned into. It's from, from hot dog carts to, you know, I vlogged my entire vacation last week. So I'm gonna take my viewers to North Carolina with us. So it can kind of, if you start somewhere and start building that fan base, it can really trickle into to other things. I know some, there's some niches that are way saturated, like gaming. You know, some of those would be probably harder to entry, but. But yeah, I would just say be yourself. Whether you're awkward, whether you're super cool, whether you're. Whatever it is, there's people out there that will resonate with you and will enjoy listening to you, whatever it is that you share.

[B]

Yeah. So if you expand, let's say you have a lot of interest, right. And you do your hot dog, if you spend that to a different interest, you create a new channel. Is that how you're going to approach it? Or you eventually gonna try to be like you are your brand, Right. Because yeah, there's this saying I'm probably going to butcher, but it's like at first people follow you for what you do, then they follow you for what you know, and then they follow you because of who you are.

[C]

Right.

[B]

You know, and you know, I think in the, the hot dog, right, is they might be following you. At first they discovered you because like the. What you do, right. The hot dogs call their attention and then eventually it's like, wow, like she knows about this. And then the business aspect of things, how, you know, transparent you are, they're following you for that. Yeah. But now they might be interested in your personality, which is not the case with everybody. I'll say not everybody has the personality. Or maybe they don't build to the point where get other people interested in the personality.

[C]

Right.

[B]

And then they cannot expand on their interest Right. So. But you seem to have, again, people that are invested in your personality. Like, they really enjoy hanging out with.

[C]

You online, which is crazy. I never dreamed in a million years that anyone would watch, much less, you know, 75,000. Still blows my mind. But, yeah, I think you got that exactly right. I think people started because they're like, oh, wow, cool. She got a hot dog cart. And then they see me interacting on the hot dog cart, and then it's less about the hot dogs and more about the connection. Watching that human connection.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

You know, I think they enjoy watching me serve the customers and the chats that we have along the way, and. And then now it's turned into, hey, are you gonna film your vacation? We want to see your vacation. So it's. It's just been a natural progression of. That just kind of naturally happened and was really unplanned.

[B]

Yeah. How does your family feel about now documenting so many things?

[C]

So that's been a personal, internal challenge for me. I never want my children to feel like, oh, gosh, we have to film. Like, let's be on our P's and Q's. But they've kind of naturally. They've seen what it's done for us financially. It's really helping us financially, and they can see. I think they're old and mature enough to see the bigger picture now, so they'll. They'll grab the phone themselves and be like, hey, guys, we're here.

[B]

I love it.

[C]

But I try to balance that so that it doesn't feel like, oh, gosh, we've got to vlog everything. I want everyone to have their level of privacy, and I think that's super important.

[B]

I feel like there's a thin line between, you know, just actually being a vlog and then being a responsibility. Right. When then it feels like acted in a way.

[C]

Exactly.

[B]

Right. So, like, how do you balance that?

[A]

Or.

[C]

I just kind of read the room. Just kind of what. How we feel. My daughters and I are so close. We're so interconnected that I can feel it. If they're into it, I know we can, you know, go for it. And if they're.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

You know, just kind of reading the room and not overdoing it, you know, And. And making sure that what we do put out is natural and. And unscripted and it's not fake. And I think people can see that, and that's. I think that's why.

[B]

Yeah. People feed off of the energy. I feel like, you know, like. Sure. The script on some of the Videos, you know, on the vlog, the adventure. All these things are really cool, but if the energy is not there, if you can tell it's not authentic.

[C]

Yeah, it flops. Yeah. I've had videos that I never published because it was just an off day for me. Or I felt I. I didn't feel my best and it kind of showed. And that's not what I, you know.

[A]

Where I put out.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I mean, nothing too bad, but just I wasn't at my. My highest energy self. I'm usually like a high energy, like, happy, cheery. And, you know, I, you know, we all have hard days and. But yeah, I have. I have like three videos in the chamber that I never released because it just doesn't feel.

[B]

Makes sense. Yeah, makes sense.

[A]

Maybe. Maybe for the Patron subscribers. Be like, you know, here's.

[C]

I did. Yeah, I did. I actually just released one. I was like, no unseen footage. And it actually didn't do too bad. So I'm like, dang it, I need to. Let me go ahead and get the rest of these out now.

[A]

Okay. So I see, like, I see myself going to this and be like, okay, the video is doing xyz. And then be like, oh, there's a spike on this activity. Or there's a spike on, like, this section right now. How do you. You're like, okay. During a journey as a creator.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

So you're like, okay, I want to be super authentic to the way that I create, for example, which maybe is the structure that we create in our heads. Or like, I just want to, like, flow with the event. But you see that people are certainly interested in, like, this parts of the video.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And then you start looking at these data. Be like, do I optimize for that? Do I stay, like, true to myself? Like, what's the balance? Have you found that yet?

[C]

I've learned something very important with YouTube and that is you might think you have the best video that you're going to put out. You're like, this is going to be the one. It's going to be awesome and it could flop. And then you have one that's a half ass that, you know. I did a huge event. Mountain Dew served a thousand hot dogs. I knew this was just gonna be the hit video, the next big thing. And then I. The week before, I filmed a behind the scenes prepping for the Mountain Dew event. Right? The behind the scenes did two times better than the actual Mountain Dew event. So it's like, you, you. I don't know if we'll ever Figure out the formula, no matter how many, how optimized we try to get, no matter how detailed and into the analytics. Because once you put it out, there's no telling what it's going to do. Yeah, like, that's just up to the algorithm.

[A]

Is it. Is there an advice that you'll tell people that if they want to get in this for, like, the money? Because, like, there is, like, you asked now, kids, and you're like, what do you want to do? And they're like, I want to be a content creator. I want to be a YouTuber. I want to do this. And I think it's because they see the, like, the top tier of creators that are living this crazy life with not only their videos, but, you know, what happens on their socials. And I had a conversation yesterday with. With Katie, my wife, where she was telling me about these, like, angel trees that you can buy at Walmart. I had no idea this thing existed. And she's like. And she was telling me how it became so big this year. It's like, apparently this influencer went in there and she's like, I think, like, if you're gonna take one of those, you should buy all the items on the list. And apparently there was a sign that says, you know, minimum 30 bucks. And this person documenting her buying just the minimum of $30. And there was a huge backlash because everybody's like, well, you should buy the whole thing, not just the $30. And in her mind, she thought she was doing something good right now. Katie's like, well, she should do this because she's an influencer. In my head, I'm like, I'm on this side where, like, not a lot of content creators have a ton of money, maybe for her. Yeah, that was a ton of money for that video, right?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So it's like, how do you now, like, if. Like, if you're in it for the money, like, right. Like, is it the right decision? Is it, like, what's. Like, what's a good way to maybe approach the creator game? Like, if you had a kid growing up right now and they're like, we want to do this, mom. Like, what will be your advice?

[C]

So that would be hard if it were one of my girls. The advice I would give is, for one, know the work that it takes. People think you just throw a video out and, oh, you got lucky, it went viral. And no, there's so much work. You guys know, there's so much work behind the scenes that goes into it. There's a lot of I mean, you have to be very consistent. And then, you know, the money can be great one month and down the next, you know, it's a roller coaster. And you are at the mercy of the algorithm. So that can be scary. I was telling my family about this yesterday that it's weird. People are starting to ask me for autographs, like, can you send me a signed picture or signed T shirt? And I'm like, wow, that's a weird place to be. Because usually if you're signing autographs, like, you've got a million in the bank, you know, like, you. You've already made it. So in the YouTube world, it's weird because you get that. That little bit of fame.

[A]

But yeah, the lens where other people is probably higher than what it really is.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it can. It can really vary. And, you know, there's been months that I made really good money, and then there's been months that I didn't make as much. So it's a roller coaster. And I would just say, though, keep. Keep. Keep being consistent. Showing up. Keep being consistent, and who knows what can happen?

[B]

Hear me out. Hear me out. Idea. Yeah.

[C]

Let's hear it. I love it.

[B]

Collectible cards, signed. Oh, limited edition. Only a certain amount, and then people can buy them, and then the profits go to a nonprofit that you support.

[C]

I love that. I love that a lot. Yeah.

[B]

And you can make it a whole series. You know, I love that. We're only gonna release how many.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Stuff.

[C]

I don't know what picture to use, though. That's what I'm stuck on. I'm like, me holding a hot tub.

[B]

You can put it out.

[A]

You can put it out to your community on picture and be like, what.

[B]

Pictures should we use?

[A]

Send your idea.

[B]

Like, build it. The marketing campaign is like, yes. Involve them. Like, just like the Mountain Dew stuff. The behind the scenes might be better than, you know, the other stuff. So it's like, right, let's do a whole knockout round of pictures that we should put on this collectible card.

[C]

Yeah, I love that.

[B]

And see what they do. Yeah, we have a lot of ideas. Yeah, I'll write it down for you. You don't need to, to. To obviously do all this. We have a lot of ideas that are going to come out. Talking about ideas. I'm curious on when you do your. Your vlog that you're out there, you know, executing on the hot dogs, you know, making people happy.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Do you have, like, segments that you've thought about that you're like, this might make this part a little bit more entertaining. Like, do people, like, spin the wheel and they get a chance to win, like, a free hot dog? Stuff like that.

[C]

Thought of that. I have all of these great fun ideas. And then when it comes down to packing and getting the coolers ready and the food and the mayo, mustard, ketchup, coleslaw. Really, you know, when you have so much other things to do, it's hard to bring that creative vibe.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Because you're. It's physical labor work. It's really hard work. I mean, I don't just show up in my cart set up. Like, I'm unhooking the trailer and crossing chains and lifting coolers.

[A]

Like, there's a lot of moving the tripod.

[B]

Yeah. And making sure I have cameras set.

[C]

Up so that are so. It's so labor intensive.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

That I sometimes don't get to be my full, creative self because I do have those ideas. Or come dance. You know, your best dance gets you a free hot dog. Like, that would be great content. Or give me your best dad joke when you come up and you get a free lunch. Just something fun. I would love to do all those things. And it's not out of the question. I could do it, but I. I get caught up in the.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

The business side of it.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

100.

[A]

I've seen a lot of, like, content from, like, barber shops with, like, kids that they have, like, you know, and they spin it. They could get, like, a free, like, like, you know, 200 cut or, like, they'll shave their head. I'm like, I remember, like. I remember, like, this oil price.

[B]

You triple the price.

[A]

This kid coming. And it's like, the guy's like, well, I gotta make sure that your mom is okay with it. And the kids like, please, mom, let me do it. And the mommy's like, are you sure? Because there's like, you know, they were like, doing like, a crazy. And he got the bus cut. Right. There was, like, literally, like a hundred people watching this thing, like, in the store. And everybody's like, like, oh. So, like, you know, it's like, crazy, like, content with the potential to, like, get a lot of views. Right. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Here. I mean, I think those ideas are great. I think there's a big lesson on what you said. I'm going to share that in a second. But this smaller idea, scenarios. I think they can also help a channel like yours promote it. Right. Because now you can clip that little part right. When somebody did that and then put it as, you know, in shorts and then more people can find your channel and all that stuff. Yes, but, but big but here at the same time, it's like done is better than perfect. Right. So if you know that you cannot do that if you won't be able to put the attention on this and execute, just let's go with the blog. And you don't let that stop you from actually taking action and doing the vlog. So I love that, that you're like, I got the ideas right. But right now what feels good is doing this. And I'm sure you'll get to those. Some of those ideas.

[C]

Yeah, they're gonna come. I feel like in time. This is still, still a new endeavor for me. Everything's still kind of new and I just getting back in the swing of things of running the actual hot dog cart, you know, that in itself. I mean I gotta, we get there at 9:30, I've gotta start cooking. Guys start showing up at 10 to eat. You know, the construction guys that have been up since 5am, they're ready to eat at like 10. So I'm trying to hurry and get the cart ready. So there's a lot of ideas that I have when I step foot on that soil to get started, but it goes out the window by the time I get going. Because the, you know, the business aspect of it, if I were just a content creator, you know.

[B]

Yeah. Somebody working the card and you're like, right, I'm just filming and then come right up, spin the wheel, you know, idea, idea. Yeah.

[C]

I need to recruit them.

[A]

But at the same time it's like that might break the magic formula of like, like you documenting the thing. Right. Like it's like, it's crazy. It's like that balance of like.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, because maybe you become too big and then people are like, ah, they're too big now. And like, it's not the same as before. Like, we're just having the conversation with you.

[B]

I'm going to go with. She probably won't mind getting too big. Like, what? Wait, like what would that do for your life if your channel gets huge?

[A]

I know, but like we're just having a conversation with your daughter. Right. About Emma Chamberlain. Right. Like, and like she, she, it looked like it was a creator that she admired at some point and then she's like, oh, but she changed. You know, she was nice, but now I don't really. But at the same time it's like for, for that creator, life completely changes, is now something. So it's understanding. Okay. Well, with that growth, obviously, you know, us as creators, we're building our thing at the end. We can't forget that. Right. Like, yeah. Kevin Hart has an interview with dire of a CEO. Amazing. He's also a creator. Right. Like, he creates like this sets and he's a producer, he has a production company. And that's one of the things that he says, like, at the end of the day, like, I was pleasing everybody and it wasn't until like, I understood that I needed to take care myself first. Like, he's like, I don't give an F about anybody else is like, me, my family.

[C]

Right, right. Yeah.

[A]

And he, like, he's in a position where he can do that, but when he made that decision, he wasn't in the position to do that. And I think that's the, the brave part.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Of being a creator.

[C]

Yeah. It's a delicate balance. At the end of the day, you don't, you don't want to get too big for your britches, as we say here in the south, to where it turns some people away from you because they, some people will think, oh, you, you've gotten too big. But then at the same time, for your own family and your own financial well being, you know, I want to be the first in my family to become a millionaire. You know, I really do. I've felt that since I was a kid. And so at the same time, like, you don't want to be held back from that. So, yeah, it's. It's a delicate balance for sure.

[B]

We had a guest here on the show a while back that he was talking in the terms of business. That is like, I asked him, you know, how do you deal with losing customers? You know, and he's like, well, the way I see it is like, it's like a cruise ship. You know, people jump in for a period of time and then eventually like they're gonna jump off.

[C]

Right.

[B]

And I think it's the same case in here. Right. Like, yeah, you're building something is not gonna stay the same forever. It's gonna change your story change. Especially if you're vlogging, like circumstances changes and then you're recording all that stuff. So the more you grow, some people might get off that cruise, but some new people are gonna come in and they're go. I'd be like, wow, I really like the new, you know, three floor hot dog stand. I don't know. I was like, that's pretty epic. Yeah. And I think that's what happens with some of like, some of the influencers, like Emma Chamberlain, right. Is like, it was a point when she was starting that a lot of people maybe resonated with that. And then as she got bigger, some people stop resonating with that. Some people, you know, maybe they saw their dreams reflected on what she had become, and they're like, I want to keep following her because, you know, know she's an inspiration, right? And some people were probably like, nah. They're like, she's way too big right now. Like, who does she does. She thinks she is. And like, they just jump off of the boat. So I think that's just a natural transition of, like, the content world.

[A]

There's a show, it's called Magic Quest on Apple, and it's incredible. It's about this gaming company. And there's a character that is like a streamer. And, you know, he starts as a kid and he grows with the show, but as a kid is like in his kid's room, you know, streaming and going crazy. Almost like speed today, like on YouTube, right? And on the last season, they show him grown up in the same room. And then the. The. The shot kind of stops. Like, he stops the stream and all these high energy that he was acting, you know, he kind of goes down and then, you know, he turns it off and he walks out and he's like a set of his old room inside. Inside of his new massive mansion. So he walks out, like, he built the set to look like his initial. Like the stream. And it's. It's funny, but there's cases like that. Whereas there's like, these massive creators, they want to maintain, you know, how. But, you know, instead of like the little apartment, they move to, like this, you know, mansion or whatever that they now are able to afford, but to keep the. The, you know, that. Yeah, I guess. How do you go. The story of, you know, him being in this little apartment. They build an exact set.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Of that. And I'm like, like, they're obviously making fun of this through that. Through that show. And it's like, okay. How many creators think that way where it's like, okay, can I take my audience in the journey with me? Like, you know, you show me the bucket list family, for example. Right?

[B]

I love the bucket list.

[A]

They're. They're amazing. They've showed their story with their kids traveling, I think. And the last episode that we watched in inspiration for, like this. How do they do it? This guy being so vulnerable about a story of her daughter where, you know, she told him, he asked him in an airport. Like, what. Where do you want to go next? Like, what do you want? Right. And they're in a position where they can literally afford probably whatever they want.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And the girl started crying. It's like, I want a friend. And holy crap. Just that. It's like, immediately he's like that. So in that episode, they were building her, like, her own room. She's turning 13.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And he was telling the story of, like, why they made the decision to stay in the place that they were at. Because of what she said. She's like, I want friends.

[B]

Oh, wow.

[A]

And, you know, they switched to filming with her and her friends doing the photo booth or whatever. I'm like, wow. That journey is, like, highly emotional because you're like, you've seen them grow and travel on this.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

You're about to cry. I can feel it, dude.

[A]

Well, like, me and Katie were both bawling. Ours is that, like. It's like, holy crap.

[B]

I love that family.

[A]

What an emotional thing. And it's like. Like, some people will be like that. That can be manufactured in a way to, like, the View. But no, like, people that are in that channel with them, they've seen all that happen.

[C]

Right.

[A]

Right. It's like, they're, like, truly authentic to who they are. Right. It's like this debate of, like, should we put our kids on it? On the Internet? Should we, like, not put our kids on the Internet? Like, that was a legit question that we had.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Same like, we're like, okay, if we do it, how do we do it? In a way that if we see this a few years, we feel proud.

[C]

Right.

[A]

That this is out there, maybe inspiring some people, you know? So, yeah, this whole thing is fascinating to me. Like, I'm entering, like, this, like, creative wave.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

On my personal side was like, whatever.

[B]

I mean, I'm okay with that. Yeah.

[C]

No, that's how. That's how I first introduced my children. You know, first off, Bailey, my youngest, she was gonna come work the cart with me some, and I was hesitant to put her on the YouTube as well, but I was like, as we get rolling, like, this is my life, and if I'm sharing my life, they are just a massive part of it. I. With my kids every day. And so, yeah, that was an interesting. So cool choice, you know?

[B]

I bet.

[A]

Yeah. Well, Shannon, this has been such a cool conversation. Could you believe it's almost an hour.

[C]

Already since we started recording Time Flags?

[A]

We need part two? But, yeah, we're definitely. It's been a pleasure Getting to know you and like your story and, you know, hopefully you enjoy this space. So you can keep coming.

[C]

Yeah, I'll be back for sure. You guys can't get rid of me now.

[B]

But you gotta let us know when is your next, you know, stand so we can go and get some hot dogs.

[C]

I got you.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I'll give you the schedule.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Another idea. You should go and hit. Hit all the other hot dog stands and raid them.

[C]

Oh, yeah, that's definitely a bit on the to do list.

[B]

For sure. Let's go.

[A]

You know what? I'll vlog when we go to your thing. I'll be like, you know, let's go.

[B]

Vlog meets vlogs.

[A]

I know.

[C]

Yeah, do it. I'll share it.

[A]

Yes. Oh, so good. Well, guys, I hope this conversation. This conversation was definitely a little different than we normally do, but we had a blast. There's a lot of lessons there. We might have to do, like, a recap video on the lessons itself. Maybe I can get Fonzie back and we can, you know, debris together.

[B]

We can do it online. That's fine.

[A]

No.

I'm definitely gonna. I think probably by the time that this is out, I already did, like, my debrief on my own vlogging experience, so you don't make my same mistakes. If you want to go try that.

And, yeah, I mean, go to the links right below. You want to plug your.

[C]

The channel Sunshine's Hot Dogs.

[A]

You want to upload your channel?

[B]

I don't have one.

[A]

What do you mean you don't have one? Cotton is Profit, dude.

[B]

I mean, it's already listening to it. I was gonna say you can go to Fancy Create, and I don't post at all right now, so you can just go. And eventually I will be posting something.

[A]

You are also the host of Content is Profit.

[B]

Yeah, but they're already listening to it. You know, how am I gonna plug it right now? They're already listening to it.

[A]

Yeah. And if you want to see me losing Fortnite, you can go to Luis Creation. Yeah, that's what I've been doing there. Losing in Fortnite.

[B]

Trying new things.

[A]

Trying new things. All right, guys, see you in the next episode. Take care.

[C]

Bye.