The Think Media Podcast – Episode 447

Title: It’s NOT Too Late to Start on YouTube. Here's Why...
Host: Sean Cannell (Think Media)
Guest: Michael Zuber (One Rental at a Time)
Release Date: September 23, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into why midlife creators (those in their 40s, 50s, or beyond) have unique advantages when starting (or restarting) a YouTube channel. Host Sean Cannell is joined by Michael Zuber, a real estate investor who began his own channel at 45 and has since built a thriving community and business. Together, they break down mindset barriers, practical strategies, and the long-term potential of starting on YouTube—regardless of age or tech savvy. The focus is encouraging listeners to “punch fear in the face and press record,” leveraging lived experience as a superpower.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Midlife Advantage: Wisdom, Authenticity & Audience

• Comfort With Self & Authenticity:
  – “We're generally speaking comfortable in our own skin... we've got the scars and we got tougher skin and we've been through it.”
  — Michael Zuber (02:27)

• Decades of Experience Pay Off:
  – Life stories, professional experience, and surviving ups and downs mean midlife creators have expertise, anecdotes, and true value to offer.
  – “There's an audience, a tribe out there that also loves [what you love]. And the beauty of it when you're our age is you can bring the next generation along with you.”
  — Michael Zuber (05:04)

• Built-In Audience:
  – “There is a 25 year old version of you out there that would love to hear from you because you've got some...you've seen a lot. And that's why I think a lot of folks should be starting at 40 or 50. It is such a gift.”
  — Michael Zuber (05:37)

2. Getting Started: Routine, Reps, and the Power of Going Live

• Leverage What You Already Do:
  – Zuber describes how his daily financial news channel is simply a camera added to a routine he's done for 30 years:
  – “I did the same exact thing, except I took some notes about the, you know, the 10 or 11 most important things. And then I turn on a camera and I tell people what I think the 10 or 11 most important things are.” (03:37)

• Make It Simple: Go Live, Don't Overthink Tech
  – “I think a lot of creators get stuck on the tech and the editing. So my suggestion to most people is remove that and just go live.”
  — Michael Zuber (12:16) – “You just want to get the reps and you're not really trying to get tons of views or even lots of subscribers. You're just trying to get over the tech, over the recording, not let the camera bother you.” (12:40)

• Consistency is Key:
  – “Do 50 of those. And if you can, I would do one a day for 50 days in a row...it shouldn't be hard.”
  — Michael Zuber (12:16; 33:14) – “If you knew you were going to jump on and have three people jump on Zoom with you and you had a 15 minute block on your calendar...just turn it on, talk for a while, turn it off.”
  — Sean Cannell (13:12)

• Don’t Obsess Over Views Early On:
  – “Are you telling me that also if I turn this on and go live and when it says how many live viewers and the number is zero, doesn't matter?”
  — Sean Cannell (35:17) – “Sometimes it's zero for me. Still, it doesn't matter. I am doing this as a discipline.”
  — Michael Zuber (35:24)

3. Beating Common Mindset Traps

• You’re Not ‘Too Old’ – YouTube Isn’t Just for the Young – “YouTube isn't just a platform for dancing teens and flashy influencers...Especially if you have life experience and wisdom that people desperately need.”
  — Sean Cannell (00:47)

• Impostor Syndrome & Excuses – “If you're an older creator and you're trying to find your tribe, you really have to target who you were 10, 15, 20 years ago because that's going to...everything you talk about is going to be authentic. You're not guessing, you're not reaching.”
  — Michael Zuber (08:23)

• Chasing Impact vs. Chasing Money – “You have to answer the question up front. Am I chasing money or am I chasing impact? I think those are the only two options and those don't, do not go hand in hand. You're either one or the other.”
  — Michael Zuber (18:32) – “I actually push back a little bit and say I don't think it has to so binarily be either impact or money...because you're chasing money to fund the impact.”
  — Sean Cannell (20:30)

• Dealing with Slow Growth – “If you're going to be chasing impact, it's slow, it's a slog, you won't go viral. I mean, I don't think I had a video go over 5,000 views for four years, but it was a slow grind.”
  — Michael Zuber (18:32)

4. Community & Network: The Secret Sauce of Growth

• Build a Peer Group
  – “Build a peer group. Five people in the same lane. That's what I would do after the 50.”
  — Michael Zuber (37:20)

• The Interview Strategy
  – “One of the ways you have leveraged being able to create so much content is the interview strategy.”
  — Sean Cannell (23:38) – “Some of the greatest videos we've done, we violently disagree, right? Respectfully disagree. And that's the beauty of this because everybody has their own experience, their own baggage, and some of those are the funnest conversations.”
  — Michael Zuber (24:39)

• Expanding Your World
  – “If you're creating a YouTube channel where you bring on guests, you're allowed. You're planting a flag around your passion. And now you can like rally this community around it. And that's what you've done.”
  — Sean Cannell (23:38)

• No Editing Required
  – “None, zero, never have been. You would hit record, the conversation would start, you turn it off, and you could just upload that file. Done.”
  — Michael Zuber (25:05; 25:09)

5. Tactics, Equipment, Schedule: Starting Practical

• Start Simple:
  – Zuber used “literally my iPhone...wired earphones and a mic...then I went wireless, and that was it for a thousand videos one year. That's all I used.” (16:17)

• Don’t Wait to ‘Feel Ready’:
  – “It wasn't until I landed on the Daily Financial News, just that repetition that people really enjoyed...that just became a daily thing. But that wasn't until year two.”
  — Michael Zuber (14:03)

• Habit Building:
  – “The general guidelines for what it takes to establish a habit is actually 66 repetitions...so actually 66 days if done daily.”
  — Sean Cannell (34:12) – “You become what you do daily.”
  — Sean Cannell (34:31)

• On Quitting or Skipping:
  – “No, you're not gonna...what if you have no Internet?...I can record it. I can't help the upload speed, but I can record it.”
  — Michael Zuber (38:40)

6. Results & Timelines: What’s Possible?

• Slow Grind to Full-Time Income
  – “For most people it would have been year four would have been a full time income...the first year I made, I think I made a total of 100 bucks or something.”
  — Michael Zuber (27:02) – “I was retired and didn't know what to do. Started YouTube because I saw Graham Stephan and Meet Kevin.” (27:16; 27:22)

• Six Figures in Four Years (in a Profitable Niche) – “And then you reached that number. — A six figure income in four years.”
  — Sean Cannell (29:46) – “Correct. And I'm judging that at six figures.”
  — Michael Zuber (29:43)

• “You Could Build an Accidental Six Figure Income From Home”
  – “It happened. Yes. But then I think it's also four years is no joke. So I want listeners to also think it's like doing this for impact.”
  — (31:12)

7. Coaching, Leveling Up & Avoiding Missteps

• Get Coaching After 50 Reps:
  – “Once you do the 50 in a row, you're committed...then I would go find someone like Think Media and go deep with them because you could shortcut so many things.”
  — Michael Zuber (36:45) – “I wish I found you sooner.”
  — Michael Zuber (36:49)
• Don’t Waste Time on the Wrong Details:
  – “Like for example, one of the things that I did wrong for three years, four years was in the very beginning of a title, the real estate's very valuable. I would put the freaking date right, you know, March 3, 2025. That's like 12 letters. What are you doing?”
  — Michael Zuber (35:30)

8. The Future of YouTube: Trust & Human Connection

• AI, Authenticity, and Trust:
  – “I think AI is going to really be a differentiator because...a lot of people are going to lean on AI and all this whiz bang...but I think what's really going to come out in the not too distant future is these kind of real conversations with real people with, you know, not a lot of editing are going to be the winners.”
  — Michael Zuber (41:15) – “I believe we're in a trust recession. And trust is built over long form content, hours of viewing folks...So I would tell somebody 40 or 50 getting started is realize we're in a trust recession. Don't get enamored with the geeky technology stuff. Just turn on the camera and go.”
  — Michael Zuber (41:47)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “I started my YouTube channel at 45 years old. And today I'm teaching others how to turn their life experience into income—without needing to go viral.”
  — Michael Zuber (00:47)

• “What you’re doing is just flipping the camera on what you’re already obsessed with.”
  — Sean Cannell (04:25)

• “You have to answer the question up front. Am I chasing money or am I chasing impact?”
  — Michael Zuber (18:32)

• “Go live. Not even record or film a video...Just go live.”
  — Michael Zuber (15:26)

• “Build a peer group. Five people in the same lane. That's what I would do after the 50.”
  — Michael Zuber (37:20)

• “If you're 40 or 50 and you're wondering, is it too late to start a YouTube channel? This episode might change your mind.”
  — Sean Cannell (00:47)

• “I’m 42. Here are 20 things I wish I knew at 22.”
  — Sean Cannell, on prompt titles for new creators (11:29)

• “No editing. Going live every day and then at some point, interviewing just a bunch of cool people...That’s how you get to 10,000 videos.”
  — Sean Cannell (32:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Topic | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------------------------|:--------------:| | Introducing Michael Zuber & the midlife advantage | 00:29 – 03:23 | | Leveraging routine & what you already love | 03:37 – 05:04 | | Finding your “avatar” (target audience) | 06:46 – 08:42 | | Go live, build reps, ignore tech perfection | 12:16 – 13:44 | | Embracing slow grind & being driven by impact | 18:32 – 21:19 | | The magic of interviews and peer groups | 23:38 – 25:22 | | Zuber’s no-editing workflow and why it works | 25:03 – 25:09 | | Timeline: Earning a full time income on YouTube | 26:56 – 29:46 | | Coaching and accelerating growth after first 50 reps | 36:45 – 36:49 | | Building discipline & 50/66 day content challenge | 33:14 – 34:43 | | Thoughts on AI, authenticity, & the future of YouTube | 41:15 – 42:20 |

Practical Action List (Based on Episode Advice)

1. Leverage Your Past: Start by sharing what you already have years of experience with.
2. Define Your Avatar: Focus content toward your “10/20 years ago” self.
3. Punch Fear in the Face: Don’t overthink—go live, even if no one watches.
4. Commit to Reps: Do 50 live videos in 50 days (or at least as close as possible).
5. Build Community: Begin seeking interviews and making peer connections after your first 50.
6. Level Up With Coaching: Once you have consistency, seek guidance to refine and grow faster.
7. Focus on Long-Term Trust: Prioritize authenticity and real conversation over AI shortcuts.
8. Remember: Slow is Normal: Impact-focused channels may grow slowly; consistency compounds results.

Conclusion

This episode is a manifesto for aspiring and midlife creators: You are not too late, too old, or too inexperienced with tech. Your story, scars, and skills are your superpower—and with authenticity, consistency, and a willingness to learn, you can build a legacy, a thriving community, and potentially even a business on YouTube.

Find Michael Zuber:
All content: “One Rental at a Time” on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and his book/community.

Stay Tuned:
Listen to Part 2, where Michael breaks down his 17 YouTube income streams and deep monetization insights.