Podcast Summary: The Think Media Podcast

Episode 465: If I Started YouTube While Working Full-Time, I'd Do This
Date: November 25, 2025
Host(s): Sean Cannell & Nathan Eswine

Episode Overview

In this episode, Sean Cannell and Nathan Eswine dive deep into actionable strategies for building a successful YouTube channel while managing a full-time job or other major life commitments. Drawing from their personal experiences—Sean building Think Media while working full-time at a church, and Nathan balancing YouTube with a demanding job at a martial arts dojo—they outline six essential tips for sustainable YouTube growth, focusing on mindset, family rhythms, scheduling, workflow, batching, and continual skill development.

Their tone is relatable, honest, and motivational, aiming to bust common myths, crush excuses, and give listeners both empathy and tough love as they embark on their creator journey.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Adopt a Long Game Mindset

Timestamps: 02:33 – 09:45

• YouTube is a marathon, not a sprint.
  Both hosts explain the reality of growing slow while juggling career, family, and other commitments.
• Realistic expectations:
  “You’re going to be even growing slower on YouTube than you maybe could if you could focus full time...You can't focus full time. So it's like giving yourself grace, you know, leaning into the discipline it's going to take.” — Sean [04:34]
• Every season is hard, but the ‘squeezed’ middle is the most challenging:
  After work, instead of relaxation, you have to ‘go to work again’ for YouTube.
• Your job is a gift:
  Having limited free time actually forces you to become ruthlessly focused, which can accelerate success later.
• Find the fun:
  If YouTube isn’t at least somewhat fun as a side hustle or creative outlet, it may not be worth pursuing.

Notable Quote:

"If you're not having fun doing YouTube, you just might not want to do it." — Sean [08:19]

2. Smart Family Rhythms

Timestamps: 09:45 – 20:39

• Communicate and align with family:
  Get buy-in from your spouse, partner, or any dependents—define your YouTube goals and weekly calendar.
• Sacrifice and partnership:
  Balancing YouTube, work, and family will require giving up other hobbies or leisure activities.
• Handling skepticism:
  Be self-aware about your track record before pitching a new YouTube dream to family.
• Financial perspective:
  Reframe investments in YouTube gear as similar to any other hobby—where your treasure is, there your heart will be.

Notable Quote:

“There’s three levels of a spouse: neutral, against you, or supportive. And regardless of your character or consistency, the type of relationship you have with your spouse is vital... it starts with you.” — Sean [16:36]

3. You Don’t Find Time—You Make Time

Timestamps: 20:39 – 29:24

• Brutal truth:
  Most people can carve out more time than they think. Screen time stats often reveal wasted hours.
• Sacrificing Netflix for YouTube:
  Personal stories about binging TV serve as a reality check—if you find time for shows, you can make time for YouTube.
• Consecrated time and space:
  Designate sacred, uninterrupted blocks (e.g., ‘Side Hustle Saturdays’).
• Deep work zones:
  Set up a clean, distraction-free creative area. Remove the phone if necessary to avoid distractions.

Notable Quote:

“You don’t find time, you make time. And when you get into something, you get obsessed with something, you get excited about something, you find the time.” — Sean [23:28]

4. Workflow & Getting Faster

Timestamps: 29:24 – 47:47

• Embrace and improve your workflow:
  Speed is a huge differentiator—work towards getting faster at every part of the process (filming, editing, etc.)
• Give yourself grace as you learn:
  First videos may take 8 hours to edit; over time that shrinks dramatically.
• Learn from others and leverage tools:
  Invest in learning (e.g., hotkeys in editing software) and upgrading to tools or AI that can save time.
• Batching and templates:
  Save project templates, automate repeated actions, and invest in coaching/resources to hit new workflow levels.

Notable Quote:

“Your first six months on YouTube, give yourself grace to just be learning... but also ask yourself, how are you always getting faster?” — Sean [36:32]

5. Batch Everything

Timestamps: 47:47 – 52:03

• Group like tasks:
  Do research/planning for multiple videos together, then batch filming, then batch editing.
• Reduce context switching:
  “Task switching” creates attention residue and reduces overall creative energy.
• Schedule and sequence for optimal results:
  Don’t check YouTube comments right before filming—set aside dedicated time blocks for different creator tasks.

Notable Quote:

“Batching similar tasks increases quality. It’s essential whether you have a full-time job or are doing YouTube full time.” — Sean [49:39]

6. Skill Up and Stay Consistent

Timestamps: 52:03 – End

• Every upload is practice:
  Strive for 1% improvement with each new video—iterate lighting, titles, editing, and more.
• Celebrate process, not just numbers:
  Celebrate uploads themselves, not just view counts.
• Don’t quit in the ‘valley of average’:
  It’s normal to struggle for months or years before seeing results.
• Selective learning:
  Avoid information overload—pick the next skill that will move the needle, and focus your learning.
• ‘Car Classroom’ tip:
  Listen to courses or training during commute times to make the most of available time.

Notable Quote:

“Suck, suck, suck...cess! Don’t quit in the valley of average.” — Sean (via Ben Azadi) [52:39]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On comparing yourself:
  “You might see a competitor that is, you know, getting an edge over you, but they might be able to focus on that full time.” — Sean [05:40]
• On job as a blessing:
  “Oh, actually my job is a gift... I'm so thankful that a job is actually covering the bills because this YouTube thing can't right now.” — Nathan [07:12]
• On investing in tools/AI:
  “[If you’re not investing in AI tools,] do you even care about your life? Are you even valuable as a human? ... It's a weird thing; you just impulse buy $20 at the store but won't pay $20 for ChatGPT?” — Sean [43:41]
• On workflow levels:
  “There are levels to the game, playa.” — Sean [38:29]

Episode Structure & Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------------|----------------| | 1. Intro & Purpose | 01:23 – 02:33 | | 2. Long Game Mindset | 02:33 – 09:45 | | 3. Smart Family Rhythms | 09:45 – 20:39 | | 4. Making & Scheduling Time for YouTube | 20:39 – 29:24 | | 5. Rethinking Consistency & Sprints | 29:24 – 34:20 | | 6. Workflow and Speeding Up (AI, Batching, etc.) | 34:20 – 47:47 | | 7. Batching & Context Switching | 47:47 – 52:03 | | 8. Skilling Up & Consistency | 52:03 – end |

Recap & Encouragement

Sean and Nathan close with the message that building a YouTube channel while working full-time is possible with the right mindset, support, routines, and a willingness to skill up over time. They challenge listeners to identify their current “race and pace,” focus their learning, and remember that “everything is figureoutable.” Stay motivated, be realistic, and keep leveling up—YouTube can transform from side hustle to sustainable full-time career, just as it did for them.

For more, subscribe to The Think Media Podcast and check out the YouTube Creator Toolkit at ThinkMediaSale.com