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- [00:00]
A
Hey, if you want to start or grow a YouTube channel in 2026, we've got a brand new resource you need to know about. Starting YouTube can feel overwhelming. What camera to use, what niche to pick, what to post first, and most people quit before they even get started. That's why we created the YouTube Creator Toolkit. It's your quick start system to go from confused to confident, fast. And for a limited time, you can save big during our holiday sale or@thinkmedia sale.com you'll start with Niche Finder to get total clarity on what kind of channel you should build. Then you'll use the AI powered Video Topic Generator so you never run out of video ideas. Plug those into Think Media's AI Title system tool to craft titles that get clicks and finish with thumbnail templates and trainings so your content actually stands out. And we've even included a ticket to to our Think Media strategy briefing that's happening right at the start of January to help you lock in your entire growth plan for 2026. It's incredible. And the crazy part is, during our limited holiday sale, you can get the YouTube Creator Toolkit for less than the price of a trip to Chipotle. Just go to thinkmediasale.com to take advantage of this special offer before it expires. Okay, let's jump into the podcast.
- [01:23]
B
If you're watching this, you are in one of five stages of YouTube. Most channels stall because they don't know which stage they're in or what it takes to move up.
- [01:31]
A
Your identity actually shifts once you press record. Even if it got zero views, you actually became a different person that doesn't just consume content, but now you're actually a creator. You might be good at content and even great at getting views, but you. There's a lot of people we see that actually have big views but small bank accounts because they're stuck at this stage. They might be getting viral videos, but they're like, how does the financial thing work? It's because they actually need to move to stage four.
- [01:57]
B
Stay with us because after watching this video, you'll know exactly what it takes to get to that next level. Sean, could you break down this brand new framework you've put together for serious creators?
- [02:06]
A
This year we'll cover all five stages, but let's actually zoom out a little bit and talk about why this is important. One of the things we've learned from coaching so many different creators is that there's places they get stuck on the journey. And so in each of these Stages, we're going to identify the fact that in order to move forward and get more views, get more subscribers, you've got to develop new skills, and there's specific skills for each stage. You shouldn't be working on level five skills when you're at level one. So you want to dial in what is the most important technical or strategic skill I need right now. Other things you need is like systems or habits or maybe team eventually. But also this is, I think, the more important thing. Every single stage comes with an identity shift. You cannot think the same that you thought at stage one as you're thinking at stage three. So it actually includes some mindset shifts. And then I would also encourage individuals that this will work for creators to think about whether it's their stage or business owners. And we'll explain that as we go. And stage number one, Nathan, is the creator stage. This is when you stop just consuming content and you just take the leap to press record. You've actually posted your first video online. Now. We'll also talk about the economic milestones at all of these. But before we go into creator, I think it's important to say that there's probably a stage zero. You're not even on the map when you're still dabbling on the sidelines. And I want to acknowledge people that it's not. If you're at stage one, that's not an insignificant stage. That's major because most people are just still consuming information, maybe making their plan, which is all good. You've been watching YouTube education content for a while, but your identity actually shifts once you press record. It's a big deal. You've posted your first video, you've published your first video. Even if it got zero views, you actually became a different person that doesn't just consume content, but now you're actually a creator.
- [04:04]
B
This is huge. If you are in this stage right here, right now, kicking off this new year, would you let us know? Drop a comment, let us know if you are at the creator stage. Sean, what is something in this stage? Like, what's the main point of focus when you're in this first stage?
- [04:17]
A
Yeah, so the main action focus here is just starting, like starting, messy starting before you're ready and uploading. At this stage, you're counting uploads and not views. You might even have five, 10, or 50 videos, but there's no income yet. At stage one, you haven't made your first dollar yet. And in a way, you're kind of learning on the fly. You have moved you're not just watching, you're creating. And I think a key phrase here is you are counting uploads and not views. You're just entering into your identity as a creator. You, of course want to grow, but you're not measuring your success by views or by money. You're embracing just the art form itself. You're learning new competencies. You're making mistakes. You edit for a while, you forget to save your file. I've been there. You film for a while. You shoot four videos. I've done this. I've batched. And I didn't turn my shotgun microphone on. No.
- [05:09]
B
Is that all four?
- [05:10]
A
Maybe not four. I did the first one and then, and then I tried to play it back. Yeah, and then. But you know, we've done that. It's like 33 minutes. There's no audio. Well, you know, shoot it again. And I think, you know, all this editing software should have autosaves, but for all the years I spent on Adobe Premiere, there's been times when I've been like, well, 35 minutes editing down the drain. Like, there's just a lot of pain you might experience when you start creating content, but I think that's okay. And so a reflection question here could be like, what's holding me back from pressing record? If you're actually at stage zero, like, you haven't posted yet, why not? And make a decision today to shift your identity and become a creator, not just a consumer.
- [05:49]
B
Oh, that's so powerful. After you have become a creator, I love how you also brought out like the pain of starting because it's exciting and that's actually a celebration. To go from zero to one is a massive win. When you get into phase two here, stage two is momentum maker. How do you know you've arrived here?
- [06:06]
A
Okay, so you know you are a momentum maker. When you've had a few breakout videos, you felt the momentum. Now, what's a breakout video? Maybe you were getting seven views, you were getting 77 views. Breakout video. It's like, dude, I got 550 views on a video. Or you're like, I got 5,000, 50,000. And you're feeling the growth of your channel momentum. You've been learning new skills and consistency and new habits. And you know, we have a seven step VRA framework. Our entire company is, is structured to help people go through these stages. Whether you join Video Ranking Academy or you want to do coaching with us. And so you're starting to work the seven R's. You're starting to like, understand the system of YouTube growth and you're seeing some blips on your analytics. You're like, dude, I got a 1 out of 10. And here's a big key. The benchmark financially is you've earned at least $1 online. And that's a big deal. Yeah, I mean, some people think, oh, you only earned a dollar from your YouTube channel. You're making way more money at your job. But when you go from zero to one, not just uploads, you go from zero to $1. That's an identity shift. Like, wait a minute, I can make money from home on the Internet just uploading videos. And as we speak about how your shifting your mindset, you know, you're not just doing random uploads anymore. You're starting to switch to dialing in rhythms and systems and you're feeling momentum. Maybe you haven't cracked the code. You're like, man, it feels like I got lucky a couple times, but I'm starting to see some of the patterns. That's why the word is momentum. Momentum Maker. You got a dollar and maybe a few more dollars. And so a good reflection question for this stage is what skills or routines do I need to build consistency for the next level? What, like how do I double down in skill building? Professionalize in a little bit. It's not that I'm just posting random uploads anymore and I became a creator. It's not that I have a couple breakout videos. What skills now do I need to actually advance to stage three?
- [08:04]
B
This is powerful. So at this stage, you kind of know you're here. I love that benchmark of first dollar. So like benchmark for stage one to creator. Did you post a video? Congrats, you made it. Like, welcome to the club. Iteration, things to come. Right. But here in Momentum Maker, you've made a dollar.
- [08:19]
A
Yep.
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B
Is that like easy way to phrase that?
- [08:20]
A
It's an easy way to put it. Yep.
- [08:21]
B
Love it. Okay, so stage three is called Content Pro. I'm excited to talk about this one. What's the difference between Momentum Maker, Content Pro? What starts to set someone apart here?
- [08:31]
A
So you know you are a content pro because the consistency has started to compound. Now you, you get video packaging, you're pretty good at titles, thumbnails, hooks, your click through rate and watch time are improving. You're starting to understand viewer psychology. Like you sort of get how YouTube works. You're also like when we say Content Pro, this actually doesn't mean that you're really skilled at operating your camera. Your video still might look kind of janky, but the content is good. So maybe your ability to communicate, get your ideas across. If you're live, streaming, video, podcasting, doesn't matter the way you deliver your message. Like I think about Michael Zuber, who's been on the podcast a couple times. He does a show called Daily Financial News. He's like, I still don't understand, understand the tech. He's uploaded thousands of videos, I still don't really understand the tech. But he figured out his format, he's figured out how to communicate, he's figured out his show, he's built a multiple six figure business. So he's moved beyond this. But he's become a pro at content. Even though he's not super skilled at cameras. It might include that, but that's why it's about psychology. It's about you're in the rhythms. You, at least in your niche, know how to attract people, engage viewers and hold attention. And I would say the benchmark here is you have some consistent revenue, probably mostly from YouTube and affiliates. And then if we're on the business owner track, then you've also started to really get some leads and you've generated some conversions and sales from your YouTube channel. And by the way, we actually have a free assessment that people could take. It only takes a couple minutes@mycreatorquiz.com so if you're listening to this, you could click the link in the show notes or go to that totally free and it'll help you dial in some of these details to figure out where you're at and give you a few tips of how to get to the next level. So to do that free assessment and really dial in your where you're at on the five stages of YouTube success, that's@mycreatorquiz.com let's go.
- [10:33]
B
As I look at this stage, I, I think this is one that people might be anxious to cruise through because I'm just thinking like, there's a, there's a lot going on here. You know, you go from creator to momentum maker, lot of wins, lot of celebrations, and look like it can take a little bit, I understand, to go from posting your first video to making your first dollar, like some time can go through there. But I actually don't, I don't think that's as long. Like, I actually think you can get to that benchmark fairly quickly, especially if you have the right strategy in place and you like know where you are and where you're going. When you get to content pro though, I Feel like there's a lot more that you need to try to understand. Cause it's not your first time around the block with YouTube. It's kind of like, if you will, your fourth or fifth or sixth. And so I think the temptation that someone could face is to kind of keep doing what they were doing in the previous stage. So what does someone need to do here to truly just become a content pro? Like, what's the thing that someone would need to avoid?
- [11:25]
A
I think the way to answer the question is all of these stages is the pursuit of mastery. But this is where you're really thinking about mastery. You know, Momentum Maker, you've had a few breakout videos, but now it's about, like, really getting pro. And so I think this is about sharpening. When we say content Pro, it's sharpening how you communicate, sharpening how you present, sharpening the mastery of packaging. So at every level, anybody listening to this wants to learn the details, but you're starting to think about all those fundamentals of YouTube. You're mastering pack packaging, you're mastering communication. And then as we get ready to go to the next level, the question for going to the next level is actually, now, what is the bigger business I'm in? Because a lot of people, they have some revenue at this stage. And on the creator side, you have maybe some YouTube and affiliates, but you haven't diversified your income. And we teach people how to make big money, even with a small channel. So at this stage, you might be good at content and even great at getting views, but there's a lot of people we see that actually have big views but small bank accounts, because they're stuck at this stage. So it could be, you know, again, maybe you're just posting, but there's individuals where, like, they might be getting viral videos, but they're like, how does the financial thing work? It's because they actually need to move to stage four.
- [12:45]
B
And stage four is business builder. So let's break this down. How do you know you've arrived here.
- [12:50]
A
So you know you've arrived here? Again, the two different categories. If you're a content creator, meaning, or a business owner. Business owner, you want leads and sales from your channel. A content creator, you might also want that. But a content creator, maybe you're doing crowdfunding and you're building up enough of a fan base. So if you're a content creator, you're shifting from, I make videos and you're shifting From, I'm a YouTuber, sometimes Uber drivers, like, what do you do I'm like, I'm a YouTuber because I actually think it might stop the conversation. Like, okay, that's weird. I'm not even down the path yet. You know, like, what does that even mean? But it's actually like, I make videos. I'm a YouTuber to, like, I'm building a real business. I'm actually. YouTube is kind of like a marketing channel. Yes, it's my main content engine, but I'm building a real business. And if you're a business owner, you already have a business. But at this point, the mindset shift is I'm scaling my internal media company. So I'm not just, like, maybe creating some social media posts and YouTube videos around my business. This is the content arm of my business. I'm doing an internal media company that I'm gonna probably hire around, and I'm creating a growth engine for my core business. I am realizing that investing in YouTube, investing in organic content can actually be a massive growth engine for my business. I'm not dabbling the same way. You know, I talked to a real estate professional, super wealthy, a lot of money, and would flip houses and would, you know, buy real estate, flip these houses. And then he was doing content with us, some of our coaching, and he said, yeah, you know, I'm trying to get everything done. And as a business owner with money was not his main issue, he's like, yeah, I just don't have enough time to edit videos every week. I was like, bro, why are you editing your own videos? He's like, what do you mean? And he's like. I go, do you go like, bust up and install Sheetrock at your houses that you're flipping and whatnot? I was like, you might, but, like, you're a real estate investor. You're outsourcing to contractors. He's like, that's right. That's a good point. So it's also internal media company. I just talked to a very successful guy that was from California at a creator event this week. Business owner, doing YouTube on the side. He's like, yeah, I edit all my own videos now. Maybe that's a passion. And that's why there's two different categories, but the business owner and the content creator. At this stage, the identity shift is like, wait, I'm more CEO. I'm at least more like manager, operator. And that's the skill set I'm leveling up to, as opposed to I'm just a solo content creator. That's grinding. You may or may not hire a team, but here's how you know you're at this stage, you have started delegating virtual assistant accountant or cpa. You just understand you can't do all the things editor. You're also reinvesting profits into growth. You understood that there's some money coming in, but man, I got to scale to the next level. Maybe there's some standard operating procedures systems you're forming. And so again, I'm no longer a content creator. I'm a business builder. And here's the financial benchmark. You're earning high five figures to six figures or more. So you're a business builder. You're making, you know, 60, 70, 80K a year. You're making 150, you know, or 400K a year. And you know, for listeners, of course, if that was personal income, that's great. But business owners know like, yeah, your business might be doing 650k a year and your take homes188, you know, you might be doing a million a year and your take home 66. Like running a business can be, you know, very interesting. But revenue is starting to build and you have clarified what business you're actually in. Are you coaching? Are you using business for leads to do real estate? Are you trying to build a really core audience on Patreon? So you have fan funding and you're scaling this beyond just YouTube ad revenue. You're no longer just creating a few videos for views. You're thinking like a real entrepreneur.
- [16:49]
B
So powerful. I'm excited about this last stage. I mean these are all pretty cool. But I would love to hear about Creator CEO. And first off, that's just a cool title. Like I think, I think that's pretty baller. Like who doesn't want to be a creator CEO? But this is that fifth and final stage. So let's break this down. I mean, how does someone know that they've made it here? This is quite a title.
- [17:08]
A
So this is interesting. Like I would say this is a checklist for how to know if you're a creator CEO. You've defined your core values and you've began shaping your culture. So where I've seen some individuals that are hired me for one on one coaching and they're like, yeah, I got a video editor, but some guys quit and this guy over here and it's kind of disorganized and I'm, you know, things are kind of chaotic. I'm working with a couple people, things are going well, money's coming in, but you need to define your core values and you're thinking about company culture. That's a crazy mindset. When you're a solo creator, there is no company like what yeah, you are the culture but you're scaling bigger that the business is starting to work for you, not just through you. You're starting to remove yourself as a bottleneck. You still might be the primary face and creating all the content, but you're creating leverage at this point. So you're hiring a team, contractors or employees. You're actually leading some people or in some cases the best hire is understanding that like Dan Martell was on the podcast and on his org chart at Dan Martell Media. He's talent and he actually hired a CEO. So he's like I just want to actually be the face. But if someone's going to run this thing and for a lot of content creators they might need the self awareness to say I don't have a CEO skill set yet. They still by title but you're still the owner of the thing. You started the thing and so it might actually be CEO. You have an operator like you've thought about like an integrator or an operator. That's usually the gap because you're like I don't want to manage. I if I gotta follow up with the editor and all this stuff, I'm trying to just create content. I'm sort of stressed out. You probably need one person that's sort of like that bridge to helping you build a team and hire a team. At this point there's some backend infrastructure you've had, maybe some funnels, operations, finances. You have a couple offers, you're delegating production and financially if you're at six figures, you could be here up to seven figures or eight and beyond it. But you have a real sustainable diversified operation, whether it's lean or large. That's not really the point. But a reflection question would be what do I need to delegate or systematize to buy back my time and scale my business. And again, what is interesting is in business, you know, we recently had Skyler from Rise of Kings on the podcast and he said technically if you're actually the owner of a business, the point is not to work in the business business like if, if everything's built on you, you don't really have a business yet. You might have a high paying job. The thing that's interesting about creator CEO is like chances are maybe you're still like working super hard, but perhaps your identity is talent but it's still your responsibility to figure out stop being in the business and start leading the business and hiring for your weaknesses as well as if you're going to go to this level. And I would encourage people, this isn't a level that necessarily everyone has to go to. I think they should inspire to be here. But it's kind of a self awareness thing. Like how big of a thing do you want to build? Yeah, sometimes they say in entrepreneurship, stay small, keep it all.
- [20:13]
B
Yeah.
- [20:13]
A
Because if you have a smaller thing, six figures, you know, 200K a year, VA software, expenses, taxes, some other stuff, you might have like a, you know, nice solid income and there's individuals. You grow a multimillion dollar business with a lot of complexity and you have a small five figure income by the time it's all done because of going to that next level. So this could be a self awareness thing. However, everyone would benefit by understanding all five stages, increasing their skill sets. But as we kind of recap, I would think about, you know, again, you don't really need to be thinking too much about becoming a creator CEO if you haven't earned your first dollar online.
- [20:54]
B
That's right.
- [20:55]
A
So it's kind of like, it's like you want to actually checkpoints for each stage and a couple things. That's why we've got a free assessment to help people@mycreatorquiz.com so you get to fill that out quick, figure out where you are, where you're at and then get that clarity on the exact skills you should work on at that stage so you can graduate because you build up on these things. And then I would also challenge individuals that dream big. You're capable of a lot more than you think you are capable of. You know, back by my primary skill from my background was actually video editing. I've been editing video since 2003. So I've been editing video for 22 years and I got really good at it. And actually what I realized as now I look back and we've defined these stages is I had to shift my identity and at one point delegate even my primary greatest skill. When I stepped out and hired my first editor and I remember I had a lot of limiting beliefs. Like one okay, nobody can ever edit as good as me. And I remember I hired this guy Jay as a contractor. I met him@a meetup.com event in Vegas. And I remember he edited the first Think Media video. And I was actually like sweating bullets the night before. I was like laying in bed, I was like, dude, tomorrow I'm going to upload a video. I didn't edit myself. Oh, man, people are going to tear me apart in the comments. They're gonna be like, how dare Sean sell out. Clearly the editing quality has changed. And I had a level of ego and pride even that was like, you know what? I'm. I'm a great editor, which arguably I was, but was super funny. Was. How many comments do you think that I got that identified that somebody different who edited this, edited the video that I uploaded?
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B
I mean, that's probably a zero.
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A
I got zero.
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B
There's nobody. Yeah, right.
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A
It's like in a way. So I was like, I kind of was overestimating in a way even my own importance. And the other thing was it was also very hard for me to believe even 10 years ago. I was like, I don't know how to hire a team. I don't know how to manage infrastructure. I don't know how to get to those next stages. But I committed to continue to learn and I committed to continue to grow. And I really do believe everything is figureoutable, especially if you have a path and you work at the right skills at the right time. I remember I bought a book on delegating. It's like this Brian Tracy book called how to Delegate. It was like, cool, that's a good.
- [23:16]
B
Clear, we'll start there.
- [23:17]
A
That's one of the skills I need. And I struggled with it for a while, but by knowing the thing you're attacking. The biggest mistake 99% of people listening to this are making right now is they're studying too many things, watching too many different individuals online and trying to grow a hundred different skills when really you need to focus on like the one or two things that will get you to the next stage, get enough money for it, and then shift to the next thing. And so I think the second opportunity is for anyone listening to this that wants to go faster. We've designed our whole company to just help people graduate through the stages. So whether that's. If you want to be a part of video Ranking academy, we'll put info about that. It's like our core program. It's a do it yourself program or we have a coaching program that walks people through these stages. You could just apply and it costs no money to apply. We only work with people that's a good fit for. We have group coaching, one on one coaching. You could go to viralvideocoach.com and, you know, navigate these stages on your own or let us lock arms with you and we will help you get fierce clarity on the stage. You're at and then help you move to that next stage.
- [24:26]
B
So your next step is to head to mycreatorquiz.com, drop in all of your information so we can get the best answer of the stage that you're in, so you know where you are and where you're trying to go this year on YouTube. And hey, stay close to the podcast. This is the Think Media podcast. I'm Nathan S. Wine, and I can't wait to see you in a future episode.