Why We Started a YouTube Channel: Our Journey to Early Retirement and Off-Grid Living
It’s been way too long since I last wrote a blog post. I used to love writing and thought this blogging thing would be a breeze. Spoiler alert: it’s not. Turns out, having a full-time job that drains every ounce of mental energy makes it hard to be creative outside of work. But today, I’ve got no such excuse. I’m sitting at our cozy “non-hunting” camp in New Brunswick on this stormy Thanksgiving, and with nothing pressing to do, it’s time to get typing.
So, what thrilling topic do I have for you on this wet and rainy day? YouTube. Yep, our YouTube channel. We launched it two years ago but only started posting a few months back. Can you believe we’re not YouTube famous yet? Shocking, right? As it turns out, two middle-aged folks chatting about early retirement, off-grid living, and camper repairs might not be the viral content people crave. Who knew?
But hey, no worries—we’re in it for the long haul. We knew it would be slow going.
“But Lori, why bother posting to YouTube if you're not all about success?”
Great question! Thanks for asking.
When Sam and I started planning for early retirement, one part of that plan was creating a passive income stream to help support us. We figured YouTube could be a fun way to document our journey—and who knows? Maybe it’ll bring in a little extra cash down the road. We started watching other content creators in the same space for inspiration, and we noticed a few key things that make their channels successful. Some of them? We’re not quite there yet, but we’re working on it!
All about time: The most successful YouTubers seem to live and breathe their niche. Whether it’s off-grid living, RVing across the country, or cabin repairs, they’re out there filming everything and posting weekly, if not more often. That’s a big challenge for us, because, well… we’re tired! But we know that if we want to grow, we need to post more consistently. Fingers crossed we get faster at editing so we can keep up.
Editing wizards: Most of the popular creators we watch have mad editing skills. It probably comes with practice, but we’re starting to realize that some of these bigger channels are hiring editors once they hit a certain size. That said, there are still a few channels we follow that keep things simple with basic gear—and they’re doing great. So, for now, we’re focusing on consistency over fancy edits. We’ll improve the quality as we go!
Let’s be friends: This one’s the toughest. When you’re making videos based on your life, you’re basically asking people to like you. It’s a lot of pressure! After rewatching our first few videos, I realized they felt flat and, well… a little boring. Why would anyone want to watch? The answer? We need to be in front of the camera more and just let our personalities shine. Easier said than done, but we’ll get there!
So, there you have it—our YouTube journey so far. It’s a slow start, but we’re learning and improving. Thanks for sticking with us as we figure this whole thing out. We’re not aiming for overnight fame, just building something steady and hopefully helpful for others on similar paths.
Stay tuned—there’s more to come!