Couch to $500K

#075 - This episode is a little different in that I don't interview anyone, but I tell my story.

I went immediately from college into the corporate world, and then from there, into the entrepreneurial space to work for a blogger. I eventually started my own business as a freelance filmmaker. I discuss how it's led to my channel, my podcast, and my new invention, the SwitchPod.

In this episode I talked about:

01:12 - Growing up - part nerd/part athlete
03:54 - Choosing a 9 to 5 felt safe at the time
07:48 - Stumbling into entrepreneurship
10:00 - The Art of Non-Conformity and Chris Guillebeau
14:14 - How a $500 investment in an online course changed my life
17:00 - Helping build Fizzle.co and getting back into video
22:43 - The itch to run my own thing
29:16 - Connecting the dots going backwards
33:50 - Leaning into my obsession

Links to things mentioned:

• SwitchPod
• Fizzle

#015 - Commenters on YouTube love to ask what camera, microphone, and editing software are used to make the videos, so today I'm answering the third. I've used many different video editing programs over the past decade, but now I only use a couple. In this episode I talk through six different video editing programs (from free to pro) and help you figure out which one is best for you and your budget. I also share one bonus app that saves me a ton of time and frustration when I'm syncing video for multiple cameras with my external audio recordings.

https://www.apple.com/ios/imovie/

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-live/movie-maker

http://www.diyvideoguy.com/screenflow
DIY Video Guide

http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.html
Final Cut Pro X

http://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/
Plural Eyes

http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere.html

December 2, 2014

#010 - Sean McCabe had become a successful hand lettering artist, with clients paying him thousands for design work, but he felt another need. After sharing his lettering work online, he started getting emails from people wondering where to even start with hand lettering. He put a tutorial on his website and within a year 200,000 people had viewed it. Six months in he put an email opt-in form on the page and eventually spent three months on a new version of the page to promote his new video course Learn Lettering. Fast forward to earlier this year, 15,000 email subscribers later and Sean launched his video course to the tune of selling six figures in three days. In this podcast episode I talk with Sean of seanwes about his making his video course, his struggles with producing it all himself, and what he is learning now after just recently launching a daily video show.

Items mentioned in this episode:

• seanwes.com
• seanwes tv – Make a living with your passion
• seanwes podcast
• Learn Lettering Course
• Learn Lettering Sample Lesson - Designing Quotes
• Learn Lettering Sample Lesson - Mastering Letterspacing
• seanwes on Vine
• seanwes on Instagram
• How I Got 500,000 Views on My Work in 24 Hours & Why the Results Weren't Shocking
• Google Hangout on Air: Three Pipe Problems Live Sketch
• How to Make Timelapse Videos for Instagram
• 039: It All Starts with Writing | seanwes podcast
• 060: How Learn Lettering Made $80,000 in 24 Hours With the First $10k in 30 Minutes | seanwes podcast
• Should you podcast or make videos? by seanwes
• Amazon.com: Blackmagic Design Intensity Extreme HDMI Capture & Playback Device
• Amazon.com: On Stage CM01 Video Camera/Digital Recorder Adapter
• Amazon.com : Canon 6D Camera
• Amazon.com: Rode NTG3 Condenser Shotgun Microphone
• Amazon.com : Lilliput 7-inch LCD monitor with HDMI
• Amazon.com: Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920
• Canon EOS Remote App
• Mac App Store - Logitech Camera Settings
• The Nathan Barry Show #3 — Profiting from teaching with Sean McCabe
• Dribbble - seanwes tv animated intro by Sean McCabe

November 14, 2014

#009 - The lens you use to shoot your videos matters more than you might think. Each lens gives a different vibe to your videos, has restrictions on apertures you can use and can be really flexible (or not) depending on whether or not it zooms. In today's episode I'm gonna help you figure out what lens you should use to make your videos. I'll be sharing which lenses I own and why, how a cropped or full sensor impacts the results you get from a lens, what features to consider when choosing, and why you might want to rent a lens and try it before buying it.

• 35mm L — http://geni.us/35mmcanon
• 50mm L — http://geni.us/50mmcanon
• 85mm L — http://geni.us/85mmcanon
• 100mm L “Macro” — http://geni.us/canon100mm
• 24-105mm L — http://geni.us/24105mm
• 55-250mm EF-S — http://geni.us/55250mm
• 10-18mm EF-S “Ultrawide” — http://geni.us/1018mmlens
• 18-135mm EF-S — http://geni.us/18135mmcanon
• 40mm "Pancake" — http://geni.us/canon40mm

November 11, 2014

#80 - I’ve been talking to a lot of beginners lately.

People just getting started with video, wanting to launch their YouTube channel, record the first online course, start their business, etc.

And there is this recurring theme with all of them.

They’re doing it wrong. Here’s what I mean.

There is really only one metric that matters when you’re starting out.

Action. Doing. Movement. Go.

When making videos, here are some things that you might think really matter at first, but don’t.

• Should I use my phone or a DSLR camera?
• Should I film in 1080p or 4K?
• Should I start my YouTube channel or my website first?

The answer to all of these questions is: YES.

Its like when you starting working out at the gym. It almost doesn’t matter what exercises you do. What matters is that you go to the gym, you do SOMETHING, and then you keep coming back.

Even this video I’m filming right now is an example, I really needed to shave and I was gonna do that before I hit record, but NO. Action. Just, do it.

Eventually you will reach a point where those earlier questions matter, but chances are you’re not there yet.

It doesn’t matter which direction you go in if you’re not moving.

My friend Sean McCabe, who is a guest on my podcast soon, likes to say, “You Can’t Steer a Parked Car”.

Newton’s First Law - An object at rest stays at rest. An object in motion stays in motion until forces act upon it.

*Once you start doing, you learn. *If you’re in a state of paralysis, nothing happens.

When you’re in it, you feel like every decision you make is HUGE. But you’re trying to play a more complicated version of Go or chess instead of just playing checkers and moving forward.

Research quickly, make a decision, and move on.

When you’re just starting you may be stalled out because you want a level of quality or professionalism that is only achievable through practice, time, and actually doing it.

Just look back at the earliest videos of some of the biggest YouTubers. Chances are they were poorly filmed, barely edited, and don’t feel anywhere close to the same as their current videos. They got better with repetition and so will you.

Your most limited resource is time. Not money, not knowledge. The last thing you need to do is agonize about every decision you’re making and what equipment or software you should use.

Choose and go.

Another thing I see people stall out on is what their current followers online initially followed them for.

If you’re worried about what people might think or that you’ve grown an audience or following talking about one thing but now you want to take about something else, just do it.

Make what YOU want to make.

Let your audience self filter out. Just do what you want to do. People that are attracted to you and what you make will follow you. Those that don’t, will leave. Who cares?

I’d rather have less people following what I make that care about it than millions of people who don’t care.

And if there are already people talking about or sharing what you’re interested in online that have an audience, take that as a sign that there is a need for it. Not keep you making.

Because if you’re really interested in a topic or niche, you don’t just follow one person that talks about it. You follow 5 or 10 or more.

All this to say... The fact that you’re even thinking of starting means that you’re further along than most people. Which is great.

But take it a step further and go make something.

Head in a direction. You can always course correct later.

If you’re just starting out with something, focus on building the habit of showing up. Creating. Finishing. Publishing. Then repeat and make the next time better.

My buddy James Clear has this 1% better every day idea that I love.

If you get 1% better every day for a year, by the end of the year you’ll be 37 times better. 1% worse and you slowly approach zero.

Getting started and slowly, get a little better each day.

You got this.