I got a CUSTOMIZED Credit Card from ZHC

Do you know about how much every single month you would just spend just on yourself? [Applause] Whatever we make, we spend.

What's the most you've spent for a video? Like anywhere from 300,000 to—Wow! What's up you guys, it's Graham here. So if you've spent longer than a few minutes looking through YouTube's trending page, chances are you've come across one of these thumbnails. They're impossible to miss because they have one of the most recognizable stamps of all time—a colorful sweep of paint. These videos are unmistakable and usually consist of challenges, giveaways, and surprises, including a custom Tesla delivered to Mr. Beast.

But behind all of this is someone you might not expect. He's a 21-year-old with over 30 million subscribers across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Within just three years, he went from filming drawing tutorials in his bedroom to now living in a Hollywood mansion, working with some of the biggest internet celebrities of our time, and running a full-fledged business that would put the likes of many multi-million dollar businesses to shame.

So, of course, when I see something like this, I'm intrigued. I want to get to know firsthand exactly what it takes to build a business like this from the ground up, understand exactly how he was able to do it, and, most importantly, I want to see how he makes and spends all of his money.

But really quick, if you guys enjoy videos like this, make sure to smash the like button because these videos take me 10 times longer to plan, film, and edit. So if you want more videos like this, just let me know by hitting the like button, and with that said, let's begin the video.

Here, so when did you start making YouTube videos?

It was when I was nearing the end of my first year in college, so that was in New York, and I just started putting up some art tutorial videos.

What made you want to do that, though?

I watched your first few videos; they're really good.

So before I even started YouTube, I posted my art on Instagram. So, I was kind of like an Instagram art influencer. I had a decent-sized following on there, and I kind of wanted to expand it onto YouTube because I was getting a little bit bored on Instagram.

Did you ever think it would turn into a business, or were you purely just doing it for fun?

Definitely for fun. I mean, like, I love video making; I love art. Everything's just stuff I love.

What was your experience with school?

I always had trouble learning in class, and I would get bullied by the kids because I went to pretty competitive schools my whole life, and grades mattered a lot. And school just, like, wasn't quite for me.

So what were you doing for work back then? If you were in college, you were doing this; were you earning any money back then?

So I would make like 40 to 50 bucks a week as a lifeguard because I knew how to swim, so that was kind of the only job I could take.

Wow. So at the point then, when you dropped out, were you making money on YouTube, or did you just drop out expecting that you were gonna somehow make it?

Uh, I mean, I made money, but not enough to, like, pay rent or anything. I think when I was in college, I was, like, full-time commissioning and stuff too. And I sold my first commission work for, like, maybe, like, five or ten dollars. So I would spend, like, 10 hours on it, just sell it for 5-10 bucks, because I just wanted to sell it.

Did you ever expect this type of success?

I mean, we're in a very lavish place. Did you ever think that you would be here sooner or later?

I did have big plans; that's definitely a goal. Just at the time, I didn't know how soon that would come. YouTube kind of gave me a platform where I could create art and then kind of earn money just for creating art.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entertainer?

No, no. I was, like, the most introverted kid, and even to this day, I'm still, like, fairly introverted and shy, but I've definitely, like, stepped out of my comfort zone a little bit.

Do you think YouTube has helped you with that?

Yeah, definitely. Yeah. You should have seen me back in, like, middle school and high school; it was very different.

Yeah, I’m the exact same way. People think I'm an extrovert, but deep down, I'm like, I can't. Not good around a lot of people, and making YouTube videos has really helped me just in my speech and learning how to talk and communicate.

And it's totally different when you're speaking with someone in person versus making a YouTube video because you almost have to be a little bit more over the top and animated; otherwise, people aren't going to watch it.

I remember, in high school, I was so reserved where my coach actually had to pull me to the side one day. He was like, "Zach, usually people come out of their shell after two weeks being in the team." Then he's like, "Zach, it's been two years," because at that point, I still, like, didn't talk to anyone because I was so scared.

How much strategy do you think is involved in making YouTube videos and doing what you do?

Um, so I feel like making YouTube videos, there's two sides. There's, like, a very strategic analytical side where you just, like, look at numbers. You make sure everything's, like, there; you're getting audience retention, click-through rate. And I feel like another part is just having fun and just interacting with friends, how you would normally interact with them.

Yeah, but I've seen how you operate YouTube videos, and it's so strategic, and you are meticulous and having multiple people watch your video multiple times. Like, you explain to me how much work and how much editing, how many hours were involved in making that race video?

That race video probably took 80 plus hours total to put together, and that's probably because we're using iMovie too, which we should probably transition away from now.

We're going to get into the nitty-gritty of personal finance a little bit. How is your business broken down? Where do you say most people come in from? Is it YouTube, and then it siphons through to Instagram and TikTok, or where does it all start for you?

I would say the biggest portion of my audience just comes from YouTube. After that, I would say TikTok.

And what would you say your main source of revenue is at this point?

So right now, I'd say most of our revenue comes from YouTube ad revenue. We're trying to diversify it a bit, but as of the last year or so, it's been YouTube ad revenue, and obviously, there are sponsorships that contribute to quite a lot of that too.

Now, what I found really cool is that you run this very much like a business. How many people now do you have working with you?

So when I first started, it was just Michelle and I. I hired a couple employees, and then I quickly realized that hiring and firing wasn't my strong suit because I always felt too bad to fire someone, because I almost treated them like my friends. That's why I delegate that to Michelle now.

Because, because I don’t wanna—so Michelle could be the bad guy here?

Yeah, pretty much. So we have Michelle; yeah, she knows exactly what I would need. And then we have a house manager that works closely with Michelle, and then we usually have one to two assistants just because it's a big house. We have so many employees; we need cleanup, we need setup, things like that. If we have big projects, they help move things around. We're getting a production manager and a production assistant, so that would be more for videos; they would help plan stuff out. And then right now, we have four editors. A month ago, we had zero.

Wow, so it was just Michelle and I editing our videos.

We usually have around two to three full-time artists, and then we get a lot of freelance artists as well.

Now, that sounds expensive.

Yeah, do you know how much that costs every month?

So for spending, I’d say whatever we make, we spend just kind of as an investment; we put straight back into the business. So if we get a thousand dollars, for example, a thousand would go into the business. If we get a hundred thousand, a hundred thousand goes into the business. Obviously, we keep taxes and stuff into consideration.

Right now, we need to pay ourselves too, so we can't put that back in, but other than those things, everything just goes back in, goes to giving away stuff, making studio spaces to make the videos more enjoyable for the viewer.

How much money do you spend personally? Because you were mentioning some fancy restaurants.

Yes, that I don't even go to. So you've got me to spend money today—yeah, unheard of. So for restaurants and stuff, if it's not for business, I'll eat like the most basic things ever. Usually for my clothing in my videos, I’ll just wear nice clothing because I want to look presentable, but if you see me normally walking around the house, I just have like five dollar shorts, five dollar shirt, that's all I need.

Do you know about how much every single month you would just spend just on yourself?

Myself? Just you, without business?

No business? Oh, man. 1,500 on food. So otherwise, it sounds like it's maybe about 2,500 a month would be your personal spending, between food and other little miscellaneous.

Approximately, I'd say I'm pretty frugal with my personal life; just when it comes to YouTube, that’s not how it comes across as.

Yeah, where would you say you waste money?

I almost wouldn't say it's wasted money because sometimes you just gotta take a risk. Let's say a big video; I know it's only going to make 100K, and I'm spending 200K; it's a 100K loss. But I feel like sometimes it's worth a risk if it's, like, a huge thing you're trying to do.

What's the most you've spent for a video?

Like anywhere from 300,000 to 400,000, 500,000 maybe.

Wow, that's a substantial amount of money! Do you ever get worried you're going to spend so much money on a video it's not going to be a good ROI?

I feel like I take smart risks, so I'm not 100% sure if I'll make my money back or not, but if it's a really good video, it goes big; people really enjoy it, they come back for more. I see that as a win.

What are your thoughts on personal finance?

So I actually don't manage that much of my own money. I delegate that to my girlfriend, Michelle. She's an accountant; she really knows what she's doing, and then I have a CPA that helps me out as well. At the end of the day, I want to be an artist and an entertainer, and I don't want to be, like, so sucked into, like, the money aspect.

How many credit cards do you have?

Because right now, you're drawing on it. You're drawing on my American Express.

Yes, and I believe I am ruining it!

I'll get a new one. Two credit cards, 720, 730, something like that.

Do you have any financial goals?

I think long term what I want to do is make a lot of money, give a lot of money. But right now, I can only give so much.

Do you feel like you're saving enough money?

I feel like I should, but I honestly don't think about saving money right now just because my thought process is always just invested back in, which I know isn't the smartest thing to do, but I feel like with a safety net, it almost, like, kind of demotivates me.

Sure. Do you feel like you're making enough?

For me as a person, it's more than enough, like way more than enough than I could ever need, honestly. But from, like, a business point of view, we want to grow the business bigger. So from a business point of view, no, but for what I'm doing personally, I think I'm grateful.

And how many hours would you say you work in a week?

A typical work week would be close to 100 hours.

Why do you think you're so successful?

Well, I feel like success is very relative. I feel like I haven't gotten there yet where I would consider myself super successful. At the end of the day, if you think about it, like my business is kind of like a small startup. But when you're passionate about something and you're working hard, it almost doesn't feel like work. It's more like you have fun really hard for 14 hours, and you get rewarded for that.

But I would love to just pick your brain at some investment stuff; you're the expert when it comes to investing, when it comes to financial stuff like that. So I would love to learn from you. I would at least just siphon off, even just take ten percent of just what you're earning overall. Just take 10% of it, throw it away in an index fund and just forget about it. Just pretend that money doesn't even exist.

It's a concept that's called pay yourself first. You're the first bill that you pay, and that's it. Just if any money you get, just 10% goes to you, invest it, forget about it. Doesn't even exist, lock it away for 20-30 years; I think you'll be super happy you did.

Now my parents always say that. I feel like it's tough for me because I always have the mindset of like I'm able to put that 10% back in my business, so I kind of don't want to save it for myself.

I get it. I think it's just having that small little safety net just to try to make the most of this time while you're still growing. Because I think there is a risk, and there are so many variables with something like this. Just at least securing your future right now because it's guaranteed at this point.

Do you have any advice for people who see you in your position and want to do something similar?

Um, be passionate. Have fun doing it; otherwise, I feel like unless you're extremely passionate about it, you're going to burn out, and you're not going to be able to go long term. Also, at the end of the day, don't forget to give back. Remember where you came from. Just because you have, like, a ton all of a sudden doesn't mean you're better than anyone else or and stuff like that.

So, yeah, if you guys are new, subscribe to Graham because he's a very cool guy, and he's not forcing me to say this.

You've also got to tell them to destroy the like button for the YouTube algorithm.

Make sure to destroy the like button for the YouTube algorithm!

There we go. So with that said, you guys, thank you so much for watching. I really appreciate it. As always, make sure to destroy the subscribe button and notification bell. Also, feel free to add us on Instagram; I post there pretty much daily. So if you want to be a part of it there, feel free to add me there as in the second channel, The Graham Stephan Show. I post there every single day I'm not posting here. So if you want to see a brand new video from me every single day, make sure to add yourself to that.

And lastly, if you now want two free stocks, use the link down below in the description, and WeBull is gonna be giving you two free stocks worth at minimum eight dollars and all the way up to one thousand six hundred dollars. So if you want those two free stocks, the link is down below in the description. Let me know which two you get.

Thank you so much for watching, and until next time!