Couch to $500K

#101 - At the end of every year I do an annual review and usually publish them too (like I did in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2018). And yes, I'm finally publishing this review in March because I took time off during Christmas break and played Playstation. That's the honest truth. The year before last, 2019, ended up being one of the biggest years of change or growth I’ve had since I started working for myself full-time because of SwitchPod’s Kickstarter launch and having our first child, but I didn’t make the time to create a public annual review. I could blame it having a two month old baby with colic, but really I was just taking any extra downtime then to catch up on sleep or urgent work after starting to ship SwitchPod worldwide just two months earlier. But 2020 was a YEAR. Actually it felt two to three years long. What started off as a normal year with plans to continue traveling for my video client work turned into basically staying home for 10 months straight. My wife and I took the pandemic and our potential exposure very seriously (because of her past cancer surgeries and her parents living nearby) and thankfully we haven't lost anyone we know to COVID-19, but it has majorly disrupted the lives of many, us included. “I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” I’ll try not to mention any of the major world events from 2019 like the pandemic, the U.S. election, racial injustice, and more but it was definitely a harder year to stay focused on work and different events did impact my year financially, socially, mentally, and more. It makes me think back to 2008 and how in a way I took that economic downturn as a sign that I needed to choose myself to take care of myself, not rely on a company or economy to make sure I have a job or be in control of my income. I worked hard in college to get a job when I graduated with my two bachelor's degrees in May 2008 right before the recession. A few months into being a full-time employee I saw friends, coworkers, and family lose jobs, never land jobs, and be financially stunted. I also saw the company I worked for (Boeing) announce they were laying off up to 10,000 people. This made me start learning about entrepreneurship, how to make money online, and personal finance. It pushed to get my MBA right away. And overall, it made me not just trust that a large company would take care of me for 40 years and pay me a pension at the end. Because I took the risk and left my day job with solid pay and cushy benefits in 2011, I was able to build up the skills, connections, and multiple income streams that let me survive and even thrive financially in 2020 when the world was completely upended by coronavirus. If last year was rough for you and you felt out of control, try to use that as a wake up call for taking control back in your own life from whoever you've given it up to. Okay, I think that's enough preamble. Let's dive in. What I "Do" for Work Right now I am running three different businesses day to day. SwitchPodCaleb Wojcik Filmsonline coursesYouTubepodcast1. SwitchPod Let's start with SwitchPod since that has been the biggest change to my work lately. Since launching the Kickstarter campaign in January 2019, I'd estimate SwitchPod has taken up 50% or more of my time spent working. Some weeks more like 80%. 2020 had some major projects for SwitchPod: ball headphone adapternew stylized product photographythe Shopify websiteOther than those larger projects, I spent my time reaching out to land more retailers to stock SwitchPod, fulfilling orders to Amazon and other existing retailers, marketing through social media, partnering with creators and companies on promotion, working on the less exciting admin bits (finances, taxes, legal, etc.), and handling customer support. It...

#100 - Have you ever reached big milestone that shifts you to be more introspective? I'm talking something big like turning an age that ends in zero, getting out of debt, or having a child. This is what happened to me when it came to planning and recording episode 100 of my podcast. Not only did I start to question what episode 100 should be, but also what content I even want to be making. I've stopped and started my podcast up again multiple times since recording episode 1 back in 2014. I've done plenty of interviews with video creators and taught a bunch of what I've learned running my video business the last 6 years. I tend to focus most of my YouTube videos on specific pieces of video or photo gear because that is what I think will get me more views, which leads to audience growth, more affiliate income, and more course sales. And for the podcast I feature other creators to share what is possible to accomplish with online video, but also to potentially reach some of their audience as well. I already run two profitable businesses, the first making videos for clients and the second being SwitchPod, and each equate to a full-time job themselves a lot of the time. This means the hopes, dreams, and plans for my free content and paid courses business always ends up being a third wheel. And what I earn from it is also the least of my 3 income streams, so it gets the least amount of attention. So why am I putting so much pressure on myself to make it "the thing" or compare myself to other creators online? In this podcast episode I discuss this and more with my wife Jen. We talk about what's next for me online, what kind of videos, podcasts, etc. I should be making, discuss my website redesign, and share an open and honest look at what it is like to be a creator online balancing multiple businesses, passions, and goals.

#99 - The most common thing people ask me online is, "what camera should I buy?” When there are new cameras being released from every brand multiple times a year, it is really hard to do enough research on your own to figure out which camera is right for you and what you’re going to use it for. In this podcast episode I chat with Greg Farnum all about cameras and which ones we’d buy. We talk through what features really matter when choosing a camera, what accessories we’d recommend beyond just the camera body or lens, and finish by discussing what we’d buy with a $500, $1,000, $2,500, or $10,000 budget. Whether you're in the market for a new camera or you want to be reassured that what you have is good enough, this episode will help you out. Chapters / Timestamps Items Mentioned Greg's YouTube ChannelGreg's InstagramBenQ 4K Art Series MonitorZoom H6 RecorderSony RX100 VISony a6000 & 16-50mmCanon G7XFUJIFILM X-T30 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 18-55mm LensSony a6400 16-50mm LensPocket 4kPocket 6kSigma 18-35DaVinci ResolveCanon RPCanon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM LensPolar Pro 2-5 Stop Variable ND FilterSwitchPod - Handheld TripodSmall HD FocusAtomos ShinobiAtomos Ninja VBMPCC Tilta Modification Kit

#98 - In my opinion, lighting is one of the most underrated skills and underspent categories of gear when making high quality videos. If you understand how to light a video well and have the proper gear, your videos can even look better than someone that has a camera that costs 5 or 10 times as much as yours. In this podcast episode I chat with Tommy Callaway about how to improve lighting in your videos. We discuss common mistakes people make with lighting, what you can do to improve your lighting setup for under $100, what specs you should pay attention to when researching a light to purchase, and what lighting gear we would recommend at low-end, mid-range, and professional level budgets. Whether you're looking to invest money into new lights or just modify your current lighting setup with a few DIY solutions to improve how it looks, this episode is full of helpful tips. Chapters / Timestamps Items Mentioned Tommy's YouTube ChannelTommy's Twitter FeedBebob MICRO V-Mount BatteryIntellytech Pocket-V 98Wh Li-Ion BatteryGodox SL-60 LED Video LightNeewer Soft BoxAputure 120DAputure MCFalconEyes F7Aputure Nova p300cLupo Superpanel Soft Full Color 30 1x1Velvet Light Evo 2Intellytech Fast Frames

#97 - Everyone always wants to talk about the latest cameras that just came out, but the better way to spend your money is on making your videos sound better. And even if you don’t have any extra budget to put towards a better microphone or audio recorder, there are a lot of tips and tricks for capturing better sound. In this episode I chat with Curtis Judd about how to record high quality audio, what gear he recommends for both the cheapest and high-end budgets, and common audio mistakes to avoid when making videos. Chapters / Timestamps Items Mentioned Curtis Judd's YouTube ChannelCurtis Judd's WebsiteCanon C100 Mark II CameraCaleb's Review of the C100 Mark IIRode NTG3 Shotgun MicMix Pre 6TAKSTAR SGC-600Rode VideoMic NTGDeity V-Mic D3 ProCurtis' Video About How to Boom Your Camera Shotgun MicDPA Microphones 4017BSennheiser MKH 8050Shure TwinPlex TL48Shure SM7BEarthworks SR314BElectro-Voice RE20

#96 - Most people are afraid to talk about money. If I had to guess the reason I'd say it is because they are truly embarrassed about where they are financially. They would rather flaunt flashy cars or homes the debt they owe a bank actually owns then discuss the deeper going ons of their savings for retirement or their net worth. “But Caleb, what does this have to do with creativity, using cameras, and making videos?” Everything. You can't do your work, make your art, or run your business if you can’t get your money right. I think money shouldn't be something you're ashamed of or hide from, no matter where you are at financially. There will always be someone further in debt or with a larger net worth than you. And instead of hiding where you’re at, coming face to face to your reality of not being where you wish you were with money might be the wake up call you need. So as my wife and I just hit a financial milestone we're proud of, I wanted to record a podcast episode about my financial journey from getting out of debt two different times in completely different ways. The first time by being frugal and cheap, the second by building businesses to help me earn more (while spending to live the life I want to live). I also discuss what I'm calling the "money ladder". It describes the stages of getting out of debt and saving for the future that you should work your way up, one rung at a time. If money has been something you’ve been afraid to deal with yourself or talk about with the people close to you, I hope this episode will help to feel more comfortable being open and honest about it so you can work toward financially healthy. Chapters / Timestamps Items Mentioned The Millionaire Mind by Thomas J. Stanley Ph.DI Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit SethiYour Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki RobinGet Rich SlowlyThe Simple Dollar

#95 - In this podcast episode I chat with Tom Martin about what a YouTube channel should do behind the scenes if it wants to get more views through search and suggested recommendations. Tom's experience working on large YouTube channels for companies like the BBC and advising smaller independent channels has led him to be a leading expert in the technical aspects of YouTube. I brought him back to the podcast to share what really works on YouTube to get more reach, gain more subscribers, and ultimately earn more money through the platform. We discuss how to research keywords for your video titles and tags, how to make sure your other videos show up in the suggested area when someone is watching your videos, how long YouTube videos should be, how frequently you should publish, tips for creating thumbnails, and more. If you have a YouTube channel that isn’t performing how you want it to, this conversation is for you. Chapters / Timestamps Items Mentioned Tom's WebsitePro Channel ManagerMr. Bean YouTube ChannelvidIQTubeBuddyWordtrackerAhrefsYoutube defaultsText ExpanderVideo Insiders PodcastPro Channel Manager Podcast

#94 - In this podcast episode I chat with Sarah Beth, a yoga teacher on YouTube, about how she grew her channel to almost a million subscribers and built a thriving online business over a span of nearly ten years of uploading videos. We dive into everything she has learned about content strategy & release cadence on YouTube, figuring out which videos her audience really wants to watch, how she experimented with one off digital courses at first, and then how she ultimately built a paid membership app with a bustling community behind it. If you're wanting to turn YouTube into a full-time business, this episode is full of great advice, stories, and experience shared about what tactics and mindset changes it takes to achieve results. Chapters / Timestamps Items Mentioned Sarah's YouTube ChannelSarah's InstagramSarah's WebsiteThe Four Hour Work Week

#93 - In this podcast episode I chat with Matt Giovanisci of Swim University & Money Lab about how to get more traffic to a website from Google. He shares what he’s learned from 10+ years of experience optimizing his websites for search engines, doing content audits, and creating epic content. We dive into what he does on his websites to drive more email sign-ups, affiliate income, and digital product sales. If you're like me and you have years worth of old content on a website and a lot of what you’ve made is not being found by anyone anymore (or it is completely out of date or irrelevant) this podcast episode will help give you direction on what to do with all of it so your website starts to rank for what search terms you’re targeting. Chapters / Timestamps Items Mentioned Swim UniversityMoney LabBrew CabinTractionAhrefsWP EngineCloudflareImagifyTiny jpgConvertkitWordpressGenius LinkLassoBuyCarbonateMatt's Course on Asana

#92 - Separating work from your personal life is hard enough already without partnering with, hiring, or working for other people close to you. When you work with your spouse, friend, or a family member, it can be a convoluted mess of emotions, tones, and debating. In this episode I talk with my wife Jen about how we work together on each other’s businesses or on the same business with all the dynamics of a boss/employee/partner relationship while staying married (and sane). We discuss how to over communicate, give appropriate feedback, split up roles and responsibilities, and prioritize what needs to be done. We also dive into how each of us work differently using digital or physical systems to track work and not make each other crazy. Chapters / Timestamps Items Mentioned BOOK - Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are HighAsana

#91 - Working from home is way different than going to a separate physical location to work. You don’t clock in or out, no one is looking over your shoulder, and your normal routine of hygiene or commuting go out the window. And right now, a lot of people are being forced to work from home due to CO-VID19. In this episode I talk with my wife Jen about how over the past 9 years of working from home we’ve figured out what boundaries, rules, and setups allow us to get the most done. We discuss finding a perfect location in your home for you to work, whether you should have set hours, how to let the rest of your family or roommates know the boundaries around interrupting you, and more. Chapters / Timestamps Items Mentioned From Million Dollar T-Shirt Wearer to Selling His Last Name... Weird Business Ideas with Jason Zook — Caleb WojcikWhere work happens | SlackSelfControl

#90 - Whether you want one or not you have a personal brand. People want to follow and learn from other people online and even bigger brands “try” to act more like a person than a huge company. In this podcast episode I chat with my buddy Chris Ducker about how to build, scale, and monetize a personal brand, whether you should name your brand after your name or something else, what to do when your name is common or already being used online, and how having a strong personal brand can help future proof your business. We also discuss how to financially survive an economic downturn and get over your superhero syndrome (a.k.a. doing everything yourself and not hiring help). Chapters / Timestamps Items Mentioned Virtual Staff FinderVirtual FreedomChris DuckerSwitchpodPatreonRise of the Youpreneur

#89 - If you have the ability and skills to edit video a great way to supplement your existing income is to do video editing for other people. Not only can some editing only projects help fill the gap between other clients or projects you have, you can get paid well doing so. In this episode I chat with Jacob Cross, who I’ve hired to help me film for clients before, but who piqued my interest when he said he and his wife edit YouTube videos for 8 different clients at once on top of the video production work they already do. We discuss how you can find potential video editing clients, how to reach out to them, what the workflow is like, and how to charge them. Chapters / Timestamps Items Mentioned Frame.io - Video Editing CollaborationMusicbed - Music LicensingArtlist.io - Royalty-Free Music Licensing For Video, Film & YoutubeSoundStripe - Royalty Free Music & SFXTimely - Fully Automatic Time TrackingTrello - Project Management AppJacob's Video Production Company - Cross & Co

# 88 - If you’re running a service based company, like making videos for people, you need clients or customers to stay in business each month. And when there is a recession like what we’re currently going through during CO-VID19, sometimes your services are the first to go for a company looking to cut back. But now is an important time to focus on who you can best serve, how you can find them, and convince them to work with you. In this episode I chat with Mike Kilcoyne, who I got to know well when he signed up for my Freelance Filmmaker Accelerator Program last year. We discuss how he niched down to what clients he could serve best, how to make them repeat clients, when the right time to hire help is, and how to land and work with clients in other cities then where you live. We also talk through this pandemic causing economic downturn and how you can work to help your business survive through it. Chapters / Timestamps Items Mentioned My Freelance Filmmaker Accelerator ProgramCreating Stuff with Mike Kilcoyne - Learn from my mistakes in entrepreneurship.How to Recession Proof Your BusinessMike Kilcoyne on LinkedInWhat The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Means For Marketers

#87 -If you're like me, you're overwhelmed with everything that is going on right now. The global pandemic is turning the economy into an unknown mess, we want to make sure our finances and our lives don’t implode, and there is an ever-growing pile of work to do to help your business survive all of this. But sometimes, what’s most important is to just take a break. In this podcast episode I give you permission to take a break. I discuss how to let yourself rest when there is so much to do, spend your downtime wisely, and avoid feeling overwhelmed by the news. Be nice to yourself. Give yourself a break. Items Mentioned Wandering Aimfully Self Control App for Mac

#86 - In this episode I talk with photographer and video creator Tyler Stalman about how important it is to become a “full stack creator”, his term for being able to do the multiple types of creative work needed in today’s competitive landscape. We discuss how to start a client business and scale it, the importance of setting up multiple revenue streams, how to make your work stand out from the crowd, working authentically with sponsors, what has been working for him to grow on YouTube, and how to stop comparing yourself to others. Chapters / Timestamps Items Mentioned Tyler Stalman's YouTube ChannelThe Stalman PodcastThe Stalman Podcast #46: Make Money Making Videos, with Caleb WojcikAnia & Tyler Stalman PhotographyAnia's Fashion, travel and lifestyle blogTyler's InstagramiStockPhoto Philip Bloom's Review of the Sony PXW-FX9Quote by Ira Glass: “Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, ...”Crimson Engine & Mondobytes C200 Luts

#85 - With the CO-VID19 coronavirus, the world is a bit crazy right now. But I wanted to do my part to share how I’m trying to weather this as an entrepreneur and small business owner and give you some tips for how to best spend your down time during any pandemic quarantines. Now is a time for getting prepared. Not just through buying toilet paper, but using this time wisely to make sure on the other side of this pandemic you’re set up for success. Most of the external precautions and panic are causing cancellations and closures that will either directly or indirectly impact what you do for work. Whether those are events you attend to network at and find clients or customers are being cancelled, products you promote are getting delayed, or just the overall wallet tightening that happens during an economic downturn, chances are you’ll be impacted financially. If you've been sent home from school, are forced to work from home, or all of your business has suddenly dried up, the best thing you can do right now is work to take back control of the situation. First and foremost, yes, take all the precautions you need to. Stock up on non-perishable food, take care of your family, and stay informed. But, if you're like me, you've checked the news more this week than you did in all of 2019 and it is time to make better use of your time. Here is a hierarchy of how you should spend your time. 1. Build. 2. Learn. 3. Audit. 4. Distract. You can only sit in fear for so long. Fear is productive to a point. It made me cancel a vacation, go to the grocery store before the frozen food was all sold out, etc. But once the fear gets you to accomplish the utilitarian thing, it’s time to re-group and move forward. So, go. Do something productive. Make a list and check things off. You can only quarantine and chill for so long.

#84 - If you choose what kinds of videos you’re going to make, decide who you want to help, and then show up publicly every week year after year you’ll grow your audience and reach. This is exactly what my friend Thomas Frank has done. He has continually showed up consistently for his audience and become an expert YouTuber. In this episode I talk with Thomas Frank, a full-time YouTuber, about what it is like to run a channel with millions of subscribers, work with sponsors, grow a team, and what goes on behind the scenes of planning, filming, editing, and sharing a YouTube video. Chapters Items mentioned in this episode Thomas Frank on YouTubeThomas Frank on InstagramThomas Frank on TwitterCollege Info GeekThomas' Skillshare coursesThomas' PodcastStarting Strength with Mark RippetoeNerd Fitness"I Don't Feel Like It" is a Mindset for Amateurs - College Info GeekStandard

#83 - From selling his last name (twice) to getting paid to wear different t-shirts everyday, Jason Zook has run some of the most unique businesses and marketing strategies online over the past ten years. In this episode I talk with one of the most creative entrepreneurs I’ve ever met. We discuss how he comes up with these unique business ideas, how he pitches company and customers to take a chance on him, and why instead of trying to get “rich” he is working towards just having enough. Chapters Show Notes Learn More About IWearYourShirt and How I Made $1,000,000BuyMyFuture: Behind The Scenes of How I Made $178,000 Selling My Future in 2015BuyMyLastName: Why I Sold My Last Name For Nearly $100,000 in 2012 and 2013Welcome to Wandering Aimfully, we're Jason and Caroline ZookCreativity For Sale | by Jason SurfrApp (formely Jason Headsetsdotcom & Jason Sadler)Own Your Weird, An Oddly Effective Way For Finding HappinessWhy You Should Focus on Enough Instead of More

#82 - Nowadays anyone can become a "news outlet” by simply commentating on what’s new, what was just announced, or regurgitating what they read online, but to really stand out from the noise in a topic you’re interested in you need to bring a different slant to it. In this episode I talk with Ben Sullins of Teslanomics about how he approaches covering Tesla and sustainable technology news using his years of experience as a data scientist. We also discuss how & when to leave a day job behind, how he experimented on YouTube until something “popped”, how he makes money from his channel now, and the story behind how he bought Elon Musk a couch. Chapters Show Notes Teslanomics with Ben Sullins - YouTubeBen's Cybertruck Announcement Event Video - YouTubeBen's Tesla CyberTruck Ride Video - YouTubeTesla | Electric Cars, Solar Panels & Clean Energy StorageMarques Brownlee - YouTubeTrello | Project Management ToolBen's Courses on LinkedIn LearningBen's Courses on Pluralsight