I’m proud to say we closed our first two clients in 7 days.
I left my full-time gig last Friday and went all-in on my agency.
Things are off to a strong start, but I’m already getting hit with the reality of building a business from scratch…
We’ve collected two payments in the last 24 hours:
Client 1 has 36,000 YouTube subscribers.
He’s in the lead generation niche and wants us to take over his channel and marketing. He’s been burned before, so we’re starting with a trial project – two fully produced long-form videos.
From ideation and scripting, to editing and thumbnails. If it goes well, a bigger partnership is on the table.
Client 2 has 940,000 YouTube subscribers.
He’s in the personal development space, and he actually has another channel at 8,000 subscribers under the same business. He’s more confident and wants us to take over his channel and marketing.
We agreed on a flat monthly fee plus a profit share, covering YouTube strategy, funnels, offers, and paid ads.
We’ve sent out a third offer to a prospect I’m thrilled about, and a fourth is just waiting for a proposal from me.
These are info brands with big YouTube channels, perfectly positioned to grow organically and scale with paid ads. It’s the sweet spot where branding meets direct response marketing, a space I’m convinced is the future…
And a space I’m excited to position ourselves in…
But here’s the reality…
I’ve been waking up at 3am every morning with a mix of stress and excitement about this early success. When the second client payment hit this morning, I was thrilled.
We have a plan to help him cross 1M subscribers and get his first gold play button, along with launching an offer with ads to get him scaling again…
But within minutes, I was punched in the gut with anxiety…
It’s not about whether I can deliver marketing results for these clients or not. I’m confident about that. I just spent a year working with one of the best marketing teams in the industry. I know the playbook, I know what works.
Plus YouTube is way easier than business in my opinion…
The anxiety is about something else. It’s about what comes next…
Back in 2021, I hit a financial peak in my marketing career with an agency model. I was pulling in more than most doctors, living in a Cancún hotel with a beachside balcony, working with great clients. On paper, everything was perfect.
But I hated every moment of it.
I was working 10-hour days, 7 days a week, with no end in sight. My girlfriend would enjoy the beach while I stayed in the room for calls every day. Every time I did go to the beach, all I could think about was work. I wanted to burn it all down.
I told myself I’d never go back to that life. But here I am, starting an agency again.
I’m worried I’ll end up right back where I was – overworked and missing out on the things I love. Like enjoying Mexico City, dancing salsa every night, or eating way too many tacos with my friends.
That’s the real fear – what I might have to sacrifice to keep this agency running. It’s like I’m caught between the thrill of new opportunities and the shadow of old regrets creeping back.
But this time, I’ve learned my lessons and I’m making changes:
- Grow slower and don’t rush it.
- Work deeper with fewer clients.
- Create systems to make things easier.
- Focus on one avatar and their problems.
- Build the business I actually want to build.
In 2021, I did the opposite of all these. But with my agency One Billion Media, we’re sticking to these principles from the start. We’re onboarding clients slowly, one at a time, while refining our systems before taking on more.
These past 7 days have been filled with work, but it’s not the same grind I felt three years ago. Whenever anxiety creeps up, I remind myself I’m doing things differently this time.
There are sleepless nights and moments of doubt. But that’s all part of the journey. This time, I’m not just chasing money – I’m focused on mastering YouTube and creating world-class brands, something I see myself doing for the rest of my life.
As a mentor once told me…
It’s about getting closer to the things that truly matter.
And for once, I finally feel like I’m getting closer.
Stay tuned as I share behind the scenes of these projects.
This is Week 1 of building my business in public.