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Podcast Starter Kit Giveaway - I'm giving away $1,000 worth of podcast equipment and courses. You can enter to win by heading to over the www.iwannabefamous.co/giveaway for more details or just text WINGEAR to 44222 that's W I N G E A R to 44222 until June 1st 2020.
Steve in two sentences or less.
Steve Yalo is a videographer who chose to travel the world in pursuit of exploring new places and exciting experiences. He's documented his travels across Europe, Colombia, Sri Lanka, The Philippines and more than 30 countries for more than 52K subscribers and has netted millions of views.
He's on a mission to share his experiences to break the misconceptions and motivate others to get out and travel the world!
How Steve become a famous travel videographer?
Steve had an interest in making videos since he was a child. His father would always have a video camera around for any family occasion. During his senior year in college, Steve participated in an event that changed my life.
It was a travel challenge hosted by Red Bull called "Can You Make It?" where they send teams of college students to travel across Europe for one week with no money. He said it was the most difficult but the most rewarding thing he'd ever done.
"I traveled across six countries in seven days with no money - only using cans of Red Bull as currency." - Steve Yalo
After this crazy challenge, he returned to Orlando where I was living at the time. This was during Steve's senior year of college and he had an internship with a marketing company that offered him a full-time job upon his return.
He gladly accepted as was excited to pursue a career in marketing, but after a few months the excitement eventually wore off and he was itching to go travel and pursue something more adventurous.
"I decided to take a leap of faith by leaving my job, selling most of things, and buying a one-way ticket to Thailand to travel full-time and pursue a career in videography." - Steve Yalo
He started sharing his experiences on Youtube and for the past three years, I've been traveling full-time, making videos and pursuing what makes him excited!
How Steve Yalo got his first gig?
Steve got his first gig as a freelance creator before he started traveling a few years ago. He loves EDM and going to music festivals and was a big event in Orlando called EDC.
Since he was planning on traveling soon, he was trying to save as much money as possible, so paying for a ticket to a music festival was not in my budget.
He decided to reach out to the organizers of this festival and pitch himself as an influencer, even though he only had less than 300 subscribers on Youtube.
He used his resources to find the right contacts and sent some very passionate emails explaining his desire to travel and build a Youtube channel and pitched them this idea that their video will live on his channel forever as he continue to grow.
He was very persistent with following up and eventually they gave in and offered him a free VIP ticket in exchange for creating a Youtube video about the Festival.
How much did it cost to get started? What's your monthly or annual profit from your business?
"I left the United States with about $13k USD. My plan was to travel full-time for a year with that budget and in time my plan was to figure out how to sustain this lifestyle and earn income with my camera." - Steve Yalo
In terms of income it's different every month. Sometimes Steve brings in few hundred dollars, sometimes a few thousand. He said,
"Personally, I'm more interested in gaining experience rather than short term financial gains. I think the experience I'm getting is way more valuable in the long run." - Steve Yalo
How Steve finds his customers?
Steve aims to work with businesses and individuals he aligns with. Most of my techniques are direct email outreach that I learned from working for that marketing company.
His job duties were related to getting the attention of potential clients through cold email outreach. But I also strive to create good content so people will reach out to me.
The best part of the experience thus far? How has being famous benefited you?
"I wouldn't consider myself famous, but this experience has been incredible. For me, the best part about this is my freedom."
"I'm not confined to one office or area. I'm constantly moving and meeting new people and experiencing new cultures. I truly believe that if more people traveled, the world would be a happier place." - Steve Yalo
What struggles have you encountered, and how did you overcome them?
"Going along with the freedom aspect of this, something that's a struggle. Since I do not have a boss overlooking my work or strict deadlines in place, I have to hold myself accountable which sometimes can be challenging. - Steve Yalo
What are the top two pieces of advice you'd give to others wanting to follow a similar path?
"For anyone interested in doing something similar, my biggest advice is to prepare to fully commit. If you're not completely dedicated to this, it will crumble. Also, don't be afraid to fail. Fear is what holds most people back. Embrace the fear - it's a temporary feeling of uncertainty."
"We learn from our mistakes, so if you're afraid to try, you'll never succeed." - Steve Yalo
What’s next for you?
Well considering the current state of the world, I will wait until this global pandemic calms down and then continue traveling and making videos. Doing what I love🙂
Vernon’s Take
Commit or quit - This seems like it’s an all or nothing kind of deal. Lots of self-discipline required to not just kick it by the pool all day drinking Mai Thai’s all day. Maybe that's just me but sounds like motivation would be key here.
Crate content around your experiences/ knowledge/ passion - for me this would be podcasting, personal development, etc.
Emergency Fund 🚨 - 13K is a nice cushion to land on if your gonna take the leap, especially if you’re planning to live in Thailand 🇹🇭I recommend Chiang Mai. Living outside of the U.S. can be cheap if you do it right. Hey, you won't be eating Chic-fil-a but you'll be eatin'
Resources
Leverage your network - Ask people to rock you tee. YouTube, rappers, skaters. Special edition colabs.
Text WINGEAR to 44222 for more details on how to win the same podcast setup I use to record this show!
