From garage to 200,000 subscribers

0:03SamWelcome back to Small Wins. Today we have a guest who builds furniture in his garage and films every step. Daniel, welcome.

0:11DanielThanks for having me. I should say the garage is still a mess, even with two hundred thousand people watching.

0:17LenaThat's reassuring. How did it start?

0:19DanielI was an accountant. I made a small table for my daughter's room, filmed it on my phone, and posted it because my brother dared me.

0:26SamA dare. That's a classic start.

0:29DanielAnd the video was terrible. Shaky, too long, the sound was mostly my saw.

0:34LenaSo why did you keep going?

0:37DanielForty people watched it, and one of them asked how I joined the legs. I realised I could answer that better in the next video.

0:46SamSo every video was an answer to a question.

0:48DanielYes. For the first year I never invented a topic. My comments told me what to make.

0:52LenaThat's such a useful idea for anyone who's stuck.

0:55SamWhen did it start paying?

0:57DanielAround fifteen thousand subscribers I sold my first set of plans for the table. Twelve dollars each. People bought them while I slept.

1:05LenaThe first money that arrives while you sleep feels like magic.

1:10DanielIt does. Today the plans and a small online course earn more than the ads. Ads are the bonus, not the business.

1:18SamLast question. What would you tell someone filming their first video this week?

1:23DanielPublish the bad one. You can't improve a video that only lives on your phone.

1:27LenaPublish the bad one. That's going on a sticker. Daniel, thank you.