By playing, you agree to uListen's Terms and Privacy Policy and YouTube's Terms of Service.

Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal

How To Make It On YouTube In 2023 - Colin And Samir

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. When investing, your capital is at risk and you may get back less than invested. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results.

Samir ChaudryguestAli AbdaalhostColin Rosenblumguest

Oct 8, 20232h 34mWatch on YouTube

Summaries, chapters, transcripts, and FAQs on this page are made by uListen, not YouTube.

Great conversations run long. Their best ideas don't have to.

uListen is free on iPhone, iPad, Android, Chrome, and Claude.

CHAPTERS

Jump to publisher timestamps

Chapter summaries

Samir’s “TV network” dream and the early lacrosse years
Samir describes the naïve ambition that kicked off their journey: trying to build a TV-network-style media business around the niche sport of lacrosse. Ali frames how Colin and Samir started with an online network and later pivoted into creator-economy storytelling.
- •Samir recounts writing down the goal of making a TV network, and why youthful naïveté can be an advantage.
- •Ali summarizes their decade-plus path: starting with college lacrosse content, then shifting into the creator economy.
- •Colin explains how Samir spotted his early lacrosse videos and invited him to LA for a short stint that became much bigger.
How they became “creator economy guys” without calling themselves experts
Ali asks how Colin and Samir became thought leaders in the creator economy. They explain that credibility came from years of making things, failing often, working behind the scenes for creators, and then using the podcast as a home for conversations with people who’d already “done it.”
- •Samir says they’re not experts so much as people who asked lots of questions and learned publicly after many failures.
- •They note they uploaded their first video together in 2011, long before “creator economy” was a common term.
- •Colin explains their behind-the-scenes production work helped them build relationships that later translated into podcast guests.
- •They emphasize the value of a long time horizon and lived experience, not just theory.
Should you pursue “creator” as a career? Process vs destination
Ali asks whether being a creator is a good career choice and what the pros and cons are. Colin and Samir focus on motivation: many people want money and identity-confidence, but the reality is that being a creator is mostly about enjoying the day-to-day process rather than chasing a finish line.
- •Colin suggests people are attracted to creators’ money and apparent confidence in identity, and urges building identity-confidence before committing.
- •Samir argues some people “can’t help it” and keep creating despite irrational odds and long stretches of failure.
- •They discuss how the “destination” of success doesn’t really exist—after “making it,” you still do the same work (ideas, filming, editing, thumbnails).
- •They compare creator work to “chop wood, carry water” before and after enlightenment.
The money timeline: $700/month beginnings to multi-million revenue
Ali pushes into numbers: what they earned early vs now. Samir breaks down the early reality of making essentially nothing from the Lacrosse Network, sustaining themselves through savings and contract work, then getting acquired, later experiencing more “no money” years, and finally reaching meaningful profitability recently.
- •Samir explains the Lacrosse Network vision and why monetizing lacrosse videos was difficult early on.
- •They supported themselves via savings and creative work for Samir’s dad’s clothing company (photo, design, campaigns).
- •Samir shares Colin’s early compensation: a three-month internship at $700/month.
- •They describe scrappy revenue attempts (websites, stickers, random services) to keep the YouTube channel alive.
- •Samir estimates current business revenue in the millions, around 2 million, while noting increased expenses due to investing in team and office.
- •Colin notes 2022 was the first year they truly ended with a surplus (distributions at year-end).
Passion vs security: leaving “safe paths” and learning through jobs
Ali contrasts their path with the conventional “grind your 20s” approach. Samir shares his film-school-to-Hollywood editing experience and the advice that pushed him to leave, while Colin explains his pivot from business school expectations toward creative work and entrepreneurship.
- •Samir describes working as an assistant editor, realizing the reality didn’t match his dream, and receiving advice to leave and pursue what he really wanted.
- •Samir links his desire to “do everything” (film, edit, be on camera, make programming decisions) to starting the Lacrosse Network online.
- •Colin explains he entered college expecting a finance path, then discovered he was more creative and taught himself filming/editing after graduation.
- •Colin recounts working a hotel front desk job while practicing video skills at night until Samir invited him to LA.
- •They describe early “startup era” vibes and how that shaped their willingness to take risks.
A 2023 roadmap: content–market fit and empathy for the audience
Ali asks for a roadmap for a new graduate who wants to become a creator in 2023. Samir explains their key mistake—starting as “selfish creators”—and introduces the idea of content-market fit as the overlap between what you want to make, what the audience wants, and what the platform wants.
- •Samir contrasts being an artist (low audience empathy) with being a creator (must be audience-empathetic).
- •They present the three-way balance: what you want to make, what the audience wants, and what the platform rewards.
- •Samir names this overlap “content market fit.”
- •Ali reflects on overthinking as a blocker and frames progress as getting going, getting good, then getting smart.
Advice for a music YouTuber: audience research and separating money from creation
Ali role-plays wanting to become a music YouTuber making covers and asks what they’d recommend. Colin emphasizes finding another income source early to avoid fear-based decisions, while Samir pushes hard on defining the audience and understanding what’s already available in the market.
- •Colin suggests not relying on YouTube money immediately and instead securing another way to make money so creative focus stays intact.
- •Samir’s first question is “Who’s the audience?” and he urges scanning who else is serving that audience and why people watch them.
- •They describe internet creation as collaborative ping pong with the audience: publish, observe reactions, adjust.
- •Ali distinguishes hobby creation from commercial intent, noting that businesses exist to serve an audience.
- •Samir explains how monetization can shift creative judgment into quantitative metrics, changing emotions about the work.
Is passion required? Different “creator types” and what you’re optimizing for
Ali asks whether passion is a prerequisite for success in the creator economy. Colin and Samir argue it depends on what motivates you—craft, entrepreneurship, metrics, or money—and that different motivations lead to different creative and business decisions.
- •Colin says some people are more willing to compromise creatively if they’re motivated by metrics or dollars.
- •Samir notes entrepreneurship itself can be the passion, with video as the product.
- •They compare “creator” to “athlete” as an umbrella term with many different subtypes and goals.
- •Samir explains he’d sacrifice growth metrics for being happier with the video, highlighting differing value systems among creators.
Who “makes it” professionally: focus, discipline, and confronting fear of irrelevance
Ali asks what common traits separate professional creators from hobbyists. Samir and Colin repeatedly point to focus and discipline—staying consistent and not prematurely diversifying—then respond to Ali’s fear that relevance can vanish, reframing it as fear-based thinking and advocating for an abundance mindset built on skills and network.
- •Samir and Colin both answer that “focus” is the key commonality; they add discipline and consistency as equally critical.
- •Samir describes how tempting it is to expand into many businesses once traction appears, and how that dilutes execution.
- •They discuss fear of becoming irrelevant and Samir calls it fear-based thinking, sharing how he’s worked on reducing scarcity mindset.
- •Samir reframes “abundance” as having skills, network, and the ability to rebuild—not just having money.
- •Ali admits it’s easier to contemplate losing relevance after you’ve experienced success and validation.
Fear-setting and the hidden danger of building too much overhead
Samir introduces the “fear setting” exercise he learned from Tim Ferriss as a way to play out anxieties rationally. The conversation then shifts to how creators unintentionally lock themselves into fear by scaling too fast—taking on big fixed costs that don’t leave room for emotional volatility.
- •Samir explains fear-setting: write down fears, walk through outcomes, and plan prevention and repair steps.
- •Ali shares he uses the fear-setting worksheet during business-related existential spirals.
- •Samir warns that fear often comes from building too fast—hiring too quickly and locking into expensive commitments.
- •They discuss how creative work includes emotional volatility, and why overhead amplifies pressure and anxiety.
- •Samir emphasizes leaving space for fluctuations in motivation and output without risking the whole business.
Being a co-founder duo (and why they won’t do couple channels)
Ali asks what it’s like to be a duo of co-founders in a creator business. They describe how intertwined identity, finances, and public perception become, why equal partnership and value alignment matter, and why they have no interest in turning their romantic relationships into content.
- •Samir describes co-founding as emotionally similar to marriage: identity, earnings, and public context are shared.
- •He argues that if you don’t want to split evenly, you shouldn’t be co-founders; believing in equal value is essential.
- •They emphasize value alignment over purely creative alignment because they spend so much time together.
- •Both reject starting couple channels, citing boundaries, the “third person” effect of the camera, and wanting relationship time without content pressure.
- •Samir suggests experimenting privately—recording for yourselves before distributing—so experimentation doesn’t become a public spectacle.
Filming with no commercial intent & “productivity guilt” in creative life
They explore the idea of creating just to preserve memories or build connection, not to monetize—like home movies or private conversations. Ali and Samir then unpack “productivity guilt,” the urge to turn every moment into content or output, and discuss rest and consumption as legitimate parts of creative work.
- •Samir shares that the podcast began as therapy during a low point, creating a container for honest conversation.
- •He recounts recording an episode immediately after a high-stakes Hollywood pitch meeting to preserve the memory, even though few listened.
- •Ali describes feeling guilty doing leisure activities (like gaming) without “streaming” or repurposing them into content.
- •Colin shares advice from a friend that consuming documentaries and relaxing can be part of the creative job, not a failure of productivity.
- •They discuss re-learning stillness—reducing constant stimulation—and mention activities that force presence (like swimming).
Finding the format: building an “engine,” handling Format FOMO, and when to start podcasts
Ali asks what “finding the format” really means. Samir frames formats as the foundation of scalable, repeatable media success, while they explain how their podcast-video format became the engine of their business after experimenting with other formats, and why experimentation works best when it’s built around a stable engine.
- •Samir calls format the most powerful thing in media and gives examples of recognizable, repeatable show structures.
- •They explain how format enables consistency: predictable time, cost, process, and hiring needs.
- •Ali introduces “format FOMO,” and they agree it’s constant—especially when seeing other creators’ success with different structures.
- •They describe their evolution from car breakdown videos to moving the podcast onto the main channel after testing it on a separate channel.
- •Samir advises: don’t experiment without an engine, and don’t break the engine while experimenting; once the engine runs, side experiments become safer.
- •On podcasts, Samir recommends doing it for non-financial reward first and warns that discovery is hard for brand-new creators.
The Publish Press: building a newsletter as a value-prop extension (and helping Ali plan a daily newsletter)
Ali asks why they started The Publish Press newsletter and what a “newsletter business” is. Samir explains their broader business model (content + sponsorship), how newsletters match where professional audiences spend time, and how they tested internally before launching; then they workshop Ali’s idea for a daily productivity newsletter and discuss batching, distribution choices, and ritual reliability.
- •Samir explains their simplified model: produce content and sell relevant sponsorship across video, audio, and written formats.
- •They describe audience segmentation (aspiring creator, career creator, creator industry) and how each group “hangs out” in different places (YouTube vs email).
- •They tested the newsletter internally first, then with a trusted small group, validating the value of curation and repeatability.
- •They explain “value prop extension” as choosing products that match what you already do well (education/curation/articulation), rather than random expansions like merch.
- •In advising Ali on a daily newsletter concept, they recommend longer internal piloting, decoupling production from distribution, and considering whether email, SMS, or other delivery fits the audience’s habits.
- •They discuss scaling: creators can do “zero to one,” but “one to ten” often needs dedicated operators while creators keep building distribution.

Publisher timestamps

Get more out of YouTube videos.

Read along on your phone, search it beside the video, or ask your favorite AI app what was said.