In the last 12 months, I’ve accomplished a great deal while maintaining my full-time tech job — I've inaugurated a YouTube channel and taken it to the next level.

What's my secret, you ask? No burnout-inducing 12-14 hour workdays or external hiring. The pillar for my solo business growth, which more than doubled my online income in 2023, was leveraging AI tools like Merlin AI and other generative AI.

And yes, in this post, I’ll share my strategy behind it all.

Before we delve in, here's why I chose to expand my business online:

1. The Desire for Scalability

I have a steady tech job and have been freelancing since 2020, amassing a regular clientele. However, a glaring realization nudged me towards change - my earnings were directly proportional to my working hours. I found this work-for-pay model increasingly infeasible.

This theory hit me when a simple one-month break from my freelance work caused a very noticeable dip in my earnings, adding to my workload pressure. There was also only so much satisfaction I could derive from creating under tight deadlines.

Hence, I needed a change - a business model that didn't rely solely on trading hours for paychecks. I decided to focus on building scalable products, owning my work, and ensuring an income stream that wasn't reliant on the number of hours I put in.

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2. The Need to Build My Personal Brand

Most of my freelance work centers around technical writing and programming. With the burgeoning use of generative AI , it became apparent that the demand for human-authored technical write-ups might decrease.

I also became keenly aware of how AI was streamlining programming jobs, which made me rethink banking my income solely on company decisions, especially in an era dominated by AI.

Building my personal brand seemed the logical step forward. You see, having an online presence paves multiple ways to earn, which can’t be easily substituted by AI.

Irrespective of AI's content creation capabilities, the demand for authentic human narratives will always persist. Personal success stories inspire and promote connection. This craving for connection causes us to form relationships, albeit one-sided, with media figures we barely know.

Personal branding is consequently highly influential; it can unlock several doors that would otherwise remain closed. With my rationale made clear, let's discuss how I integrated AI into my online money-making journey.

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How I got my Youtube Channel Up and Running

In the 3 months since my YouTube channel's inception, I have amassed over 50,000 views across videos. Juggling video content creation and my full-time job, I had to learn video editing, design, and filming on the fly. Despite the steep learning curve and time commitment, Merlin AI a GPT Chrome Extention assisted in trimming down my learning time and enhancing content creation.

Here are some ways AI helped my YouTube journey:

1. Research

The multiple elements involved in creating a YouTube video can be overwhelming. While some advice I received suggested using a smartphone for filming, others encouraged me to invest in professional equipment.

Seeking clarity amid the noise, I turned to Merlin to help break down various factors critical to making high-quality YouTube videos. Spending 30 minutes with Merlin yielded more knowledge than hours spent sifting through blogs and videos.
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Merlin’s YouTube Summarizer and Blog Summarizer, respectively helped me sort through videos and content on different platforms in much less time.

2. Image and Video Generation

Canva’s AI-assisted text-to-video tool greatly simplified my content creation process. Instead of hunting for stock footage, typing a simple prompt into Canva produces video clips tailored to my content. Software like DALLE-3 and Midjourney are also great tools to enrich your YouTube repertoire.

3. Video Editing

Video editing, an art in itself, takes years to master. I decided to take up the mantle, reasoning that learning a potent skill like editing would pay dividends later. Also, I wanted my content to reflect my unique editing style and storytelling, which are essential parts of my brand.

Merlin AI became my virtual teacher, guiding me to learn tools like Adobe After Effects in less than a week.
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4. SEO-friendly Content

Optimizing SEO is a significant step in succeeding on YouTube, yet it's frequently overlooked. For example, if you create a video titled "5 Passive Income Ideas in 2023," your potential viewers might also be searching for related content like online money-making, side hustles, freelancing, and investing.

Including these related keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and scripts is beneficial as it increases your video's visibility. Merlin’s GPT-4 powered chatbot can generate enticing hooks, titles, and SEO-optimized descriptions for your channel, minimizing tedious research and manual creation.

Though Merlin AI can also generate an entire script for your YouTube video, I prefer writing my scripts to maintain authenticity. However, many creators find immense value in using AI-generated scripts for their YouTube content.

So, there you have it - a rundown of how I used AI tools to catalyze my online business growth while retaining my full-time job. The evolving nature of technology is undeniable, but tapping into its potential can light the path to success, as my journey exemplifies.

Conclusion

In the past year, I've expanded online, doubling my income without burnout. The secret? Merlin AI. My YouTube channel, in just three months, hit 50,000 views, thanks to Merlin's help in learning and content creation.

From research to video editing, AI simplified my journey. Embracing AI is the key to success in our evolving tech landscape, as my balanced journey demonstrates. Here's to the future with AI by our side! 🚀

FAQs

1. How does AI impact your YouTube content's authenticity?

AI enhances authenticity by assisting in research and SEO, while my personal touch remains in creative direction and storytelling.

2. Why build a personal brand instead of relying solely on freelancing?

A personal brand diversifies income and provides resilience against AI's impact on certain job markets, allowing me to share unique narratives.

3. How do you balance a tech job with a growing YouTube channel?

Efficient time management, aided by AI tools like Merlin, optimizes tasks for a harmonious balance between work and creativity.