The YouTube Formula

INTRODUCTION

A magical ice‐cream‐pooping unicorn made me write this book. That's not where it started, but it's what pushed me over the edge. If you think this makes me sound a little crazy, let me explain.

It was 1999. I had recently graduated with a degree in advertising and marketing, and I had a stable job with benefits and potential for advancement. But then … I quit. It wasn't the right career path for me. I wanted to start my own business and create my own future. This felt crazy because my wife and I had our first baby, Ellie, that year, and I felt the pressure to provide for my family. Keeping a steady job and building savings would have been the safe thing to do, but instead, I spent all our money on the latest Macintosh computer and the software it needed (it would have been cheaper to go with a PC! Dang you, Steve Jobs). I was determined to be a successful business owner and ready to take on the world … from my kitchen table workstation at home.

I spent days coming up with my company info, designing a website, and making my own business card. I just knew I would be a great entrepreneur. But after only two weeks, my wife, Carolyn, let me know that my office needed to move from the family table where she fed the baby and where there were spills aplenty. She had gotten a degree in accounting and had a really good job and had put me through school, but we both wanted her to be able to stay home with Ellie and our future children. Carolyn was my business partner—she ...