Hey Everyone!
I’m Eric. I create mostly bicycle related content on YouTube, pretty much constrained to the Atlantic Provinces.
Some of you likely know me from rides, others from seeing my content pop on here from time to time shared by @Rolls or @JeffV (thanks for the support), or hell maybe you came across my channel/content completely organically like so many others in the world have.
Or maybe you don’t know who I am at all, which is also completely reasonable.
Currently I’m sitting at 18,138 subscribers at the time of writing this post, with 3.2 Million total views.
Okay. What’s my point?
I’m to a point that I want to be more public about making this content and putting in a bigger push for growth. With the exciting efforts that are being made by everyone involved with Mountain Bike Atlantic, all of the incredible trail building happening in the Atlantic Provinces, the wild talent that we have to showcase, and the excitement from the provinces to grow this niche as a tourism destination; it’s time I reach out and ask for advice and help.
I’ve gotten to this point in my creator career while working full time the entire duration. 6 days a week working at a shop, with commutes and small periods of time to shoot video for 2 of those years. This past year and a half I’ve been working 10 hour days all week while being on call after hours. That doesn’t leave much time to shoot and edit, yet I still manage to average about a video a week. Growth is steady, but could be so much more explosive with a higher frequency of uploads.
To get there, I’d need more time. To get more time, I’d need to leave a job. To leave a job, I’d need funding. To get funding, I’d need… a grant?
This is where I’m lost. This is awkward.
I make a modest amount of money every month from where the channel currently sits, though not nearly enough to survive a 6 month to year long effort of channel expansion and growth. Over time, the channel would support itself, I’m certain of this.
I’ve discussed this with a few friends, but we’ve not really come up with a solid plan of attack. I wrote up a business plan to organize my thoughts, as well as going through the financials to show the growth and areas of revenue that could see exciting returns.
What would some of you suggest?
Grant Applications?
Business Loan?
Investment Capital?
Patreon Page?
Keep Plugging Away and Hope For the Best?
Considering my current audience reaches a wild amount of countries, with 33% in the United States, I already have an impressive amount of interest in the places showcased in these videos. There is huge potential here to draw people into our provinces to ride bikes and explore. I want to be a key part of it.
My vision would be to continue with the videos I already produce much more frequently. Grow the amount of sponsored videos (product reviews and showcasing). Create a pile more mountain bike content on properly sanctioned Atlantic Canadian trails. Next summer be a part of organizing and promoting a large event at one of our Atlantic Canadian bike parks (likely Keppoch) and see what kind of tourism numbers we could pull in.
What would you do?