Recently, I've started getting into Youtube again, but following a couple of different hobbies much more closely; woodworking/making, and photography. What you describe is echoed by a few of them, namely, they do not really attempt to make a sole living purely off of Youtube. Instead, Youtube is kind of a marketing channel for them with auxiliary advertising revenue.
Basically, they sound a lot like you, in that they're all running a small business, typically as opposed to pure client work. But I don't think any of them see Youtube as a basis of their revenue; it's more of just another marketing channel.
I suspect the best generalization is the "1000 true fans" approach, where they're just trying to use different media to just contact those true fans. And build a business around that interaction, and just monetize everything else they can
Basically, they sound a lot like you, in that they're all running a small business, typically as opposed to pure client work. But I don't think any of them see Youtube as a basis of their revenue; it's more of just another marketing channel.
A couple of different takes on this:
- Sean Tucker, photography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI02c5DnRUg - Lincoln St Woodworks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDxs5Y13rlk
I suspect the best generalization is the "1000 true fans" approach, where they're just trying to use different media to just contact those true fans. And build a business around that interaction, and just monetize everything else they can