He Makes $125,000/year As A Niche YouTuber | Starter Story

October 6, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Shervin Shares left a six-figure software engineering job to become a full-time YouTuber, and in his first year, he made $300. Now he earns $125,000 a year living in New York City, the most expensive city in the world, by making niche tech and fitness content. This conversation covers how he made the leap, the mechanics of his business, and the operating principles that keep him going.

The Decision to Quit and the Financial Cushion

Shares quit his job twice—first as a software engineer, then as a product manager. The trigger was a Gary Vaynerchuk video that argued recent graduates should take high risks before they have family obligations. "In five years if I'm married and have kids, I won't be able to take a massive risk," Shares recalls thinking. His calculus was simple: the worst case was returning to a software engineering job.

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What you'll learn

1 (01:30) **From Six-Figure Engineer to Full-Time YouTuber** - Shervin explains why he left a stable software engineering career to chase a creative dream, starting with only $5-10K in the bank.
2 (04:42) **Surviving on 2-3K/Month from YouTube** - Shervin details how he made the leap by cutting personal costs to near zero and living with parents.
3 (05:34) **The Real Cost of Starting YouTube: Zero vs. Everything** - Shervin argues that money isn't the barrier—hunger and consistency are.
4 (06:37) **Early Days: Daily Vlogs and the Grind to 1,000 Subscribers** - Shervin describes his initial content strategy and the slow subscriber growth that took years.
5 (09:07) **First Dollars: From $10/Month AdSense to Affiliate Breakthrough** - Shervin explains how he made his first money and accidentally stumbled into affiliate marketing.
6 (11:09) **Revenue Breakdown: 80% Affiliate, 20% AdSense** - Shervin breaks down his current income streams and why he avoids sponsorships.
7 (11:46) **Living in NYC on a Creator's Budget** - Shervin shares how he makes the most expensive city in the world work with roommates and extreme cost-cutting.

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Show Notes

He Makes $125,000/year As A Niche YouTuber

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This is the story of how Shervin Shares went from his miserable 6-figure job to becoming a full time YouTuber living in New York City.

Shervin’s Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@ShervinShares

0:00 - Intro 0:59 - Shervin's Early Days 1:29 - How he made the decision to quit 2:34 - When is the right time to quit? 3:33 - Cutting down personal expenses 3:59 - How much is costs to do YouTube 4:30 - What is takes to be a YouTuber 5:00 - First starting on YouTube 5:22 - Best YouTube upload schedule 5:44 - How long did it take to get 1K subscribers? 6:20 - How long until you made $$$ from YouTube? 6:53 - Different ways to make money on YouTube 8:19 - His income streams 9:00 - Living in NYC as a creator 9:51 - Cost of living in NYC 11:00 - Coffee vibes 11:10 - Most viral video 11:58 - Viral formula 12:47 - Finding talent + hiring 13:24 - Advice for new creators 14:03 - How to find video ideas 14:58 - How to meet other creators 16:06 - Running a 5 minute mile 17:06 - Final words

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-------------- Keywords: tech business, bootstrap startup, digital products, software business, startup journey, business podcast

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