Hi friends!
I’m writing to you from the mall with a yogurt shake, again. Remember those times? It feels like the beginning of 2023 and up until October 7th is a totally different year.
But it’s that time again to reflect on the passing year and set goals for the next one. And 2024 is full of potential.
Let’s dive into the reflections, shall we?
Reflections on 2023
The points below are the good, the bad, and the ugly of 2023 for me.
I Started 2023 with 3200 Subscribers on YouTube and Finished it with 3950
Technically, this year has been the slowest in all of my time on YouTube. I started my YouTube channel on September 2020. From there until September 2022 I gained more than a 1000 subs/year. That means 2023 is the first I’m gaining only 700ish subscribers.
The reason is perfectly clear. I threw a wrench into my channel’s growth when I realized YouTube was boxing me into “Brennan Lee Mulligan” content. If it’s not about Brennan it doesn’t get views. And that’s when I rebranded the channel as Geek Peek and opened a different YouTube channel under my own name. That channel has 35 subscribers if you’re wondering.
I Made about $1000 in Ad Revenue on YouTube in 2023
This is not life changing money. 3992 NIS is a little less than 1000 dollars. For the whole year.
I Opened and Closed a Blog in Under 10 Months
Nerdy Modern Blog was a website I opened in January 2023. I had this notion that it’s going to be too complicated if that’s not under my name. That’s why I moved all of the posts here, to this Substack, and closed that website.
It was a mistake.
In truth, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Was it a blog about me? Was it a blog about nerd culture? Content Creation?
I wasn’t sure.
But now I am.
I Opened Nerd Space Magazine
Nerd Space Magazine is a different beast than Nerdy Modern Blog which was a little vague. NSM is not about me. It’s about what nerds love to read.
And most of the posts from my previous blog and basically a lot of the things I wrote over the years about video games, TV, and movies, fit into it.
It’s a lot of work to import all of those articles there since I’m not just copy pasting. I’m also doing rewrite work with Hemingway to break down the lengthiest sentences into smaller digestible chunks.
As a non-native English speaker, I tend to have running sentences. Since I started using Hemingway I’m now more aware when it happens.
I Opened a Digital Print Shop on Etsy
Earlier this year I opened a Digital Print shop on Etsy. In the Pandemic, like everyone, I decided to open an online business. And it went well for a while, only I didn’t want to keep printing t-shirts. I wanted something that felt more hands-off. And aside from one customizable listing, most of the listings are completely hands-off. I made the files one time and Etsy automatically sends them out when someone orders.
Making custom listings does take more of my time, and ironically it’s the listing that makes the most sales and generates the most reviews.
How unsurprising.
I still need to figure out Etsy SEO and also using Pinterest for the shop. I’m currently making sales only using Etsy Ads and that’s not sustainable. I’m spending more on the Ads than the revenue of the sales.
I Celebrated Six Years in My Current Day Job on September
And I’m not sure I’d like to stay in 2024. I learned a lot and developed a lot of skills in this startup over the years. I also got raises over the years so I don’t feel like the salary hasn’t been competitive with what people in the market are making.
Problem is, there’s a war going on and it’s not really a good time to exchange jobs. Also, I feel like my day job development does a lot for the war with our tech. So, just being there and providing my best work feels like I’m contributing to the war effort in some ways.
Goals for 2024
Those were all the reflections I’m willing to share publicly. There’s more that remains in my private journal. Now, let’s move on to the goals for 2024.
Publish 200 pieces on Nerd Space Magazine
Don’t get me wrong. Many of these are already written. I have over 60 articles here and on Medium that I need to edit with Hemingway and import. So it’s not the same effort as writing something from scratch.
I don’t have ads on the site right now and I don’t intend to have any for the foreseeable future. When I get to 1000 consistent views from Google each month, we can talk about putting ads.
What I am doing is using Amazon Associates. I intend to write reviews of books and put links to those books on Amazon if anybody is interested in buying.
The same will go for any software that nerds might need for whatever reason.
Hopefully, being consistent with posting to the site will increase its ranking and it might evolve into an income stream.
Publish Videos Reflecting on Nerd Space Magazine on YouTube
My new personal YouTube channel is about what I want to publish and it should also be helpful to other people. Building a blog is a very common search on YouTube and I might find a slice of views from it for contributing my authentic view of the site I’m building.
I don’t want to give myself any numbered goals like Subscribers or views. I don’t control them.
Get Geek Peek Published on All Podcast Networks
Today only a two thirds of all episodes from Geek Peek are published on Podcast apps. I need to change that.
It’s mostly brain dead work but it must be done. I don’t have the spare cash to give this job to someone else.
One other thing I want to do with Geek Peek episodes is get them transcribed and published on Nerd Space Magazine.
Make Life Easier By Scheduling More Content Ahead of Time
This is the one thing I need to do more of so I can have a social life and not spend my days doing work that doesn’t really translate into profit.
Learning to Schedule and divide the work to chunks that make sense can have a big impact on productivity.
Aspirational Bonus: Build an Extra $500/month Revenue Stream
I don’t know if it’s going to be my Etsy store or maybe a course, but I want to build an extra revenue stream. I’m leaking money on all of those side hustles and I don’t really bring anything back in. Maybe this newsletter could become an income source, too, at some point. Or memberships for Nerd Space Magazine.
It’s not easy and I know the money will flow if I manage to stay consistent with the things I need to do.
Thank You For Reading!
How’s your 2024 looking? Are you planning any big changes? Feel free to let me know!
Also, are there any of these topics I covered above that you want to see more of on this newsletter? Please write and share that feedback with me.
Have a great holiday season and I hope to hear from you, soon.
Also, if you’re feeling generous, I have 30% off yearly subscriptions for the newsletter through New Years!