Scream For me

JADE

Hey guys, I’m Jade, and welcome to my channel! I’m here to offer you trips, tricks, and advice on starting from scratch. When I finished school, I thought I had it all figured out. I got through college with a degree, had a modeling gig that paid me enough money to spoil myself, and didn’t think I had to worry about the future at all…until the end caught up with me. I messed around for a while, trying to figure out what I would do with my life. I made mistakes, blew through my savings, and ended up with nothing.

Now, I want to show you how I turned things around. I didn’t do something I’m proud of, but I learned from my mistakes, and that’s my number one lesson for you: forgive yourself and try again.

I sat back and ran my hands through my hair, listening to my introduction video again and again.

“I don’t know if this is going to work. Doesn’t it sound stupid?” Olivia sat on my bed while I recorded on my laptop.

“Of course, it’ll work! You already have over a thousand subscribers. I’m telling you, people want to know how you did it, and they want to know you made mistakes, that you’re human, but you tried again and succeeded. There’s nothing as compelling as a great success story, and you’re not the only one out there who blew through all your money and had to pick yourself up again.”

I nodded. Olivia was right.

A week ago, I started this blogging thing. I’d searched online for ways to start a business, and a few sources suggested online courses and how-to programs. I didn’t know much, but I learned how to make mistakes. Olivia had been the one who’d told me to start a vlog about how I’d messed up and how I could offer what I’d learned. After I’d done three videos, my channel had blown up. It had been the luck of the drawsomeone had seen something they’d liked, and it had gone viral, and now I had more than a thousand people waiting for my next moment of vulnerability.

“I don’t know how they can be so excited about me screwing up,” I said, shaking my head.

“It’s because you’re transparent about it. You’re open and honest. Authenticity is all people want. I just can’t get over the cash you’ve already made.”

I blushed. In my second video, I’d talked about getting fired, and at least a hundred of my subscribers had sent me money to help outit hadn’t been more than the price of a coffee each, but with a hundred subscribers, that had added up to a substantial amount. They wanted more content, too.

“It feels backward for them to want to pay me for talking about how I messed up,” I said.

“It’s what they want. Let them help you. Let them learn from you!” Olivia said.

And that was how my channel was born. It was still early days, but if I could keep doing this, creating content from the things I’d learned, I could grow it into a business.

“I’ve decided on a name,” I said. Olivia kept telling me to name my channel, to use a catchphrase, or something that would stick. I’d thought about it, slept on it, and brainstormed.

“What?”

“Being the Little Guy,” I said. “And then my phrase is ‘and dreaming big dreams.'”

“I love it!” Olivia cried out. “You know you’re going to have to do a website, right? And a newsletter, affiliate programs, and a membership account where they can pay you monthly for extra content!”

I laughed as Olivia rambled on. “How do you know so much about all of this?”

“I follow so many of these content creators,” Olivia said. “I’m just telling you what I see works.”

“You follow a lot of them?”

“Sure, I’ll send some to you. This is how I know that it will workI’m one of the subscribers to people like this! I’m one of your subscribers, too.”

I blushed and laughed, excitement bubbling in my chest. “Do you think this is going to work?”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“Absolutely,” Olivia said. “You just keep being you, and they’ll love you for it.” She glanced at her wristwatch. “I have to go; I’m starting my shift soon. You’ve got this!”

She hugged me before she left my apartment. I turned on my laptop and drummed my fingers on the table, trying to decide my next topic. Knowing that so many people were watching made me nervous, but it meant I could say something and be heard. The power at my fingertips was as intoxicating as it was terrifying.

Hey guys, I said, hitting record. This is Jade from Being the Little Guy. Welcome to my channel! This is where we dream big dreams and make them come true! Today, I want to talk about something very different than jobs and money and making it in the real world. Today, I want to talk about love.