FFB40 on Youtube - My first video and why I'm doing this

Hi all,

It took me a little longer than I expected to set this up, record, and upload.....


The quality of my laptop camera isn't as good as I had hoped for.....


The Incredible Hulk eye's are off putting.....


But, it's out there! My first Youtube video. It can only go up from here, right! 



My First Youtube Video

This video is about the "10 Things I Learned From The UK Gathering In York - Survey Results Revealed".

I discuss the results from the survey and put together a summary of the 10 main 'take-home' points from the Gathering. I discuss the things the attendees want to keep and the things they'd like to change moving forward.

Thanks to everyone that filled in the survey. It was really helpful to hear everyone's thoughts. I'm somewhat pleased to read that there wasn't anything that someone hadn't already told me during the weekend, which I think is a good thing. I plan on putting these 10 points into action for the next one and making it the best one yet!

Click on the open-mouthed, blurry picture below to check it out!




Why am I doing Youtube?

First of all, I'm a big Youtube fan. I subscribe to a few channels of interest in the 'Personal Development', 'Kindle Publishing', 'Strength & Conditioning', and 'Dogs do the dumbest things' categories. 

Through my time as a consumer, I've seen some very well produced and interesting Video Blogs (or Vlogs as they're affectionately known) on the topics above. I've found myself being drawn into peoples lives and what they do. I find watching Youtube more captivating than reading Blogs mainly because I'm a visual learner. I take things in once I'm shown what to do, rather than reading about it or listening to how it's done. 


There are currently a lot of people on Youtube sharing their lives with consumers. I regularly watch athletes sharing their daily routines, meal plans, workouts, tips and tricks. I think it's fascinating to get this insider knowledge on a subject I feel so passionate about. I find Youtube very intimate, and I like that. 




Financial Vlogging - A gap in the market?

I've struggled to find a lot of Vlogging channels on the subject of working towards FIRE, Dividend Investing and a lot of the other stuff I share on this Blog. There are a lot of 'How To Guides' on these areas, but not specifically Vlogging, and I think that's a shame. 


Vlogging stands out to me as it shares the 'warts and all' of a lifestyle. It's real and relatable. It demonstrates the full process for everyone to see.


Success leaves tracks, and Vlogging allows the consumer to get the full picture of how to get there, much like Blogging does. 


Any reader of Jason's Blog Dividend Mantra will be aware of how beneficial this type of intimacy is. Jason lay's out EXACTLY how he got to his $200,000+ portfolio of shares, from $26,000 when he started Blogging in March 2011. This real-life account follows Jason's steps all the way. This approach means more to me than reading a Bio or a 'how to' by a rich investor. The 'success tracks' are deep and you can't miss them!


One of my favourite quotes is from Mahatma Ghandi:

"Be the change that you wish to see in the world"
I would LOVE to see more people sharing their lives, routines, techniques and tips on Youtube with regards to finance. The UK Gathering emphasised how much value everyone has to offer each other. 

The nail on the coffin for me was the thought of seeing MonevatorMMMERE, and The Escape Artist on Youtube. I would immediately subscribe to their channels and would watch their videos with great interest. 


Sitting here wishing for something out of my control isn't going to do 'Jack' to change that, so I put it on myself to start Vlogging my life towards FIRE so everyone can see what I'm doing and how I got there. 


If you search 'Dividend Investor Blog' in google it comes up with 1.8m options (as of 3/9/15). Yet, if you search 'Dividend Investor Youtube channel' it comes up with 180k. I don't think this area has been served as well as it should be and I for one am going to change that! 


...........180,001



Enter FFB40 Youtube Channel


I plan on keeping my Blog and Vlog very closely aligned, and I will be using both formats to share my story. I want to continue sharing what I share on this Blog, but I believe the Youtube format will help me share more details. 

To be frank, I don't think my Blog has exposed as much of 'what I do' as I would have liked, due to the time it takes me to write and juggling my other commitments. I think that I will provide a lot more content on Youtube, as it's a more efficient format for me. I'm also more of a talker than a writer! I find talking in front of a camera more appealing than writing a post. 


My next video is will detail a shortlist of the 3 locations for the Down South UK Gathering for early October. I'll be posting a Survey on this Blog as to which one everyone prefers. I'll also include a vote on the best name for this 'movement' or collection of financial minds. 



What's going to be on the FFB40 channel?


As I mentioned above, I plan on including things that I cover on the Blog, but I want to push the boat out a little more. 


I plan on doing 5-10 min videos on my day-to-day life. Sharing with everyone my new part time, and soon to be, solo earning lifestyle. What I do for my morning routine, I can show you low price & healthy meals that I make. How I weight train on a budget etc. 


I want to share how I select shares, how I keep my expenses down, and share useful tips I've picked up on investing, frugal living, personal development and working towards FIRE. 


My longer term goal is to start interviewing other FIRE Bloggers around the UK and possibly around the world and getting their knowledge, experience and story on camera. If The FIREstarter interviewed Ermine, or if Weenie interviewed Retirement Investing Today on camera. I can even branch out and interview specialists on certain subjects like John Kingham on Stock Selection. I for one would love to watch that! I'm sure there are other people out there that would be interested to watch this too, so once again rather than sit here wishing, I'm going to make it happen. 


Thank you all so much for the continued support, feedback and advice. I really appreciate it. I know you don't need prompting, but please let me know your thoughts on my new Youtube exploration.  



Would you be interested to watch this type of content on Youtube? What other stuff would you like to see? What are your thoughts on the 10 Things I took for the York Gathering?

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