The YouTube Guru ft. Mridul Sharma

[00:00:01] Ladies, gentlemen and others, in today's episode I have someone, I think I say this too often but I have someone who really truly would qualify to be in my top 3 close friends in the industry. Someone whom I met at an event, I want to say about

[00:00:15] 5 or 6 years ago and she truly opened my eyes to YouTube in a whole different way. This person has been my go-to for very many questions when it comes to the platform of YouTube and we hope to travel together at some point is the goal for 2023.

[00:00:32] So Mridul Sharma, welcome to the pod. Thank you for having me. I love that little introduction that you did for me. Really cute. I mentioned this in the intro, you're someone that I actually genuinely have reached out

[00:00:44] to several times when I have questions because even though I've been a creator for 12 years, I've been on YouTube only for like 5-6 years I think at this point. But you're someone who always knew you wanted to do YouTube.

[00:00:56] How and why and what wanted to get you here and what's keeping you here? A lot of questions. Too many questions. So I started YouTube about 7 years ago, I'm going to complete 7 years this September.

[00:01:12] So essentially I started doing YouTube when I was 18 and even before that I used to blog like you back when blogging was a thing. So before that 2 years before that I used to do blogging. So it's been 9 years of me doing this and I actually always wanted to

[00:01:28] start off with YouTube but you know how YouTube can be a little bit intimidating. It's easier to write blogs than to show your face on the camera and talk. So back when I was 11 years old, I used to watch a lot of YouTube.

[00:01:42] I've always been a big consumer of YouTube and ever since I was 11 I used to watch people like Bethany Mota. I feel like that's someone, everyone names her name right? And Lordy Iy, Alisha Marie, Remy Ashton, all of them.

[00:01:59] I used to watch their videos and I would always think that I want to do YouTube and some where I always knew it's going to be a thing in India eventually and thankfully it did become a thing in India. And yeah that's how I started doing YouTube.

[00:02:13] It was kind of slow in the beginning. Like when I started of course, I feel like that's the case for most people. But then it's been really nice. It's been so fulfilling doing YouTube because I get to kind of exercise all of my passions

[00:02:28] in a way because I feel like I like to do a lot of things like fashion, beauty, makeup. I feel like all of us do right? Home decor, DIYs. So I get to kind of channel all of my energy there. So it's been really nice.

[00:02:40] So 7ish years almost 7 years of YouTube and 2 years of blogging before that. Is that is blogging something you do at all in your hobby? I by the way came to know that you have your blog much later after.

[00:02:52] I think at that point of time we were already friends and I was like, oh wait you used to blog. So that was like, oh wait because I also have my blog and I still go back to it sometimes. I do too yeah.

[00:03:02] You know when I'm like, I feel like writing today. Do you go back to that at all? So I actually used to have a blog spot blog before which doesn't have a lot of posts. I feel like it has maybe 10 after which I migrated to a proper WordPress

[00:03:15] which doesn't exist anymore. Okay. So I can't go back. No, because it was very expensive. So I was like, I'm going to let it go. I don't know. And you want if you weren't like looking into it.

[00:03:23] Yeah, yeah and I actually kind of cringed at my own blogs because I'm not a very good writer. You know, I was like, I can't do this and it was just too cringy. Like I just couldn't. So I was like, I'm going to let this go.

[00:03:36] I still have the blog spot life. So from time to time I do go back and read my blog, cringe a little, feel a little cute. But yeah. You are also currently going through like we're filming this in May.

[00:03:48] So I know that at the moment you're currently going through this phase where you're doing a lot of throwbacks on your Instagram stories of like older memories and blog posts. And I look at that and I'm like, okay. So all of us went through this chuggy era

[00:04:02] of going to like certain areas with graffiti and posing in front of it. We've all done that then. Yeah, yeah for sure. You mentioned that it was really expensive to maintain a website, right? And I feel like these days video first,

[00:04:16] there's reels, there's shots internationally out of India in most countries. There's TikTok. If there was someone who was listening that wanted to become a content creator, what kind of expenses would you tell them just to keep ready for, to prep for?

[00:04:29] Are there indicative numbers you can give us? I feel like it really depends on what kind of content you want to make to start off. Let's assume it's someone like you, like someone wants to do what you do.

[00:04:39] Because your target audience is also a lot of people under the age of 25? Yeah, 18 to 25. So if they wanted to do what you do, what costs would you keep them prepared for? So I feel like the first thing that you probably need is

[00:04:53] I was saying you don't think you really need a camera to begin. I agree. If you have a nice smartphone, you can just use the back camera and get like a 200 rupee tripod from Amazon. I feel like that's it. You don't even really need an iPhone.

[00:05:04] I feel like back in the day, the cameras weren't as advanced. But like these days, all smartphones do the back camera's great. I feel like that's all you really need and a tripod and light, natural light.

[00:05:16] But if you don't have natural light, maybe get a small little light. I feel like that you could get for like a thousand rupees max. I feel like that's really about it. And then if you want to create like fashion content,

[00:05:27] I feel like there are a lot of like juggadu ways to do it. I feel like when I was in college, I would just go to Hill Road. You know, like if you're in Delhi, you can just go to Sarojini and have a budget.

[00:05:36] Maybe save up a little bit, maybe 1000 rupees, 2000 rupees a month and then create content out of it and then just use what you really have. I feel like in the beginning, I feel like staying true to what you already have makes like a huge difference.

[00:05:50] Like what you already have, what you already love. I feel like utilize that and then build upwards. I feel like so if I were to put a number on it, excluding the iPhone or the phone, whatever, maybe say like 4000 rupees max.

[00:06:04] So it's become a lot more affordable today than it was. I feel like even then, you know, I even I didn't start. Well, yeah, I had a nice phone. So maybe, you know, I had that privilege of having a nice phone.

[00:06:16] But other than that, I would also just like use my pocket money and, you know, kind of budget it out and hustle also on this side. I would just a little bit scammy, but I would buy sunglasses from Hill Road for like 100 to 100 rupees.

[00:06:31] I would go to a salon, the lady, the owner was really nice. And she would tell me get me these sunglasses and she would ask me how much they're for. And I would be like, they're for 1000 rupees.

[00:06:41] And I would take the 900 off and every month she would buy like five, six sunglasses from me. And I would like put that money aside. So to God, I would also offer services. I would make like a little menu card with the head massage, pedicure or manicure.

[00:06:58] I would have all of that stuff, which I already have borrowed from my mom and give her only a pedicure and take money from her or just like people in my family and then hustle and take that money out and put it into blogging.

[00:07:10] OK, so I want to I want you to paint a picture for someone who again is is aspiring because I feel like a lot of your audience coming from the younger category. I think that we as influences in general tend to make it look a lot more glamorous.

[00:07:24] So if you were to kind of give someone a roadmap on the reality of it, what's your most favorite thing and least thing of doing what you do? I feel like I want to start off by saying I love what I do and I'm so grateful for it.

[00:07:37] So for the most part, I never really look at the negative or the cons. I love the pros that come with it and I like to focus on that. So I feel like my favorite part would be it's a really small one.

[00:07:51] But I feel like at the end of the day, when I'm in bed all comfy with my makeup off, I love scrolling through my comments and that just like makes me kind of realize what I do, why I do, why I do what I do.

[00:08:03] So that's my favorite part for sure, the interaction that you get, the love that you get. So that's my favorite part for sure. My least favorite part, I was going to say the criticism,

[00:08:15] but then I feel like over the past one year, I've really learned to kind of embrace it. Now I actually love criticism. Like give it to me, I can work on it. You know? So I feel like yeah, I think that there's no full stop to it.

[00:08:28] Like even when I'm in bed, I'm like thinking about what I could do more. There's no like there's no switch off button. Mentally that's totally on me. I don't feel like that comes with the job.

[00:08:37] It's something you need to learn over time to kind of separate and detach. I feel like that I haven't learned yet. I feel like you're always on like your brain is always working. Wouldn't you agree?

[00:08:48] I actually disagree on the path that you say doesn't come with a job because I feel like being a creator, it's a muscle in itself. And the more you exercise it, the longer you've been a creator, your ability to switch off is kind of like 12 years in.

[00:09:05] My ability to switch off is kind of out of my control at this point. I feel like there is this inherent feeling of formal with content. And I understand the need to share, the need to want to share, but is there is there something that you wouldn't share?

[00:09:21] Is there a line that you draw for yourself for your like, OK, this is pushing it? Yeah. No go for you. I feel like I don't show a lot of my family. That's something that I don't consciously don't because not because

[00:09:34] if anything, my parents love being on camera. My parents have a channel together where they do everything like they vlog. Even they're really into traveling, so they do a lot of that. So back in covid, he had a proper my dad's a professor.

[00:09:46] He's a chemistry professor, so he would kind of teach also via YouTube because that was the only way to do it. But then he's also moved on to get another channel which does like travel content and just like random stuff.

[00:09:58] Yeah. And he posts like I think once a day, one shorter day. Yeah. So. But coming back to what you asked me, I do show my parents, but like in proper quantity, yeah, like not too much of it because I fear the comments.

[00:10:15] That's the thing because I know I can handle it. I don't really care about comments. I don't want them to go back on a post and read something mean about them. But then what doesn't that get undone anyway if they have their own channel?

[00:10:26] But it's not that big of an audience, right? It's different because the lesser people, lesser hate, you know what I mean? What's the nastiest comment you've ever read about yourself on your channel? I feel like I even to this date, I get a lot of comments like

[00:10:43] Kali Kutti. Kali, like basically on my collar, like people love calling me Kali. And but I mean now it doesn't bother me. But back when I did start blogging, blogging, I was younger. I had more insecurities and I actually was not very confident in my skin.

[00:11:01] But now I'm OK with it. But those comments I get every day. But that's such a harsh comment irrespective of. Yeah. I mean, even worse when you're younger and you know how to deal with it. Such a. Yeah, it's really mean. Derogative, weird, backward.

[00:11:16] Like what sort of a comment is that? I know. Have you ever replied to any of these? No, I don't. You block? No, I do nothing. I'll be I'll delete sometimes if it really bothers me. But now I just let it be. What's your opinion on that?

[00:11:29] Because I do. I know that a lot of people get a lot of flack for deleting comments that are not in their favor. Yeah. Personally, I feel like each to their own. I feel like your platform and your profile is like your little home on the Internet.

[00:11:43] And if you want to keep it clean, I guess it should be OK. What's your opinion on that? I mean, it really depends if it's something like Kali and stuff like that. I'm like, I don't care.

[00:11:53] I'm just going to let it be if it's something if it has like, like bad words, like slangs with like asterisks, then I delete because I have a younger audience and I don't want them to see it.

[00:12:03] And also I have a younger cousin who watches my videos really like religiously and maybe if she were to go on the comments, I wouldn't want her to read something like that. So keeping that in mind, I'll delete sometimes.

[00:12:13] But I feel like, yeah, to each their own, it really depends on what I don't block. Yeah, I don't block. That's one thing that I don't do. I'll reply to the constructive criticism. That I always always. Yeah, I love that. So when you plan your content,

[00:12:28] you are someone that plans your content in advance. Oh, yeah. So can you walk us through a little bit of this process? How it is that you plan your content as a full-time YouTuber who does a whole bunch of like, you do Instagram as well.

[00:12:41] I feel like I'm very comfortable with YouTube. I know what I'm doing. I know what works and I feel YouTube's my home. Let's just begin by saying that Instagram was never really my focus,

[00:12:52] but I feel like over the past few years, I've realized that it has to be one of my areas of focus, correct? So I've been trying to put more love, attention, research into Instagram, but I feel like I still haven't gotten there.

[00:13:07] But let's talk about YouTube because I feel comfortable talking about YouTube. No, but why not do the same thing on Instagram as you're doing on YouTube? Because I personally feel same content doesn't work on both the platforms. You have to tailor it in a certain way

[00:13:20] because I feel like YouTube content is very different versus Instagram content. Don't you think so? I mean, I think so, but I want to get your perspective on it. Yeah, so I feel like you can't of course you can recycle your content

[00:13:30] and post the same thing on both the platforms. But also I feel like you need to make organic content for each platform. Like for example, I do a lot of say, for example, what I eat in a day

[00:13:42] for shots because that does well, but I wouldn't post that on Instagram. And for example, on Instagram, I would do like maybe like an aesthetic say room tour, for example, really random example, but that necessarily won't do well on shots.

[00:13:56] So I need to figure out what does well on Instagram. I haven't been able to figure out that aesthetic word of yours is as much as I know there is a there is a fan base that loves you. I'm like sometimes I'm like, middle stop it.

[00:14:11] Everything doesn't have to look so aesthetic all the time. I know I know I catch myself telling her like, yeah. Do you ever stop yourself from doing something really nice organically because you're like, oh, this is not aesthetic. It won't look like I have been trying to

[00:14:25] because like with my shots, that's one thing that I've been like people want to see the real shit. So I've been trying to do that for shots wherein I usually whenever I would even do stories, I would switch on my go dogs.

[00:14:40] I would switch on all the lights. I would want the light to be perfect. I would want it to be Chris. I'm like snap out of it. It's fine. Khoda karab lighting hoga chalega. People want to see what's happening, you know, like in real time,

[00:14:52] everything should look real. I've been trying to do that for shots. I haven't been able to do that for Instagram yet. Hopefully a little bit at a time. Walk us through your process of planning, creating and putting your content into edit.

[00:15:06] So I feel like this year I've adapted to a newer pattern, which I feel like has been working really well for me. So I have multiple notes on my phone. One of them is 2023 YouTube, which basically just has random ideas that I get. I keep jotting them down.

[00:15:24] I personally believe whenever you need to make content, you need to consume a lot of content also is what I personally feel not to copy paste, but I feel like you need to know what's happening in the market, what's working for other people

[00:15:38] and if that's going to work for your channel. If you can tailor it in a certain way where it's true to yourself. It's what people clearly want, right? If they're getting views, clearly people want to watch that. So I feel like I start off by in general,

[00:15:51] also I watch a lot of content like throughout the day. I catch myself doing my makeup watching YouTube videos. In fact, I even keep YouTube videos running when I'm sleeping. It's a little creepy at this point, but yeah, that's what I do.

[00:16:02] So I consume a lot of content after which there are random ideas that keep coming to me throughout the day or random times during the week. So I'll like keep jotting them down and then I'll categorize them monthwise because I feel like videos need to certain videos

[00:16:17] need to be posted because they're time sensitive. If that makes any sense. Give me an example. I feel like for the listeners, an example would help. For example, doing what I got for my birthday would go after your birthday.

[00:16:30] Really silly example, but no, like that or maybe like I would love to do like a mystery box with my friends Christmas edition, which would obviously go up during the month of December. Ideally, so I like to in that note stab, I have a January, February, March.

[00:16:47] So I like categorize them in which month it could go. And also, like for example, if it's the 15th of a month, I'll already start planning for the next month. So just before coming this morning, I already have my plan ready for June.

[00:17:01] I usually do between six to eight videos a month. Usually I'll try to list down 10 videos so that I can figure out like I have a buffer of two essentially, whichever is easier for me to do in that month.

[00:17:12] I can cancel out the two, push them to the next month. That's basically how I do it. Do you want to also tell us a little bit about how you structure things in terms of a team? Yeah.

[00:17:21] Like how many members do you have, who does what, what are their job roles like? So when there's someone out there who is looking to grow and scale on YouTube? Because I think one of the things that you've done really well

[00:17:31] while you started out independently and on your own, you were very, very quick to hire one of your friends as your manager. You were very quick to build that little ecosystem for yourself that works well for you. So how do those job roles work?

[00:17:45] What is your daily ops like? Who does what? I want to start off by saying that thanks to Anam, I really have a team because she's been telling me for years, get a team, get a team. But I feel like I was so, I was so comfortable.

[00:17:58] I feel like that's the word. And I feel like also again, I feel like one year has really changed me exactly one year. Like exactly last year in May is when I felt myself changing like my mindset really started shifting

[00:18:13] and I kind of accepted change and I also perceived change in a more positive way because I feel like I was so stuck in my ways where and I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like, I was like,

[00:18:25] I was like, I was like, let it go. But I wasn't open to the idea of expanding and trying out new things because I was comfortable. But I was like, since one year I've been trying to try out new things. So exactly again,

[00:18:38] one year ago I got a videographer, photographer on board who started off as a freelancer. And even now he is a freelancer, but we have kind of like a fixed schedule wherein he'll be coming in for at least a fixed number of days. So I have that.

[00:18:54] Then I have, as you mentioned, Adya who's been working with me since honestly day one, like even taking pictures for my blog. He's been taking my pictures for my blog. So he's my manager. He's the one who deals with brands who cracks deals for me

[00:19:09] who also looks at the back end for my brand, Simba and Sion. He's there and then again a year ago I got a creative assistant who's been a blessing, who's been helping me with everything. Executing, I feel like that's where because I feel like creating content,

[00:19:25] it is a very, it's a full-time job, which I feel like a lot of people don't think it is. It's a very tiring full-time job. I also have an editor, but she works remotely. Yeah, that's my little five people team.

[00:19:38] And then of course you have a separate external CA team, legal requirements. Yeah, but then of course they work remotely as well. These are the people who come into my studio. So I want to dive into Simba and ski on a little bit

[00:19:52] because I do feel like one of the things that influences content creators, YouTubers, whatever you want to call it here in India are now finally looking at as a genuine monetary revenue is having your own brand. And I feel like your brands have been around for a while.

[00:20:07] Like the new verified is a year and a half old. But how old are Simba and ski on his brand? It's been five years for Simba because this year, last year rather, we launched our fifth planner. So yeah, it's been five years.

[00:20:21] And then for ski on, I believe it's been three years, yeah, approximately three years. So yeah, they've been around for a while. However, right now they're going through metamorphosis. Yeah, that's the word. You guys do put in so much work over there.

[00:20:38] I know that Aditya works with you on the brands. You are on it. You have a friend who works on it as well. Yeah, he does. He's full time with us. Yeah. But how big are your in-house teams for Simba and ski on?

[00:20:48] So we have Aditya, we have me. We have another one of our friends who works full time for us. And then we have one more person who again works remotely, who's on the social media. We have one more guy who does the logistics

[00:21:02] and the warehousing, shipping out the orders. So he again, he goes, he comes to the warehouse every day. So can you tell us what Simba and ski on are as brands? What do you sell? I started off Simba lifestyle five years ago

[00:21:17] with the intention of bringing in makeup brushes in the market because back then there weren't a lot of makeup brushes that were available. So that's how it started. But it very like took a really random turn where now we primarily sell stationary, which is

[00:21:35] it was so random, but I had a thought again, another product which wasn't very easily available back then were planners. Five years ago, planners weren't really a thing in the Indian market. I'm sure there were a couple of people doing that.

[00:21:49] But I feel like these days, everyone's doing planners. There are so many planners in the market. So yeah, we started off with planners and I feel like planners and symbolized style kind of goes hand in hand. I feel like that's the first thing that kind of lights up

[00:22:02] in people's heads when they think of symbolized style, along with stationery, of course, and then ski on started off again, very randomly. Wherein I really wanted to tie dye. Tiedye was a big thing during lockdown and started off with that.

[00:22:17] And now we do a lot of really comfortable basics that I want to say. And that's something that I really want to build on loungewear is something that I personally live in. That's all I wear. So yeah, that's what we essentially do.

[00:22:31] Clothing, but really comfortable, good quality, basic clothing. How many years into your journey as a creator did you decide you wanted to go into the brand space and do this? Because a lot of people like I'll give you my own example.

[00:22:44] A lot of people were like, oh, my God, your collaboration is going to get affected. I have makeup brands not going to want to work with you if you have your own makeup brand. And I was very confident in a sense where I said,

[00:22:53] if anything, this adds more legitimacy to the fact that I know what I'm doing. Yeah, yeah. But was there a conscious strategy effort or feel for that matter? Yeah. When you decided to go into, let's say, launching some macros that came first. Yeah, yeah.

[00:23:06] I always knew eventually I wanted to start a brand even before I started a YouTube channel. I had like a proper five year plan for me when I was like, I'm going to start YouTube, I want to start a brand.

[00:23:17] And I did that really early on and I had no idea what I was doing. Honestly, when I started, I had no idea it was a learning curve for sure. I feel like that's the thing with anything new that you do. Right?

[00:23:29] So I don't sell anything that I promote. Yeah, I don't really promote clothes. I don't like as you mentioned for you, it was a big thing because primarily on Instagram at least you do a lot of makeup content.

[00:23:42] So it didn't kind of affect my brand endorsements or anything on those lines. But I always knew I wanted to create something that my own like, for example, when we create stationary or planners for that matter,

[00:23:55] there's so much love and so much, I want to say creativity that goes into it. And it's very satisfying and to be able to put your name on it and have that in like a physical form, it's very, very satisfying.

[00:24:07] I mean, you would know that out of all people. So yeah, I always wanted to start a brand and hopefully this is the year where I really take it to the next level because I feel like all these years

[00:24:18] I've had a brand but I haven't been able to put all of me into it because I've been so focused on my YouTube, my Instagram. I feel like I need to get better, learn from you to kind of have a nice balance

[00:24:31] wherein I'm working on both right now. Aditya was the main one who was handling it to be very honest, like the back end, all of that, the business aspect. I would just come in given my creative inputs. I want to make this, this, this happen.

[00:24:43] And of course, when there's a planner happening or when there's a launch happening, I'm there for it, of course. But I feel like I need to get more involved and I will. Here's me sending you lots of good juju on that. Is there anything you wouldn't promote?

[00:24:57] Like is there a collaboration opportunity that you will say, okay, you know what, money's great but I'm not going to do this? I don't do vitamin C capsules. Like basically anything that you have to ingest, like protein powder. Like those hair gummies? Yeah, essentially. Drum rolls please.

[00:25:16] It's time for our next segment. Associate this. A fast-paced word association game where my guests get no more than 10 seconds to respond. So get ready, get set, associate. Okay, so here on the pod, we do this really fun game.

[00:25:31] It's called associate this, which is basically like a rapid file. Okay. So I'm going to throw a few words at you. Okay. And I need you to throw something back at me. Okay. Let's go. Aesthetic. I want to say queen T.

[00:25:45] I have something to say but I'm just going to say DM because I keep sending you DMs of things that are happening. I'm the one who keeps and I'm updated with everything that's happening. This is very, very true. We're breaking every rule of this.

[00:25:58] Associate this rapid file game but it's true. I have to chime in. Runway. Lack me fashion. I don't know why. Dream collab. I want to say Victoria secret. I don't know why. Self expression. YouTube. My next word was going to be YouTube. YouTube. Home. So cute. Yeah.

[00:26:18] Minimalism which she is not. Yeah, not me. Influencer. Anam. I used to like read your blogs and yeah. Glamour. Karina. I don't know why. Business woman. Oh Anam again. I have to repeat it. CEO. Anam. Is there anything you want to say to everybody before going?

[00:26:42] Any myths you want to bust? Leave a pink heart emoji in the comments down below if you've made it so far. Thank you very much to everybody for tuning in. Don't forget to rate, review, leave a comment, subscribe and all of that good stuff.

[00:26:57] Make sure you come back next week, next Wednesday for another podcast episode and thank you brother for joining. Thank you for having me. This was my first. Thank you for being my first podcast. I made you your first podcast, Genie. Yay.

[00:27:08] I'm glad I did it with you rather.