Watch: My 2025 income streams, screen-shared
I walk through the dashboards for each income stream,what spikes, what dips, and how much time each one actually takes. You’ll see the realities behind AdSense CPM swings, evergreen uploads that quietly compound, and side hustles that were supposed to be “easy wins” but fizzled out.
Revenue Streams
What actually pays the bills
YouTube AdSense (3 channels)
Personal travel, a faceless travel channel, and a tech review channel. CPM jumps when the audience is US/UK; it drops when Vietnam views surge. Upload cadence matters more than any “secret growth hack.”
Evergreen uploads
Old videos (packing lists, visa tips, scenic b-roll) still rack up views. They’re the reason I can take a week off and still see small daily deposits.
Stock footage
Adobe Stock + Shutterstock. I share lifetime totals, best-selling drone shots, and why I prioritize batches over single uploads.
Affiliate marketing
Camera/gear links plus a few referral partners. Works only when I’ve already earned trust,no spray-and-pray linking.
Brand perks & trials
Occasional tools/subscriptions come free. I keep a short list of what’s genuinely helpful versus shiny distractions.
Client work from content
Viewers hire me for edits once they see my workflow. Quiet, dependable income that grows as the archive grows.
Blog & donations
Articles with embedded videos + AdSense + small “buy me a coffee” tips. Not huge, but it stacks with everything else.
If this saved you time or money, there’s a coffee link below.
What flopped
Hard lessons (so you can skip them)
- Print-on-demand: Looked passive, but design/upload/admin churn killed ROI. I shelved it.
- AI influencer hype: “$10K/month in a week” was fantasy. I made $4.99 on day one and then… crickets.
- Chasing every trend: Diversifying is smart; context-switching is not. I stick to a few lanes now.
My approach
The mindset that keeps it growing
Diversify small streams
None of these alone pays for full-time travel. Together, they cover rent, food, and flights,especially in lower-cost hubs like Vietnam.
Play the long game
It took ~2 years for momentum. Now every new upload leans on the archive instead of starting from zero.
Keep costs low
Vietnam rent keeps the burn rate down. It buys me time to refine what works instead of chasing quick cash.
Target: $2,000 USD/month
That’s my independence threshold. Anything above that gets reinvested into better projects, gear, and travel buffer.
What’s working for you?
Drop a comment on the video if you want me to deep-dive one of these income streams,or share your wins and fails so others can learn.
I don’t sell courses or hype. If this helped, you know where the button is.