Abandoned lucrative position at YouTube, pursuing creator career full-time, and accumulated a million-dollar fortune.
Let's Get Real About YouTube, Grooming, and Becoming a Millionaire
Alex Costa, a former YouTube employee, traded his corporate gig for the life of a content creator after hitting six figures on his men's grooming channel. Now, Costa runs Forte Series, his successful grooming brand that's poised to rake in $10 million this year.
Landing a gig at YouTube's gaming department after six grueling interviews was the bee's knees for Costa. Yet, he had bigger dreams – quitting the nine-to-five grind to focus solely on content creation.
Before setting foot in YouTube's hallowed halls, Costa had already fueled his YouTube channel and held various roles within the online gaming industry. The company supported his efforts to grow the channel alongside his Netflix-and-chill employment.
In the sweltering summer of 2017, Costa switched gears. Tired of gaming, he began dishing out videos about men's grooming and fashion. Viewers started asking about his threads and coiffure, sparking Costa's foray into this new territory.
Despite having no training or particular passion for it, Costa identified with the concept of self-improvement. His content started slaying the competition, garnering the attention of brands, fast.
Casting aside his YouTube salary, Costa aimed to stash $100,000 (around $88,000) to jump ship. By the end of 2017, he made his weak-kneed exit from YouTube after almost three years, leaving behind a river of tears.
Quitting YouTube was the toughest, gnarliest, and most fulfilling career move Costa had ever made –Game. Set. Match.
Tallying Up Six-Figures: Brand Deals Aplenty
Soon after his digital departure, Costa secured one of his first six-figure brand deals. He became a one-man wrecking crew on the influencer scene before creating his own brand.
Back then, lifestyle influencers for men were as common as a patch of rare purple unicorns in a field. Costa was one of the few wanderers leading the charge – and raking in serious cash. In 2018, a year after bailing out from YouTube, he made five to six times his old salary, thanks to brand deals with Old Spice, Whoop, and Amazon, among others.
Hair has always been Costa's go-to topic. Frequent reviews of grooming products revealed shortcomings: often, items had more feminine marketing or smells, which led to his brilliant idea: create a brand that caters specifically to men. Knowing his predominantly male audience like the back of his hand and armed with his beta-testers, Costa set out to conquer the men's grooming market.
Forte Series was entirely bootstrapped, with Costa never dipping into the company's coffers. The brand's first product launch in October 2019 sold out in a month and a half, bringing in around $50,000 in revenue (about $44,000). Today, Forte employs eight full-timers, in addition to Costa and co-founder, Brian Yang.
Lessons Learned: When Startup Dreams Go South
Setbacks come knocking when venturing into the startup world. One of Costa's biggest blunders was tackling three brands at once: Forte, skincare line Apricus, and clothing line Aetos. Constrained resources and competing priorities made for a rocky road. Moreover, funds meant for Forte – the brand with the proven model – were funneled towards other brands, leading to a misstep as fast as a NASCAR race.
Costa took the proverbial L in the court of public opinion. The failure to deliver, especially skincare products, was a hard pill to swallow. It took a whole lotta' guts and transparency from Costa to address his stumble, minimizing the blowback and eventually winning back his faithful community.
Moving forward, Costa remains laser-focused on his original vision: empowering men to step up their style game and boost their self-confidence. Gone are the days of leaning on the Men's Wearhouse for haircuts, and it's high time men embraced their inner barber.
Sources:1. boyss-news.com2. trademarkia.com3. thebrandisty.com
- As a former YouTube employee, Alex Costa agreed to leave his corporate job and transcribe his YouTube content into a guiding pass for entrepreneurship, personal-finance, education-and-self-development, and career-development.
- Costa's success in the men's grooming industry led to finance opportunities beyond just brand deals, with Forte Series projected to earn $10 million this year.
- The early days of Forte Series were marked by innovative grooming videos and product reviews, which later transformed into a line of products for men, sticking to Costa's mission of catering to his predominantly male audience.
- Containing eight full-timers, Forte Series has proven to be a successful entrepreneurship venture for Costa, with the brand's first product launch in October 2019 generating around $50,000 in revenue.
- Despite lessons learned during the challenges of managing multiple brands, Costa remains dedicated to his original vision, investing in financing Forte Series' products and services to build its visibility and solidify its market position.
- Notably, Costa's transparency in addressing setbacks such as mismanaging funds and delays in product delivery has won back the loyalty of his community, reinforcing the importance of honesty and authenticity in entrepreneurship.
- With ongoing support from investments in grooming, financing, and partner brands, Costa's entrepreneurial journey continues to inspire others in the lifestyle, business, and personal finance arenas.
