Caleb Orem runs Ruthless Focus, a Youtube channel where he reviews cars, offers advice on car models and runs a car importation business. The first few videos he posted on his channel in 2018 were random. He filmed himself doing daily chores and cut them into short videos. They were mundane and unstructured.
“My videos hardly got any views even though my channel was called 100 Million Views. Later, when I narrowed the content down to cars, I changed the name to Ruthless Focus,” he says.
The Bachelor of Administration graduate from Technical University of Mombasa (TUM) recently started offering car importation services through his social media platforms. He even quit his job to focus fully on the channel.
“The hardest thing about starting a YouTube channel is catching the attention of strangers and getting them to subscribe and watch your contact,” he says. By the time Caleb was 18, he had learnt how to drive and diagnose some car problems.
“I grew around cars and that’s why I love them so much. My uncle owned a fleet of matatus that operated In Nyanza, Homabay and Migori routes,” he shares.
In 2019, Caleb got a job at a car dealership in Mombasa and this is what thrust him into content creation.
“When you work in a car shop, you get to learn a lot. The dos and don’ts of buying a car, what model is best for family, methods scammers use to con clients and so much more. I felt that this information could help other car enthusiasts so I started filming content of that nature,” he says.
With a phone mounted on a car’s dashboard, Caleb would record videos, edit them and post on his channel. “Mine is a one-man show,” he offers. At the height of Covid-19, when most people were working from home, his channel grew to more than 5,000 subscribers.
“I currently have more than 30,000 subscribers and my videos have been viewed by more than two million people,” he says.
In August last year, Caleb made a video that saw him join the league of professional content creators.
“The video was about Nissan models that people should avoid based on the experiences of those who owned them and my experiences as a dealer. It was my breakthrough. I remember looking at my earnings that month and thinking, ‘There’s potential here.’ So I started planning my exit from full time employment,” he says. To market his content, Caleb leveraged on Twitter where he had already amassed a following of about 16,000 followers.
“It helped draw traffic to my channel.” The 29-year-old is among 10 creatives who have been selected to join Youtube’s Black Voices class of 2023. The Mombasa based entrepreneur will benefit from a seed funding of between $20,000 and $50,000 (Sh2.4 million and Sh6.1 million).
“When I got the email that I had been selected, I was in disbelief. First, I don’t have quality equipment to shoot or edit my videos. Occasionally, I come across comments from viewers asking me to invest in better recording gear. I believe what gave me an edge is the fact that I have narrowed down to a particular niche. Also, I am consistent and do proper research before shooting,” he says.
He intends to invest part of the amount into the channel, employ an editor, producer and content planners. Also, he is keen on upgrading his production equipment to include cameras, audio equipment and drones for shooting cars.
“One big lesson that this has taught me is to start with what you have. There are people who chose to wait until they’ve saved enough to buy proper gear but I decided to start with my iPhone 6. I have since upgraded to a better phone.” While he doesn’t intend to pursue a career in business administration, he says that the knowledge comes in handy even in content creation.
“What I learnt from the course enables me to negotiate with clients, manage the channel and maintain an entrepreneurial mind. However, I don’t see myself going back to full time employment. I love the flexibility that comes with what I do,” he says.
In future, he aspires to have his own car bazaar where he can freely review different vehicles. “At the moment, I depend on friends and other car dealers,” he says. BY DAILY NATION