They Laughed When I Started a YouTube Channel—Now I’m Paying Their Rent

“Bro, seriously? You think anyone’s going to watch you?”

That was my cousin’s response when I first said I wanted to start a YouTube channel.

He wasn’t trying to be mean. He was being honest—in his own way.

But it still hurt. Because that one sentence told me everything people thought of me: ordinary, unremarkable, and destined for nothing.

And the truth is, maybe I was.

I didn’t have rich parents.

I didn’t have perfect skin or an expensive camera.

I didn’t even have proper WiFi.

All I had was an old Android phone with a cracked screen, a shaky voice, and one small spark inside my chest that whispered, “Try anyway.”

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🎥 The First Video Nobody Watched

My first video was... bad.

It was shot in my bedroom, with bad lighting and even worse sound. I balanced the phone on a stack of books, sat in front of it, and talked.

I didn’t even know what to say. I just spoke about my life. The kind of life where you count every rupee. Where you skip lunch to afford data. Where you don’t dream big—because reality doesn’t allow it.

I titled it:

"What It Feels Like to Be Broke But Hopeful."

It got two views.

One was me.

The other was a stranger who commented:

“I’m living this. Keep going, bhai.”

That comment? That was everything.

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😴 Long Days, Quiet Nights

While most people were watching Netflix or sleeping, I was learning how to edit videos on my phone using free apps with watermarks.

I worked at a general store during the day, earning just enough to eat once and recharge my mobile balance. At night, I would record, edit, and upload—even if the upload took four hours using weak 2G signals.

I didn’t have ring lights. I used a torch.

I didn’t have a mic. I used a broken earphone with one working side.

I failed more times than I can count.

There were nights when I cried. Nights when I stared at the “0 views” line and felt like a ghost talking into the void.

But something inside me kept whispering:

“What if tomorrow changes everything?”

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💥 Then One Day… It Did

One random Tuesday, I uploaded a video called:

“How I Survive on 150 Rupees a Day – My Real Life”

No music. No filters. Just truth.

I showed my tiffin box, my daily budget, my broken slippers. I spoke from the heart. And for the first time… people listened.

10,000 views in 24 hours

800 comments

Subscribers doubled overnight

And I got my first email: “We want to sponsor your next video.”

I stared at the screen in disbelief. It was real.

I ran to my mother and said, “Ammi, someone wants to pay me to speak!”

She smiled, kissed my forehead, and said:

“Allah gave you a voice. You just found a way to use it.”

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💸 From Mockery to Money

My first payment was $100.

It felt like winning the lottery.

With that money, I bought groceries for the house. I cleared the overdue electricity bill. And I bought a new fan for my mother—the old one had made so much noise in my early videos that people had complained in the comments.

That fan had been our background sound.

Now it was a memory.

The same cousin who laughed at me?

He messaged:

“Bro, you really did it. Can you help me start a channel too?”

I didn’t reply with sarcasm. I replied with a voice note explaining how to record, what app to use, and where to start.

Because I wasn’t doing this to prove them wrong.

I was doing it to prove me right.

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🏠 Now I Pay Their Rent

When my uncle lost his job, I didn’t announce anything. I just sent him three months of rent quietly.

When my younger cousin needed school fees, I paid it.

When my neighbor’s daughter was admitted to the hospital, I did a fundraising video that covered her treatment in three days.

Today, the same people who once said,

“Why waste time on YouTube?”

Now say,

“MashAllah, beta. We always knew you were special.”

I just smile. Because now, I finally understand something:

You don’t need everyone to believe in you.

You just need you to believe—and to keep showing up.

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🧠 What They Never Knew

They didn’t know that I recorded videos with an empty stomach.

That I learned English by watching subtitles on old movies.

That I almost gave up—many times.

They didn’t know I spent nights crying into a pillow, whispering,

“Just one video. Let one go viral. Just one.”

They didn’t know that every “like” felt like oxygen.

That every subscriber was hope, wearing a number.

But now they know.

Now they watch.

Now they ask me how I did it.

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📣 Final Message to You

If you're reading this and have a dream—no matter how small—listen to me:

Start.

Don’t wait for a perfect time. Don’t wait for perfect tools. Don’t wait for permission.

People will laugh at first.

They’ll question your path.

Then they’ll copy it.

And when that day comes, don’t seek revenge.

Just remember how it all started—with a cracked phone, a shaky voice, and a fire that never went out.

They laughed when I started.

Now I pay their rent.

You could too.

Upload anyway.

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