TL;DR Building a YouTube business is not something I will ever do. Here’s why.

I do have a YouTube channel but it is simply a method of giving away ‘free’ content and making people aware of my own web site. Where Google permits I monetize the ‘free’ content on this channel (Google takes my work and add it’s own adverts regardless, so I make bank where possible).

The problem, as so many have realised in the past, is that any YouTube creator is subject to the indifferent caprice of Google so the idea of using YouTube as a platform to develop a business is risible. So long as you understand this the deal is a good one. Google provide the platform to distribute video content without cost to the creator, the creator reaches a potentially larger audience than they might otherwise.

If, however, you believe that using YouTube to develop a business is a good idea I think you’re in for a bad time. (You might get lucky, but the odds are against you.)

Google cares not a jot about creators. YouTube is a machine for getting adverts in front of eyeballs. Period. This means Google will prioritize any action that preserves or enhances this function. This is why DMCA take downs, copyright strikes, and the like are automated with virtually no way for creators to win (regardless of the merits of their case). You can literally see your business vanish in seconds and unless you are fortunate enough to have access to the right back channels you are unlikely to ever see it return.

Furthermore, Google’s algorithm optimises for revenue generation so if your content is not feeding this algorithm your content will languish in relative obscurity. This algorithm is responsible for the ‘race to the bottom’ we see on platforms such as YouTube. Sure, there are many excellent channels, but the one’s that attract the most attention from Google are the ones that the algorithm sees as potentially revenue generating. Even large YouTubers have noted the fragility of their position in this regard.

This is not a Google problem. Blaming Google for this is like blaming a Bear for shitting in the woods. It’s just what they naturally do.

If you focus on building a ‘YouTube business’ then you are working for Google.