We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Robert Warren a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Robert, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.

If I were to start over I would prioritize my education early on. I did not have a great experience in high school, and so that caused me to be very against spending any time or money on higher education. I see, as I have gotten older, that was a big mistake. I had an aptitude for technology but didn’t do anything about it until I was much older and it cost me financially and I wasted a lot of time, the one thing you can never get back.

If I could do it over I would have gone to school to learn more about technology even though it wasn’t near as prevalent as it is now.

Also, I wouldn’t let myself stand in my own way with self-doubt and unfounded fears. I have learned that you need to push yourself past your comfort zone to truly experience life and learn. Push past the fear of new things and experiences, my life is so much fuller since I have started to do that.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I developed a desire to be a content creator but always felt like I didn’t have the skill or anything interesting to create; that was really just an excuse I was using out of fear. Sometimes you need a kick in the pants to motivate you past the fear. My kick was losing a long-standing job, which created a financial hole. I worked for a company for over 15 years as their Director of Technology, and for the last 5 years, I have been working part-time remotely as their system admin. Then, one day, out of the blue, they decided they didn’t need my services and laid me off without warning and with no type of severance at all. After losing my job and part of my income, I realized I didn’t want to be reliant solely on someone else for my financial security. So last year, I embarked on a new endeavor, being a content creator on a couple of different YouTube channels that I created.

One is my podcast I do with a good friend who lives in Canada. The name of the podcast is @unitedwestanddividedwepodcast, and it has been a lot of fun. My primary channel is a tech channel called @gadgetguyzgadgets where I do technology product unboxing and reviews. It is the most successful and has grown pretty well over the past 12 months and is now monetized.

My journey and creative path have definitely been up and down. I came into the content creation world a little naive about the process and really what it took to be successful. I really had to move past my “Imposter Syndrome” mindset that I didn’t belong. I had to learn new skills and really push my boundaries in being creative. That’s not my strongest skill set. But I never shy away from learning; being in technology for over 30 years, you have to be willing to learn because things change so fast that you have to stay current on new trends and processes.

It has actually been a lot of fun learning the skills I needed and watching my channel grow.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

After losing that job and its income, I realized that I wanted to take my financial future and stability into my own hands. I want to be able to provide better for my family, and I believe content creation is where I need to be. This will enable me to be able to work when and where I want and my earning potential is only limited by my imagination.

Being a content creator has been one of the most interesting and fun paths I have ever taken, and now that my channel is monetized and I am successful with affiliate sales, I see the potential. I would also love to be a social media manager and offer services as a smart home consultant. There are so many new doors that I can open it has really energized me to be successful.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Yes, I wish I had found out about the Think Media Video Ranking Academy course early on. Sean Cannel has put a lot of effort into making sure he is providing a lot of value in the course. It has so much information and really has helped me be a better, more successful creator. It has been the most effective learning tool I have found. The creator community is fantastic and offers a lot of support and encouragement. It’s great to be able to bounce ideas off of other creators who have already been through where I am and can offer some great insight.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cloud9teck.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gadgetguyzgadgets/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gadgetguyzgadgets
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gadgetguyz/
• Twitter: https://x.com/gadgetguyzgdgts
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@gadgetguyzgadgets and https://youtube.com/@unitedwestanddividedwepodcast