MrHairyBrit

Home › Creator Equipment Guide › How to Choose a Camera for YouTube To choose a camera for YouTube, identify your primary filming scenario (desk, vlog, studio, outdoor), set a realistic budget including lens and battery costs, prioritise features that matter (autofocus, recording limits, battery life, mic input) over megapixels or marketing specs, and buy the cheapest camera that hits your…

A Will It Fly review and summary: Pat Flynn's step-by-step process for checking whether your business idea is worth pursuing before you commit. ★★★★½4.5/5 The verdict: A calm, practical way to test a business idea before you bet on it. 🎧 Listen free on Audible Try Kindle Unlimited Buy the paperback ⚡ Quick answerWill It Fly? by Pat Flynn gets 4.5/5 from me. A calm, practical way to test a…

A Start with Why review and summary: Simon Sinek's argument that people buy the reason behind what you do, not just the thing itself. ★★★★½4.5/5 The verdict: A powerful core idea, wrapped in a bit more repetition than it needs. 🎧 Listen free on Audible Try Kindle Unlimited Buy the paperback ⚡ Quick answerStart with Why by Simon Sinek gets 4.5/5 from me. A powerful core idea, wrapped in a bit…

How to Increase Your YouTube RPM with Livestreaming Most YouTube creators focus obsessively on view counts and subscriber numbers. But after 20+ years in this industry and six Silver Play Buttons, the metric I care about most is RPM — Revenue Per Mille, or how much you actually earn per thousand views. RPM is the true measure of your channel’s earning efficiency, and it is the number that…

An E-Myth Revisited review and summary: why most self-employed people accidentally build themselves a job, and how Gerber says to fix it. ★★★★½4.6/5 The verdict: The book that explains why being good at the work is not enough to run the business. 🎧 Listen free on Audible Try Kindle Unlimited Buy the paperback ⚡ Quick answerThe E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber gets 4.6/5 from me. The book…

Home › Creator Equipment Guide › How to Film Product Reviews for YouTube To film product reviews for YouTube, use a two-camera setup (main camera for you, secondary for product close-ups), light the product separately from your face with at least 100W LED equivalent, use a macro or close-focus lens for detail shots, film key features and in-use scenarios with a mix of static tripod and handheld…

A Company of One review and summary: Paul Jarvis makes the argument that bigger is not always better, and shows how to build a business that stays deliberately small. ★★★★½4.4/5 The verdict: The case for staying small on purpose, and a plan for doing it well. 🎧 Listen free on Audible Try Kindle Unlimited Buy the paperback ⚡ Quick answerCompany of One by Paul Jarvis gets 4.4/5 from me. The case…

Does YouTube Algorithm Favor Live Streams? (2026) One of the most common questions I get from creators considering 24/7 streaming is: does the YouTube algorithm actually treat live streams differently? After 20+ years working with YouTube channels, studying algorithm updates, and running 24/7 streams myself through Gyre.pro, I can give you a data-informed, nuanced answer — not the vague “maybe”…

A $100 Startup review and summary: Chris Guillebeau's case studies are the antidote to thinking you need funding and permission to begin. ★★★★½4.5/5 The verdict: Proof you do not need investors, staff or an office to start. 🎧 Listen free on Audible Try Kindle Unlimited Buy the paperback ⚡ Quick answerThe $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau gets 4.5/5 from me. Proof you do not need investors, staff…

Home › Creator Equipment Guide › How to Get a Cinematic Look on YouTube To get a cinematic look on YouTube, shoot at 24fps with a 1/50s shutter speed for natural motion blur, use a wide aperture (f/1.8-f/2.8) for shallow depth of field, frame with the rule of thirds or centred composition for impact, grade footage with subtle colour contrast and film emulation LUTs, and use motivated soft…

A Lean Startup review and summary: translating Eric Ries' build-measure-learn discipline down to the scale of a one-person business. ★★★★½4.5/5 The verdict: The book that stops you building something nobody wants. 🎧 Listen free on Audible Try Kindle Unlimited Buy the paperback ⚡ Quick answerThe Lean Startup by Eric Ries gets 4.5/5 from me. The book that stops you building something nobody…

How to Monetize Old YouTube Videos with Gyre.pro Most YouTube creators are sitting on a goldmine they have completely stopped thinking about: their old video back catalogue. You spent hours, days, weeks producing that content. You optimised it, published it, promoted it — and then it gradually faded from relevance as newer videos took your attention. Right now, those videos are sitting on your…

A Can't Hurt Me review and summary: taking David Goggins' usable mental-toughness tools without buying the whole extreme lifestyle. ★★★★½4.7/5 The verdict: Not a business book, but the toughness one that actually sticks. 🎧 Listen free on Audible Try Kindle Unlimited Buy the paperback ⚡ Quick answerCan't Hurt Me by David Goggins gets 4.7/5 from me. Not a business book, but the toughness one that…

Home › Creator Equipment Guide › How to Light YouTube Videos in a Small Room To light YouTube videos in a small room, position a key light at 45 degrees and slightly above eye level, add a fill light at half the intensity from the opposite side, use a softbox or diffuser to spread the light softly, and control background contamination by lighting only what’s in frame. Three-point lighting works…

A Slight Edge review and summary: why Jeff Olson's book about small daily disciplines is the one to read in the discouraging middle before you quit. ★★★★½4.4/5 The verdict: One simple truth stretched to book length, but the truth is worth it. 🎧 Listen free on Audible Try Kindle Unlimited Buy the paperback ⚡ Quick answerThe Slight Edge by Jeff Olson gets 4.4/5 from me. One simple truth stretched…

How to Increase YouTube Watch Time with 24/7 Livestreams Watch time is the currency of YouTube. It determines whether you qualify for monetisation, how the algorithm ranks and recommends your content, and ultimately how much money your channel generates. In over 20 years of working with YouTube channels — from tiny starter accounts to multi-million subscriber operations — I have never found a…

A Think and Grow Rich review and summary: reading past the 1930s language to find why Napoleon Hill's principles still underpin every hustle book since. ★★★★½4.4/5 The verdict: The granddaddy of the genre. Dated, but the bones are still good. 🎧 Listen free on Audible Try Kindle Unlimited Buy the paperback ⚡ Quick answerThink and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill gets 4.4/5 from me. The granddaddy of…