Welcome to another episode of In Search of Excellence! My guest today is an incredible young man, Ian Boggs. Ian is one of the most successful influencers of all time. He has more than 30 million followers on YouTube, TikTok, Snap, and Instagram. His videos have been viewed more than 30 billion times. Tune in to hear Ian talking about his childhood, education, and his journey from dreaming about being a doctor to becoming one of the most successful influencers online. Find out how he started doing what he loved, how his videos went viral, and how he gained millions of followers on social media. He also shares how he dealt with hateful comments and how he earns money as a social media creator. Time stamps: 01:27 Ian’s background An American father who grew up in Kenya and a Japanese motherThat helped him build his audience all around the world02:48 Creating his first content His mother loved photography and had a cameraIan created content with Legos04:46 What was Ian like as a kid? Introverted and super creativeLearned that nothing comes for freeMade money mowing lawns07:53 The education and the shift in mindset AP classes in ItalyCheating on testStudying to be a doctor at UCIDecide to go a different routeSwitched to Media Studies14:53 Cutting his own hair for a video Making fun of alpha malesStarted doing haircuts for $15Passionate about photography and videographyStarted earning money19:28 Becoming a social media creator A dream of becoming a social media creatorA video went viralDid live of himself sleepingParents supported his dream25:44 Hitting a million followers A million followers on Tik TokHad a lot of anxietyWasn’t happy about the content he was posting27:24 Making the content he loved Going to California, starving, and working hardHis father cut him off financiallyHe decided to make the content he was happy about30:30 Hateful comments He made some cringy contentBad comments gave him anxietyLearned to deal with itEngaging with comments on social media34:45 Buying followers Bought followers are usually botsFake followers are harmfulBuying followers is a scammy business38:27 How to make money on social media? Merch – selling different productsEarning with AdSense on YouTube explainedBrand deals - Marvel, Netflix, and Old Spice Sponsors: Sandee | Bliss: Beaches Want to Connect? Reach out to us online! Website | Instagram | LinkedIn