Faceless: From Immigrant to $1M/Year

[@aliencommander]

I'll never understand how, when faced with turmoil, people casual say "I applied to big tech out of the blue and got it first try".

[@mejkach]

right?! I'm sure it was a nepotism hire or whatever the other word for fri3nd of a fei3nd of a friend.

[@tfamidoinglol4243]

yeah exactly, how tf do you get hired in facebook so easily

[@starterstory]

I think you missed how hard he worked to get to that point and the years of basically working for free to become a world class designer. FAANG hires these type of people instantly, but they don't stay for long...

[@JoaoTSS]

@@starterstory True. Many people overlook this aspect. The man works diligently, focusing solely on honing his skills. It may appear "easy" because he excels at his work.

[@maxfrischdev]

@@starterstory exactly this! The difference is between someone who has been DOING and WORKING on the skill for years like his life depends on it(it did..) compared to someone who f.e. thought himself how to code with a 12week bootcamp or 2 Udemy courses and a coursera certificate and 3 Todo lists on github, complaining on social media about how absurd those Leetcode interviews are.. One built the skill over years really grinding every day, one watched a few "how to get into coding" or "how to break into cybersecurity(..)" videos on KZbin promising a "6-figure salary" and aims to get a job after 3 or 6 months because.. well that youtube guy said he did!

[@cbaffiliates]

I really appreciate that you’re keeping it honest, without selling a fantasy. Thanks for that!

[@gigachadtwixz7262]

As someone who started freelancing recently and is making 1k per month, this video literally inspired me to work my ass off. Thank you Nick!

[@fernando-rv5yv]

Agreed mate! What are the freelancing services you offer

[@gigachadtwixz7262]

@@fernando-rv5yv Mostly website designs

[@FactNight]

Nice what freelancing service do you offer?

[@joaoconrad7653]

I've worked with Nick for several months now and i can tell everything here is true. When i first met Nick he and Alex were making $15K a month, and he just kept grinding and believing, 5 months later, boom, $100K month. Sure the early years of his story may need a little bit more context, but trust me, if you know Nick you can tell this video is just like him!

[@jn9907a]

I've watched many Starter Story videos. This one in particular is missing a lot of context. Without context, it makes it challenging, for me, to believe in 95% of what's presented.

[@Ps_Arnold]

I've watched a few starter story videos, and so far 2 are shady, don't seem real or believable. I'm starting to think channel is for clicks

[@MarkSwi]

Trust but verify. I hope Nick is doing due diligence on these people as the plot holes here are red flags.

[@Ps_Arnold]

I see many red flags... And it's the second video on the channel for me raising red flags, is the channel legit or for clicks ?

[@_mattwelter]

I would love if these videos were raw uncut interviews with these people I think people would love that more than listening to a voiceover with b-roll shots

[@soulninjadev]

i've seen you on farcaster

[@_mattwelter]

@@soulninjadev ya i'm @fun

[@VishnuASankaran]

As an indian, I can clearly understand the situation he was in as it was very normal that the parents can be too controlling and overpowering, that you don't even have the guts to voice your opinions and choices, especially if your dad is a cop. Waking dad up at midnight is probably the extreme step he took to express himself, since he didn't have the guts to do it in waking light. Also kids trying hard to prove themselves is also very common in the indian subcontinent. Also when you work your hard as off, miracles do happen. I see a lot of underlying racism in these comments. Something to introspect for everyone.

[@seitenaufintelligenz3790]

guys you forgot to blur out the face 10:59

[@weeehooo2582]

10:58 the anonymous man has been revealed.

[@starterstory]

Fixed!

[@Mindset-grindset81]

Are you the one😂😂?

[@metagravity]

Yes being anonymous is a whole lot of peace. Love the video 😍

[@andrewmarthie5062]

Story doesn’t even makes sense…. I mean no hate to the guy …100k a month good for him but it’s missing the key hurdles, 1. How did he cross immigration without any money or business(college) in Canada? If you would know They stop you right there …2. Vancouver? 150$ haircut? And he calls his lower middle class dad who is a cop? That’s a month worth of groceries that he paid over the phone? 3.client first day through college ok? 4. 340k at meta? I know engineers who don’t make that and designer gets hired on the first try? I was happy with the video cause it gave me hope but now I just call bs

[@Mr.Sanguine]

Also his college is in Toronto and he says he went to vancouver which is on the other side of country before studies to get haircut. There is a lot of BS here.

[@mrgyani]

Few things that you call BS on: A cop in India doesn't make $150. Back then his dad would be making at least $1000-1500 a month or more, if not more. Pretty sure his dad was mid to senior level, making way more, or else he wouldn't even be able to afford the tickets to Canada. He went there via legal means - by applying for visas (which should be pretty obvious).

[@andrewmarthie5062]

@@mrgyani even on 1000$ 150$ is not cheap(never said he made 150$) 2.. i didn't even imply illegal means, now I feel you that it might have been different back then but you don't just show up with a ticket ...if you can't prove your purpose, your means, your intentions they don't give you a visa let alone when your intentions are clearly 1 way

[@mrgyani]

@@andrewmarthie5062 1. his dad probably made well over $1.5-2K a month as a cop. To give you an idea - my dad's brother (in India) is a top cop. He gets bodyguards and cooks officially assigned to him. And one of them (a very junior level cop) makes more than 60000 rupees a month. That's well into middle class, even at the most junior level. The haircut at 150 CAD at 2017 prices would be just 7500K rupees ( = ~93 USD) His dad probably made well over 100K rupees a month. And here in India, I know ppl making 25K rupees a month carrying iPhones. 2. You doubt how he got a visa. Well, are you implying he did not go to Canada? Is he not currently in Canada? He has a Canadian partner in the agency. He has been living there since 2017. He got a legal visa somehow, & went. How else do you explain it? 3. He merely got an internship at Meta, initially. Also there are other design subscription agencies doing the same - there's DesignJoy making $1.3M a year, also interviewed by StarterStory.

[@mrgyani]

@@andrewmarthie5062 for some reasons my replies don't show up, which is sad.

[@Miguel-Arias]

He was making 80-90k but could not buy his girlfriend anything or afford to go to a restaurant? Maybe I'm missing something.

[@justsomecanadian]

Canada is bloody expensive. 80k doesn't take you far at all unfortunately.

[@shenitagazaway2370]

​@@justsomecanadian Agree. It depends where you live. I lived a great life on $70K with a daughter and paying for her master's degree.

[@fabioquintana7148]

me too, and a $150 hair cut...

[@ExNihilo634]

He was paying $16k per semester in tuition fees - that’s half the money gone. The remaining would need to cover all living expenses like accomodation - super expensive in Vancouver, bills, health insurance, food, travel etc. he was smart not to waste any on going out.

[@samuelwilliam1710]

i love your videos so much bro i even save of your videos to media wallet so i could rewatch them later... keep up the great work fam

[@Spicy248]

Awesome story,i pray my channel will grow one day, watching from Kenya 🇰🇪 Africa

[@U_examples]

Few things are misleading here. Nick has a business partner and a team of contractors. That $1M/yr is actually less than his old Meta salary. Even if you aim for 80% margin which is super optimistic, that's $800k to share between the two owners. At least 5% is eaten by Stripe and transfer fees so another $50k is lost on the way. Taxes in Canada for that bracket are over 40% of that revenue. So your $1M/yr millionaire designer is making $20k/month. But I get it, it sounds cooler that way. Apart from that, great video!

[@QamarAmin]

Also its an 13 years old business(as per their website) so no wonder they are making that much. Most of these so called solo designers have teams which they never disclose and use this "SoloDesigner" as their marketing tactic just like the other guy from DesignJoy. Majority of people on internet are faking their success to get clients

[@nwinburn]

This story makes absolutely no sense. That "anonymity" is the greatest virtue signal I've ever seen. Come on, which "poor" 17-year-old gets a $150 haircut and calls his poor dad in India to instantly transfer him the money to pay for it? Reading the comments, I see I'm not the only doubtful one here. I hope you guys don't make more episodes like this one because you're going to lose A LOT of credibility.

[@gregcraigjreducationstorie3347]

That's why I unsubscribed and visit their channel once in a while

[@cayenne7]

i feel ya.. when i lived in rome, everyone had dinners and pizza after school... i said.. i wasnt hungry, but i was fking starving.. sat in restaurants, but i could not afford it.. said.. i was not hungry... Tried to build a company 100x over, nothing worked really... had jobs i didnt like.. then got rekt on crypto giving me a enough to be able to retire and help family.. but.. i screwed up, too much trust, not diversified enough... keep trying i guess...respect my man!

[@BharathKumar-ff4eg]

I am a designer myself, and this video really boosted me!

[@mpaso111]

Thanks again for this. Awesome as usual. It seems Skills and Experience are the first stage of getting rich.

[@krisproaffiliate]

Uhh, I really like how you framed this video, it's not just a generic interview or podcast. But you are telling us his story in pieces with cool editing, subtle but smooth voiceover, and just loud enough music that complements the video and builds curiosity, very well done!

[@diamondkid333]

IF U WANT PEOPLE TO DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE MAKE SURE UR WEBSITE WORKS FIRST and u still can see his face in the dark btw

[@abubacarbocoum256]

I couldn’t get the report. When I click on the link, it redirects me to a 404 page.

[@LeighBurke]

Earning 345k, but still has car loans and only 2 months of savings 🧐🧐🧐

[@iconimous]

150$ for a haircut??? for that money you can get hair implant in Turkey.

[@jeeiee_com]

same here. Introvert. No friends.

[@SylvainKlein]

Hey Pat, looks like there is a face reveal at 10:59 ! Maybe you can still edit and reupload ? Great video as allways btw ^^ thanks for bringing all of theses stories to us ^^

[@starterstory]

Fixed! Thanks for the heads up :)

[@OlegKoreybaArt]

When you just started KZbin channel with no Subscribers and just found this video

[@cinematictrailerstudios]

I love these stories!

[@mix_mash3703]

amazing guy and amazing channel. I wish I could someday have more courage and discipline to work even more harder for my dreams

[@glowshedfilms]

$150 haircut in VC?! Where? lol .. i pay 50$ from a pretty respectable and pricey salon in VC lol .. hope they gave you a massage too! :)

[@WildWhispers0k]

the lower middle class got me😂😂, I am also from India from a lower middle class family and I cant even rent a apartment here in India itself forget abroad.

[@aftabansari6057]

sometimes he had to work 20 hours a day... 16 to 18 hrs was the norm for him If i were to work this hard i would have atleast 2 billion dollar companies

[@IamKudos]

Love this video!

[@Jake-ld4vt]

it looks like an interview with a drug dealer, I thought it's VICE channel by seeing the thumbnail. The all meta story was probably fabricated to attract entry-level Twitter customers and startups. Great marketer though, but design and quality is not like this.

[@SarwarSateer]

These videos helps you to never watch any video like this even if that story is true.

[@Nova-m8d]

He earned $345,000 and was basically broke at Meta which obviously carries over to his own business which means odds are he's going to be broke regardless of his income, even $1 million a year. Not impressive.

[@andrewmarthie5062]

345k is broke?

[@Nova-m8d]

@@andrewmarthie5062 Yes, he said he had 2 months of pay saved and nothing else.

[@timetimetime3985]

I smell insecurities

[@braedonbaldwin52]

$150 for a haircut is abysmal. They scammed bro

[@bisheshjena]

@starterstory at 11:00 the face got revealled so kindly fix it

[@tricksilver04]

So inspiring.

[@hansonel]

What a roller-a-coaster story of success. Inspiring story as a creative entrepreneur myself.

[@tiffanyonwudinanti]

Would love to see an interview between you and @Nicd, an independent artist killing it in income as a rapper

[@FragranceCraft]

❤ so happy he succeeded 🎉

[@annioutoybou7174]

Inspirational 🔥

[@marianSEO563]

It's unclear what exactly he did after he received his first big client $4317 why his business suddenly taken off so quickly and started making tens of thousands of dollars... did he use first big client as a referral or ? Please explain...

[@shivam1613]

Bruhh i knew it he was indian when I see thumbnail😭🤣

[@krispeekornflex]

Wanted to be anonymous, bad move doing an interview in person, now, at least a few, curious, diligent, skillful, resourceful, etc. shadows, are on his trail. Good luck with that privacy.

[@xelefonte]

This story has so many plotholes and lacks more details than what we see in his face. 😂

[@IamGrowth]

The link to the list I got in the email is pointing to a 404 :(

[@Ps_Arnold]

This is the second starter story video I've come across that doesn't make sense, reading through the comments more people agree, is this channel legit ? Or for clicks ?

[@jn9907a]

I'm beginning to wonder about a lot of stories that are framed as "7-figure" [1-person] businesses. We don't see or hear a lot about the verification of financials, for example. The entire context is lost when only the top line revenue is celebrated. We aren't getting much depth. A lot of the stories are probably factual. Are the numbers legit? Do the proverbial we care when the reality of telling the 7-figure story is more treacherous than people care to document?

[@CarlosWB32]

Somebody here to créate a 1 Million dollar bussines online?

[@rudranshmishra5812]

background noise is too loud

[@Kuzma-w2v]

10:59 (please fix this)

[@VaibhavShewale]

well i see no problem what his parent things and said that those scribble would gave him any money cause indian parents mentality is like that and also it is not their fault cause we need job security and the only good job opportunity and middle class and lower class would have engineering or doctor and thats it we didnt had any other options to choose from cause any other field has no major security or any work (according to them) and also earlier they were too much skeptical about any online work and if any kid used to do they would genrally had only one answer would be why would anyone would give them some money for clicking or even doing mailing. but this mentality is changing slowly but surely!

[@thatbluemiata]

DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THE FREE BUSINESS IDEAS!! You will have junk in your inbox every few hours. Within a few hours after signup I received spam emails, now every day i get several. It puts you on a mailing list and that's why its "free".

[@victorhenriquecollasanta4740]

Face revealll 11:00 exposed!!

[@kzuuuuu]

Saw it hahah

[@realjgerard]

It’s AI 😎

[@LifestyleApparelBrands]

Thanks to my ADHD I too have way too many projects gling at once.

[@Piliponful]

150 for a haircut... failed society

[@AKDemba]

face reveal 11:00

[@gadgetboyplaysmc]

Starter story is cooked

[@realjgerard]

AI

[@Legendyadav07]

@starterstory #starterstory What the BGM ? Used in the beginning of video ?

[@rishandprish]

Good story 🎉

[@AnnkurKumar]

15:23, how to market oneself as a creative?

[@salmanmohamad9467]

Cultural Capital & Generational Wealth

[@bello_the_blogger5593]

“I woke my dad at 2am to tell him I don’t want to do engineering”. Lol, so cliche. This is very likely scripted. Congratulations on the new concept though. Smart! But get a better script writer and introduce unique angles and plot twists to the storytelling.

[@NovruzMammadli]

The link for 160+ Solopreneur Business Ideas doesn't work

[@abdoul-aaj]

One of the best out of contest video ever. Bro you guys should stop doing this shhhh videos.

[@malcomgreen4747]

Is this music show couldn't hear

[@it6642]

Sure, in 17 took a plane and flew to the US. What about visa? Anc the fact that you are 17?

[@RodGrom]

This is the biggest pile of BS I’ve ever heard in my life!!!! 😂😂😂😂 Edit: Oh I get it now, this isn’t a factual story, it’s just a publicity stunt!!! That’s why I smelled the crap from a million miles away!!! 😂😂😂😂

[@aardvark2]

Better have been an amazing haircut

[@sanchittt]

hey i know him

[@CollinRutherford]

The way Nick used anonymity to stay focused is a great tip for anyone looking to minimize distractions.

[@alphasuperior100]

Was he here legally or illegally bloody immigrant at least he's business smart.

[@ExNihilo634]

Did you actually watch the video? He was on a student exchange and take advantage of every opportunity.

[@rezzafer]

$1M/Year as a designer? that's just straight bullshit right?

[@glauberamos]

Not designer, business owner

[@rezzafer]

@@glauberamos I'm selling cobra's bollocs and you still have to call me business owner, making 340k first year as a designer is just an utter bs otherwise it's a money laundry scheme, the engineer at meta doesn't even make that much.

[@Lyaz01]

Ever heard of design Subscriptions? There’s few of them making over a mil a year.

[@mrgyani]

Design subscription agency. - All you need is ~20 clients - and it costs the client just 1/2 to 1/3rd - what it would cost to hire a full time designer - with his reach on the given social media, 20 clients is a piece of cake.

[@mrgyani]

@@rezzafer also look up Brett from DesignJoy - same model, single person design subscription agency. Making $1.3M a year.

[@LeighBurke]

$150 haircut 😅 tricked by business! Should have been $10

[@pigreatlor]

too much story not enough business insights

[@TysonGreatPyrenees]

Over produced...totally takes away from the authenticity of the content. WAY too cinematic.

[@Dedsec25]

He moved from India to Canada, but he wasn't born there. Ironically, he chose an English name as his anonymous identity because he knew he wouldn’t be able to charge clients a high amount as an Indian freelancer with an Indian face. Whatever he says about choosing anonymity for less headache and more freedom is complete BS. Ninety percent of his story is made up by him.

[@chasehassen5650]

Looks like Coffeezilla lol

[@Findamentall]

He is Indian

[@nathaliely1839]

the music is annoying

[@jaycho2277]

10:58

[@0xAquaWolf]

I approve this message, thank you for the confirmation that you can become rich Anonymously. Now i'm going even harder. Thank you so much.

[@KRB84]

Hey Pat @starterstory Your free list link is a 404 🤷‍♂️

[@fattyfatfat911]

This is so bullshit $150 a haircut in Vancouver? 🤣

[@lxc3909]

You lost me with your idiotic hippy ending. "Peace." What does that mean in the business context? Translation: I want to be cool and hip so bad, I'll say something stupid to try to fit in.

[@rafeeque-mavoor]

You watched till the end. Which says its a great video!

[@aj-lan284]

Shit story

[@Kittyfinds]

Indians running to Canada 😅