A viewer asked me directly: what exactly is your income right now, and what are you paying every month to repay your loans? I love that question, so here's the fully honest answer — the real numbers and the plan to change them. Being transparent about this is part of how I hold myself accountable.
The honest numbers
In just a couple of months I've gone from $0 a month to around $1,000 a month — and that's with a sloppy business system, brand-new YouTube channels, and a rough website. To keep going, I'm borrowing roughly $5,000 more a month, and my minimum loan payments are about $1,000 a month. My net worth is around negative $200,000. I'm not going to pretend it's more than it is. I make about a thousand dollars a month right now, and I'm proud to say that out loud instead of hiding it.
One clear offer
My recent breakthrough was realizing I need a single best offer with a value proposition you understand instantly — simple, and the same for everybody. That's the community I built on jerrybanfield.com. No confusing tiers, no guessing what you get: one clear thing.
The math to $10,000 a month
The plan is straightforward arithmetic. At $96 a month, about 105 members is $10,000 a month directly from memberships. Looking at what other creators have built with their communities, getting there within a year is very realistic. I'm certain there are 200 people around the world for whom it'll be worth it, because I intend to pack it with value.
Why a community beats ad revenue
Right now I make about $500 to $600 a month in YouTube ad revenue, and I don't want to depend on that. I could get banned, the platform could change the rules, the whole thing could collapse. A membership community is recurring income that doesn't depend on YouTube at all. That independence is the whole point.
Why I changed my mind on community
I'll be honest: my thinking used to be closed, even a little toxic — "what's the point of a community?" But communities have genuinely changed my life. Alcoholics Anonymous, the Entrepreneurs' Social Club here in St. Petersburg, my yoga community, Sacred City — belonging matters enormously. Once I accepted that, it was obvious the best value I can offer is exactly that: a place to belong.
Nothing to lose
Here's what frees me up. Someone recently offered me a room if I can't keep my place — a bedroom big enough to keep filming in. The worst case isn't homelessness; it's moving in with a friend and not having my kids overnight. Knowing I won't end up on the street paradoxically makes me want this to work on my own terms even more. There's nothing to lose, so I'm going all in.
This community is the back half of the simple system I laid out in my YouTube growth formula — daily videos feeding a paid community. For more on building a business as a creator, watch my YouTube coaching playlist here.