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  • (upbeat music)

  • - Hi, we're Joel and Lia.

  • - And this video is all about how we

  • turned our friendship into our job, or our business.

  • Which probably is already triggering a few people

  • because it's kind of like a, oh my gosh,

  • you're talking about money again

  • or you're talking about worky things

  • and you're, yeah.

  • - Yeah. (laugh)

  • - See, it's making me probably more

  • nervous than actually the viewer.

  • - Well, obviously this title sounds very brutal,

  • how we turned our friendship into a business.

  • And I guess the worry for us is that we

  • wouldn't want anyone to think that

  • our friendship is fake now because it's our job.

  • Because it's not and obviously you guys

  • hopefully can see that our friendship

  • is very genuine.

  • - Oh, my gosh, how much does this feel

  • like an apology video?

  • - Yeah, it does.

  • - Guys, we're really sorry.

  • - This friendship is very genuine.

  • (laugh)

  • We promise.

  • - We promise we're not fake.

  • Leave Joel and Lia alone.

  • - We've done videos on how, we did one when

  • YouTube became our full-time job,

  • we've done videos about, so of our

  • life as YouTubers and we are sort of,

  • are you guys interested in learning a bit more

  • about like, our dating lives as YouTubers

  • or like, and so we just thought we'd do

  • an honesty video.

  • - Honesty hour, not an hour, just ten minutes.

  • - Honesty ten minutes.

  • - Honestly.

  • So yeah, I guess one thing that's worth saying

  • is that like, what you've already said,

  • the friendship hasn't been compromised

  • just because it's now our job.

  • If anything it's become more and more.

  • Because we were saying to each other,

  • we were each other's only friend.

  • (laugh)

  • - It's so true.

  • - You end up like, you know how you have

  • colleagues at work and you're like

  • I literally don't see my family because

  • I just, all I see are these people at work.

  • That's kind of what it's like with us.

  • - Because we just see each other

  • or maybe our manager, or people we might

  • be collaborating with but literally

  • we just see each other all the time.

  • - That's it, like, that's why I'm like

  • I've got no other friends.

  • But I'm fine with it now.

  • - Yeah, it's all right.

  • - Yeah, it's actually all right.

  • We go to the same gym, we use the same shed,

  • like work space, that's it.

  • We've got something going on.

  • So let's talk about how we did it

  • and was it ever really the plan.

  • - Which the answer to that is just no.

  • - No.

  • - It wasn't ever a plan for us.

  • We started making videos about five years ago,

  • messing around in front of the camera.

  • - We were just bored, like, you know,

  • we left drama school waiting for the phone to ring,

  • anyone who's an actor or in the creative industries

  • will know that like, work doesn't just come your way

  • as soon as you're like, a newcomer into the industry

  • and you're like hi, I'm an actor now.

  • Nothing happens, really.

  • Well, it does to some people.

  • - A very few, very small percentage it does but.

  • - So we just started messing around making

  • videos and then no one was watching,

  • no one was watching, no one was watching,

  • no one was watching, a few thousand people were watching,

  • and then last year loads of people started watching.

  • - Yeah, it just randomly took off and so

  • it's been an accidental business.

  • It was never our plan to become YouTubers.

  • We're very much like, we're actors

  • and we're just doing this in our spare time.

  • And now that's sort of taken over for the moment.

  • Obviously you guys know that we hope to

  • be acting one day, but at the moment

  • YouTube is sort of that we're,

  • it's our day job essentially.

  • It's what pays the bills.

  • - It is our job now which is so weird.

  • But I think like, there have been a few times

  • in our friendship where we sort of sat down,

  • we've not gone like, what's our game plan,

  • or what's our strategy.

  • In fact, we find that really hard.

  • - Yeah.

  • - Someone asked us the other day,

  • it's are partner manager at Google,

  • she was like, so she's like a YouTube,

  • basically she just helps you grow your channel,

  • she was like, what's the six month goal,

  • what's the one year goal,

  • and we had no answers for her.

  • - So we've actually got a lunch meeting with her

  • next week or the week after and so

  • we've been talking about our goals.

  • - Setting goals.

  • - What actually do we want to achieve

  • because it can easily just feel like

  • oh, we're just having fun on camera

  • and that's it.

  • But actually, everyone around us,

  • our management, the people at YouTube,

  • are just like no, come on guys,

  • like, what do you want, where do you want to go,

  • how can we create a safe job from this?

  • Because at the end of the day, YouTube isn't a safe job.

  • It depends on people watching, trends, everything.

  • So they're like, how can we turn this into

  • a secure, stable, career for you?

  • - So we did sit down about a year and a half ago, I'd say,

  • and we just sort of went right, there's

  • a bit of momentum on our channel.

  • How can we turn this channel into something

  • more than just us posting on it

  • when we can be bothered?

  • And yeah, and I think since we sort of

  • changed our mindset and said this could be a job.

  • Let's try and make it our job.

  • And slowly, slowly, slowly, the results started to come

  • and I think so much of it was do to with

  • believing it could be.

  • Because there's so many YouTubers out there

  • that go yeah, you know, I've been doing it eight years

  • and still nothing's happening for me.

  • And we genuinely thought we would be those YouTubers.

  • We were like well, we'll have a channel,

  • we'll always be small, it will never be big.

  • Do you know what I mean?

  • - Yeah, but.

  • - I mean, it's still, we still think

  • it's a really small channel.

  • - I know, when we say, this is the other thing.

  • Networking is so difficult and when people

  • ask you like, how many subscribers you've got,

  • me and Lia both are like oh, it's only very small.

  • It's just like, 180,000 subscribers.

  • And they're like, oh my gosh, that's incredible.

  • And we're like, is it?

  • - Oh, is it?

  • - Oh, thanks, and then you don't want to say is it

  • because you sound really like, is it?

  • So then you're like, I don't know,

  • I just haven't really thought about it. It hasn't sunk in.

  • - Yeah, 180,000.

  • - We can't think about the numbers

  • because it will freak us out.

  • Because if we're like, potentially 180,000 or more

  • will watch this video you're like,

  • you just wouldn't say anything.

  • I'd just be too scared.

  • - You'd just be like, nice to see you.

  • - Yeah, so we just pretend that there's still like,

  • there's 20 people watching.

  • Just 20 of you.

  • - Yeah, mostly friends and family.

  • - Yeah. (laugh)

  • - Numbers are strong.

  • - But we went to the World Travel Market yesterday

  • which is a big event in London

  • where you basically it's tourism boards

  • for every country in the world.

  • - In the world.

  • - Every, not every city but lots of cities

  • in the world, as well, where you can just mingle.

  • And we went as influencers, which is what we're called.

  • - And it was, I'm telling you guys,

  • it's hard to sell yourself.

  • - So difficult.

  • - Which is what inspired us for this video

  • because we have to go up to people, right,

  • and say like, hi, we're Joel and Lia,

  • we're from a YouTube channel called Being British,

  • it's basically, it's just us, the title is us.

  • And already, just saying it, you're like

  • you can feel your pitch getting weaker, weaker, weaker.

  • So we were like, do you know what?

  • We need to just brush up on some networking skills.

  • Let's do a Skillshare video and let's see what

  • the like, top tips for being amazing at networking are.

  • - And for those of you that don't know what Skillshare is,

  • it's an online learning platform that has

  • online lessons in everything from like, design,

  • technology, personal skills, health, well-being,

  • anything you can think of.

  • They've got thousands upon thousands, upon thousands

  • of lessons and classes and you guys know,

  • we've worked with them a few times.

  • We, over the next few months, are going to share

  • with you once a month, what we've been learning.

  • So last time, we were sort of learning

  • sort of what was, I was learning health and well-being,

  • you were learning sort of design.

  • - Yes, so last time it was like, camera skills

  • and more techie stuff.

  • This time we both sort of decided to niche down

  • on how to network because it's one thing

  • networking with people who already know what

  • your industry is, and there's one thing going

  • to a conference at a big, what are they called?

  • Like, exhibition hall full of people wearing suits,

  • people with real proper jobs and

  • we're just there in our normal clothes

  • wearing our merch, and we're just like hi, we're.

  • - And they expect you to sell yourself.

  • So we went and some people would be like, where you from?

  • Meaning, not where are you from,

  • because we were like, London.

  • And they're like, no, what company are you from?

  • We were like, are we a company?

  • Like, Joel and Lia?

  • (laugh)

  • So before we went we knew we wanted

  • to do some networking classes.

  • So we did one that was called, I think,

  • Networking like a Ninja which I loved.

  • - [Lia] Yeah, and then one that was called

  • something like How to Survive an Event.

  • And we though, oh perfect.

  • And the picture of it looked exactly like somewhere

  • where we were going.

  • - [Joel] Yeah.

  • - [Lia] So, and obviously like, loads of it applied to us.

  • Some of it, I'd say, maybe didn't

  • but you can just take what you need.

  • Just pick out the tools, you know,

  • we're obviously not going to turn

  • up to an event in corporate wear

  • because at our job we.

  • - [Joel] It doesn't reflect our channel.

  • - [Lia] Yeah, it doesn't reflect who

  • Joel and Lia are, it feels weird talking about ourselves

  • in third person.

  • - It's a really affordable learning platform

  • so if you are looking to develop new skills

  • in any area, it works out with an annual membership

  • at less than $10 a month.

  • So, if you're interested, go down below,

  • get your free trial because there's only 500 available

  • for Joel and Lia viewers exclusively.

  • - Exclusively.

  • Also, if we didn't do the videos we'd

  • have forgotten to take our business cards with us.

  • Because we were about to walk out the house

  • without any business cards.

  • - Which is probably like, the number one tip

  • is have something that you can give to someone

  • so that they can contact you and we

  • nearly forgot that.

  • - I was like Joel, it's fine.

  • We're digital, they're just scan our Instagram thing

  • and you forget you're dealing with people

  • that are old school, it's all about actually

  • having a card, we have ten left.

  • All of them went, guys.

  • - Yeah, so there we are.

  • - We met a couple of viewers at the World Travel Market

  • and that was so, so nice like, you know,

  • you forget that people are actually watching.

  • Of course, respect about the numbers and

  • you're probably sitting there thinking like,

  • how can you not think anyone's watching but

  • it's because in the UK, it's kind of rare for us to

  • bump into fans, do you know what I mean?

  • - Yeah, because our viewers tend to be

  • international so yesterday we met two Americas,

  • and a girl, I think, from Morocco?

  • And it's just, I meet lots of Asian viewers

  • sometimes, I know Lia does as well.

  • - And when we're together we tend to meet more

  • people because they recognize both.

  • - Yeah, and because we have fun with each other.

  • So when I'm like, alone, I have resting Brit face.

  • Not resting bitch face.

  • Resting Brit face.

  • But when we're together we're laughing.

  • So we look more approachable, I guess.

  • - Yeah, I definitely think that.

  • I wonder how many people maybe see us

  • but think they look so miserable I'm not going to say,

  • I'm not even going to go up to them.

  • - I know, which we're not.

  • We're just like, just it's natural.

  • - Just a natural face.

  • - Yeah.

  • (laugh)

  • But so, these events, like the networking,

  • it's now realizing that's kind of what our job is.

  • It depends on us networking,

  • talking with brands and clients,

  • and just getting ourselves out there

  • and working with people.

  • - Yeah, and I think we pushed ourselves

  • yesterday because we could have easily called

  • up our manager and said please, oh wait,

  • she's in Berlin, we could have called up someone

  • from our management and said please, please, please

  • can you come with us and as soon as we see

  • someone we'd like to speak to, can you make the intro?

  • But we were like, do you know what, let's

  • just do it ourselves, let's just throw ourselves

  • in the deep end.

  • We're only going to be better, do you know what I mean?

  • We're only going to be more confident and

  • more, I don't know, just better people

  • for giving it a go.

  • - Definitely.

  • - So I'm really proud of us for yesterday.

  • - Yeah, me too.

  • If you're enjoying this video don't forget to click

  • the subscribe button and the notification bell.

  • We post videos thrice weekly.

  • - [Joel] Hi, nice to meet you.

  • - Nice to meet you!

  • - Anyway, we're just trying to

  • organize some content for you guys

  • for December and next year.

  • Hopefully making our content a bit more interesting.

  • We're obviously trying to network as well.

  • So to putting our Skillshare lessons into practice.

  • - I know, and like, one of the top tips

  • that they gave us for networking was just to like,

  • sell yourself like, just not be afraid to

  • go up to people and say who you are and what you want.

  • - Yeah, exactly.

  • - And it's like, really hard but we've actually

  • challenged ourselves today and done really, really well.

  • - Yeah, we have.

  • - We've got like, a wallet full of business cards

  • that we've collected.

  • So we just chatted to the guys on Brit Tours,

  • is it called, Brit Movie Tours and they're so cool.

  • Oh my gosh, I thought he was real.

  • - [Joel] That's Eddie Redmayne.

  • - Eddie Redmayne, I was like oh he's just smiling at me.

  • Eddie!

  • - [Joel] That's so strange.

  • That'll be us one day, Lia, Madam Tussaud's, Joel and Lia.

  • - [Lia] (laugh) Holding Prosecco.

  • - Yeah, Prosecco glasses.

  • - [Lia] Joel's just making today's video live

  • from his phone for you guys.

  • We had a cool little chat with

  • an afternoon tea company that have like,

  • buses that go around, you can do cool stuff

  • on the buses, yeah, just try loads of food

  • and have afternoon tea and I bet you guys

  • would enjoy watching us do that so yeah.

  • Fingers crossed for that one.

  • Right, to Philadelphia.

  • - We're trying to find Philadelphia.

  • - Right, basically we went on the Preston and Steve

  • Raido Show, as you guys already know,

  • and we want to go tell the people on the

  • Philadelphia stand because they might just get

  • really excited by us.

  • - Yeah, so we're gonna go find them.

  • We're gonna tell them.

  • We walked past earlier but they were in a meeting.

  • So we're gonna go back and just say hi to them.

  • - Especially talking to people

  • that are not YouTube literate.

  • - No, so there was a few people we met,

  • tended to be very older people.

  • I mean, there's a man probably in his 70's

  • that we met that was just like, no,

  • I don't believe in any of that mumbo jumbo.

  • - Acting, nope, nope, nope.

  • - No, and we were just like, okay,

  • firstly, no need to be rude about it.

  • Just say oh no, we don't really do that.

  • - Just go, not my vibe.

  • - Yeah, just go, not my vibe.

  • It's so ridiculous.

  • - Yeah, if you don't have any budget to

  • work with influencers or work with people

  • that could maybe help your business lift

  • off and it helps ours as well, just say not my vibe.

  • Don't just be rude to our face.

  • That's just really, you know.

  • - But also, he's missing out because as a

  • business owner, he needs to move with the times

  • and know that working with people like

  • YouTubers actually can help your business.

  • - It'd be so beneficial.

  • - And I think that's what we did. We move with the platform.

  • So YouTube, as a platform, has changed quite a lot.

  • Like, there's a certain style of content

  • that did really well like, two or three years ago

  • that now, it doesn't do well anymore.

  • And we used to do a similar style to that

  • and then we were like well, YouTube people

  • don't want to watch that anymore.

  • So we changed our content, we moved with the platform

  • and I think that's what helps you in business.

  • You've got to like, adapt and change.

  • You can't just like, stick in your little lane.

  • - Yeah, and we looked at our friendship

  • and we were like, we can still apply what Joel and Lia

  • is in this friendship to this new, sort of like,

  • business model that the algorithm, the platform,

  • if showing us works so there was never

  • a case of us going like, let's just change who we are.

  • We were literally just like, we're

  • really good at talking to each other.

  • - We love talking.

  • - We love to chat.

  • People really enjoy watching us chat, don't know why.

  • I was saying to Joel the other day,

  • you know when we were on the tube having a conversation,

  • we're not speaking loudly but do you find people

  • just listen?

  • He's like, yeah.

  • - And then they laugh with us, you see them like, smirking

  • and you're like, are you listening to our conversation?

  • - It's really funny, we're like, I don't know what it is.

  • - But I think lots of the time we're just putting

  • on accents and being like, you say,

  • hey darling, all right darling, yeah.

  • - And then you were like,

  • you ever heard a guy that repeats everything

  • his friend says?

  • - Oh it was hysterical.

  • - It was so funny.

  • - It was this really camp guy that was so funny

  • and he was talking about, he was like,

  • oh hey, where are you going to?

  • Where do you live?

  • And she was like, Chatham.

  • And he goes, Chatchum, mm-hm, and he just like,

  • repeated everything he said and I was just like,

  • those people that close their eyes and nod when

  • you say something, their like, how are you feeling today?

  • You're like, oh, I'm quite, I'm feeling all right.

  • All right, mm-hm.

  • And you're just like, stop repeating the last word

  • with a patronizing nod.

  • - It's just so funny.

  • - Anyway, we just find things funny.

  • - Yeah, but.

  • - One thing I love, sorry. - You're all in, go on.

  • - One thing I love about this being our job

  • is that we can, for example, the merch that

  • we've got, we're both wearing our merch.

  • These are sayings that we say all the time.

  • Not my vibe, and triggered, but I love that

  • we've let other people in on that.

  • And like, you guys feel a part of our friendship

  • to us and to yourself.

  • - And it's your thing as well.

  • - And it's your thing as well and I just love

  • that we're sort of spread the Joel and Lia love

  • around the world.

  • - The fact that we have brought together people

  • from that side of the world and that side of the world

  • and now they're friends.

  • - It's crazy, but that's what we want to do.

  • - I know, that makes me really happy.

  • - It would make her hair stand on end

  • if she hadn't had laser hair removal on her arms.

  • (laugh)

  • She just looked at her arms, I knew your thought process.

  • Like, I don't have hair there anymore.

  • (laugh)

  • - Joel, incorrect.

  • I'm not having laser there.

  • That's when I got the wax and it went wrong.

  • - Oh, I thought you're had laser there.

  • - Never get a wax at a place you don't trust.

  • - That's so funny though.

  • Oh, no hair.

  • - You're like, it makes my hair stand on,

  • oh wait, I had an arm wax.

  • There's nothing there.

  • - Anyway, what were we saying?

  • - But yeah, turning the friendship into a business.

  • Yes, quite a clicky title, thanks for clicking it.

  • We've tried to sort of, (laugh)

  • thanks for clicking it.

  • - Thanks for clicking.

  • - We've spoken a little bit about how

  • we've kind of done it.

  • It was accidental, yes there have been some conversations

  • but we've gone oh gosh, we're like,

  • mid-20's now, we should probably be trying to

  • make some money.

  • - Yeah, then finally like, the down sides

  • of working together, like, I know lots of you

  • were thinking like, oh can it work?

  • Like how's the pressure on your friendship when

  • its been turned into a business?

  • - It's just like any working relationship.

  • Like, luckily we care about each other so much

  • that like, when there's tension we just need to

  • sort it out or work through it, like a

  • friendship, like a married couple, maybe

  • obviously a bit more close than how you would have

  • like, colleagues in an office because it's like

  • we're the only people we work with plus our

  • management and brands.

  • - And plus like, for colleagues in an office,

  • if you dislike someone you can still do your job

  • and get on with it.

  • If me and Lia fell out and disliked each other,

  • we couldn't fake it in front of a camera.

  • - No, we'd have to have a few days off.

  • - Or have it out with you.

  • - Have it out.

  • - Have it out.

  • - Yeah, luckily I would have 90% of the time,

  • everything's good.

  • 10% of the time there's tension.

  • And that's so natural.

  • - It's very natural and it's natural as two

  • different human beings that you disagree on something

  • because most the time it would just come from

  • disagreements or going, no I think this,

  • no I think this.

  • - And then you're just like how can we work through this

  • and come to a compromise?

  • It can be done, guys.

  • If we can do it, anyone can do it.

  • - Yet there's not any friendship duos

  • on YouTube, really.

  • No, male or female friendship duos

  • apart from Damon and Jo.

  • Like, there's none.

  • - I know, it's mad isn't it?

  • We're like, go on, give it a go guys.

  • - Give it a go.

  • - If we can do it.

  • - Yeah, but anyway, it's been probably quite a long video

  • but hopefully you found it interesting.

  • - Yeah, lots of you guys say that you're

  • interested in the business side of things

  • so you know, let's speak about it openly.

  • Let's not be embarrassed to talk about making money.

  • Ah, it's so British, isn't it?

  • - It is.

  • - Like, I can't talk about the fact that this pays my rent.

  • - But it's also a well known thing that YouTubers

  • earn money from it now and one of our YouTube friends,

  • Luke, he posted on his Instagram story

  • being like this isn't true, by the way.

  • Because it was a website on net worth

  • and it said he was worth 11 million pounds.

  • And he was like, are you joking?

  • That is not true.

  • So I think it's like, it's worth talking about

  • because everyone knows YouTubers earn money.

  • - Like, to put it into perspectively,

  • I'm living in a rented accommodate, like,

  • a rented flat in London.

  • I don't live on my own, I live with

  • a girl, another flat mate who also has a job,

  • and she's trying to be self employed,

  • do you know what I mean, she's hustling.

  • I can't afford a one bed flat but it's enough.

  • Do you know what I mean?

  • It's like, we're certainly not worth 11 million.

  • - We're not even worth one million,

  • not even worth half a million.

  • - No where near, no where near.

  • - But maybe one day.

  • Maybe one day the Joel and Lia brand will expand

  • and maybe not become Joel and Lia.

  • Maybe it will be something that Joel and Lia own

  • but that's the thing.

  • We do want to grow a brand.

  • - Yeah, we'll see where it goes and we're just really

  • lucky and really grateful that we've got

  • an amazing supportive system,

  • supportive group of people online that like us.

  • Support system.

  • - Support system.

  • - Therapy.

  • That's been everything today, guys.

  • We hope you've enjoyed the video.

  • We upload videos thrice weekly.

  • And we'll see you again next time.

  • - Yeah, see ya soon.

  • - [Together] Bye!

  • - Don't forget to like and subscribe.

  • - Like and subscribe, notification bell.

  • - Click it for on.

  • - Click.

  • - [Lia] We spoke for a long time during that, didn't we?

  • - [Joel] That was a long one.

  • - [Lia] Congratulations if you made it this far,

  • through to the end.

  • - [Joel] You're listening to this end card, fantastic.

  • - [Lia] I always wish that people would watch

  • through to the very end before writing first comment.

  • You know when people write first comment

  • within 30 seconds of like.

  • - [Joel] You haven't watched it.

  • - [Lia] You just clicked on it.

(upbeat music)

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