Nafisat Adeagbo
This week’s subject is Baliqees Dadeowo, a recent graduate of the Dept. of Human Anatomy. She is a DIY YouTuber, a fashion and tech enthusiast who loves creating and teaching people about modest wear designs but doesn’t like making it for people. In this interview, she talks about how she has been able to use her skill in an unusual way.
Why YouTube?
I’ve always loved YouTube. I tried to think outside the box to know what I can make of my skill since I don’t like making clothes for people except it’s mine. That led me to creating my YouTube channel @Modest Baliqees and making DIY videos of the dresses I make for myself and uploading it. I didn’t know my channel was going to blow up, and it’s not even a year yet. I just wanted to do something because I was idle during the pandemic period.
How did you get that much subscribers in a short time?
I have over 12k subscribers and the highest view I have had on my post is around 150k views. I decided on a particular niche and that gave me an edge as not too many YouTubers were on to that niche.
Consistency also matters a lot and know what your viewers want. They send a picture of what they want to learn to my IG and I make the videos. Most of my subscribers are not Nigerians. Finally, what I’m doing is universal and that helped with the channel growth.
Do you make money from YouTube?
Yes, I do. YouTube is like an investment. Before you can get monetized on YouTube, you need to have a minimum of 1k subscribers and 4k hours watch view. When you have that, YouTube will start placing ads in your videos and then you will start generating money from those ads but that also depends on the countries that watch your video most. So, it’s best to have viewers from the US because they pay a lot for ads but if you have a lot of viewers from India, you earn low even if you have a lot of views.
You must be super rich with your subscribers and views count
There’s always a misconception that if you have a lot of views and subscribers you’ll be earning more but that’s not how it works. The pay is according to how many people watch the ads placed in your videos. So, if the viewers skip ads, then you don’t receive payment for the ads placed in your videos. My monthly average revenue is 40k and that’s also because I don’t have many viewers from the US. My revenue skyrockets when I have many viewers from the US.
How were you able to balance final year with work?
It was really hectic but I had to plan myself well. I use Google plan and it worked for me. I have a schedule that I follow. So, when it’s time for class or to read, I just do that. I reduced uploading on my channel because making DIY is stressful and I still have to edit the videos. It actually affected my channel.
When did you get monetized on YouTube?
I got monetized in November but I didn’t receive my pay until last month because of a lot of Nigeria factor, but I received the pay for 3 months together.
Let us into your tech life
I want my graduate studies to be on biostatistics. So, I feel like I need knowledge on data science and data analysis. I learnt to code with python and it’s so that I can perform data analysis. I might venture into other parts of the tech field later on. I’m currently learning machine learning and predictive analysis.
What do you love most about what you do?
That will have to be being my own boss. I love the fact that I’m able to impact people positively. I’m also able to work at my pace with no pressure. When I want to make videos and code, I do,and when I don’t want to, I don’t.
If you could give any advice to Ladokites, what would it be?
I’ll advise Ladokites to spread their wings and not limit themselves. Just ask yourself this question, if you’re not in school, what will you be doing?. Start from somewhere and before you know it, you’ll become a pro. Do something besides academics. It won’t be nice leaving Lautech with just a certificate after spending so many years here.
