Second Wind - First Month Revenue Report
Added 2023-12-04 20:22:11 +0000 UTCToday I'm very proud to be able to share with you our first month revenue report on Second Wind.
This was a promise we made at launch that we would be transparent with our numbers, with this first month revenue report, and then quarterly after that, with a full annual report at the end of 2024.
You're helping fund a big independent media organization of 10 full-time people + freelancers, and as our audience, you deserve to know where your money is going.
I also personally think it's important for people to learn more about how media orgs run, and the cost it takes to make the content you enjoy. I hope this transparency and revenue report gives you confidence in what you're funding, and also sets a bar for others to follow in being transparent with fan-funding.
Defector Media has really been a North Star for us in building Second Wind and how to operate a fan-funded business, so all credit to them for their transparency and leading the way on this.
We've had a really strong start in our first month... much stronger than any of us could have anticipated really. Once our merch numbers come in at the end of December, the story will become even clearer as we head into 2024.
Thank you all for your incredible support! The team has been humbled by it, and we're excited to really get the gears rolling this month and into 2024!
Nick Calandra
Director of Content
Comments
LOL. Warchest. FOR THE HONOR OF THE KINGDOM!!! ATTACK!!!!
Kellic
2023-12-11 22:07:17 +0000 UTCMy thoughts exactly. I don't know why every avenue needs to milked, will the videos be censored again on youtube for us to have to go here for the real stuff? I hope we can pay so everyone gets the real experience on YT. But I don't know your salaries so maybe you need every penny. Anyway, I am a happy subscriber 😊
Sylfest Strutle
2023-12-09 18:13:17 +0000 UTCcreators being this transparency is so refreshing to see, and I'm overjoyed that the community has come together like this and everyone is being paid properly. great start and loving the content.
ryan evans
2023-12-07 18:51:02 +0000 UTCCame here to say exactly this! Many people are worried about sharing this much lest they look like they're doing "too well" and lose support. Glad that SW trusts their audience.
Autumn Leonard
2023-12-07 17:03:37 +0000 UTCThis is a great start! Hope it's going to be stable enough to allow you to experiment!
Tomasz Chrośniak
2023-12-07 00:02:31 +0000 UTCThank you.
DOSGamerMan
2023-12-06 23:25:42 +0000 UTCThis is cool. Thank you nick
kolby
2023-12-06 17:10:46 +0000 UTCSo excited and love seeing revenue reports!
SpaceCowboyCoastToCoast
2023-12-06 13:49:30 +0000 UTCI have never donated to anything that came from YouTube. I always said I would donate to one channel or another but never did. I saw a video on GamersNexus that talked about what happened with your former overlords and led me to you y'alls new channel. Upon seeing the first Fully ramblomatic video, I literally got out of my chair, retrieved my wallet, and made a patron account just to subscribe. I know it's not much but, you guys are inspiring. I love the new channel and can't wait to see what comes next! Love you guys and here's to more! (Sorry for the text wall)
DEMONxMAN
2023-12-06 08:13:25 +0000 UTCI love you are all doing so well!
Dave Phetteplace
2023-12-05 23:06:13 +0000 UTCThank you very much for sharing this with us, its good to see transparency and up-front economic honesty. I also think it would be really cool if, in a few months or a year, you did a video that covered these topics in greater detail, sorta like "so here's what we did, what we learned and what we would have done different/better if we could do it again from the start. If you're interested in starting your own independent organization, here's a realistic breakdown of startup costs and fees, income generation breakdown, the roles you're gonna need to fill and tech you need to have everyone work seamlessly while being spread out location wise, etc." Both for nerds like me who appreciate when the support staff and technical guys on the back-end get some props, and also for people who are looking to do a similar thing of their own.
silvergazer31
2023-12-05 20:13:15 +0000 UTCReally appreciate the transparency, and the lessons we can learn from this. Hoping for your continued success!
Serpenttao
2023-12-05 17:50:58 +0000 UTCCan't wait for the Kickstarter so I can drop more fliff on you guys
Cory McLean
2023-12-05 17:10:52 +0000 UTCIt's a shifting number right now with Yahtzee, Jack, Omar and I all committing to salary reductions. The goal is to get us back to what we were making at Gamurs, give the full-timers that never got raises to Gamurs up to parity with the other full-timers, and then we'll have that final number. We have those numbers planned out, but that's something we are keeping underwraps for now to not give people the wrong idea that we don't need continued funding.
Nick Calandra
2023-12-05 16:17:56 +0000 UTCNo worries if you don't know the amount yet, but it might be worth including how much the ten fulltimers will be paid once they start taking a salary come February. That way you people can place in context your revenue figures in proper context.
Will Cooling
2023-12-05 16:13:49 +0000 UTCYou aren't poor but it does depend on where you are in life. To a 22 year old single person with no kids in OKC no college loans, 9k a month is living large. If you are 42 with a spouse and 3 kids living in suburban California though, 9k a month gets burned thru pretty quick.
Russell Schafer
2023-12-05 13:03:21 +0000 UTCThis is so refreshing to see, and informative as someone who's hoping to eventually grow. I did chuckle at the equipment though. Was the only expense someone losing their Shure MV7 in the move? XD
Goblin University
2023-12-05 12:20:10 +0000 UTCGreat to see this. I love how you all communicate with the community!
4Bob
2023-12-05 11:28:24 +0000 UTCMaybe I'm just poor is is 9k a month not a decent salary?
Thenedor III, Steward of Rondog
2023-12-05 09:39:16 +0000 UTCThanks for sharing this Nick, love the transparency and how everything is going so far!
Zane Starmann
2023-12-05 09:32:03 +0000 UTCfantastic stuff, long may it continue. so happy to contribute to something like this
ergotpoisoning
2023-12-05 05:46:13 +0000 UTCthis is why we followed you, nick. honest transparency is so refreshing.
walt m
2023-12-05 05:15:25 +0000 UTCDoing a warchest fund is really putting me at ease. Thank you for the transparency.
Kutharos
2023-12-05 04:18:47 +0000 UTCeven though it doesn't effect the viewers, it's nice to know there's a healthy profit here, I hope it continues and increases, cheers to your early success and hope it gets' better, you all deserve good wages for the great work!
vapid
2023-12-05 03:13:42 +0000 UTCExcellent. If we truly want more of a thing. We need to ensure it’s sustainable. Hopefully the maths come out and we all can continue exchanging $ for good content and creators.
Stephen Quadro
2023-12-05 02:58:47 +0000 UTCIncredible start. Keep going. We're behind you!
WordsmithofSol
2023-12-05 02:20:17 +0000 UTCI love seeing how transparent you all are being with your finances. I've never been part of a Patreon that had done this. Bravo.
Boorulz
2023-12-05 01:49:26 +0000 UTCIt looks like a lot if you're used to personal finances, but for a business of this size that's a really tight budget! At a wild guess I think they'll need to be at about twice this to pay the full time employees and have a stable reserve.
Simeon
2023-12-05 01:29:04 +0000 UTCI do hope I'm just a worrywort. I'll continue to be a 50 dollar a month supporter bc I like this group and it brings joy to people and fuck knows that I don't.
Russell Schafer
2023-12-05 01:26:32 +0000 UTCI'm very glad to see another person here who saw the numbers and thought "woah, that's gonna be really tight" instead of "wow, they've got so much money!".
JT
2023-12-05 01:02:58 +0000 UTCI share this concern. I think most people have no idea how expensive salary is. They'll see this ~$80k surplus and think "wow, they've got so much money! They don't need mine", rather than "oh, wow, that's pretty tight once they start paying staff, I should get friends to sub too". I shared this with friends, along with an explanation of why more support was needed. But I worry that you'll lose more people than you gain, all total. :( Your Q1 report might be confusing too, since it'll only have two months of salary in it.
JT
2023-12-05 01:00:06 +0000 UTCThis transparency and honesty to want to make something good and timeless are the reason I want to support y'all. Thank you all for all your hard work.
Unsaved Trash
2023-12-05 00:28:16 +0000 UTCWhat do you expect you'll need regularly per month as far as benchmarks so you can stay alive and keep making content while maybe, hopefully, getting health insurance back? I want you guys to make it. I wish I could give more. If I can next year I will!
Jake
2023-12-05 00:02:36 +0000 UTCWe will when we have taxes to report! Comes with getting incorporated and having an actual business bank account.
Nick Calandra
2023-12-04 23:19:13 +0000 UTCI suppose you'd have to factor in the people on Patron who specifically chose the tier to not have to view sponsors and are paying more than they otherwise would. Would be funny if they're getting more money from people willing to pay to not see sponsors than they are from the sponsors.
Shawna Canon
2023-12-04 23:11:58 +0000 UTCPlease add taxes when and where appropriate. Gross numbers are well and good but the tax man cometh!
van_Zeller
2023-12-04 23:07:57 +0000 UTCnever thought i'd be seeing financial reports on the state of the channel. though it is nice to have an idea how things are going.
Nick Foxtails
2023-12-04 22:22:46 +0000 UTCWe have quite a few interested through Jan 2024, you'll see that number increase.
Nick Calandra
2023-12-04 21:59:11 +0000 UTCYEAH!!! THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO SEE!! You all rock. I'm so, so happy for, and proud of, you all. You deserve every bit of the love and support you're getting, and then some. Here's to 2024! 💙
Connor Swenke
2023-12-04 21:57:08 +0000 UTCHappy for you guys and love the transparency :)
Chrono Flux
2023-12-04 21:52:52 +0000 UTCAt $2500 the sponsors do not seem worth it, but maybe that will increase?
Jari
2023-12-04 21:45:10 +0000 UTCDo you guys have an estimate for the revenue hit that may occur once the hype dies down and people who jumped on the bandwagon withdraw their support? That's been my main concern for you guys. Well, that and whether you 10 will be able to take home comfortable salaries.
Jerry
2023-12-04 21:44:33 +0000 UTCThank you for sharing this, this really is encouraging to see that money is being used towards a good cause
Mark The Bob
2023-12-04 21:43:42 +0000 UTCGreat work Nick and team, we’re behind you
Sean Ogden
2023-12-04 21:41:30 +0000 UTCWoah business numbers. Thanks Nick
Scottpligrimrules
2023-12-04 21:37:38 +0000 UTCWow thank you for the answer. Mad respect to all of you for the work you do and the sacrifices you make. It is truly inspiring!
TheHolm
2023-12-04 21:37:10 +0000 UTCAlso i would add a big, very visible banner on top stating that FTE's are not taking pay until after jan 31st, just to drive home that the high revenue is temporary.
TheHolm
2023-12-04 21:34:42 +0000 UTCAs a guy who runs a small business (I'm a dentist), I applaud yall's hard work. It is wonderful to see you using your goodwill and getting Patreon subscribers. I will say that people forgoing pay for 3 months is pretty radical and that does show committment from you and your team. However, I am concerned about paying ten people's salaries on 94k a month. I know you plan to do a kickstarter which I love, but certainly that you aren't going to do that routinely. How do you plan on growing your income streams?
Russell Schafer
2023-12-04 21:33:24 +0000 UTCWe're not sure yet. Yahtzee, Omar, Jack and myself (Nick) all agreed to significant salary cuts, and also made sure to get raises to some of our FTE that were not paid enough at our previous company. So moving target. We'll be able to divulge those numbers once we hit Jan 31.
Nick Calandra
2023-12-04 21:31:54 +0000 UTCHow much do you expect to pay your FTE's in total per month after jan 31st?
TheHolm
2023-12-04 21:30:12 +0000 UTCGreat to see this level of Transparency - you can count on my Patreon sub 👍👍
Pete3.141
2023-12-04 21:26:11 +0000 UTCAbsolutely fantastic! Now I just pray that not too many patreon subs get lax and feel their contribution is no longer needed since "oh it looks like they're doing well enough to not need my measly or sub"
Christopher Hosking
2023-12-04 21:22:43 +0000 UTCWow... That Patreon inflow is incredible. What's the benefit to Incorporation that places it on the to-do list? Also, deeply respect the bold transparency.
Maur Razimtheth
2023-12-04 21:19:31 +0000 UTCNot really even that, as we're not backpaying for these months either. We just start fresh with salaries after that date. So we truly are building a warchest of funds to pull from.
Nick Calandra
2023-12-04 21:09:29 +0000 UTCWell done.
Nomp
2023-12-04 21:09:13 +0000 UTCExcellent! Wishing you much success!!
Randolph Thomas II
2023-12-04 21:08:57 +0000 UTCUnderstood.. "not being accounted for yet" is a better phrase, perhaps?
Eric McKenney
2023-12-04 21:08:33 +0000 UTCIt's not lacking, we're not paying salaries yet if you read the notes. No full-time salaries being paid (as we all agreed) until January 31st, 2024. Once we pay ourselves, it will be included!
Nick Calandra
2023-12-04 21:07:34 +0000 UTCThis is awesome to see! I really hope that the numbers hold after this first month of Patreon subs.
TwilightShadow
2023-12-04 21:07:20 +0000 UTCI imagine y'all already know, but this information lacking the full timer's deductions can make people start to pull back their donations out of a misunderstanding of the true cost based on the available numbers. Other Patreon folks have masked their monthly numbers, not too avoid transparency, but because they are a smaller outfit and (without hiring a full time accountant to make all their operating costs visible and explain they're barely breaking even,) patrons start dropping based on perceived surplus income. This level of transparency should help though, and I hope y'all continue to do amazingly well!
Eric McKenney
2023-12-04 21:06:48 +0000 UTCThanks for the breakdown! Really good to see that, very interesting that Youtube is relatively small profit.
Thall
2023-12-04 21:06:25 +0000 UTCWow, you're making a shitton of money, congrats! I really appreciate the transparency.
Leo, The Lion
2023-12-04 21:05:02 +0000 UTCExcel sheets with second wind graphics, love it
Manav Sridharan
2023-12-04 20:57:05 +0000 UTCAh. So it's all "small" jobs with a handful of billed hours, not your week-long content creation. That makes a lot of sense. So I assume that means Yahtzee, Frost, JM8 (and Ludo!), etc, are all full-timers? That's awesome news. Always glad for creators to have a stable living, rather than constantly worrying about where their next paycheck is coming from.
JT
2023-12-04 20:51:46 +0000 UTCA lot. Lol.
Nick Calandra
2023-12-04 20:51:26 +0000 UTCHell fucking yeah
lookitsaneric
2023-12-04 20:50:20 +0000 UTCThank you so much for your transparency. I am happy to do my little part to help support you all doing business based on values and integrity.
Antiphar
2023-12-04 20:50:12 +0000 UTCHaving a warchest is a good idea. Is there anything that you guys wanted to do but weren't able to before that might be possible now/in the near future?
Ryallen
2023-12-04 20:44:52 +0000 UTCI'm a CPA - let me know if you need any help on the financial reporting side :)
Jared
2023-12-04 20:43:25 +0000 UTCOf course. The sum is more than enough.
Tyler Blair
2023-12-04 20:42:48 +0000 UTCGreat work Nick, keep it up!
Brian S
2023-12-04 20:40:22 +0000 UTCYea, freelancer costs right now is just tied to branding, music, moderators, streaming etc. Haven't started content just yet with freelancers, but will be soon!
Nick Calandra
2023-12-04 20:38:53 +0000 UTCAmazing. Love the transparency
Kai
2023-12-04 20:37:30 +0000 UTCI am genuinely proud that you made so much profit from your first month! Your shows are amazing, the guys @ Gamurs don’t know what they miss out on. Keep up the quality of your shows, guys!
TheAestheticFur
2023-12-04 20:36:49 +0000 UTCIt's very cool how you've decided to be transparent. I actually love it.
WookieTiddy
2023-12-04 20:36:49 +0000 UTCI'm struck by just how little money you've spent. Less than $5k on freelancers in a month means they're either very cheap, or there's not nearly as many of them as I'd have expected. I'll be interested to see what your outflow ends up being for salaries. With 10 (extremely talented and irreplaceable) people, I would guess somewhere in the ballpark of $75k/mo, including benefits. (With huge error bars related to cost-of-living and business finances.) Other subscribers might notice that that is *dangerously* close to breaking even. That's why it's so important for us to support Second Wind. Businesses are mind-bogglingly expensive to run ethically, with everyone being paid a living wage they can retire on.
JT
2023-12-04 20:35:54 +0000 UTCFrom what I've watched so far, none of yall have skipped a beat. Cheers guys and good luck!
Earl Elmore
2023-12-04 20:35:20 +0000 UTCSalaries in total will be included on this report when they start, but for privacy, won't release them individually.
Nick Calandra
2023-12-04 20:33:07 +0000 UTC$61k from Patreon is WILD and well-deserved; shows how much we believe in this channel, the people behind it, and the messages they send. One love from MN🖤
Maximus
2023-12-04 20:32:25 +0000 UTCThanks for transparency, more than enough to be able to understand the ratio between overhead and what you’re aiming to put aside for future endeavours. Congrats on your initial capital raise for Second Wind! Excited to see what the team does in ‘24 💖
AmyC
2023-12-04 20:31:57 +0000 UTCI originally didn't really mind if this didn't happen as long as I kept getting the content I wanted, but it's really satisfying to see exactly what I'm funding. I appreciate this transparency and look forward to everything to come from Second Wind.
WhitePrince
2023-12-04 20:30:49 +0000 UTCHope to see the marks of sustainability soon, whether you're already there or have further to go. I'll gladly recommend you to friends with disposable income.
Dexter-by-designation
2023-12-04 20:29:50 +0000 UTCI love the transparency.
Ryan Jones
2023-12-04 20:29:31 +0000 UTCThe content has been pouring out and the quality has been wonderful. I think you're hitting the ground running - keep this momentum going!
Roo
2023-12-04 20:29:27 +0000 UTCFking love you guys, I wish everyone would do this. Cheers to all of your hard work and future successes!
Rick Lippini
2023-12-04 20:29:02 +0000 UTCVery interesting to see this breakdown, proud to be supporting you all
Colin Bell
2023-12-04 20:28:49 +0000 UTCOff to a great start, boys!
Emir Kotan
2023-12-04 20:28:47 +0000 UTCGreat to see you all doing so well! I was curious though, what does 'warchest' mean in your summary?
Blake
2023-12-04 20:28:42 +0000 UTCThis is cool that you're being transparent with this. I hope this is enough to be sustainable for y'all once the initial push settles in
Thom Blackburn
2023-12-04 20:28:33 +0000 UTCLooks like you're doing great, looking forward to you guys continued success
damien glenn
2023-12-04 20:27:48 +0000 UTCI for one very much appreciate the transparency. I'll be interested to see what payroll looks like when the full timers start up. I genuinely have no idea how much content creators make.
Tyler Blair
2023-12-04 20:27:26 +0000 UTCThis is one of the greatest things I’ve seen from a content studio, or whatever is the best way to phrase that. Love the transparency
Cranky
2023-12-04 20:27:25 +0000 UTCVery happy that you're this committed to transparency. Keep it up, and good job!
Sam_is_no_longer_enby
2023-12-04 20:27:16 +0000 UTCThanks for the promised transparency and I'm glad your first month was a strong one, let's hope that means there's many more months like this one (or better) to come.
Risax the Imp
2023-12-04 20:27:09 +0000 UTCI love the transparency. Keep up the great work. Can't wait to see what the new year brings!
Nyx
2023-12-04 20:27:02 +0000 UTCGood to see the success! Thanks for the transparency.
Chris Morris
2023-12-04 20:27:01 +0000 UTCHell yeah!!! Keep it up guys!!!
The L2D
2023-12-04 20:26:59 +0000 UTCAbsolutely love it!
Undeadcommander
2023-12-04 20:25:59 +0000 UTC
