This creator built a 35M+ following through life-changing giveaways

^{Making a living as a creator shouldn’t be some elusive thing. And what’s the best way to learn how creators are making it work? To go behind-the-scenes. These bi-weekly interview issues are like having coffee with your favorite creators. If we haven’t met before, I’m Amanda Smith. I write about solopreneurship and the creator economy.}

Good morning. This week’s creator proves that doing good and building a business aren’t at odds. He grew a 35M+ following through life-changing giveaways, then built an agency model that turned that attention into $2.7M+ in community support and lasting brand partnerships.

This is a special read.

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Josh Liljenquist always knew he wanted to make a difference in the world. He just didn’t know what that would look like. He started out thinking it was teaching, then tried finance, and “couldn’t pass accounting.” He eventually switched to communication and began posting videos about things he found interesting.

One of those early videos told the story of a Black teenager believed to be the youngest person ever executed in the U.S. It landed during the George Floyd era and was shared by a huge number of people, including Billie Eilish.

Even then, Liljenquist didn’t see social media as a career. “I didn’t think it was going to be a full-time thing. It was something I enjoyed doing at the time,” he said.

Once his following started earning him a little money, he made a simple bet with himself. “If I go broke by giving money to people, it’s a win. And if I make something sustainable by giving money away, it’s a win.”

The $1,000 beef jerky

The video that showed him what this could become was filmed at a Hy-Vee grocery store. Liljenquist asked a young cashier to pay for his snack. In hindsight, he admits, $13 of beef jerky was the worst thing he could have picked. She paid for it anyway, and he handed her $500.

She broke down crying. It turned out she was saving for her own apartment. Liljenquist went back to his car and came back with another $500, which was enough for her to get the apartment.

The video drew 30 million views on TikTok in less than a day. She became a hometown celebrity, and people flew in from other states to meet her and give her money. The last he heard, she’d saved enough for a down payment and bought a house.

“I never thought that was even a possibility,” he said.

Hiring beyond himself

As the channel grew, so did the responsibility. “I knew that I had to expand beyond just me,” Liljenquist said. Making his first hire scared him. “I didn’t want to lose something that I spent so long building. I wanted it to be sustainable, and I wanted to be able to help people. So I took a leap of faith hiring a full-time videographer.”

They met by chance at a Halloween party, and his videographer calls it a “divine appointment.”

How a story gets selected

Every video starts with a nomination form, and the team prefers people nominated by friends or family over self-nominations. “There’s something to be said about someone who is nominated by somebody else,” Liljenquist said. It also helps when the person doesn’t already know who he is. 

“It’s hard when people know who you are,” he said, and a stranger makes for a more genuine conversation.

James – one third of this three-person team – reads every form and calls the nominee’s friends and family. Liljenquist’s team once raised money to help James himself. “Life had James down for 30 years,” Liljenquist said, so he can relate to what nominees are going through. Even when the team doesn’t pick someone, James can still give advice or connect them with resources.

James builds rapport with each family, whether they’re dealing with illness, a house fire or a sick child. He walks them through the questions and asks permission before anything is filmed.

$2.71 million in 11 months

All the fundraising runs through GoFundMe, and the money never passes through Liljenquist. “We make the other person a beneficiary, so they have all the access to the money, and it doesn’t go to us,” he said. “We just want to be able to tell the story and let people help out that family.”

He did the math the day before our interview. In 11 months, his campaigns raised $2.71 million. The fundraising side is separate from their regular business revenue, which is generated through social media platform monetization and brand partnerships. 

While the business does accept brand deals if there’s a values alignment, Liljenquist said the ultimate goal is to use that opportunity to make a positive difference in someone’s life. “It’s about finding ways to make the business sustainable while staying true to our mission.” 

Purpose and profit co-exist 

Liljenquist hears one thing from families again and again. “The video was great, the money was great, but the most important thing for me was the way you showed up as a team.”

For him, that means families trust the team with the hardest moments of their lives and know it won’t be used “to benefit just us.”

The goal has always been bigger than one channel. “Imagine if there were a million people out there across the whole world doing exactly this when they have extra resources or extra money,” he said. “That’s the whole idea: To inspire other people to go out there and do it.”

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Speak soon,
Amanda

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