Soldering Success: Streamer-Turned-Tech Repair Entrepreneur

Hey! My name is Joey and I like to try and fix electronics, then break them trying to fix them, then fix them again.

I've always enjoyed playing sports and being active, but it's hard to find any time recently with everything going on. I'm a proud Dad of an almost two-year-old, and a husband. I started Joey Does Tech back in February 2020, right before the COVID lockdowns in the U.K.

I decided it was time to try something new and take on the task of learning how to fix electronics without any experience, and post the videos on YouTube. Prior to 2020 and Joey Does Tech, I was always playing games with friends and uploading the content/streaming for people to see, I've always enjoyed the process.

I stumbled down the magic rabbit hole of YouTube one evening, and found a channel called "TronicsFix". I think the first video I saw was "I Bought 18 Broken Xboxes - Can I Make Money?" and I was INSTANTLY hooked. Hours and hours passed watching this content, then eventually I found more channels relating to Tech Repairs.

I also have a friend called Elliot, who runs a YouTube channel called The Retro Future, and I've always been fascinated with his love for modding/fixing Gameboys! In terms of content creation, it's something I've done since around 2012/2013 with games.

I was working as a sole trader for a few years when I started to earn money with Joey Does Tech. Almost all income was put back into the channel, whether that was buying new equipment, or more things to repair.

I think it's important to re-invest what you can to grow, and with Joey Does Tech that also applied to investing in the content creation side as well. Since last year, Joey Does Tech was made into a limited company (U.K. version of a LLC), as I didn't want it tied in with my personal finances. This was quite a big decision to make, and even though the process is a bit long winded, it's completely worth it.

Make sure you also have a good accountant if you're starting to make any income!

I think there's a very thin line between the two. You need to ensure you keep yourself interested and almost prioritise that, because if you lose interest and enjoyment (especially when you're making content) it will show in your output, and people will see it.

Burn out is completely different from one person to another, it's important to recognise your limits and use that to your advantage so you don't burn out. I used to live stream on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening after work for a very long time, to 1-7 viewers, so my I knew how far I could push my burnout meter with Joey Does Tech!

Don't be afraid to make change if you are burning out, when you don't make a change, that's when it becomes dangerous.

I like to think of it as two separate fields, content creation and tech repair.

If you're someone who is wanting to get into content creation, whether that be from gaming or something more creative, make sure you use the plethora of social media that's out there currently. Get yourself on TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, these are all platforms that push easy, watchable content. You can use these channels to then drive traffic to your chosen home, whether that be live streaming on Twitch/YouTube, or long form video content on YouTube, or even to leads on your website! I spent so many hours streaming to 1-7 people on Twitch, without changing a thing, which looking back was a bit silly, however developed my confidence in streaming to people, so it wasn't a complete waste!

If it's tech repair, please get involved in the communities out there. There are so many helpful Discord channels that will help you learn, and so much content to consume on YouTube that will develop your skills.

Don't be scared to make a change and give it a try!

I’m mostly on YouTube and Twitch, you can find me easily on either.

Thanks for the questions!