I’ve Been a Cozy Entrepreneur (But I Still Made $33K in 3 Months) | Q2 2025 Income Report

https://youtu.be/0fb59uTErJU

In Q2 of 2025, I became a dad, averaged over $11,000/month, and realized something a little hard to admit:

I’ve been a cozy entrepreneur.

This post is part of my Road to a Millionaire series, where I break down what’s working (and what’s not) in my creative business. It’s not about flexing — it’s about transparency. If you’re trying to build something of your own, I hope it helps.

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🧾 Q2 2025 Income Breakdown

April: $10,818
May: $9,780
June: $11,772

Total: $33,370
Digital Income (Etsy, Shopify, YouTube, etc.): $2,263

The majority of this still comes from real estate photo + video. But I’m slowly building a digital funnel through YouTube, product sales, and short-form content.

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👶 Becoming a Dad Changed Everything

Five days into April, my son Royel was born. It still feels surreal.

I made a whole video about the emotional build-up to fatherhood (called “I Wasn’t Ready to Be a Dad”), but the truth is: nothing could’ve prepared me. That first moment when he looked at me — like I was his whole world — it shook something deep in me.

It wasn’t just joy. It was pressure. Purpose. Fire.

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💸 The Cozy Entrepreneur Mindset

Here’s where it gets real.

Somewhere in the last few years, I started choosing comfort over challenge. I stopped dreaming as big. I used to be all grind — music, acting, building a business from scratch. But lately? I just wanted to feel safe.

My friend said it best:

“You’re not grinding like you used to. You’re comfortable.”

He wasn’t wrong.

I built a stable six-figure income doing real estate photography. But I also slowed down the creative risk-taking. The big swings. The art I actually care about — music, storytelling, longform YouTube, film.

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📈 Turning the Fire Back On

Since Royel was born, I’ve felt something shift.

I’ve started posting 3–5 shortform videos every single day — across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. I’ve been documenting everything: real estate photography, fatherhood, healing, artistry.

It’s not viral. But it’s working.

In just 3 weeks:

• TikTok: 50,000+ views, ~200 new followers
• YouTube: steady growth + stronger retention
• Instagram: 80,000+ total views, better engagement

And it’s not just numbers. I’m attracting the right people — other creators, dads, photographers, artists. People who get it.

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💻 The Digital Funnel Is Coming Together

My goal now is to shift more of my income to digital.

I’ve launched presets, shared my gear list, offered consults, and I’m finalizing a full real estate photo/video workflow guide to help others build six-figure creative businesses too.

I don’t want to grind just for the sake of grinding. But I do want to scale in a way that lets me make the art I love — and live well doing it.

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🧠 Final Thoughts

This quarter reminded me of something important:

Making $11K/month doesn’t mean you’re fulfilled.
Being a dad doesn’t mean you stop dreaming.
And being cozy isn’t always a bad thing — unless it makes you forget who you are.

So here I am — not starting over, but starting again. Sharper, more grounded, and more fired up than I’ve been in a long time.

Thanks for being part of it.

— Cole