How ZoeUnlimited went from accountant to YouTuber with over 3.4 million subscribers via NewsFlicks

5 years in the past, 21-year-old Zoe discovered herself desiring an outlet.

The then-recent UCLA grad used to be operating as an accountant, a occupation she’d opted for as a result of its balance — regardless that she describes herself as an inventive child, she additionally admits, she used to be “ scared of changing into a ravenous artist.” When the pandemic hit and he or she now not had to travel in LA visitors, she determined to begin spending her loose time making YouTube movies.

“ It used to be only a area for me to respire,” she advised Mashable. “I had no background in video advent in any way.”

That area to respire developed right into a full-time occupation with the now 26-year-old’s channel, ZoeUnlimited, which has 3.42 million subscribers on the time of writing. Through the years, she’s developed her channel from way of life content material to advertising and marketing research on the whole thing from Billie Eilish to Glossier.

Credit score: Cole Kan/Mashable; Symbol Credit score: Getty Photographs/ Zoe Limitless’s Instagram

We stuck up with Zoe at VidCon 2025 to listen to about how she navigated the corporate-to-creative occupation trade and the whole thing she’s realized alongside the way in which.

Do you take into accout while you first learned your content material used to be starting up?

I all the time had a delusional mindset the place I used to be going to make it, like even if I used to be getting 100 or 200 perspectives on YouTube. I used to be like, “Yeah, I am gonna get to 500K [subscribers] via the top of the yr.” I didn’t, however I did achieve round 100K.

For the reason that very get started, even supposing I did not see the effects coming in, I used to be so thankful for each and every unmarried new subscriber, new view. I had a little bit YouTube magazine the place I used to be like, “As of late I received like two subscribers, after which I am operating in this video, and I am having a laugh with it.”

Do you ever return and browse the ones outdated entries?

 Yeah. Particularly throughout the tougher occasions, the place I am like, “Oh, this video flopped, am I incompetent as a writer?” And I am like, “Take into account the days that you simply had been simply taking part in these kind of small moments? ”

How did you make a decision to make the bounce from company to full-time content material advent?

So,  I labored in each advertising and marketing and tech — I pivoted from finance to tech advertising and marketing. On the time, I used to be very lucky and thankful that I used to be in a position to be informed from the enjoy of in fact doing the promoting itself. I truly liked doing each company and content material on the similar time as a result of I used to be finding out other abilities. It used to be at some extent the place I now not felt like I used to be finding out the issues that I sought after to be informed, that I used to be like, OK, I believe it is time to double down on content material.

What number of years into your content material adventure used to be that?

3 years.

So that you had been balancing each for moderately some time.

Oh yeah. I lived a Hannah Montana lifestyles.

Did you maintain burnout throughout that point?

Without a doubt. I’d say burnout generally does no longer stem from the workload. It stems from shedding contact with a goal. I believe I felt essentially the most burnout when my channel used to be, quote unquote, effectively emerging.

However I could not really feel any pleasure about that. The entire metrics I assumed I used to be going to be so glad about did not convey any pleasure to me. On most sensible of that, I used to be getting a large number of backlash on-line, the place other people misunderstood my intentions. In order that truly harm. I believe that harm extra as a result of I felt disconnected from the group.

I needed to truly get involved with myself and be like, “Why am I growing?” And I believe the why can trade, however I must be brutally fair. And infrequently, at one level, I used to be like, “Oh. It is because I used to be chasing after vainness metrics.” I used to be letting my self esteem be so tied up with how a lot other people like me or settle for me on-line. And I used to be like, that isn’t why this adventure started within the first position. I needed to be so confrontational with my ego, and that’s the reason no longer a very simple factor to do, however I without a doubt wanted an ego test and to reground myself and music in with the place my interest lies once more.

How have you ever navigated the evolution of your content material during the last 5 years?

 I like letting my interest information me. I like sharing my progress adventure on-line with this group of growth-minded other people, particularly Gen Z and millennial girls. But when I am tackling a undeniable factor and rising in a particular space, I wish to proportion that. My pastime may evolve over the years, or the issues I wish to proportion may evolve over the years. So I simply let that lead me.

At the moment, I am looking to convey extra other people into the arena of popular culture, good looks, and style in the course of the lens of selling via making industry extra tangible, a laugh, and not more intimidating for girls as a result of my target market is most commonly girls. I come from a industry background, however infrequently I nonetheless get scared of items. If I am scared, then how a lot of this might intimidate and prohibit such a lot of my target market?

What had been one of the greatest finding out curves you went via as you grew your channel?

 Hiring. I ran a one-woman display for 2 and a part years whilst operating full-time, like nine-to-nines. I do not know the way I did it — I believe it is simply that I by no means truly seen it as paintings, I used to be simply having a laugh.

However nonetheless, my time used to be at like complete capability. And I want that I realized it is OK to let move of inventive regulate as a result of in the event you teach other people proper, they’re going to in the end outgrow you and your taste, and that’s the reason the most productive feeling of achievement — to coach somebody to edit higher than me in my taste and to paintings in combination collaboratively.

 That is one thing that I have heard different creators say, that hiring an editor will also be so daunting as a result of it is like letting move of your child.

 Precisely. Additionally, when operating in social media, you all the time have that roughly chance mentality that this might all move away. Will have to I be making an investment on this? Will have to I be spending cash and pouring it out?

Do you might have any guidelines for creators in quest of control for the primary time?

 Do not lock your self in. Believe, however examine. They have got to turn the receipts, display the information — it can not simply be communicate, like everyone can communicate, proper? They are all the time like, “We are gonna take you there. We wanna do that and that with you.” OK, however have you ever executed it? Do you might have the credentials? Do you might have the document and enjoy to try this?

And do you might have the document and enjoy in serving to somebody like me, as a writer, the kind of writer I’m, to move the place I wanna move? So cater it to your self there. You might be hiring somebody that can assist you. My preliminary mistake used to be that I felt like, “Oh my God, am I bothering my supervisor?” I am so thankful this large control corporate took me on; I felt like no longer sufficient. I don’t believe it used to be the precise form of dynamic.

 What recommendation would you give to an aspiring writer?

 I’d say do not give up your activity but. Having a just right monetary basis is so the most important as a result of I don’t believe anything else is sustainable, like growing, simply from a cash point of view. I did it once I wasn’t creating a cent on YouTube. In reality, somebody would’ve needed to pay me — almost definitely so much — to prevent making cringy movies. So if you are doing it for cash, you might be no longer gonna have an excessively lengthy occupation within the content material area. It’s a must to in fact be making issues you may make whether or not or no longer there’s cash at the desk.

And I’d say create a structural device. Have a agenda to dam in occasions that it’s worthwhile to squeeze any time within the week to create content material. It is possible. The one prohibit truly is your personal trust.

Are there another creators in the market whom you draw inspiration from?

 I might love to offer a shout-out to my easiest pal, Alivia D’Andrea. She has impeccable style and visuals, and exceptional storytelling. She truly conjures up me. I might been observing her at the side of the opposite YouTube girlies, like Emma Chamberlain and BestDressed. Those 3 truly impressed me ahead of I even began growing.

 Alivia and I met via Instagram DM and was easiest buddies. I am critically so thankful for a way she’s in my lifestyles. She noticed the photograph of me in entrance of my VidCon signal, and he or she’s like, “I am getting so emotional,” and he or she’s all the time celebrating my wins with me and all the time there for me.  I am in fact getting emotional speaking about this.

So she has a brand new collection popping out referred to as “The Relationship Diaries,” after her “Glow Up Diaries,” which is like iconic and began the Glow Up motion on YouTube.