Why MrBeast Almost Quit - And the Move That Made Him a Mogul

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Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, is the most successful YouTuber on the planet, with an empire worth over $500 million.

But his road to the top was anything but overnight. In fact, he spent seven years making videos with almost no success.

He started his YouTube channel in 2012 at just 13 years old, posting gaming videos that barely got views. By 2016, he had uploaded over 1,000 videos and still had fewer than 10,000 subscribers.

A soul-crushingly low number for that amount of effort.

Most people would have quit.

But the soon to be MrBeast was obsessed.

He studied YouTube like a scientist, reverse-engineering viral content to understand what made people click.

He analyzed

• thumbnails

• titles

• video pacing

• and audience retention.

Then, in 2017, he took a ridiculous gamble.

The Video That Changed Everything

Donaldson filmed himself counting to 100,000—a stunt that took 40 straight hours.

He knew it was absurd, but it was also designed to keep people watching just to see if he would actually do it.

The video exploded.

It racked up millions of views, and for the first time, MrBeast had proof of concept.

He doubled down on insane challenges - watching paint dry, saying Logan Paul’s name 100,000 times, and reading the entire dictionary.

His formula was working: bizarre, attention-grabbing concepts with massive viewer engagement.

As his views grew, he did something most YouTubers would never dare: He reinvested every dollar he made into bigger and crazier videos.

Instead of buying a fancy car or cashing in early, he used his ad revenue to fund even more outrageous ideas - giving away cars, tipping fast food workers $10,000, and eventually buying an entire island to give away.

The Billionaire Philanthropist of YouTube

By 2020, MrBeast had become the king of viral content.

But he did not stop there. He launched Feastables, a chocolate brand now worth hundreds of millions, and Beast Burger, a virtual restaurant concept that sold over one million burgersin its first months.

He then went even bigger, creating Beast Philanthropy, a non-profit YouTube channel where 100% of the ad revenue goes to charity.

Today, MrBeast is more than just a YouTuber; he is a media mogul.

He has cracked the code of viral content, audience retention, and business reinvestment.

The Takeaway

A lot of people quit too early. Not MrBeast. His story is a masterclass in persistence, reinvestment, and playing the long game -

• If your strategy is not working, study the winners and adapt

• The real breakthroughs come after trial and error

Steal This Strategy

📖 Book – The YouTube Formula by Derral Eves
A breakdown of YouTube growth strategies from an insider who helped top creators go viral.​

🎥 Video – MrBeast on Lex Fridman
A deep dive into how MrBeast thinks about business, content, and reinvention.​

🌐 Website – Beast Philanthropy
See how he has turned his YouTube success into a massive force for good.​

🛠️ Tool – Thumbnail Tester
A tool to A/B test thumbnails before launching a YouTube video, just like MrBeast does.​

🎙️ Podcast – My First Million – MrBeast Episode
How MrBeast built his empire and what entrepreneurs can learn from his strategy.​

Overnight Challenge

Spend one hour analyzing the top performers in your preferred social media niche. Study their thumbnails, titles, and engagement tactics. What patterns do you see? What could you apply to your content or business?

About Steve

Steve Strauss is the best-selling author of The Small Business Bible (and 17 other books), Inc.’s small business columnist, a lawyer (non-practicing), and an entrepreneur. He sold his last venture, TheSelfEmployed.com to Mark Cuban & Zen Business. Need a ghostwriter or a newsletter for your business? Contact Steve!