BIG Ideas with Salma Jafri

BIG Ideas with Salma Jafri

Salma Jafri is a YouTube coach and video strategist who turned her passion for teaching into a thriving full-time career. In this catch up, she opens up about the ideas and shifts that helped her grow her channel and build a location-independent life. From early struggles to recent breakthroughs, Salma shares hard-won insights every creator can learn from.

Salma Jafri’s Creator Journey:

Q: Tell us about your channel! What’s your name, what niche are you in, and what type of videos do you make?
A: I'm Salma Jafri. That's also the name of my channel. I'm a YouTube coach and video strategist, and I help video creators turn into YouTube entrepreneurs.

Q: Let’s start at the beginning. Why did you first start creating YouTube videos? What inspired you to hit publish for the first time?
A: The first time I ever uploaded a YouTube video was in 2011. It was for a contest entry, and it took me 30 days to create that video. I took a break after that and dabbled in YouTube again in 2015 and 2016, then went pro in 2017. What inspired me to go full steam on my channel was the realization that I had a lot I wanted to share. I was primarily creating content about marketing, communication, psychology, and speaking skills. There was so much I wanted to learn for myself, and I thought, what better way to learn than to teach it? That’s the idea I started with.

Q: What’s the journey been like since then? How has your life changed over the course of your YouTube journey?
A: My life has done a complete 180 since I started on YouTube over the last eight to ten years. I've been featured in Entrepreneur magazine, spoken at major video marketing conferences around the world, and worked with over 700 clients to help them start and scale their YouTube channels. I've collaborated with brands, secured sponsorships, served as a brand ambassador, and most importantly, used YouTube to fuel my location-independent lifestyle. In 2022, I moved from Pakistan to Madeira, Portugal. All thanks to my YouTube channel. Everything I’ve been able to do professionally has been because of YouTube. It’s been pretty huge.

Q: If you achieved everything you’ve ever wanted with your channel, what would that look like?
A: I’ve already achieved the biggest thing I wanted, which was location independence. The next goals for my channel would be to make speaking a full-time career and to grow my membership, the YouTube Entrepreneur Society, exponentially over the next few years.

Q: Help us fill in the blank: “The best ideas come when I’m______”
A: The best ideas come when I'm doing anything but sitting at my desk: cooking, walking, hiking, showering, watching other creators. Doing anything other than trying to think in front of my laptop is when inspiration hits. That’s why I always try to get out of the office and keep a digital notebook handy to capture ideas.

Q: (Optional) How has Spotter Studio helped your channel? What do you love most about it?
A: I’ve just recently started using Spotter Studio and understand it’s AI-powered ideation. What I love most so far, even as a new user, is that it gives me viral title ideas. I always know what I want to say, but packaging is really important. The tool offers psychology-based ideas and emotional triggers like fear or aspiration, which helps me think about the exact right emotion to package a video with. That’s what I’m loving so far, and I’m sure I’ll discover more features to love over time.

Salma Jafri’s BIG Ideas:

Q: What book, resource, or creator expert have you recommended most to other creators, and why?
A: I typically recommend two books to most people starting out. The first one is the one that helped me the most: The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. It's here on my bookshelf, which you can probably see right now. It really helped me get out of the mindset of trading time for money and into creating products and leveraging those products for income, sales, and clients. That was shift number one. Shift number two was when I went from amateur to professional, and Steven Pressfield's book Going Pro really helped me with the mindset part: understanding what amateurs do and how professionals operate differently. Those are the two resources I always recommend.

Q: What $100-or-less creator tool or purchase has made a surprising impact on your channel?
A: I would say Canva has probably been really great for me, because I'm not a designer. I can’t even draw a stick figure to save my life. Being able to design infographics, graphics for my YouTube videos, presentations for my webinars, and branding material for my website and YouTube channel has been a game-changer. I use it every single day. More recently, I’ve also been using an AI tool called Perplexity. I have Perplexity Pro, which helps me hone in on my writing process, scriptwriting, and ideation. I basically use it like an assistant. I have regular back-and-forth conversations with it that help me get ideas out of my head and gain clarity.

Q: What’s a video flop that taught you an important lesson on your creator journey?
A: One thing I’ve learned on YouTube is that there’s no such thing as a video flop. Every video, even if it doesn’t perform right away in that initial one-week window, can take off in the future. I have several videos that flatlined in the first month or 90 days, and then, as they gained momentum and watch time, they started showing up in search and ranking higher. Once they gained traction, they went viral with that classic hockey stick growth. So I’d say there’s really no such thing as failure on YouTube. Every video can appreciate over time.

Q: If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it (metaphorically speaking, getting a message out to millions of creators), what would it say and why?
A: For the longest time, I had a YouTube studio with some of my favorite quotations on the wall behind me. Two of my favorites were “Start before you're ready” and “Trust the process.” I would put those on the billboard because people often quit right before they’re about to succeed. Trusting the process means you keep going, keep tweaking, keep testing, and don’t give up. “Start before you’re ready” is key because the easiest way to give up is to never try. Clarity comes from action, not thought. Unless you try, experiment, and do different things, you won’t get clear on your channel, direction, topics, audience, or what you’re doing on YouTube. Those two ideas are fundamental in the mindset space and ones I always come back to.

Q: What’s a unique aspect in your creative process that works for you even if no one else gets it?
A: I’m probably the queen of having a million tabs open at the same time, and I jump between tasks constantly. I know productivity gurus hate that. They’ll say to focus in 20-minute chunks and complete one task before moving on. Sorry, but my brain just doesn’t work that way. I’ll be writing one minute, designing the next, doing something totally different the next, and then circle back. I might do it all in focus chunks, but I like to task switch and it works for me.

Q: What idea, habit, or mindset shift had the biggest impact on your channel growth?
A: I think the biggest change I’ve made as a YouTube creator is to not always think like a creator. This shift has been instrumental in turning my YouTube channel from a hobbyist pursuit into a full-time income-generating business. I went from a hobby/amateur mindset: thinking only in creator mode to thinking in entrepreneur mode. I realized YouTube is not just a social media platform; it’s a business asset. You can leverage it more than even your website to grow your audience, make meaningful connections, promote products and services you believe in, and attract clients who align with your values. So the biggest shift you can make is to not just think like a creator, but also like a business owner, an entrepreneur, and a creative exploring all of those areas together.

Q: What’s the BEST advice you'd give to a smart, serious creator just starting to post consistently? What’s the WORST advice they should stay away from?
A: When you're just starting to post consistently, a lot of the advice out there is very rigid things like “post weekly,” “post daily,” or “stay top of mind.” But I’ve found that this can quickly lead to burnout. Instead of consistency, my keyword is cadence. Find a rhythm you can actually sustain over a long period of time. YouTube is a long game, not a sprint. Think in 10-year chunks, not three-to-six-month bursts. Cadence over frequency that’s what will help you stay the course and avoid burnout.

Q: What's the biggest challenge you’re facing in your creative journey right now? How can the Spotter Studio Community help support?
A: One of the biggest challenges right now, especially for educational channels like mine, is adapting to the shifts in search and AI. We’re experiencing lower numbers, and while the algorithm is always changing, we don’t blame it. Instead, we ask: What do we need to shift? How do we stay true to our audience and process while adapting to what’s new? Search isn’t the same anymore, and AI has reshaped how people discover and consume content. So, we need to bring back creativity, authentic storytelling, and real connection. That’s the challenge I’m navigating right now: how to evolve without losing the essence of what makes our content meaningful.

Q: What idea are you most excited to create next?
A: I want to do more collaborations. I used to do them when my channel was still growing, and they helped so much with building community. The YouTube creator community has always been so supportive and encouraging. I met many fellow creators at real-world events, turning online friendships into in-person connections. I’d love to return to that: creating more collaborations with other creators and also with brands.

Q: If you had a million dollars to make your dream video, what would it be?
A: If I had a million dollars, I’d fly in some of my favorite people to the gorgeous mountainous island I now call home. I’d capture stunning drone footage, go on scenic hikes, and film while learning and sharing about YouTube. It would be a video that blends nature, photography, scripting, video creation, collaboration, and community. Hosting all of that together: that’s the dream. Maybe one day it’ll happen.

Final Note

Salma's journey proves that success on YouTube isn't just about uploading videos. It's about thinking like an entrepreneur, staying true to your voice, and building systems you can sustain. Her story is a thoughtful reminder that with clarity and commitment, creators can build something that lasts. Be sure to follow her journey on YouTube by subscribing here and if you’d like to join the YouTube Entrepreneurs' Society she founded be sure to join here.