How To Grow as a Content Creator: Learning From Smosh’s Growth from A Two-Person Show to a Brand
In an open talk on The Colin and Samir Show, Smosh founders Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox share their story of growing from YouTube creators to digital media leaders.
Their journey shows key lessons about growing creativity, staying real, and handling the challenges of building a digital entertainment company.
The Growth Challenge: More Than Just Hiring People
The creator world has a big challenge: how do you take something personal and make it bigger?
Anthony Padilla puts it simply:
“It’s hard to scale your creative… I think that’s one of the hardest things to do.
Conceptually someone with a business hat on is like ‘okay great, let’s take Smosh and let’s make it all these different things,’ but there’s a DNA to that that’s actually just you guys sitting in a house coming up with ideas.”
Building a Creative Team That Works
Growing successfully needs more than just hiring people. The Smosh founders found that getting the right team and learning to let go becomes key for lasting growth.
They stress the need to carefully check if new team members fit the culture, understand the brand’s voice, and follow clear creative rules.
Ian stresses how important these choices are:
“The biggest thing is being able to identify the people because there’s going to be a team that helps you accomplish this or else you’re going to completely abandon the thing that got you footing in the first place, which is dangerous.”
When Growth Hurts: The Hidden Cost of Growing Too Fast
Anthony’s story of burning out warns other creators about growing too quickly. He shares:
“The reason that I felt so split with my time that it completely destroyed me was because we didn’t have the time to make sure that the people that we started working with completely understood our voice.”
Warning Signs That Show Unhealthy Growth:
- Always fixing problems and losing track of projects
- Rushing creative work and lowering quality
- Working longer hours while feeling disconnected
- Finding it hard to stay excited and balance work with life
The Big Choice: Grow Bigger or Get Better?
Creators face a big decision in their journey.
The podcast talk shows two clear paths: the keep-it-simple path and the grow-bigger path.
The keep-it-simple path focuses on making your main content perfect, building stronger ties with fans, and keeping direct control over creative work.
The grow-bigger path means starting new shows, expanding to different platforms, and making money in various ways.
Trust: The Key to Growing Successfully
The talk reveals two main rules for successful growth:
“You cannot do it unless you have someone you trust with such depth that’s typically sometimes like a family member or someone so close to you that will never cross you.”
And more importantly:
“If you’re to diversify you have to start caring less and that is really hard as a creative.”
Creating Show Formats That Last
The Smosh founders stress the importance of making show formats that work long-term.
This means building flexible ways to make content, setting clear quality goals, and always giving fans what they expect.
Ian emphasizes what they focus on now:
“Right now our focus is like don’t break that trust… just keep working on it.”
Trying New Things Smart
The talk shows how taking careful risks helps growth. Success needs:
- Starting small and getting quick feedback
- Setting clear goals and listening to results
- Having backup plans while being careful with resources
- Growing successful ideas step by step
They emphasize this approach:
“If you’re viewers are excited by you being excited, you know why not give it a shot. I think there’s a lot of value to trying out things and being okay with it failing.”
Handling Life After Being Bought
The founders share honest insights about keeping creative control after selling their company.
They stress the need to set clear limits, keep control over creative work, and build good communication with new owners.
Tips on How to Grow as a Content Creator
From the Smosh experience, successful growth needs:
Building Strong Basics
- Write down your creative process and quality standards
- Make clear brand rules and training plans
- Watch quality closely while keeping fans happy
- Learn quickly and share what works with the team
The Future of Creator Business
The talk points to the growing need for lasting business practices and team growth in the creator world.
Successful creators will need to build good systems, make money in different ways, and stay flexible while helping team members grow and keeping creative standards high.
Wrapping Up: Growing While Staying True
The Smosh founders’ journey teaches valuable lessons for creators looking to grow.
Their experience shows that successful growth needs a careful balance between getting bigger and staying true to your roots.
Anthony puts it perfectly:
“I never wanted to put out something that felt like it was made by someone else… every single thing that we put out had to be something that I was really proud of that our audience would feel like still had that homegrown flavor to it.”
This roadmap helps creators find their own path to lasting growth while keeping the real connection with fans that made them successful in the first place.
It’s not about choosing between getting bigger or staying true – it’s about finding smart ways to do both.
Through careful team building, smart planning, and always focusing on quality, creators can build lasting businesses without losing what makes them special.
(Source: The Colin and Samir Show Podcast Featuring Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox)
