# Stefan Che — My story

[All chapters](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/about.md)

## Making a living

#Independence

That’s when I started landing brand deals and earning ad revenue on YouTube. I made my first $15k.

I have been financially independent ever since.

The summer I turned 14, I begged my mom to let me go to Moscow alone for two weeks. I ended up staying there for over three years...PS: I got up 4am and hitchhiked with a camera and $60 in my backpack.

### Image captions and sources

- [First YouTube earnings: account balance of $13,712.43](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s8-income3.webp)

- [Stefan on a boat in a YouTube T-shirt](https://stefan-che-site.vercel.app/images/s8-boat.webp)