It would be great to keep my videos free of corporate sponsorship as I know this changes everything about how, what or even why we communicate. Although I was previously working with an outdoor brand (for 10 months), this affiliation came to an end recently and I am now back to the way I was working before then. So here’s the short answer:
– I’m a “working adventurer” and make most of my money as a writer online.
Here’s a few more points about me that you might be interested to know:
- 95% of my adventures/trips etc have been funded entirely by myself.
- I often work as a content writer which accounts for 50% of my income.
- I sometimes work in warehouses/supermarkets for several months which accounts for 30% of my income.
- I receive occasional “tips” on Ko-fi/Patreon which accounts for approx 5-10% of my income.
- I am very frugal with money. I don’t buy many “things” but I’m willing to spend money on adventures etc.
- I believe that not spending money is the key to having enough money to take an adventure. In other words, I think it’s often better to watch my spending rather than worry about what I’m earning.
Why I am not Yet Sponsored by an Outdoor related Brand
For many years, I perceived professional sponsorship as being the best and only way to make a living as an adventurer. This meant I needed to grab the attention of outdoor brands and entice these companies into funding part of my trips. I knocked on a lot of doors throughout those years but nothing substantial ever came from it. I also found this process rather tedious and demoralising and decided to focus on earning my own money instead and pay for my on trips.
Then things started to change….
I did end up working with a couple of brands for a short time. However, I felt this influence was greatly affecting what I wanted to say or do as part of my videos. It was no longer “as fun” and took much of my time away from connecting with my audience and saying things and doing things that I genuinely wanted to say and do!
About Giving Talks to Businesses Etc
Before the pandemic, I had also given paid-talks to three of the top schools in the country and five more talks were lined up with businesses in Ireland. I was giving talks online to big companies including Dell and Paypal but decided to step away from these online talks to spend more time in real life . Instead, I’ve taken to short term jobs in supermarkets or warehouses and when I save enough money to take a trip, I head back out onto the open road.
How I’m Trying to Change the Way I Work
My way of living is very conscious and fulfilling but it’s also a life that includes a lot of financial uncertainty. I can cover a frugal cost of living by working online (writing) but this often means I have no time left for making videos. With this in mind, it is my hope that more followers/viewers will check out the support page and one day soon, I might be able to focus less time on working online and more time on making the videos…and all without corporate sponsorship 😉
Thank you for reading!
You Can Check Out My Support Page Here

2 comments
Sounds like hard work Derek all that work behind a computer I hope you will be banging out a few nice snap backs for the summer
Cheers Dave, yeah I’ve been looking at doing a few hats :)))