YouTube Millionaires: For The Busy Slyfox Family, “Life Is A Balancing Act”

By 01/04/2018
YouTube Millionaires: For The Busy Slyfox Family, “Life Is A Balancing Act”

Welcome to YouTube Millionaires, where we profile channels that have recently crossed the one million subscriber mark. There are channels crossing this threshold every week, and each has a story to tell about YouTube success. Read previous installments of YouTube Millionaires here.


In The Slyfox Family, there’s rarely a dull moment. Father Andrew, mother Hannah, and children Jaedyn and Caspian document their lives across light vlogs that arrive multiple times each week. Like other family units that post on YouTube, the Slyfoxes share positive and upbeat content that is meant to inspire viewers.

Even when they’re not making videos, they stay quite busy. Andrew and Hannah are also the co-founders of Slyfox Threads, a clothing company aimed at moms. With their channel and their business soaring, we took time to speak to Andrew:

Tubefilter

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Tubefilter: How does it feel to have more than one million subscribers? What do you have to say to your fans?

Andrew Slyfox: This journey has been incredible. We feel like the Slyfoxers are more than fans — they are family. They do life with us and share in all the special moments. Hitting one million was an awesome feeling and we are so thankful to everyone who made that possible. Without our Slyfox Family members we wouldn’t be what we are on YouTube.

TF: Your channel has experienced a rapid rise over the past year. Why do you think that is?

AS: Honestly, I think it comes down to a lot of things. The right personality, the right message, the right content, thumbnails, and titles, and being sensitive to what our audience subscribed for and being consistent. If done right, you get to just be who you are. A nice string of good luck helps too! All that being said, being relevant and consistent is key.

TF: Given your many responsibilities as a parent and your role as the founder of your own business, how do you manage your time in order to ensure you have time to film and edit videos?

AS: Life is a balancing act. We are still learning and growing. I think that for us our marriage and the kids will always remain our top priority. We count everything else as a blessing and feel so thankful that we get to do this.

We aren’t the most routined family. Being creative artists also means that there is a level of flightiness that comes with it. For us the best system has been no system, if that makes sense. Each day looks different and so far it has worked. We are constantly trying to better ourselves, learn through mistakes, and get a little help from friends and family along the way.

TF: How do you decide where to draw the line between sharing publicly on your channel and maintaining a private life with your family?

AS: This has been a constant topic in our house. Honestly what we share now is a lot different then what we shared in the past. Growth — learning from your past and moving forward in a positive and healthy way — is so important in life. If at any point one of the kids ask to not be vlogged the camera is off of them. We want to feel like this is a positive thing and not a negative element.

We share around 10 minutes out of the day, so when doing that we do show some of the normal dynamics of a family. Whether it is working through things or whatever the situation is. Each child is different and at a different place so we try to be sensitive to that as well. You will know what works best from your family and it will change and grow as you change and grow.

TF: What do your kids think about YouTube? Does being in videos make them feel special?

AS: The kids love YouTube! We have been vlogging since our son was three. They love meeting people that have watched them grow up.

TF: As a father, what was your response to the children’s video controversy that hit YouTube a couple months ago?

AS: Honestly, I don’t think I realized just how bad some other creators’ intentions were. I was sickened when we saw the strange thumbnails and titles from some of the channels YouTube removed. I never dug in enough to see just how disgusting it was. Thank God. I might have lost sleep if I had.

I’m disappointed that so many of YouTube’s clean family channels were impacted in a negative way. However, the accountability created from YouTube’s recent strict changes for all families is great! I sleep better at night knowing these disturbing channels and their filthy audiences are being removed from the platform. Glad to comply with their changes to help eliminate the filth.

TF: What is your favorite part of the family video community on YouTube?

AS: If we had to pick just one favorite thing about being a part of the family community on YouTube I’d choose the friendships we have the privilege to create! For the most part, us family channels are all friends and all care about each other. We have friends from around the world. Don’t get me wrong, there is some drama and some politics and cliques too…It can get a little high school sometimes! But in all honesty, we love that we can share our family with the world, we love that we can inspire other families and kids to do what they love against all odds and overcome seemly impossible situations to come out stronger and better on the other side!

TF: What would you say is the overarching mission of Slyfox Threads?

AS: Our mission for Slyfox Threads is to empower and encourage moms from all walks in life. Our goal is to help keep moms and kids cozy, fashionable, and trendy all season long! We’re in the process of working with nonprofits to provide clothing for homeless moms, single moms going through tough times around the world, and poverty stricken countries.

TF: What’s next for your channel? Any fun plans?

AS: Our future is exciting and bright for our channel! Our focus is going to be on uplifting, encouraging, and empowering our kids and our viewers. We want to entertain our audience and show them what a family that isn’t perfect but puts in the hard work to stay strong and stay together looks like. It’s possible, but it isn’t easy!

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