Full-Time Engineer, Part-Time Creator Reveals Her Sponsorship Strategy
Earlier this year, Liz was sitting in a staff meeting at Intel when her boss's boss announced to the entire room:
"I’m one of Liz's followers."
For most creators, this would be a nightmare scenario lol.
The secret's out!
Everyone at work knows about their "side hustle." 😱
Liz cringed a little bit (because yeah, it's weird knowing anybody can watch your videos) but she didn't let it bother her.
She's a full-time data scientist at Intel with 16.5K YouTube subscribers, and today, is completely open about being a YouTube creator.
Her boss knows.
Her coworkers know.
People she's never even met at Intel message her asking to connect.
And far from hurting her career, this openness has become her biggest advantage when negotiating brand deals.
Lemme show you why.
The Desperation Issue
Most creators I talk to are in survival mode when it comes to sponsorships and monetizing their creator business.
They think:
"I NEED to land this deal so I can quit my job."
"I NEED this money to pay rent this month."
"I NEED to prove this creator thing is actually legit."
And brands can smell that desperation from a mile away. Which suuuucks because the moment a brand senses you NEED the money… your negotiating power evaporates.
They'll lowball you.
They'll push back on every deliverable.
They might even try to get you to throw in "just one more post" for free because "it's such a small ask." (which later turns into three more posts, a Stories takeover, and "quick feedback" on their entire content strategy lol).
But what if you didn't NEED their money?
When you already have a stable source of income (like a 9-5 job), being less desperate gives you 10x MORE negotiating power to land even better deals.
And that's exactly what Liz figured out.
The "I Can Say No" Advantage
One of the biggest issues in the creator economy is that most creators will work with ANY brand that offers them money (even if it’s a terrible fit or the pay is insulting).
But Liz has a 9-5 job.
And because of that job (which most people complain about lol), Liz has the luxury of being able to turn down bad deals:
"I get to be a little pickier with sponsorships…I really only partner with companies I love."
She's not scrambling to accept every offer that comes her way, or worried about turning down deals that don't feel right.
She's CHOOSING which brands she wants to work with.
"I have my main income, which I'm highly paid... I have my 401k, I don't have to worry about HSA, all that retirement stuff and health care... So I'm not feeling like, 'Oh, I got to get out of my nine to five, you know, and I got to quit my day job.' I don't feel any of that pressure."
Now maybe you’re also thinking…
"But Won't My Employer Think I'm Unfocused?"
This is the #1 concern I hear from part-time creators:
Because if their boss finds out about their YouTube channel or podcast or whatever… won’t they be seen as not committed to their "real job"?
Liz felt that way too.
In fact, when Liz started her YouTube channel, she didn't tell MOST of her coworkers for the first couple years. She was terrified that people would think she wasn't serious about her actual job.
But if she was performing well at her job… if she wasn’t slacking on what needed to get done… what could they REALLY complain about?
Nothing really.
Now before you think, "Well of course she can be open about it... she must not care about her actual job. But I have all these bills to pay and I can't afford to lose my job"...
Lemme stop you right there lol
Liz is a top performer at Intel. Every quarter, they grade employees and rank them… and Liz consistently ranks among the best employees.
So when people see her YouTube success, they don't think she's distracted.
They think she's exceptional.
"I think as long as you're performing well, it's not really a concern. If anything, I think it's really cool that I have kind of a side thing."
In fact, there's research showing that employees with side hustles are actually MORE productive at their day jobs, not less.
Her manager even HELPS her with YouTube video ideas and some of those suggestions became her top-performing videos.
And the story gets even better…
Her YouTube Channel Landed Her a JOB?!
Liz never treated her YouTube channel like a side hustle.
In fact, when she applied to her current job at Intel, she even PUT HER CHANNEL ON HER RESUME 🤯
And it’s actually kinda smart.
Because since Liz is a mechanical engineer by training, she didn’t have the traditional background Intel was looking for to fill a data science role. But she DID have a YouTube channel where she posts nerdy content about coding and programming.
Turns out it was a HUGE advantage:
"Oh, we see you're really into programming,” the hiring manager said.
In the end, they didn’t even have to interview her very long (less than 20 minutes) because they'd already watched her videos and could see her skills.
Her YouTube channel literally HELPED her get the job.
Imagine that lol.
So if her day job pays well and she's already got job security... why even bother with YouTube?
The MBA She Never Paid For
"Why even bother with YouTube if you're already making bank at Intel?" I asked Liz.
Here's what she told me:
"I really just wanted to start a business to see if I could maintain it and be profitable. It's almost like I was trying to get an MBA... I just wanted to see if I could do the accounting, if I could manage the funds, if I could invest and stay profitable as a business."
In other words, Liz is using her creator business as a real-world business school.
Every month she gets to practice:
Manage finances
Do accounting
Stay profitable
Run business operations
Negotiate deals
Build partnerships
…all while her Intel salary covers her bills and benefits.
And because she's not rushed to replace her income, she gets to build her business the RIGHT way:
She partners with brands she genuinely loves, negotiates fair rates (instead of accepting whatever the brand offers), and builds long-term brand relationships….
WITHOUT ever burning out.
"I'd love to take it full time eventually, but I don't feel rushed because I have such a nice job. I'm so content with my career... So there's no rush."
Why Creators With Day Jobs Negotiate Better Deals
If you're working a full-time job right now, here’s why a “boring 9-5” is actually more of an advantage for your creator business than you think:
✅ Negotiation Leverage
You can walk away from deals that don't make sense. You're not forced to accept a lowball $300 offer because you need the money for rent.
✅ Financial Confidence
You're negotiating from a position of strength, not desperation… and brands can FEEL the difference too (which means they're willing to pay MORE!).
✅ Time To Be Selective
If you have a day job, you can wait for the RIGHT partnerships & build relationships with brands that actually align with your values.
✅ Stability While You Build
Your benefits are covered. Your bills are paid. Which means you can focus on building something profitable & sustainable over the long run.
✅ Real-World Business Education
As a part-time creator, you have the privilege of learning how to run an actual business WHILE having a safety net.
Even if a campaign flops…
Or your deals dry up…
You’re not scrambling to pay rent next month.
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