Pre launch / Day 1
Instagram reels daily vlog
Posted first video on August 30, 2024 — no script, just tripod-down documentation of eBay shoe work at his UVA office. Filmed 30–40 min of raw footage daily and cut to ~1 min. Posted every single day for the first 20 days.
→ Built base skills on camera; attracted first UVA-local audience via Instagram geographic algorithm
Months 1–4 (Shoe Series)
Instagram reels niche documentary
Ran a 'road to $15K/month on eBay' documentary series, mixing shoe content with occasional investment property and basketball videos. Never strictly boxed himself into one niche — brand was always 'him.'
→ 0 to ~30K followers in 3–4 months
Users 30k users
Months 1–4 (Community building)
Instagram dms manual outreach
Manually responded to every comment and DM. When a new follower commented, he immediately replied AND sent them a personal DM referencing something specific from their own profile (e.g., 'nice cars'). Also hopped on 15-min calls with college followers.
→ Built a core of ~6,000 deeply engaged community members out of 300K+ followers; auto-comment base of 100–150 people on every new post
Month 5 — Pivot to Real Estate
Instagram reels build in public series
180-degree pivot to documenting a luxury cabin development in Virginia brought to him by a high school friend. Started a numbered 'Day X' series showing due diligence, land purchase, and construction — structured like a TV show so viewers were invested in the outcome.
→ Immediate spike in views and followers; series became primary growth engine
Post pivot — Breakout Video
Instagram reels viral single video
Published a video explaining the construction loan — showed real numbers on screen, spoke to a well-chosen music beat, and foreshadowed future build milestones. Reposted it multiple times using Instagram's Trial Reels feature to extend reach.
→ ~6M views; ~80–90K new followers from that single video (including ~40–50K on first posting, remainder via reposts); quarter of total audience came from this one video
Users 100k users
Post 100K — Daily posting cadence
Instagram reels daily posting
After graduating, switched to posting every single day (5–6x/week sustained), spending 6–7 hours per video on scripting, filming (driving 1hr to site), and editing on iPhone using CapCut. Brought a friend's younger brother to site as a cameraman to enable filming 2–3 videos per trip.
→ Grew from ~100K to 250K+ followers; major improvement in editing speed and storytelling quality
Users 250k users
Ongoing — Health retreat positioning
Instagram reels niche pivot within series
Made a video announcing the cabin would be a 'health retreat' with science-backed wellness protocols. The video went viral and attracted health-niche followers and celebrity engagement (e.g., Kyrie Irving). Leaned into health retreat branding as a content sub-niche.
→ ~50K additional followers from that video; expanded audience beyond pure real-estate/construction niche
Ongoing — Email list building
Email list passive capture
Placed a booking interest form (link in bio → Royal Oak website) without ever explicitly telling followers to sign up. Let the content's hype drive organic sign-ups.
→ 700–800 email sign-ups with zero call-to-action — described as the most highly-intent segment of the audience
Ongoing — Brand integrity / no monetization
Brand strategy
Declined all cash brand deals to keep the feed 100% authentic documentation. Did accept in-kind sponsorships (hot tub, sauna, cold plunge) where the product would literally appear in the cabin and fit naturally into the series narrative.
→ ~$20K in amenity savings; attributed rapid follower growth and high engagement to perceived authenticity
Users 370k users