Popular food entrepreneur Nalini Unagar quit her YouTube career after experiencing huge financial loss. Over three years she claims to have invested approximately Rs 8 lakh in her venture, the cooking channel Nalini's Kitchen Recipe. However, she informed to have received zero income from that.
What actually happened?
Nalini said she invested the said amount for building a kitchen, purchasing studio equipment, and promoting her videos to set up the venture.
In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), she opened up about her struggles and plans to sell her kitchen accessories and studio equipment.
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“I failed in my YouTube career, so I’m selling all my kitchen accessories and studio equipment. If anyone is interested in buying, please let me know,” she wrote.
Despite creating over 250 videos, the cooking channel had 2,450 subscribers. Frustrated, she decided to delete all content and sell her business equipment.
In a follow-up post, the lady entrepreneur detailed the financial toll her venture took. “Let me confess today—I have invested approximately Rs 8 lakhs in my YouTube channel for building a kitchen, buying studio equipment, and promotions. The return? Rs 0.”
The young entrepreneur also mentioned, “Online platforms require a bit of luck too, so it’s wise not to rely on them as a primary source of income. Your ‘shop’ can shut down before you even wake up the next day.”
Her posts went viral, sparking a discussion about the challenges of succeeding as a business owner in the virtual space. Netizens empathized with her struggles, offering words of encouragement.
“I can imagine that’s very disheartening. Best wishes for whatever is next. It’s completely fine to move on if you can’t carry on anymore,” wrote one user.
An individual suggested she should have left her videos online, pointing out that algorithms could have boosted her content in the future. “Why did you have to delete it? Could’ve just left it there—someday the algo would have picked it up and gone viral.”
One user mentioned perseverance is required to succeed, especially for the new startup founders. “Even Joe Rogan had to slog for five years before seeing any money.”
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Few netizens pointed out that Nalini’s experience can serve as a valuable lesson for other entrepreneurs who build their businesses solely relying on social media platforms.
Notably, the food entrepreneur’s decision to quit YouTube is getting covered by various media outlets and social media channels. So, she recently shared a screenshot of the coverage on X, remarking, "When you fail, fail in such a way that even failure feels like success.”
Incidentally, Nalini Unagar was involved in a public spat with Bollywood actress Swara Bhaskar over vegetarianism and body image. Their online spat went viral after the YouTuber shared a collage of photos on X, body-shaming the actress for her postpartum weight gain. The Bollywood star responded sharply, supported by her fans, turning the incident into a viral online debate.
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