NKY’s Justin Couch heeded wake-up call, finished NKU degree, worked hard, is YOUTUBE sensation

By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter

Hold the calls, please.

You won’t believe this – really.

Success to hard time and back to success.

Justin Couch thought he had it made – at least as a senior at Ludlow High School.

“I was an Anthony Munoz Straight A Scholarship winner my senior year,” he told the Northern Kentucky Tribune. “Everything came so easy for me.”

That was 2009.

Then reality hit – or was it a message.

He entered Northern Kentucky University – ran on the cross-country team – and two years later it was gone.

“I flunked out,” he admitted. “I lost my financial aid. I lost it all.”

Justin Couch moved to Chattanooga, worked construction – and low and behold got his financial aid back. Paid back his loans.

And returned to Northern Kentucky University.

“It was an awakening, and got my life together,” he admitted.

Did he ever.

What he did was a find a niche he loved, worked hard – and turned it into cash – lots of cash.

He is founder of Couch Collectibles and a YouTube superstar.

“I always wanted to get involved with YouTube editing and filming – mostly behind the scenes,” he said. “I was looking for some assistance and had no luck. It was me, and only me.”

So, on January 4, 2017 Justin Couch started his YouTube channel, which like a snowball started rolling. It has grown to the most subscribed coin collecting YouTube channel in the U.S.

“I talked about coins and coin collecting, as well as sports cards,” he said. “I talked about mint coins, mint coin errors, and how cards and coins are traded. I also added scratch-off lottery tickets.”

Apparently, people were listening – and watching.

Make that a whole bunch of people.

Couch’s Facebook account grew to 240,000 viewers.

“I didn’t really pinch myself when I saw those initial numbers,” he said, “I knew I could accomplish it with hard work. And I did – and still do, work hard at it.”

How much work?

Well, he says his daily workload consists of answering e-mails – to viewers as well as member subscribers, filming, and editing video, preparing content, as well as operating an on-line store to fulfill orders related to coins.

Although he wouldn’t admit his exact yearly salary, Couch say he’s in the hefty six-figure range.

So, the obvious question is, why aren’t more people doing it?

“Some people are only good at one thing,” the 31-year-old Florence resident said, “I’m good at several. I’m a good video editor, good at motion graphics, photoshop, marketing, and above all else, understanding the consumer.”

We believe you, Justin Couch, we really do.

Oh, there’s more.

He’s starting a new podcast on video sometime later this year.

“It’ll be me interviewing other people, some athletes, some music artists, maybe even pro wrestlers,” he said.

That project, he says, should commence around late summer. He’s calling it “Couch Conversations.” It’ll air once-a-week, he says.

Justin Couch says he love challenges, but more than that he really loves his work.

“I won’t call it a job – it’s my work,” he said. “This work is fun because my life, well, depends on myself. I’m my own boss.”

That may be true – but 400,000 people are watching on YouTube, 240,000 follow on
Facebook, 84,000 follow on Tik Tok, and another 9,000 follow on Instagram.

Justin Couch converses about coins – and he has plenty of them.