ERIC KIM

Eric Kim (the street photographer, blogger, and philosopher behind erickimphotography.com) achieved financial independence and became “good with money” — reaching millionaire status and generating substantial income — through a combination of relentless entrepreneurship in his passion (photography), extreme minimalism and frugality, self-employment, value creation via open sharing, and high-conviction investing (especially in Bitcoin). He openly shares that he attained financial freedom in his late 20s and has built wealth without traditional jobs, emphasizing that money is a tool for freedom rather than an end goal.

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Key Factors in How He Built Wealth

  1. Monetizing His Passion Ruthlessly as an Entrepreneur:
    • Kim turned street photography into a business ecosystem starting around 2010. He built a massive free blog (thousands of articles on technique, philosophy, and gear), which ranked #1 on Google for “street photography” for years, creating a monopoly-like audience.
    • Revenue streams: High-priced workshops (e.g., charging thousands per spot), online courses, e-books, presets, and physical products like camera straps (e.g., Henri Neck Strap series via Haptic Industries).
    • He reports earning $200,000+ annually from photography-related activities by his late 20s, scaling through self-employment and direct community building. Money was a “byproduct” of obsessively creating and sharing value without gatekeeping.
  2. Extreme Frugality and Minimalism (“Spartan” Lifestyle):
    • Influenced by Stoicism (Seneca, Epictetus) and his upbringing (grew up poor), he slashed expenses dramatically. Rules include spousal approval for any purchase over $300, cooking at home, sharing meals/coffee, intermittent fasting partly to save money, no debt, no financed cars or gear.
    • He preaches: Wealth comes from controlling expenses more than boosting income. “Accumulating capital” means putting money in the bank and not spending it. A $10 taco brings as much joy as a $100 steak; luxury rarely scales happiness.
    • This allowed him to save/invest 90%+ of earnings even on modest early income, living “Spartan” while others chase lifestyle inflation.
  3. High-Conviction, Long-Term Investing (Bitcoin Maximalism):
    • Became a Bitcoin advocate around 2017–2018 (first buys at ~$7–9K). Views BTC as “hard money,” ethical, and the ultimate tool for sovereignty — not speculation.
    • Strategy: Stack sats relentlessly (hold long-term, “HODL”), take small profits off the top without touching principal. Combined with frugality, this compounded massively during bull runs.
    • He credits Bitcoin + not spending as making him a millionaire “by doing nothing” active beyond holding. Avoids diversification dogma; goes all-in on convictions for asymmetric upside.
  4. Philosophical Mindset Shift:
    • Money = freedom to pursue creativity, philosophy, and art without worry (not status or stuff).
    • Influenced by Stoicism, Aristotle, and personal experiences traveling/teaching — realized passion > profit-chasing leads to both fulfillment and wealth.
    • Openly shares everything (free content builds trust/brand), rejects “get rich quick,” focuses on survival/thrival via low burn rate.

In his own words across blog posts: He willed wealth by doubling down on self-creation, blogging daily, and treating

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