Founded in 2020, Grit.org was created to instill grit, resilience, and success principles in young people. Its founder, Brian Harbin, was already running a successful domain brokerage business — GritBrokerage.com — where he helps clients buy and sell premium domains like Story.com, Ice.com, and Detroit.com. But Grit.org was born as a passion project, designed to teach the next generation timeless lessons on perseverance, entrepreneurship, and achievement.
Building the Grit Ecosystem
Grit.org today encompasses several initiatives:
- Grit University – a summer internship program offering entrepreneurial training and hands-on business experience.
- Grit Camp – a summer sports camp for kids ages 6–12, run by Grit University interns and high school students.
- The Grit.org Podcast – a monthly series where entrepreneurs and athletes share how they’ve overcome adversity.
Each week of Grit Camp also features guest speakers. In fact, the very first camp in 2020 hosted then-Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone.
“We had all of these amazing speakers come and talk to the kids about how to build more grit,” Brian recalls. “At some point, we realized we needed to start recording all of this great content.”
From Passion Project to YouTube Platform
By 2021, the Grit.org Podcast had launched, and Brian decided that if they were going to invest in professional recordings, they might as well share them on YouTube. Thus, the channel @Grit-org was born.
Growth was slow at first. “I remember asking family and friends to subscribe,” Brian laughs. “My cousin and his wife were subscribers #99 and #100.”
Later that year, during hurricane season in Florida, an idea struck. As the power was out and the family sat in the dark, Brian challenged his oldest son, Stone, to gain subscribers. For every new subscriber Stone secured, he’d earn $1. In just 15 minutes, Stone had 14 new subscribers.
Inspired, Brian expanded this into a ‘24-hour challenge’ where Grit Camp counselors could earn $1 per new subscriber in a single day. One participant earned more than $350 in 24 hours. This grassroots push grew the channel to 7,800 subscribers, but then progress plateaued for nearly two years.
Re-Igniting Growth
Momentum returned in Fall 2024 after Grit.org posted an episode featuring Jack O’Callahan from the 1980 “Miracle” U.S. Hockey team. Brian recognized the channel’s potential as a powerful media platform.
“The next generation watches more on YouTube than television,” Brian says.
“Growing a YouTube channel is like owning your own network, and I knew we had a message of positivity and inspiration that would always be relevant.”
With his background in domains and search, Brian also understood YouTube’s long-term branding power:
“With algorithms and AI changing how people discover content, the more searchable material you put online, the stronger your brand becomes.”
The Big 1 Million!
Brian re-enlisted Stone, who was turning 17 in November 2024. “We had 17,000 subscribers on his 17th birthday,” Brian remembers. “We said we’d always look back at that milestone.”
From there, the team refined their strategy:
- Collaborating with other YouTube creators.
- Updating thumbnails, titles, and descriptions.
- Creating more content
- Posting shorts and clips across platforms.
- Booking higher-profile guests like Will Cain (Fox News).
- Applying lessons learned from major YouTube brands Brian connected with through the domain industry.
The results were dramatic. By June 2025, Grit.org’s YouTube channel had surpassed 1 million subscribers!!!
A Lesson in Grit
“When we started Grit.org, the goal was never to build a million-subscriber channel,” Brian reflects. “But entrepreneurship is about spotting opportunities others may overlook. This journey has been a powerful lesson, not just for me, but for the young people we lead, that even seemingly unreachable goals can be achieved.”
That lesson is also being carried forward by Brian’s son, Stone, who continues to embody the same determination and curiosity that define Grit.org’s mission. In addition to helping build and promote the Grit.org YouTube channel, Stone recently completed a domain brokering course and is now working on selling his first domain listing, Dartboard.com. Earlier this year, Brian acquired Harbin.com, which Stone is using to showcase his credentials and achievements as he applies for college.
A dedicated athlete and scholar, Stone runs track and cross country, with impressive junior-year times of 4:37 in the mile and 16:49 in the 5k — results he’s determined to improve in his senior year as he pursues a college scholarship. His drive mirrors the very spirit of perseverance and growth that Grit.org stands for; proof that the mindset of grit truly runs in the family.
Written in partnership with Tom White
