@timcliff knows. There is a loss to experience at first... take a lot of time and devotion (and let down). It isn't recommended for those that aren't ready to jump two feet in, and if a loss is experienced over multiple months..

When @ausbitbank said:

money is tight here

...thats why I wrote what I did up in my previous comment.

Also @timcliff mentions he's at a "break even" point. I imagine that means server costs... not time. If you add in his time... he still hasn't broken even yet.

You can make more money in general, by this post, than you did running a low level witness. Which is bizarre... People see popular names high up on the witness list, and go "aha! That's how they became whales"

...that is true.. last year, when STEEM was new. I don't know of any new whales created from witnesses these days.. So the witness list can be misleading.