Over the past few years, YouTube has been able to create some unlikely superstars who have managed to amass a large audience within a limited period of time. After all, PewDiePie started out small but has become YouTube’s biggest sensation, making millions of dollars a year through posted videos and partnerships with other companies.

A new article from Digiday points out that even the smallest of video creators can gain celebrity status on the channel, with just the right amount of creativity. Although that doesn’t mean they’re rolling in millions, they can create a large, suitable audience in which to expand even further.

Take, for example, The Kloons, a group of YouTube sensations that have gained quite a following. The team has been working nearly five years on creating comedy sketches for the channel, and it appears to be paying off, with over 217,000 subscribers following them, and over 460,000 monthly video views across the two programs they post on a monthly basis. (This is according to research from YouTube analytics platform OpenSlate.)

The article explains that the Kloons are not “rolling money,” or “living the high life,” but they are on the verge of creating full-time work from their dream project.

Co-Kloon Greg Washburn noted, “It was just the right amount of naivety. We had no idea how to do it, which was perfect. I think if we knew how much of a shitshow it was going to be, if we had a snapshot of the next five years, we may have said no.” Instead, the team simply decided “let’s make our own thing.”

With the right amount of equipment (including suitable cameras and other technical gear), the team has managed to evolve its work into something more, although keeping its comic focus in check. As a result, the Kloons channel has gotten more than 23 million lifetime YouTube views, as well as a push through The Ellen Degeneres Show, where episodes of Sisters have aired.

“While all of that is awesome, it also doesn’t matter,” says Kloons co-partner Mitch Lewis. “You go through peaks and valleys. The first time you have a viral video is amazing, but that lasts about 24 hours, and then you’re right back where you were 24 hours ago…we’re very grateful for our recent success, and we’re enjoying it, but it’s important not to get too attached to it.”

The Kloons don’t necessarily want fame and fortune, only stability enough to keep their work going. The team actually works on other stuff in the meantime, as Lewis managed the official YouTube channel for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Washburn shoots video for clients.

The team decided not to join up with partners like Maker Studios and Fullscreen, instead trying to stay independent. “For some people, particularly if you have a massive following, you have to outsource some management aspects of all that, and you’re in a place to negotiate a deal that seems very fair,” said Lewis. “We’re a three-man team. We do have the resources to manage some of that stuff on our own. We’ve found that to be the best solution for us so far.

“We want to sell out; we just want to sell out smart. We want to work with companies where we can sleep all right at night.”

Check out The Kloons’ work on Sisters in the video below, in which a pair of 30 year old men lip-synch a conversation between two 60-year old women – with hilarious results. We certainly wish The Kloons the best of luck.