--- title: How the Naked Cowboy Makes $150,000 a Year | TIME description: Robert John Burck, better known as the Naked Cowboy, makes a good living in Times Square. Here's how he does it. canonical: https://time.com/video/FxTbKjKT/ og:title: How the Naked Cowboy Makes $150,000 a Year og:description: Robert John Burck, better known as the Naked Cowboy, makes a good living in Times Square. Here's how he does it. og:url: https://time.com/video/FxTbKjKT/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/FxTbKjKT/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How the Naked Cowboy Makes $150,000 a Year twitter:description: Robert John Burck, better known as the Naked Cowboy, makes a good living in Times Square. Here's how he does it. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/FxTbKjKT/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # How the Naked Cowboy Makes $150,000 a Year > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: How the Naked Cowboy Makes $150,000 a Year [Watch (HLS stream): How the Naked Cowboy Makes $150,000 a Year](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FxTbKjKT.m3u8) (4:03)  _Published 2015-10-04. Robert John Burck, better known as the Naked Cowboy, makes a good living in Times Square. Here's how he does it._ --- Jul 27, 2023 6:55 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [New Zealand Plans to Kill About 150,000 Cows to Eradicate a Bovine Bacterial Disease](/video/fhoxwRQQ/) ### New Zealand Plans to Kill About 150,000 Cows to Eradicate a Bovine Bacterial Disease [Inmates in Alaska Made to Walk Naked on Dog Leashes](/video/vJObc4XY/) ### Inmates in Alaska Made to Walk Naked on Dog Leashes [Flight Delayed Because A Passenger Stripped Naked](/video/1FHM4HvW/) ### Flight Delayed Because A Passenger Stripped Naked --- ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] When I started this, my goal was to become the most celebrated entertainer of all time in a year or less. And now we're 16 years later. And I can clearly see how I'm just embedded, I'm entrenched, I'm rocking everyday. I can wear a Depends diaper when I turn 80 and keep going. Hey, I'm Robert John Burt, better known as the Naked Cowboy. We're in Times Square having a good time. This is my office. I'm the naked cowboy. In 1998, I flew out to California to shoot for Playgirl magazine. I went on the beach in jeans, flannel shirt I had two cents thrown at me, literally. And the photographer said, you know if you go out there in your underwear tomorrow, I'll take pictures of you. I did it. Went out in my underwear, and made over $ 100. And that was it. And when we were driving home the photographer said, oh, my little naked cowboy. And I've been doing it ever since. [ MUSIC ] Initially, it was really about just doing something that I really enjoyed doing and the money came after that. I was here for three years before I even took a dollar. When someone tried to hand me a dollar, I'd say, do you think I do this for a dollar? Like, I thought it was funny. But, one day, then someone tried to give me a $ 5 bill on one of my boot. And I took all the dollars after that had like forty bucks who's going to pay for parking the next day I wrote tips on my boots someone else's suggestion and I made five hundred dollars the next day almost six hundred at I've changed everything! So how do I make money? I take pictures, and they put dollars in the guitars for their photos. Turns out to be about $ 150, 000 a year, on average. I wrote a book called Determination. I've got three albums. X- Rated Country, Country, and Rock. We have a major endorsements, like Naked Cowboy Oysters, and Blue Island Oyster Company I trademarked the name, but I also trademarked a viable image of a guy naked behind a guitar. But anybody can be a naked cowboy or naked cowgirl. I did it with Larry the Cable Guy, who weighed 300 pounds at the time. Getting a franchise is simple. But doing it is another whole matter. Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys. That then involved many federal trademark infringements, law suits, and every one of them has been resolved. She's the thorn in my side that keeps on giving, and I love her. My most surprising business expense I would have to say was being married, cuz I was always by myself and I got a g- string budget. Oh, I'm sorry, What's it called? A shoestring budget, sorry. I was always on my own, so to get married was kind of a big jump for me. My wife, my loving esposa, we'll do a little Mexican song since they're Mexican. But she actually, now she supports the brand. She works as a cowgirl. Her sister works as well. [ MUSIC ] [ NOISE ] The best financial advice I would give someone just starting off, dig your roots in, stick to the fundamentals, stay focused, don't quit, put everything together and keep going. And don't expect it to happen overnight. And make sure whatever you're doing, you really like it, cuz you're not gonna succeed in the short term. It's gonna take awhile. [ MUSIC ] You gotta whip out your balls of steel. The best financial advice I ever received is from my financial advisor. Don't overextend yourself. And that's why I keep my life simple. I don't keep a lot of crap. And I'm all business. I got boots, hats, CD, I've got guitar. I've got everything that I need in abundance I don't get into new projects, I specialize in what I do and that's it. Get the back shot for the Christmas card. [ LAUGH ] At the end of the day I just like to go out there and impact people. [ SOUND ] Aah! Talk to them. I love money but the bread and butter is just going out and talking to people everyday, and to know what it takes to be here and just enjoy it. I feel like I've accomplished everything [ MUSIC ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How the Naked Cowboy Makes $150,000 a Year","description":"Robert John Burck, better known as the Naked Cowboy, makes a good living in Times Square. 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