The decision that took me from $15 an hour to six figures in one year
2025
2025
Mindset
Mindset
Sep 10
Sep 10
In one year, I went from making $15 an hour to earning six figures.
It didn’t happen because of luck, or some secret shortcut. It happened because I stopped living for immediate gratification and started making decisions with a date and a destination in mind.
The moment everything shifted
By 16, I was financially independent. I was used to constant financial struggle. When I finally started working in sales, I saw more money than I ever had before. But it came with a cost.
My first week in sales paid me more than I’d ever expected. I saw my future laid out in front of me. Yet there was a huge part of me doubting myself, my reality, and my vision. I wasn’t sure if it was imposter syndrome, self-sabotage, or fear of commitment. But eventually, I realized it was because the vision in front of me wasn’t mine.
On paper, it looked perfect: good income, stability, and growth potential. But deep down, it didn’t feel right. I wasn’t passionate about it, and I felt no sense of freedom.
For the first time in a long time, I asked God: What do I do?
An unexpected door
I found myself scrolling through Upwork and Fiverr, looking at every random role you could imagine, when I stumbled across a posting for a social media intern at a startup.
At first, I brushed it off. I was a business major with a concentration in entrepreneurship, not marketing. But something in me knew I should go for it.
One of the best decisions 16-year-old me ever made was job hopping. It might sound reckless, but it built the muscle memory to leave when something no longer felt aligned and the confidence to say, “Getting jobs is easy.” That mindset has carried me further than I could have imagined. By the end of college, I realized how valuable this perspective was. It taught me to prioritize creativity and alignment over volume and “just getting by.”
So with this role, I paid attention to the company’s why. I created a deck of content, pitched myself with confidence, and showed up as the person I actually was — not who I thought they wanted me to be.
That made all the difference. If I had sent out 100 rushed applications, I probably would’ve ended up in a role that drained me. Instead, I went after four roles with intention, researched heavily, and prioritized quality over quantity.
That interview changed everything. I was hired, and for the first time, I realized I actually loved creating content.
The process
I threw myself into it, like 40 hours a week just learning. Graphic design, editing, experimenting with content.
Working so closely with the CEO gave me perspective too. I learned that awareness (the attention a brand gets) means nothing if you attach your worth to it. That lesson helped me separate my identity from outcomes and focus on building the skills that gave me freedom.
Scaling up
Within a few months, I repeated the same focused process: research deeply, prepare thoroughly, and pitch myself with confidence. Soon, I was in a position I never imagined possible, working primarily online with leads coming to me instead of cold pitching.
By the end of that year, I had crossed into six figures.
The Real Lessons
Looking back, the money is only part of the story. The bigger lessons were:
Show up as yourself. When you show up for who you are, not who you want to be seen as…you attract what drives you a million times more than any environment ever could.
That’s why you move faster, better, and with confidence. There’s no comparison when it’s authentic. No one can take that away from you.
Play the long game. Don’t chase quick wins. Make decisions with a date and a direction.
Surround yourself with people who push you. A friend once told me, “Just make more money.” That tiny phrase shifted my perspective more than any book.
Guard your thoughts. The way you think about yourself and your future matters as much as the work you do.
Faith is the foundation. I didn’t know much about God at the time, but asking Him for direction opened the very door I needed.
Closing Thought
If you’re stuck at $15 an hour, or even $50k a year, don’t underestimate how quickly things can change. The first step isn’t chasing more, it’s deciding where you’re headed, setting the date, and growing into the person who belongs there.
That’s the decision that took me from $15 an hour to six figures in one year.
If this resonated with you, I’m breaking down the exact steps, lessons, and faith shifts that took me from $15 an hour to six figures on both YouTube and TikTok. Subscribe and follow along…I’m sharing everything I wish I knew when I started.
In one year, I went from making $15 an hour to earning six figures.
It didn’t happen because of luck, or some secret shortcut. It happened because I stopped living for immediate gratification and started making decisions with a date and a destination in mind.
The moment everything shifted
By 16, I was financially independent. I was used to constant financial struggle. When I finally started working in sales, I saw more money than I ever had before. But it came with a cost.
My first week in sales paid me more than I’d ever expected. I saw my future laid out in front of me. Yet there was a huge part of me doubting myself, my reality, and my vision. I wasn’t sure if it was imposter syndrome, self-sabotage, or fear of commitment. But eventually, I realized it was because the vision in front of me wasn’t mine.
On paper, it looked perfect: good income, stability, and growth potential. But deep down, it didn’t feel right. I wasn’t passionate about it, and I felt no sense of freedom.
For the first time in a long time, I asked God: What do I do?
An unexpected door
I found myself scrolling through Upwork and Fiverr, looking at every random role you could imagine, when I stumbled across a posting for a social media intern at a startup.
At first, I brushed it off. I was a business major with a concentration in entrepreneurship, not marketing. But something in me knew I should go for it.
One of the best decisions 16-year-old me ever made was job hopping. It might sound reckless, but it built the muscle memory to leave when something no longer felt aligned and the confidence to say, “Getting jobs is easy.” That mindset has carried me further than I could have imagined. By the end of college, I realized how valuable this perspective was. It taught me to prioritize creativity and alignment over volume and “just getting by.”
So with this role, I paid attention to the company’s why. I created a deck of content, pitched myself with confidence, and showed up as the person I actually was — not who I thought they wanted me to be.
That made all the difference. If I had sent out 100 rushed applications, I probably would’ve ended up in a role that drained me. Instead, I went after four roles with intention, researched heavily, and prioritized quality over quantity.
That interview changed everything. I was hired, and for the first time, I realized I actually loved creating content.
The process
I threw myself into it, like 40 hours a week just learning. Graphic design, editing, experimenting with content.
Working so closely with the CEO gave me perspective too. I learned that awareness (the attention a brand gets) means nothing if you attach your worth to it. That lesson helped me separate my identity from outcomes and focus on building the skills that gave me freedom.
Scaling up
Within a few months, I repeated the same focused process: research deeply, prepare thoroughly, and pitch myself with confidence. Soon, I was in a position I never imagined possible, working primarily online with leads coming to me instead of cold pitching.
By the end of that year, I had crossed into six figures.
The Real Lessons
Looking back, the money is only part of the story. The bigger lessons were:
Show up as yourself. When you show up for who you are, not who you want to be seen as…you attract what drives you a million times more than any environment ever could.
That’s why you move faster, better, and with confidence. There’s no comparison when it’s authentic. No one can take that away from you.
Play the long game. Don’t chase quick wins. Make decisions with a date and a direction.
Surround yourself with people who push you. A friend once told me, “Just make more money.” That tiny phrase shifted my perspective more than any book.
Guard your thoughts. The way you think about yourself and your future matters as much as the work you do.
Faith is the foundation. I didn’t know much about God at the time, but asking Him for direction opened the very door I needed.
Closing Thought
If you’re stuck at $15 an hour, or even $50k a year, don’t underestimate how quickly things can change. The first step isn’t chasing more, it’s deciding where you’re headed, setting the date, and growing into the person who belongs there.
That’s the decision that took me from $15 an hour to six figures in one year.
If this resonated with you, I’m breaking down the exact steps, lessons, and faith shifts that took me from $15 an hour to six figures on both YouTube and TikTok. Subscribe and follow along…I’m sharing everything I wish I knew when I started.