Journey from Gig Work to Entrepreneurial Mindset

He realized that pursuing a traditional 9-to-5 job wasn't his path to success and fulfillment.

### Embracing Entrepreneurship: A Journey from Gig Work to Self-Discovery
* 🚀 Before starting my agency and working at UPW, I dedicated myself to gig work like Instacart and DoorDash, despite friends suggesting I pursue a **9-to-5 job for more stability**.
* 💰 I expressed my preference to earn **$35,000 a year** through gig work rather than be confined to a **9-to-5 office job making $100,000**, which led my friends to think I was **crazy**.
* 🎓 After high school, I struggled academically and ended up at a community college, with hopes of eventually working as a **bank teller**, a plan that felt **increasingly unappealing**.
* 😩 The thought of spending my life as a bank teller, doing **monotonous tasks**, filled me with dread, prompting me to consider **alternatives to traditional employment**.
* 🧠 One pivotal moment occurred after a long shift at a café when I realized that even if I saved every penny from a $100,000 job, it would take me **10 years to reach $1 million**, leading to feelings of **confusion and anger**.
* 💡 This anger sparked a determination to research how ordinary people achieved **financial success without conforming to the 9-to-5 norm**, igniting my **entrepreneurial spirit**.
* 🌟 Through sharing my story, I discovered that many others resonate with my thoughts and struggles, encouraging them to **pursue their dreams and seek out mentors who can guide them**.
* 💬 As I near monetization on my YouTube channel, I seek feedback from my audience about how to handle potential ad revenue, emphasizing my desire to **give back rather than profit from it**.

So before I worked at UPW, before I started my own agency, I used to do a lot of gig work like Instacart, DoorDash, Uber Eats, stuff like that. And I did that every day. A lot of my friends would tell me, Why don't you just get a job, like a 9-5 job? You're working all these hours doing this every day. You're better off just getting a job. You'll get paid more. The pay is more consistent. And I remember I told all of them, I would rather do what I do and make 35 grand a year than work a 9-to-5 sitting in some office and get paid 100 grand a year. And when I told them that, they all said, Oh, you're crazy. You're insane. Maybe I... maybe... All right. In this video, I wanted to take a couple steps back and kind of just tell people my story of what happened to me after I turned 18 and what my mindset was like.

uh back then, which kind of got me to start my entrepreneurial journey. Um, uh, which I guess led me to where I am now. Uh, but long story short, it's pretty much I can't work a 9 to 5. So for me, I didn't know what to do after I graduated high school. Like, I barely graduated high school. I had bad grades. Uh, I couldn't get into any of the colleges that I applied to. And at the very last second, I had to join like a community college. And my mom told me that if I can just find a way to graduate college, um, she could get me a job working at a bank as a bank teller. Like, she knew someone in the banking industry. And she told me she can get a job there if I can just graduate college. So my plan was like, okay, my goal is to just um, go to this community college, study really hard, transfer to um, like a university or a Cal State, graduate there, um, and then after I graduate, I'm going to work at a bank for

the rest of my life. And then I thought about it. Um, work at a bank for the rest of my life. Like, something about that just sounded kind of depressing and sad. Like, I'm not bashing, by the way. I'm not bashing anybody who works a 9-5 or who works at a bank. It's actually the opposite. Like, I have so much respect for people who can do this because I can't. Like, I physically can't do it. Like, the more I thought about it, the more I thought about, like, how this was going to be my life. Like, the more I started to panic. This is going to be my life. This is going to be what I do for the rest of my life as a bank teller, sitting in front of a desk, typing in numbers, doing the same thing every single day. So, from the very beginning, like, something just didn't sit right with me. And I used to work at a part-time as a part-time cashier at this one café. Uh, and I still remember to

this day like vividly, but there was one day where I got home from working a full shift, a full day shift on a Friday. It was 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., so I was working from opening to close that day. It was a full day, and I was dead tired. I remember I got home, and that Friday was the day where I received my paycheck. So, it was a two-e paycheck. It was like $450, I think. And I remember I was excited. I was dead tired, but I was looking at my paycheck of $450, and I was like, Oh, I can't wait to spend this. And I was thinking of all the different things that I can buy, whatever. I was lying in bed, dead tired, sleepy tired, and just thinking about, with my eyes closed, what I would do with this money. I was holding the check, lying in bed like this, because to me, that was a lot of

money, but once I got past that phase of, you know, thinking about what I can buy, I started to go a little further and start thinking about, like, okay, I'm making $450 every two weeks working at this part-time job. That's $900 a month, right, you know? And I was only working like three days a week, I think, at the time. So, I was like, okay, if I can ask for another workday per week, I can probably up this to $1,100 instead of $900 a month. So, $1,000 a month, um, for a broke high school student who just graduated, like, that's a lot. So, I was like, okay, let me do this for an entire year, $1,000 a month. Uh, let me save every penny, and I started to get, like, motivated. I was like, let me start to think of all the things that I can buy with $12,000. So, I went from thinking about what I can buy with $450 to, like, let me work for an entire year, make

$112,000. Okay, now I'm thinking about what I can buy with $112,000. So, I was excited, but the more I actually thought about it, like the longer I was lying in bed just thinking about how I was going to spend the $112,000, the more confused I got. 'Cause I was like, sure, $112,000 is a lot of money, but there's not a lot that I would want to buy, first of all. And also, I'm working an entire year, you know, taking drinks, you know, taking people's orders, making drinks, taking people's orders. Like, I'm already this tired from working one day. Can I even do this? Like, is this worth $112,000? And then I started to think about how people are actually making a full-time living, making all this money. And then I thought about it. I was like, okay, jobs that make a lot more sense. Like, I'm working at a minimum wage job at a cafe. Like, a 9-to-5 office job is different.

okay, these people are making $40,000 to $880,000 a year. You know, some paying, some high-paying jobs, higher-paying jobs like doctors, lawyers. They're making hundreds, um, $100,000 a year, and that's a successful job, that's a successful life. And I was like, okay, now I get it. So, I need to go, my goal should be to aim for these types of jobs, like these 9-to-5 jobs. That should be my goal. So, then I started to think about what my life would look like, um, once I start working a 9-to-5, like an office job, like just sitting in front of a desk, typing in numbers, filing paperwork, just doing the same thing over and over and over again. And I was like, I don't want to work in an office. Like, it's already distressful working at a cafe, and all I'm doing is just taking people's orders and making drinks, and I'm already distressed. Like, imagine a full-time job. You're telling me that I have to spend 8

hours a day, 5 days a week, doing the same thing over and over again, working for a company that doesn't care about me, and honestly, like, I don't care about the company either. Um, but you're telling me I have to do this for the rest of my life. Like, is this really the only way to make a living, to make money? Like, is this the only path that's available? And this was when, like, my confusion level started to reach, like, its peak, and my confusion slowly started to turn into anger. Like, I was like, wait a minute, how are there millionaires in the world? Like, I understand celebrities, I understand athletes, and, you know, these musicians, these professionals. Like, those people are making millions of dollars. Like, cool, I understand, like, all these actors, these world-level athletes, whatever, cool. I'm not talking about them, but I was like, celebrities aren't the only millionaires in the world. There are, there has to be other people that I don't know about, these normal people that have millions of dollars, that have

all this money. Like, how are they doing it, you know? Do they have a job? Do they have one of those, you know, successful $100,000-a-year jobs? So, I was like, okay, maybe this should be my goal, 'cause for me, I needed a goal. Like, I needed to know what path to take. So, I was like, okay, I work really hard, and then I get one of those $100,000 jobs. So, let's assume that I somehow found a way to live for free. I don't pay rent. I eat for free. I drive to work for free. I don't spend any money on clothes, um, on insurance, nothing. I have no bills whatsoever. And then, on top of that, let's assume that I somehow found a way to avoid taxes. Like, I found a cheat code or a hack. The government can't catch me. Somehow, the entire $100,000 a year that I make, the salary that I make, um, I keep all of it for myself. I don't have a single expense, and I save and I

somehow find a way to save every penny. It will still take me 10 years to reach 1 million. 10 years of slaving away, working at a job I hate 'cause I know I'm going to hate it, saving every single penny, not paying a dime in taxes, working at this supposedly successful top-tier job. Um, 10 years of that, and I have 1 million. There are multi-millionaires out there somewhere, billionaires. Like, I'm not even gonna get into that because I didn't, I couldn't even fa, that wasn't even a thought that went into my head. I couldn't fathom it at that point. But there are multi-million millionaires out there, these normal people. Like, let that sit. Like, I don't know about you, but that made me so angry. Like, I got up from my bed. Like, keep in mind, I was dead tired. Like, I just came back from working a 12-hour shift. I was lying in bed, eyes closed, ready to sleep. But as soon as that thought came into my

head like I just couldn't sleep. Like I got up from my bed and got in front of my computer, and I started to type like all the ways to make money, how people are making money in their sleep, how millionaires become millionaires. Like I was so angry and upset at the fact that my entire life I was told that I need to be striving for this N9 to-5, that the whole purpose of me going to school, going through all these things that I went through, learning all these things, whatever, to reach the Pinnacle of life, to have a successful life. I need to work towards this N9 to-5. This should be my goal. And then there are people out there making millions of dollars, and these guys don't work a 9 to-5. Like there's no way. Like I wanted to know what they were doing. Like I didn't sleep for two days, two days. I was just in front of my computer, angry, researching like I've never done anything like this in my entire life. Have you ever angry researched before?

like you don't know what you're doing. You don't know what you're looking for. You're just upset, and you need to know, so you just research like you don't care about anything. You're not, you're hungry. You have people calling you. You don't care. I need to find an answer to this. I'm going to find it. So, why am I mentioning this story? It's because if there's one thing that I learned over the past couple of months, um, posting on YouTube, it's that there are a lot more people like me than I actually thought. People who think like me, people who go through similar thoughts and similar situations. Like, I'm just a normal guy with extravagant thoughts. There are other normal people out there who have the same thoughts that I have, but before they get into it or before they actually do anything and take some action, they were told by someone else or they tell themselves that it's not possible. It's possible. Like, it's real. Like, I'm sitting here now telling you that it's

real find the right people you trust. You know, obviously be careful, but find these people, like whether it's me or somebody else, and learn from them, like implement their strategies. Um, and you can change your life. You can change your life. You can make money online. Don't listen to anybody else that tells you any different. And another thing that I realized, the longer you wait, the harder it becomes for you to start. The longer you wait, the harder it becomes for you to start. Like, whatever it is, like I'm not saying, you know, to quit your job or anything like that, but like, what do you want? What is it that you want in this life? And what are you currently doing to get there? So, it turns out I'm actually pretty close to monetizing my videos and, um, putting ads or getting paid for ads or whatever. And I never planned on turning this on, um, 'cause I don't want ads on my videos, but it turns out because I just, I watched one of my videos on a separate account, um, and I got ads on it. So, it

turns out there's already ads on my videos, and I didn't know that. Like, I thought I had to turn this on for there to be ads, but apparently not. Um, so I wanted to ask, like, 'cause I don't want to get paid for this. Like, I don't want it. Like, I don't want it. Um, so I just planned on turning this off, but I don't know if, like, I turn it off, there's going to be less ads, or if I turn it on, there's going to be more ads. Like, I don't know how this works. Um, so I wanted to ask, would you rather have me keep this off, and then maybe, I guess, there's going to be less ads? Like, I don't know how it works. Um, or do you want me to turn this on, you know, when I become eligible for it, so that I get paid for the ads, but then, like, I give it back to you guys? 'Cause, so, like, whatever money I make by the end of the month, I'll take a screenshot, show it to you guys, and then

give it away to like someone who comments or who's a subscriber, whatever. CU I don't want it. Like, I don't want this um, but I thought it'd be a cool way to kind of give back to you guys um, so yeah, let me know what you think. I didn't know like there were ads on my videos, so that's weird. Like, it's probably not going to be a lot anyways, but I wanted to ask um, in case you guys are interested cuz I don't want this um. I I never again, I never planned on turning this on, but I didn't know there were ads on my videos already, so I might as well like get paid for it and then I guess give it back to you guys or donate it or do something. So let me know.

I can't work a 9-5

Thomas Im

My Journey from Gig Work to Entrepreneurship

I did gig work like Instacart and DoorDash every day instead of a 9-to-5 job, valuing flexibility over a higher salary.

After struggling in high school and attending community college, my mom offered me a bank teller job if I graduated.

The thought of working at a bank for life felt depressing, leading me to pursue my own entrepreneurial journey instead.

Reflecting on a Paycheck and Future Goals

After a long shift, I was excited to receive my $450 paycheck, thinking of all the things I could buy.

I realized that by working an extra day, I could increase my monthly income to $1,100, which motivated me to save for a year.

As I contemplated making $12,000, I became confused about how to spend it and started to question the worth of working so hard for the money.

The speaker reflects on the high salaries of certain jobs, like doctors and lawyers, and contemplates aiming for a 9-to-5 office job.

However, they express disdain for the idea of repetitive office work and question if it's the only way to make a living.

The speaker's confusion turns to anger as they ponder the existence of millionaires and their unconventional paths to wealth, ultimately seeking a goal to achieve financial success.

The speaker feels frustrated and angry at the thought of spending 10 years in a job they hate to save 1 million dollars, while acknowledging the existence of multi-millionaires and billionaires.

This realization drives them to research ways to make money outside of the traditional 9-to-5 job, leading to two sleepless days of intense research.

The speaker is determined to understand how others are making millions without following the conventional path.

The speaker shares their experience of feeling lost and upset while searching for answers, realizing there are many others with similar thoughts.

They emphasize the importance of finding trustworthy people to learn from and implementing their strategies to make a change in life.

The speaker also highlights that waiting too long to take action makes it harder to start and shares their unexpected progress towards monetizing their YouTube videos.

I recently discovered that there are already ads on my videos, and I didn't intend for that to happen.

I'm considering turning off the ad feature, but I'm unsure if it will result in fewer ads or if turning it on later will lead to more.

I'm open to the idea of getting paid from the ads and then giving the money back to my subscribers or donating it, but I want to know what my audience thinks.