My Story: How I went from a part-time waiter to a full-time writer
It’s a dream come true and it happened way faster than I could have ever imagined!
It was as if God himself slammed a door shut and opened up a window…
and I jumped out trusting him to make it work!
And that he did!
In just two years I became a top-rated seller on Fiverr, I’ve completed 1,000 orders, and I’ve been able to turn my passion into paychecks.
It all started as a huge leap of faith!
How I Took The Leap
I was working my seventh year straight as a part-time waiter by day as I chased the stand-up comedian dream by night.
After the Biden checks stopped coming through I had to put the crocs and apron back on and start serving tables again. I thrived at my first two restaurants and truly loved working at both Outback and Bartaco. But as you know Covid changed everything and I just couldn’t do what I do best at my tables… smile and crack jokes.
My third restaurant, which I won’t mention by name, was adamant about mask-wearing and you can’t put a mask on me and expect me to show up to work with a smile on my face 😷.
I bit the bullet for a few months to pay the bills for my family and I saw it as an opportunity to spread the Gospel and grow my podcast I Like Birds. I succeeded here and there but God kept whispering other things. Next thing you know, I’m in my kitchen geeked up telling my wife that I want to buy an RV and hit the road!
She told me she was down and a month later we bought one just a week before Christmas!
We spent a good chunk of our savings on it and came up with a plan to stack some money up, sell our things, and hit the road! We were the Hippie Rippey’s!
Before hitting the road, I did some YouTubing and discovered a lot of RVers who documented how they made money. Surprisingly, a lot of them were travel bloggers and even wrote for some RV and outdoor living blogs.
I had a couple of friends tell me about Fiverr in the past, and that same month we bought the RV, I spent all day researching and creating my profile on the popular freelancing website.
I created 3 gigs. Podcast script writing, wedding speech writing, and blog writing. My profile looked like an amateur but I put my stand-up comedy experience and my I Like Birds Podcast in my about me section and before you know it I was slowly but surely getting booked on the platform. I was making bout 200-300 bucks for a few months straight and decided I’m going to go all in when we move into the RV full time!
Studied the Game
I studied the game, I wrote speeches, I came up with jokes, I helped other people launch podcasts, and I was able to increase my prices as the ratings and reviews were shining bright on my profile.
It’s funny looking back on it now because I remember telling co-workers my plan and for the most part, they were encouraging and curious. I remember telling my boss my plan and he scoffed in my face questioning how I would make money and survive out there. He also believed vaccines should be mandated so clearly we were wired differently. No hard feelings, to each their own, but this was one of the reasons the door was slammed shut that I mentioned earlier.
My apron was getting more and more wrinkled each shift and the chatter grew about the vax being mandated at my job. I was Andy Dufresning my escape day by day and I was hyped about it! (That’s a Shawshank Redemption reference for those scratching their heads.)
Anyway, my wife and I set a launch date and at the time we had no idea how much we would spend on the road but we were prepared to sink or swim. The best thing about life is figuring it out! We knew we had each other, we knew we were smart, and I knew I had the gift of gab to get us out of any pickles we found ourselves in.
Orders were coming in at a steady pace and I started to get some returning clients. I kept my prices low enough to get as many clients as possible because in this business Reviews and Ratings are digital gold! They are a game-changer not only for the future clients that stumble on your page but it’s a deal breaker for the algorithm.
So while my wife and I with our two kids were exploring the US, hiking big beautiful mountains, and jumping off of 25-foot dive rocks into crystal blue rivers by day, I was smacking keys on the keyboard by night. I was growing my profile, adding gigs, adding order extras, and constantly coming up with new ideas to improve.
I remember looking at the stars one night in Colorado completely flabbergasted at how God removed me from a job I felt stuck in and brought me to 8 different states in four months all while doing something I love on the side.
On that same trip to Colorado, my wife found out she was pregnant! Yeah, that will happen when living in an RV posted up at a dope campground!😏
We made our way back to Texas to put down some roots and I’ve been growing my business and brand even more since returning!
Where I Stand Today
I have ten gigs now active on my profile and I’m serving clients in multiple areas of writing including speeches for all events like weddings, graduations, and even holiday parties. I recently wrote two separate Harvard Graduation speeches and have learned so much about the art of writing. I’ve helped over 200 podcasts and YouTube channels get their shows off the ground and even worked with a few influencers who have over half a million subscribers! I’ve helped write eulogies, Ted Talks, Sales Speeches for CEOs, and am working on my first ebook for a returning client! (Update: she asked me to use Chat GPT and hated it… weird)
The world of writing is expanding, the freelancing marketplace is growing, and there’s never been a better time to escape the nine-to-five and work for yourself. I’m called by God to help others do that by sharing my story, sharing what I’ve learned, and dropping gems that are game-changers for people looking to become their own bosses and turn their passions into paychecks.
Thank you for being here and allowing me to share my story of how I went from being a part-time waiter to a full-time writer.
Want to hear more?
Listen to I Like Words Podcast