I Quit My 6-Figure Job—and Made More Doing This Weird Side Hustle

I Quit My 6-Figure Job—and Made More Doing This Weird Side Hustle

They told me I was crazy. “Who leaves a six-figure salary to make memes online?”

That’s what my boss said when I turned in my resignation letter. And to be honest, I almost agreed.

I had worked for nearly a decade climbing the corporate ladder. I wore the tailored suits, led meetings with C-level execs, and had a reserved parking spot at the tech company I used to dream of working for. I was pulling in just over $120,000 a year—but my soul felt bankrupt.

The meetings drained me. The constant “We need it by EOD” emails became a kind of digital anxiety loop. I wasn’t living—I was surviving inside Slack notifications and calendar invites. And then came the burnout.

The Meme That Changed Everything

It started as a joke. During a weekend slump, I posted a meme I made about toxic work culture on an Instagram account I had barely used. The meme was simple: a blurry picture of a stressed-out cat with the caption, “When your boss schedules a meeting at 4:59 PM on a Friday.”

It blew up.

Not viral exactly, but it got over 10,000 likes overnight. People commented things like, “This is literally me,” and “I feel seen.” I made a few more memes, posting them every other day. The engagement kept climbing.

Within two months, I had 50,000 followers—and brands started reaching out.

The “Weird” Side Hustle: Monetizing Relatable Humor

I never thought making memes would become a business. But I quickly learned that where attention goes, money follows.

Here's what I did:

Brand Partnerships: I charged $250 per sponsored meme post. Eventually, some brands paid over $1,000 for one.

Merchandise: I launched meme-based mugs and T-shirts on a Shopify store using print-on-demand. One mug that read “Meetings That Could’ve Been Emails” sold over 800 units in a month.

Affiliate Marketing: I linked to remote work tools, apps, and office gadgets that my audience loved—earning passive income through commissions.

Digital Products: I created a $17 downloadable “Office Survival Meme Pack” for creators and social media managers. It went viral on Gumroad.

In my fourth month of doing memes full-time, I made $16,842.

Quitting the 9-5: A Risk That Paid Off

It wasn’t an easy decision. Walking away from guaranteed paychecks into something as uncertain (and honestly ridiculous sounding) as meme-making felt like stepping off a cliff.

But it turns out, I wasn’t alone. Workplace frustration, remote burnout, and the craving for humor created a massive audience—one I understood intimately. Because I had lived it.

Today, I’m not just making memes—I’m running a digital brand. I’ve hired a virtual assistant, a merch designer, and even do speaking gigs about creative monetization.

What You Can Learn from My Story

You don’t have to become a meme lord to escape the 9-5. But here’s what I hope you take away:

Follow what makes you curious—even if it seems silly.

Start small, build in public, and be consistent.

Community is currency. If you make people laugh, think, or feel—they’ll come back.

Your weird idea could be your million-dollar opportunity.

Final Thought: “Weird” Is the New Smart

The internet has changed the rules. What used to be side hobbies are now full-time empires. Whether it’s memes, mini vlogs, AI art, or reviewing pens—someone out there is building a business out of it.

I was once a corporate employee with a steady check and a stressed-out soul. Now, I wake up, sip coffee, and get paid to make people laugh.

So yeah, maybe it was a weird hustle. But it turned out to be the smartest move I ever made.

By [Kevin]