How I made my first $2.23 online (and the freedom it gave me)

Hey {{ck:_first_name|friend}},

Back in 2020, I was just a kid with an iPad, an Apple Pencil, and a curiosity for YouTube.

I remember watching Ali Abdaal—my favorite YouTuber at the time.
He taught me how to study better.
Which iPad to buy.
And eventually… how much he earned in a week as a Doctor & YouTuber.

That one video changed my life.

Ali earned more from the internet than from being a doctor in the UK.

My brain cracked open:
Wait, people make money online?
Could I?

Soon after, I stumbled upon another YouTuber who made $2000/month passively from Redbubble.

Print-on-demand.
No customer service.
No shipping.
No inventory.

I even commented on the YouTuber’s video.

It sounded perfect.

So I booted up Canva and Procreate on my iPad.
I sketched. Designed. Uploaded. Waited.

Then it happened.

$2.23.

That was my first ever online sale—a sticker from a popular US figure trending at the time.

I was hooked.

I bought a gaming chair to celebrate.
Started a secret YouTube channel for my Team Fortress 2 gameplay videos.
And doubled down.

I would then proceed to make over $3,000+ across 4 years.

I hadn’t touched it in years.

Until… My main account got banned recently.

But my last standing account just made a sale as I wrote this.

Next came blogging.

I bought a course called Project 24 from a YouTube channel called Income School.

And launched a site called BirdingOutdoors.com.

I wrote every single day.
1 blog post. 2000 words.
No excuses.

Somehow, God gave me the strength to keep going.
It felt like I was built for this.
Something inside me just knew I had to try.

Eventually, my blog grew to $1.5k/month through ads.
That became $5k/month.
I picked up some freelance editing gigs and even peaked at $9.4k/month.

Then I quit my stable data analyst job.

I launched a second blog—JustJooz.com, focused on tech.

But then?

It all crumbled.

My main client disappeared.
My blog traffic tanked 30%.
Then 80%—thanks to Google’s 2023 “Helpful Content Update.”

It was to combat the rise of AI content.

Almost overnight, I lost everything I had built.
I was crushed.

But I wasn’t done.

At the time, people were talking about email newsletters.

So I gave it a shot.

This was the earliest version of The Juicer.

Back then, I just wrote about cool tech I found.
3 things. Every week.

It wasn’t much—but it kept me going.

Over time, the newsletter grew.
I started sharing lessons. Vulnerable stories.
Things I was learning as I rebuilt.

Then I found my niche:

Helping 9-5 solopreneurs build a LinkedIn side hustle that runs on autopilot.

Not preaching hustling for the sake of hustling.
Not “quit your job tomorrow” advice.

But a system that actually works—without burning you out.

I still remember friends telling me:

And it’s true.
I don’t chase performance reviews.
I say no to overtime.
I write, build, and teach on my own terms.

But I’m not fully financially free yet.

And I’ve realized: that’s okay.

Because the greatest freedom I’ve found… is in God.

When you’re free on the inside,
Everything outside starts to fall into place.

And that is the kind of freedom I hope for you too.

—

PS – If you’re chasing freedom too, check out Darien & Joanna’s YouTube channel —a Singaporean couple who pursued financial freedom from their teenage years. Now they travel the world, teaching others how to do the same.

PPS – Hit reply and tell me:
What’s your story?
What’s the freedom you’re chasing?

I’d love to hear it.

See you later,
Justin “Freed” Chia