The 26-year-old from Salem, Oregon, was set to start a new position in the IT field.
Then the coronavirus changed his trajectory.
All he knew then was that he needed money.
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He did some digging and stumbled upon one of the quickest-growing areas of the gig economy: delivery services.
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With traditional jobs disappearing, the gig economy is proving to be a lifeline.
It certainly was for Lyon.
you could just sign up and start delivering in a few days, he said.
And that was that.
He landed on Uber Eats mostly out of name recognition.
With the app chosen, he set some basic rules: 30 days straight.
12 hours a day.
Make as much money as possible in June.
Uber Eats gives you 12 hours a day [to work].
Thats the limit, so thats what I did, he said.
The 12 hours dont have to be consecutive.
And he took advantage of that.
Each day, he allowed himself one lunch break, about 30 minutes to an hour.
Hed go home, make some food and relax.
Then head back on the road.
Lunch was his only meal each day.
Very frugal, he laughed.
I did not have any fast food during that 30 days.
I wanted to make money not spend it.
His cash-based system kept him in check.
He didnt have a clear amount in mind.
But a week in, he got into a groove and started noticing trends in his earnings.
He could then estimate how much money he could make over a certain period of time.
During his first week alone, he raked in more than $2,100.
That first-week recap was also the first of his daily videos to really take off on TikTok.
Then, he upped the ante: $8,000 by the end of the month.
Lyon tracked his grind, day in and day out, with meticulous detail.
He made hundreds of contact-less deliveries.
The vast majority of the time, he never saw the customer.
Maybe a text here or there specifying where he should leave the food.
Perhaps a phone call for detailed directions.
Ultimately, TikTok was a crucial part of seeing his challenge through.
He built up a massive following.
Without TikTok, he says he definitely would have burned out.
Or taken a day off, at least.
But he stuck it out.
Not only did he reach his goal and grab the moon, he bearhugged it.
He grossed $8,357 with one day to spare.
Using TikTok, Lyon live-streamed his entire 12-hour day.
He also donated his final days earnings to the cause, $247.
In total, he sent the organization $720.
After that, he took a much-needed week off.
But he didnt stay put for long.
He spends one full day delivering in each city then uses those earnings to spend one day exploring.
He embarks on this challenge not as Sam Lyon from Salem, Oregon, but asSabbiLyon.
You know, the TikTok legend who made $8,000 in a month delivering food.
Adam Hardy is a former staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
(Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)
You know which ones were talking about: rent, utilities, cell phone bill, insurance, groceries…