How I Made My First Digital Dollar - Khadejah's Weird Beginning to Becoming a Storytelling Consultant
First Digital Dollar Project | Khadejah J
Welcome to the First Digital Dollar Project
Every week, a solopreneur shares the honest story of how they earned their first dollar online. They also join me on Substack Live to dive deeper into their journey.
Each story follows one path from idea to struggle to income. You will see the doubts they faced, the pivots they made, and the exact steps that led to that first sale.
Whether you are still searching for your breakthrough or already building momentum, these stories show you what is possible when you take action.
This post is a guest contribution from Khadejah J , a fellow solopreneur sharing the story of that first sale.
More on the project and the list of contributors:
I ran.
Out of my room and to my sister’s room.
My grandmother happened to be there as well.
I ran and screamed to both of them in sheer excitement.
“I did it! I finally made some money online! You said I couldn’t do it, but I did!”
They both asked me how much I made.
I said:
“$1.06”
I got laughed out of the room.
Not $100.06.
Not $10.06.
$1.06.
And I didn’t care one bit about how my family laughed at me that day. I thought the sky was the limit. If I could make $1.06 from writing online, there’s no telling what I could scale it to over time.
But let’s rewind.
How did I make that $1.06 in the first place?
MEDIUM.
How I Made $1.06 Online
I loved writing ever since I was a kid in elementary school.
So much so that the teacher and other kids in my class would be in awe at how much more I wrote on the page every time we were assigned an essay. If the page limit were four pages, I would push it to the brink.
Fast forward to when I was 17 years old, and I started a WordPress blog online. I created it on a whim because I had no idea there was a software availabe where I could blog FOR FREE. So I took full advantage of the opportunity and created a blog about nothing. I had no idea what I would write about; I just wanted to write.
The blog became a drama/tea blog about reality TV. I was a huge Kardashian/Real Housewives watcher back then and dreamt of becoming the next Perez Hilton.
That blog lasted less than a year before it was deleted.
Two years later, I started another blog where I wrote anime reviews. I was obsessed with Tokyo Ghoul, so why not? Well, that blog lasted for less than a year before I deleted it, too. Another blog had gone into the void.
In 2019, I stumbled upon this blogging platform named Medium.
I read an article by a popular Medium writer, Shuanta Grimes, about how she made $ 10k on Medium in just one month. My mind was blown. I had no idea writers could even make $1k a month, let alone $10k.
It was all through their partner program, where creators could earn money on the platform by writing articles and getting engagement from them.
It was the writer’s version of YouTube.
So I flocked over to Medium, created an account, and wrote a crappy 5-minute article about how to stay organized and keep your mental health together while enduring the rigorous work schedule of college life.
I also love poetry, so I posted a few 1-minute poems on there to see what would happen.
I anxiously waited until the end of the month to see my Medium earnings. Back then, writers were paid based on the number of “claps” their posts got. Claps were the equivalent of “likes” on the platform. I’ll never forget the name of the guy who clapped for my first article (Rolli, if you’re reading this, thank you so much!).
I opened my partner program dashboard and saw $1.06.
Main Lesson You Should Take Away From That Story
It doesn’t matter how little money you make in the beginning.
When you first start online doing anything (e.g. writing, videos, services, freelancing, graphic design), your first dollar is proof that you can scale your passion as high as you want it to be. The sky’s the limit.
And even if I hadn’t made that $1.06 from Medium, I still would’ve kept going until I made something. Why? Because I’ve read and seen too many other people online like me do it before. Plus, it’s something I love to do.
A few years later, that $1.06 turned into $10.00 to $100.00 to $1,000.00 and on and on.
I also became a top writer on Medium during that time period, built a solid email list, meet amazing creators, and became fortunate enough to charge for my services as a storytelling consultant.
What were the main catalysts for my success?
Consistency
Re-investing into the business
Courage to have conversations with others
But consistency is the #1 thing that allowed the other two to happen. It helped me build momentum in my online career.
So, what are you waiting for?
Get started now.
— Khadejah J
The Vision of First Digital Dollar Project
By the end of 6 months, we’ll have created more than content.
We’ll have built proof that there are infinite ways to start.
That your background doesn’t determine your future.
That the first dollar is possible for anyone willing to ship, learn, and iterate.
Your story matters.
Your first dollar was a turning point.
Let’s celebrate it together.
More on the project and the list of contributors:
Find out how 20 solopreneurs with different products, different offers, different strategies, different paths earn their first digital dollars.
Thank you, Anfernee for sharing this wonderful story of determination and hope.
What a great story of hope and determination. Thank you, Khadejah for telling your story. Truly inspirational.