From oil field worker to a 5-figure monthly influencing career

It takes a lot of courage to transition from one career to another, especially when the stakes are high. However, one Logie creator refused to be held back by his past work and took a leap of faith to pursue a passion for content creation. Today, his hard work, dedication, and creativity have paid off in ways they never imagined.

In our latest creator spotlight, learn how Steven WB went from riches to rags and then to riches again (now as an influencer). Discover the secrets behind Steven’s success and get ready to be inspired and motivated by this incredible story.

How did you first get started as a content creator?

I started in 2017 starting a family vlog channel inspired by Ryan’s Toy Review. I saw this boy was making millions a year and I wanted that for my family. I wanted the vacations and free toys. Not to mention no longer having to be gone 6 months out of the year with my Job.

What are some of the key challenges you have had to face (and how did you overcome them)?

Starting from Scratch

• I knew nothing about YouTube, Cameras, Lighting, editing, or how to be on camera.
• I watched a ton of videos and followed top creators to learn how to edit.
• I studied cameras and how to get the best results. I learned lighting and how to use green screens. 
• I watched YouTube coach after YouTube coach to learn SEO for my videos.
• I watched other creators to see what they were doing and what made them successful.

I also had the challenge of being a Dad to 4 young kids and working a full-time job. Then having to find time to learn, film, and edit videos. 

By and large, what is your story?

I was working in the oilfields in Louisiana for 15 years. At one point I was self-employed and provided a Commercial Diving service repairing pipelines underwater. It was very lucrative and I was doing very well. But well, all things must come to an end I guess.

Oil prices tanked and the oil industry went into survival mode. My business was not able to survive this slowdown and ultimately shut down.  I wasn’t sad it shut down I was eager for a new start and was tired of working underwater at this point anyhow. 

Relocating to Florida

My family relocated to Florida from Mississippi with dreams and hopes that Florida offered more opportunities.  I received a call 6 months after my business shut down and was offered the mechanics job in the same oilfield I had been working. I accepted and now I was working 2 weeks on the water and 2 weeks at home. The money was good but I was still stuck in the same spot. Plus now I had to drive 12 hours to catch a boat every 2 weeks and then drive 12 hours home 2 weeks later.

Exploring Video & YouTube

This is when I started getting into video and YouTube. I was able to get our YouTube channel to 13k subs by filming videos when I was at home and editing when I was offshore working. I literally lived on 5 to 6 hours a night for years trying to make it on YouTube. Then in 2018 or 2019, my wife heard about the Amazon influencer program so I was like sure let’s see if we qualify. We applied and we were accepted….I was so naive about how it all worked. Basically, I was an influencer and all I was doing was using my affiliate account.

My Amazon Influencer account just sat idle for years! Well, things get worse… My wife was feeling the effects of being a single mom half of the year and was ready for me to stay at home or become a full time Dad.

Working at Amazon

She applied to Amazon to work in Customer service and was hired. Money was tight and we were struggling at this point. I was concerned about her getting stressed with 4 kids and now throwing a job into the mix.  I applied to Amazon as well thinking that if I was hired then I could come home full time and our income combined would be equivalent to my job on the water. I was hired and quit my job with healthcare benefits to come home and answer calls in Amazon Customer service. I was answering calls on the early shift and my wife was answering calls in the evening. I was now at home and able to help my wife.

Not enough money

Still, the money was less and we no longer had health insurance and we were hoping to go full-time with Amazon to get those much-needed benefits back. Times got very hard… We were not making enough money to pay bills and buy food. I was having to sell everything I owned to make ends meet. When I left Mississippi I had a Condo, a rental house, the house we lived in and 6 acres of land. We sold everything from 2017 to what was now 2020 and the pandemic was in full effect.  Now running out of things to sell I got another job as a handyman as well as cutting lawns. When you think you are at bottom …you’re not… I was released by Amazon as a seasonal employee despite being in the top 10% percent on our ratings and metrics.  Luckily, however, my wife was offered full time so we were able to get our health benefits back. But we were still struggling. At this time, I was still making videos and sleeping 5 to 6 hours a night. I was up till 2 am working and then getting up at 7 or 8 am to do it all again.

The Good Break!

Amidst all this, I was sent a messenger. I had become friends with a guy named Dan Currier. He has a YouTube channel with almost 90k subscribers and one day out of the blue he emails me and says “Hey are you an Amazon Influencer because if so I am putting together a course and I want you to test it.” My mind almost exploded. I was nearly in tears seeing the opportunity finally opening up in front of me. Someone finally took interest in me and was going to give this guy a chance. Dan taught me about shoppable videos and his technique for making videos.  I uploaded my first 10 videos and was approved 8 days later.

Just how did you get from 0 to 5 digits in under 20 months?

I was poor and desperate but now I had everything I needed! A sliver of light at the end of years in a long, dark tunnel. I uploaded 100 shoppable videos in my first week!! This now was July 2021. I was making videos on everything I could find. I was even buying from Walmart and Target to make Amazon Videos. After my first month, I made 74 dollars! This was Amazing! It does work! I can make money online and put the skills I learned by making YouTube videos to work.

Game On!!

I was crazy about making videos. I made videos on everything. I would create content on other peoples’ items as well. If I had to install a security system or microwave oven I would make a shoppable video on it when they were not looking. The second month I made 150 bucks! Now I started getting emails and messages from vendors for free products. I took everything! During my busiest month, I received 148 units.  I was making the videos free and all I wanted was free products. Word spreads fast and before I knew it I had a dozen or more companies I was working for. In the third month, I made 300 bucks!

Going Big…

It was around this time that I heard about Thrasio and applied to work for them. I was accepted and offered a 3-month trial. I received 15 products from them and unbelievably it went well! I had my first big day when I sold 5k in foot massagers in one day!  I made 650 bucks in one day my mind was blown.  At this point, I was drowning in products so the next step was to charge for videos. Each month my income increased. In March of 2022, I hit 2k in commissions from Amazon and made another 2k from Thrasio along with charging for videos.  I quit my blue-collar job. I no longer had to sweat all day and do physically demanding work for hours upon hours. My wife was nervous I jumped ship too early but I saw the path. I no longer had limited sleep and a “job” holding me back.  I floated around this income through June 2022.

First Live…

I did my first live and became a rising star in July. That was a switch to kick off my income again.  It seems once I started doing lives my shoppable videos gained more traction. My lives did terribly but it seemed to help my videos so I stuck with it.  Once again I was increasing around 1k a month! As they say, the rest is history. I am now making nearly 5 digits in Amazon Commission alone. I work with Wahool, Thrasio, and DeeRC/Holystone that pay me commissions for the products I sell and I get paid just to go live with no sales. I also supplement my income by still accepting products from sellers as well. With this combined, I have broken 5 digits for a consecutive 3 months (with the fourth month in sight).

This is my riches to rags and hopefully riches again story. I consider myself to still be a novice and am looking forward to the next level. I also have helped 6 people get started and start changing their lives. I don’t view others as competition I view them as friends and family and I want to pay it forward to as many people as I can.

Please share your best tips for influencers who are just getting started

Work Hard now work less later:

• Make videos on everything you can get your hands on.
• Educate yourself and network. If you are ignorant and alone you are throwing money out of the window. 
• Shoppable videos are not YouTube videos. You are not trying to entertain with shoppable videos. Nobody cares about your intro and your fancy camera – they want to see the product and whether it is what they are looking for.
• Appear as non-corporate as you possibly can – people do not trust polished corporate-looking videos.
• Keep it simple to the point and film the product in its environment and actually show it being used.
• Upload all your videos on YouTube and use affiliate links. I did this in one year on my review channel and it now makes me 300 a month.  Plus you can utilize the copyright tool to protect your videos from theft. Look out for your fellow creators. If you catch someone stealing your videos let the community know so they can protect their work. 

How’s your experience (so far) using Logie?

I am finally understanding Logie and regret I didn’t learn sooner. I love the platform because it has massive potential.  Plus having the ability to talk and share with the best Influencers on the platform is invaluable!

What are your future plans for growing your business?

I am now going to start breaking away from the smaller sellers and start buying my own products – utilizing Logie, of course. I no longer need to grab the low-hanging fruit and feel by making videos on higher-ranked products that have less competition will help me get to the next level. I also plan to continue doing live streams to reach A-lister status because I feel there is a benefit to that.

Is there anything else you’d like to share in order to encourage our creator community?

Treat others as you want to be treated. You get what you give. If a 48-year-old oilfield worker can change his stars so can you!