"You'll find Courtney Stensland at the fair, on the field and and anywhere there's good food. You might find Krystyan Lazarin there as well, or promoting a sports line and skin care. Cord Green is a chef cooking up classics and cashing in while doing it from the comfort of his own kitchen. They are DFW social media influencers who took a big risk leaving behind 9-to-5 office jobs to build what have become successful careers in a growing industry."
""You know, I worked in corporate America, different jobs, and then, during the pandemic, is when I came back around to trying to do our YouTube," said Green. "You know, I had a job where I was traveling an hour to and from work, and it was almost like, 'wow, I'm making great money, but I'm not happy because I'm not able to use it.'" "I actually was really scared to go, you know, more full-time," said Stensland, a social media creator/influencer. "I quit my corporate job two years ago.""
North Texas hosts numerous social media creators active across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok who have turned side hustles into careers. Several creators left 9-to-5 jobs, citing pandemic shifts and dissatisfaction with traditional work routines. Creators generate income through platforms, product lines, cookbooks, promotions, and community engagement. Emphasis on quality followers and community over raw follower counts drives content strategy and monetization. Risks included leaving steady corporate employment, but outcomes included authoring products and building sustainable online businesses. Practical advice centers on building niche expertise, engaging loyal audiences, and treating followers as a community rather than just metrics.
Read at Cbsnews
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