I reinvested every cent—better tools, better skills

I started with nothing but a borrowed laptop and an unstable internet connection in a noisy cybercafé. Every night after work, I’d teach myself graphic design from free YouTube tutorials, sleeping barely three hours. My first gig paid $5, but I treated it like a million-dollar deal. Slowly, referrals came in. I reinvested every cent—better tools, better skills. Today, I run a small design studio, employ two other hungry creatives, and serve clients across three continents. It wasn’t magic—just consistency, sacrifice, and a stubborn refusal to give up.