Lourdes Quintanar left her full-time job at a daycare when she was diagnosed with cancer. Now healthy and in remission for six years, she’s built a successful new career as a full-time influencer. She earns three times her previous salary, took her extended family on a weeklong vacation to Disney World, and helped her whole family to join the creator economy using Mavely.
By the Numbers
3x – Lourdes has tripled the salary she made as a full-time daycare director by becoming an influencer
$20 – Although her first Mavely paycheck was for only $20, Lourdes soon grew her earnings significantly
8 – It only took 8 months as an influencer for Lourdes to fully replace the salary she made in her previous job at the daycare
12 – The number of family members Lourdes took on a Disney vacation using her influencer earnings
5 – How many additional people in Lourdes’ family who are now making money through Mavely
Creator Origin Story
Lourdes worked full-time as the director of a daycare in Chicago when a cancer diagnosis pushed her to stop working while she underwent treatment. A few years later she had beat cancer and was ready to start a new chapter in her life.
She knew she wanted to reinvent her career path, so when she saw a Facebook ad for a class on how to make money from home as an influencer, she decided to sign up.
She tested the waters by working with another more established influencer.
“She’s the one who started working with Mavely first,” said Lourdes of her boss, now also a close friend. “She posted how much she was making and I thought, ‘Wait a minute, I want to make that kind of money.’”
In 2022, she joined Mavely, and that’s when her personal business started taking off: “The first month was amazing.”
In her first eight months working as an influencer marketer, she was able to fully replace the salary she had made as a full-time daycare director.
Building a Family Business
“My daughter is selling through Mavely. This is her full-time job now. She pays her rent, car, bills, and takes care of her kids with the money she makes on Mavely.”
Lourdes continued experimenting by sharing new products and brands that she found on Mavely to her followers in a Facebook group. She saw both her followers and her earnings grow.
Soon her daughter Jessica was interested in joining her as an influencer marketer. At the time, Jessica was earning her associate’s degree and was pregnant with her third child. Lourdes suggested that she start selling through Mavely so she could work from home.
“My granddaughter is two years old now, and my daughter is still selling through Mavely,” said Lourdes. “She graduated from college, but she didn’t go back to work — this is her full-time job now. She pays her rent, car, bills, and takes care of her kids with the money she makes on Mavely.”
Next, Lourdes’ two sisters began earning as part-time influencers. “One of my sisters owns a daycare center, but she’s always looking for more ways to make money. I told her, ‘You can do this in your spare time.’”
Now her son and daughter-in-law also sell products through Mavely. Lourdes hopes her youngest son will join as well. “I have a 16-year-old and I was telling him, ‘It’s time for you to learn the family business.’”
Spreading the Wealth
“I felt so proud of myself. I was like, ‘Wow, I can do this.’”
Today Lourdes makes triple the salary she was making when she worked full-time as a daycare director.
One of her biggest accomplishments since becoming an influencer was in February 2023 when she was able to take her entire family to Disney World for the first time. She paid for their group of 12 to spend seven days at Disney, including booking a large Airbnb for everyone to stay.
“It was like a mansion, with a pool and everything,” Lourdes said of the Airbnb. “I felt so proud of myself. I was like, ‘Wow, I can do this.’”
Why She Loves Mavely
While Lourdes used a variety of platforms when she first started as a creator, she now works almost exclusively with Mavely.
“Mavely is much faster at paying out earnings than other platforms. Other platforms usually take up to three months,” she said.
She also appreciates how easy the Mavely platform is to use.
“For me, everything is there on Mavely. I just love it. It’s easier than other platforms. I can make a link really quickly. With other platforms, there are more steps.”
Advice to New Creators
“If someone would ask me, I would say it’s the perfect job,” said Lourdes of earning money as an influencer. “It’s really a job anyone can do, but you have to dedicate yourself. It’s easy, you’re at home, but if you want to make money, you have to do the work.”
For first-time influencers, she recommends starting part-time before quitting a full-time job. “It can be your main income, but it’s not easy at the beginning. You need to get your followers. They need to see your face every day, and you have to be consistent.”
For everyday influencers, it’s also important to build authentic connections with followers.
“You have to talk to your followers like you’re talking to your family. You don’t have to share everything like the Kardashians do, but share stuff from your everyday life, like a picture here and there. That way they feel that connection with you.”
Overall, persistence is key.
“I tell new creators: don’t give up. We have our high months and our low months. Just know next month is going to be better. Don’t stop, keep doing it, because you can make real money with this.”
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