Kingsley Onyemali came to the United States from Nigeria in search of greener pastures in 2018. As a professional mover, he became homeless in Austin, Texas, while saving for housing for his family, who lived 360 miles away.
While working full-time at a Lexus dealership, Onyemali worked as a side hustle for Uber, Amazon, DoorDash, and Grubhub. As a side hustle, he ran a small garage-organizing business.
These jobs enabled him to save enough money to buy an apartment in 2019 and a house in 2020. According to CNBC Make It, he earned $108,592 as a mover and furniture assemblyman on TaskRabbit last year, and the work hasn’t stopped.
“During this inflation period, work doesn’t slow,” Onyemali, 40, told CNBC Make It. “I don’t feel anxious when I don’t have something to do, because I’ve been able to save for the rainy day.”
How did Onyemali transition from going homeless to making $108,592 a year?
Before moving to Nigeria, he worked as a certified accountant for a Nigerian mayor, with oversight responsibility for brand and image development. When he arrived in the United States, he had to reinvent himself as a mower.
“Grades and school made me feel like I never needed those [physical] skills — but coming here, the game was different,” Onyemali said. “I didn’t see myself working for someone or being in the corporate world. I wanted to have time with my family.”
After a series of local gigs, Onyemali will end up in Austin, where he was able to save up to $2,300 to buy a used Nissan Ultima, but he couldn’t afford the monthly rent in Austin, where a three-month bedroom costs around $4,649. He occasionally slept in hotels or with friends. And there were times when he slept in his car.
In 2018, he launched his own garage organizing company but business did not pick up as he anticipated so he added side gigs like driving Uber and working at Amazon, DoorDash and Grubhub delivery man. “Combined with his job at the Lexus dealership, those gigs earned him roughly $60,000 per year,” according to CNBC Make It.
He joined TaskRabbit in 2020 and made $37,000 on the platform in his first year. But as he picked skills on different TaskRabbit jobs, he was able to get more clients and charge steeper prices. By October 2020, he had left his other jobs.
Now he gets over 60 projects per month and his five-star reputation on the platform allows him to charge “premium prices” starting at $70 per hour.