How a 26-year-old quit his job to make more money as a TikTok creator

Eric Sedeño didn’t get famous from dancing or cooking or any of the other popular genres of TikTok content. As far as the 26-year-old can tell, his videos work well because he’s nice.

In fact, it’s going so well that last year he was able to quit his full-time job as an art director at an advertising agency. Since then, he has relied on TikTok branded deals as his main source of income.

Watching Sedeño’s videos posted to @ricotaquito is a bit like FaceTiming your really funny, really caring boyfriend; Vogue dubbed him TikTok’s Favorite Beast. He usually speaks directly into the camera, otherwise he’s fooling around with his friends or tying clothes. Rarely is a video posted where he doesn’t flash a huge smile.

@ricotaquito GO RIHANNA @nfl @tiktok #tiktoktailgate #superbowl ♬ Original sound – ThickyRicky

This authenticity, much sought after on TikTok, has been key to his success on the app.

“It’s so weird. I never thought I would do that in my life,” says Sedeño, who has over 840,000 followers and more than 84 million video likes on TikTok wealth. “I used to put art out, I really tried to be an art director on Instagram, but I couldn’t get anyone to care about what’s important to me. Now it’s crazy that there’s so much emphasis on what I have to say about something.”

change careers

Not that there was anything wrong with, um, working in business or finance, but Sedeño knew he had to quit his advertising job when he was hired to develop campaigns for a bank. It just wasn’t right for him.

He left the advertising agency in February 2022. Until then, he had been on a more traditional career path. He studied graphic design and advertising in college and got a job at an advertising company in New York after graduating. He transitioned from intern to junior art director to art director.

“I saw my way up, but then in 2020 I got separated and I cut my hair in a mullet and grew a mustache and started doing TikToks,” he says. Initially, TikTok was just there for fun. But then came banking campaigns. A phone call to his management team gave him the boost he needed to set up his own business.

Though he declined to give exact numbers, he says he makes more money than he did at the advertising company. He’s also getting more freedom to pursue other interests — he and his brother launched a line of candles that donate meals to a pantry with every purchase — and to work on his own art.

While Sedeño says he would never describe his job as “tough,” it’s a lot more mentally taxing than he expected. When a video doesn’t get enough views, it feels like a personal failure — something he’s had to learn to deal with.

@ricotaquito

To be fair, I don’t think she wants a boyfriend right now

♬ Original sound – ThickyRicky

In the ad, “The way I see my journey is, ‘Oh, if I get A, B, and C, I’ll get a promotion, I’ll get a raise, I knew exactly where I was going,'” he says. “Online is the only thing that drives you, the way people take it. If you’re growing, you’re fine… There’s no validation outside of numbers.”

Sedeño loves his audience. He’s met followers who have become friends in IRL and he’s always amazed when someone can remember something about him that he posted in a video months or years ago.

But when it comes to yourself—your personality, your sense of humor, and in Sedeño’s case, his queerness—constant feedback takes its toll.

“I have a really positive comment section, but I’ve only seen the negative,” he says. “It changed my attitude towards the internet in ways I should have been prepared for.”

know your worth

So that’s the bad thing. The good thing is Sedeño’s newfound freedom, financially – and creatively – speaking.

The first took time. When companies first approach you to create content, it’s difficult to know how to rate yourself: How much are you worth? Are you sure?

“We’re all part of a new market economy for creators, and the numbers are so hard to pin down,” he says. After he began working with his management company, he learned that he was undercharging given the size of his audience. “I worked in advertising, I thought I had my numbers down. [But] I don’t know how to tell anyone what I’m worth.”

@ricotaquito I DID A PHOTOSHOOT @calvinklein and @hypebeast featured me in their CK96 campaign #partner ♬ Original sound – ThickyRicky

With his management team handling most of the communication and negotiation with brands, Sedeño only needs to sign off on projects he wants to work on. You take a cut, but it’s worth it to him.

Look to the future

Sedeño doesn’t plan on keeping TikTok his full-time job forever; his goal this year is to be “more than an internet personality.” In the future he hopes to bring more of his artistic skills to his work. He also wants to start a podcast.

For those interested in a similar career, Sedeño advises looking into a management team if you think working with one makes sense. You want to find someone who believes in the content you produce and has ideas for what you can do in the future. If there are specific YouTubers you admire, find out who manages them and contact them to see if they can hire you.

@ricotaquito

I think we tore

♬ muerto gang – qubelly🗽

He also says it’s okay to say no to brand deals you don’t believe in and literally value yourself more than other people. A company once offered him $500 for three videos; While he was excited about the opportunity to work with this particular company, he finally decided it wasn’t worth his time and effort.

At this point, Sedeño still had a full-time job outside of content creation, so the $500 wasn’t all or nothing. Slowly building your branded businesses while you have other work is probably a good strategy for most people who don’t have a huge financial cushion to fall back on.

“That’s a privileged statement because a lot of people don’t have a lot of choices,” he says. “But say yes to things that excite you.”

And don’t let yourself be pigeonholed. If you usually post on one topic but want to make a video on something else, do it.

There’s no reason to limit yourself; Think of diversifying your content as diversifying your income streams or investments. It will help in the long run.

“It doesn’t have to be so much a strategy,” he says. “It’s okay to just be yourself.”