I ditched my corporate job to start livestreaming on TikTok full-time, and I've more than doubled my income this month

• Jotham Lim left his corporate gig to become a full-time shopping livestreamer in October.
• These livestreams involve two or more hours of nonstop talking.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jotham Lim, a 33-year-old full-time livestreamer based in Singapore. This essay has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider verified his income.

I used to work a full-time corporate gig at one of Singapore's largest healthcare groups.

Since October 2022, I've been live selling as a side hustle. That means hosting livestreams on TikTok Shop, where I sell everything from televisions to air purifiers to computers directly to the viewer.

In October this year, I realized I was making about the same amount from both my main and side hustle. My salary in my old job was around 5,500 Singapore dollars, or $4,000, a month.

And since I was exhausted splitting my attention between both, I figured it was time to make a switch to livestreaming full-time.

Two hours of nonstop talking

A typical livestream lasts between two to four hours, with anywhere from 20 to 400 people watching at any one time — or between 1,400 to 7,000 unique viewers overall.

During that time, I'm usually flying solo and talking non-stop. That includes describing the deals, showing off the products, answering questions — about both myself and the thing I'm selling — and just being really high-energy.

Throughout the whole process from clicking on a product to checkout, the viewer is still hearing my voice. It's really in-your-face and personal.

For all of that, I get paid an appearance fee between SG$500 and SG$800 an hour, and also make commission on some of the items I sell — usually between 15 and 30% of the item's price. That usually adds up to a payout of between SG$1,000 and SG$3,000 for a two-hour session.

It's less about the hard sell than it is about entertainment

Viewers tune out when you're stiff and pitching too directly to them.

Instead, it's about constantly responding to them and keeping things moving. Even when you're showing off the product, you can't just show it. You need to hold it, feel it, disassemble it, and make the process seem fun.

I've found that playing games like Jenga on stream helps keep viewers engaged and interested in the product. I'll ask viewers a question, and for every right answer, I'll pull a brick out of the tower until it collapses.

You're constantly bombarded with questions and data to react to

The beauty of TikTok Shop is that during the livestream, you're looking at a dashboard with all these stats on how long viewers are watching, their demographics, and what they're buying. So you get a good understanding of what works, and what doesn't.

Answering questions is a big part of it. Some viewers are genuinely interested in the product, but others are less so.

They can ask pretty intrusive questions like, "Are you attached?". And some internet trolls come on just to throw insults at you.

Managing these in a fun way is part of the gig. I've found that viewers love it when you bring the drama and hit back at the trolls.

Viewers tune in for time-sensitive discounts

Before every livestream, I have a discussion with the company that's hiring me to understand the product and the level of discount they're applying to it.

It can take up to a month to hammer out details like what the deals are, which products to sell, and what the focus of the stream should be.

Typically, products wind up being 5 to 30% cheaper than they are on other ecommerce sites. These discounts only last for the duration of the stream.

My income has more than doubled since leaving my old job, but I'm worried the income is seasonal

I spend between two and eleven hours a day livestreaming, including on weekends, depending on the companies I work with.

The effort I've put into it has paid off. In November, I made close to four times what I used to in my old job. And in December so far, I've made more than double.

However, a lot of the big streams — and big payouts — are tied to seasonal events.

Particularly important days, like 11.11 — that's November 11 — or 12.12, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, involve hours of streaming without end. Some of my countdown streams last until 3 a.m., because viewers are still online and are keen to keep buying.

Still, I don't regret leaving my corporate job behind. As a high-energy person who loves to talk, my current gig gives me a lot more agency over my success.