🔥The janitor making $150K from his couch

A very happy Friday, {{first_name | friend}}. We always imagined tech would handle the mundane stuff, i.e., walking our dogs, automating spreadsheets, picking up the dirt on the floor. Instead, a recently leaked dataset reveals one of ChatGPT’s most popular uses has nothing to do with calculus or code. People are turning to it for something far more human.

🏆 So which of these is one of ChatGPT’s top 5 global use cases? A) Writing breakup texts, B) Creating fake doctor’s notes, C) Getting help with the teenage drama or D) Dealing with parents? Go on, take a wild guess. The answer’s waiting for you at the end.

🔥 January gets harder after week one: Hunger and cravings start pushing back. That’s why I created ImproveLife GLP-1 Support, to help you feel satisfied longer and stay in control without injections or extremes. I take it every day. Get up to 30% off, free shipping and a free gift. This is a limited time offer.** — Kim

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You’re one skill away from changing your life. Not someday. Right now.

So many people are quietly building second incomes from their couch. I’m not talking about selling MLM protein shakes on TikTok or driving overnight for Uber. I’m talking real money. Life-changing money. “I just paid off my house” money.

Meet Andy. Five years ago, he was a janitor making $32,000 a year. Today? He’s a freelance software developer pulling in $150K annually. Andy spent every lunch break for 18 months watching free tutorials. No boot camp. No degree.

His first freelance gig paid $500 to build a website for a local bakery. Last month, he charged $15,000 for a custom CRM system.

Sarah was an English teacher making $48,000 a year. Then ChatGPT launched. She started offering AI consulting on Fiverr, teaching other teachers how to automate their lesson plans and grading.

First month: $800. Ten months later: $11,000/month. Her specialty? Recording Loom videos showing teachers how to use ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Zapier.

Week 1: Pick your skill. What do you know that someone would pay for? Marketing? Bookkeeping? Video editing? AI prompting? Project management? You don’t need to be an expert. You need to be better than someone who knows nothing.

Week 2: Build your proof. Create three samples. Fake client work is fine. Clean up a messy spreadsheet for an imaginary coffee shop. Edit a video for a small creator. Build an AI workflow demo. You need a portfolio.

Week 3: Set up shop. Create profiles on Upwork and Fiverr. Price low to start, you’re buying testimonials, not yachts. Yet.

Week 4: Hustle for your first client. Bid on 10 jobs a day. Message small businesses to offer free audits. Your first client won’t find you. You find them.

Upwork & Toptal: Freelance marketplaces for skilled work. Top earners make $100K+ annually. Best for marketing, coding, bookkeeping, product managers, project management.

Fiverr: Start with small gigs ($5-$50), scale to premium packages ($500-$5,000). Best for AI consulting, video editing, social media consulting.

Teachable & Kajabi: Sell online courses. Create once, sell forever. Teach any skill you’ve mastered.

Etsy & Printful: Sell custom products with zero hassle and inventory. This is how my Etsy store works. People order, Printful makes the products and ships them. I make a few bucks every time.

This is not easy. Andy worked 60-hour weeks for 18 months. Sarah spent every evening for six months learning AI before making money. You’re not too old. You’re not too busy. You’re scared. And that’s fine. Do it scared.

The only difference between you and them? They started. Your side hustle starts today. Not Monday. Not next month. Today.

🤝 Need a hand? Drop me a note. Tell me three things: what you’ve done in the past, what you want to do now and how many hours you are willing to commit.

📤 Know someone stuck in a job they hate? Use the share icons below to email this story to them or post it on social media. Somebody in your feed is one idea away from changing their life.

AI is now in the exam room. I’ll also take you inside Raya, the dating app for celebs and CEOs. Plus, an FBI email scam warning and next-gen big-screen TVs.

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Or search “Komando” wherever you get your podcasts. I’m everywhere.

🦠 DIY biohazard: This is frightening. Researchers trained AI to write virus genomes and rewrite deadly proteins, and the models got smart enough to trick genetic safety checks. Labs are growing AI-designed viruses to fight bacteria, but the same code could go dark real fast. Biosecurity folks (yep, that role exists) are losing sleep, and hopefully, the safety net catches up before the genie’s out for real.

Doctor/patient privacy: OpenAI is rolling out ChatGPT Health, where you can feed ChatGPT your data for personalized advice. I get the pitch: A chatbot reading your labs and saying, “Here’s how to tweak your macros” sounds futuristic. But hold up, can you control your data? Delete it? Block it from being used for training later, or sold? It’s a step toward personalized care, but I’m not throwing my entire health file into a bot.

📘 Stop feeling confused by AI: It’s moving faster than most people can keep up with. Don’t get left behind. Download NetSuite’s free “Demystifying AI” guide for a simple, powerful explanation of how to use this tech to win. It won’t cost you a dime.*

Easy ticket trap: While you grumble about radar guns, states including California are rolling out speed cameras. These enforce limits without cops, using lasers and plate recognition to automatically send violations. Early programs are starting, and highway versions will focus on construction areas. Arizona, Maryland and New York already use similar tech. People have complained about false or overactive enforcement, so expect debate, not peace. About 24 U.S. states, plus D.C., allow some form of speed camera use. For now. DUN DUN DUUUUN.

💸 Google’s sending you money: If you used an Android between 2016 and 2023, you might get cash from a $700,000,000 Google Play settlement. Sounds like a lot, but an individual payment won’t even buy you Chipotle. It’s more like extra guac money. You’ll get $2 sent via PayPal or Venmo. Emails titled “Notice to Consumers Who Made Payments Through the Google Play Store” are legit (do double-check). Speaking of, what’s a pirate’s favorite settlement amount? A buccaneer. And Google’s giving you two of them. Don’t spend it all in one place, matey.

Here’s where to find your fave shows and movies without the cost. 

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Or search “Komando” wherever you get your podcasts. I’m everywhere.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Too many Chrome tabs making noise at once? Right-click the one you want quiet and select Mute site. In other browsers, you can also tap the little speaker icon to hush it.

Windows shortcuts worth remembering: These are some of my favorite combos for saving time. Press Win + I to open the Settings app. Use Win + number keys (1–0) to launch the apps pinned to your taskbar. Win + N opens notifications and the full calendar. Win + D shows your desktop instantly. And Win + H starts voice typing.

🍎 Stop files auto-opening on Mac: One of the most annoying Mac habits is files opening the moment they finish downloading. It’s not a bug, it’s a feature. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu bar, choose Settings, then under General, uncheck Open “safe” files after downloading. From now on, downloads stay put until you open them.

Make Kindle pages feel more like a book: You can add a page-turn animation so each swipe feels like flipping a real page. Tap the screen, press the Aa button, select the More tab, then turn on Page turn animations. It’s a small touch, but it also makes it easier to tell when you’ve flipped forward or back. FYI: This works on newer models only. 

🔒 All-in-one password manager: Normally, when you log in, you bounce between apps for your password and a one-time code, right? Well, NordPass has added a new Authenticator feature that handles both. It stores your password and generates the one-time security code in the same app. Bonus protection: You’ll also need biometrics to unlock the code, so it doesn’t just pop up on screen. Learn more here.*

Android family feud: If you’re torn between Samsung and Google, Consumer Reports did the homework for you. They say the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra edges out the Google Pixel 10 Pro but only slightly. Why? More raw power, better durability, longer battery life. Pixel still wins selfies and software vibes, but Samsung’s hardware muscle tipped the scale. And that’s all for this green bubble on green bubble competition. 

The tinfoil hat got a glow-up.

The HAVN WaveStopper anti-5G beanie promises to shield your brain from Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and the general chaos of modern life, all thanks to conductive fabric woven into a surprisingly stylish hat.

Other brands boast near-total EMF blocking and mental clarity, which is ambitious for something that mostly kills your phone signal. Fans swear it clears brain fog. Scientists? Crickets.

Save your money and your dignity.

Tomorrow’s Deep Dive: The betrayal hiding in your camera roll. Your deleted photos aren’t deleted. Your phone knows it. The cloud knows it. And they’re both keeping quiet. Trash folders that never empty. Backups you didn’t authorize. The brutal reality of why everything you’ve ever photographed still exists somewhere. You need to see this.

💔 The answer: A) Writing breakup texts. Yup. One of ChatGPT’s top global use cases is relationship SOS. Therapists coined the term “AI-assisted ghosting” because people are sending perfect closure messages, then disappearing because, well, AI didn’t write a script for the follow-up part.

Some folks use ChatGPT to simulate the entire fight with dialogue from both sides. They’ll input their partner’s last message and ask, “What would they say if I said this?” Then they’ll work on their responses accordingly. It’s like playing emotional chess against yourself, except the AI is your coach and your relationship is the board. 

🦎 Why did the lizards break up? Because he had ereptile dysfunction. (I see you shaking your head at that one!)

🚀 Make January easier, not harder: Feel satisfied longer, stay consistent when motivation dips, and move through the month in control. Get up to 30% off, free shipping and a free gift on Improve Life GLP-1 Support today.**

🧩 Look at you. Getting tech smarter by the day. Proud of you! — Kim

📣 Don’t keep me a secret: Send your friends to GetKim.com

Photo credit(s): Gemini, SVHT, HAVN

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