Zero dollars in the bank and 30 days to turn it into $10,000. The plan sounds like a late-night infomercial pitch, but a famous investor says it needs nothing more than a smartphone and a knack for short videos.
The idea is to sell customer acquisition through social media, and it works like a commission deal. Local businesses pay only when a video brings in a real buyer.
“If you know how to shoot and edit video on your phone, you can drive customers to businesses and charge per sale. Most business owners have no clue how to do this. You do,” multimillionaire investor Kevin O’Leary said in a post on X in December 2025.
A short video attached to the post laid out his pitch. “I would offer my services to any business to acquire more customers using social media,” he said.
“Just with your phone, if you know how to edit video, and you know how to post it on social media, you can acquire customers. And I simply say to them, ‘For every customer I acquire for you, pay me $100.’ And that means a buying customer, someone that actually bought product or service.”
He called it “the best side hustle available right now.”
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The $100 math behind the hustle
The model is performance-based rather than a traditional marketing retainer. A creator approaches local businesses, offers to make and post short videos on TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook, and gets paid only when those videos produce paying customers.
At $100 per buying customer, hitting $10,000 takes 100 conversions, or roughly three to four a day for a month. There is no need to build a personal brand or a big following first. The business already has the product, the service, and the reputation. The creator’s job is turning short clips into measurable sales.
O’Leary pointed to a skill gap on the other side of the counter. “You’d be amazed at how many business owners have no idea how to use social media. And if you’ve grown up with a phone in your hand, you do. This is the number one source of income when you’re really looking for something to do to make money. It’s the best side hustle there is, understanding how to make content for social media.”
Why local owners might bite
Plenty of small service businesses still struggle with short-form video, even though their customers spend hours on those platforms. Customer acquisition costs for local services often run past $100. Home service trades such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, plumbing, and roofing frequently see costs in the $150 to $350 range through paid channels.
A pure performance deal at $100 per verified sale can look like a bargain to an owner who pays more for new customers, or pays for ads that do nothing. The owner risks nothing up front and only pays when money comes in the door.
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Putting it into practice starts with picking the right targets. Businesses with higher ticket sizes, such as home services, specialty retail, local clinics, or tutoring, make $100 a reasonable slice of the first sale. Leading with the pay-per-customer structure takes most of the risk off the owner’s plate.
Tracking keeps both sides honest. Unique promo codes, dedicated booking links, or “mention this video” offers let everyone verify what the videos delivered.
The videos themselves should be short and direct, showing the product or service in action, spotlighting a clear offer and ending with a strong call to action. Consistency matters more than perfect production, and starting with one or two businesses allows time to learn what converts before scaling up.
The fine print on easy money
Results depend heavily on the business, the offer, and how well conversions get tracked. Low-margin products may not support a $100 fee. Some owners will prefer flat retainers, and others will hesitate without proven results.
The skill is common, but turning videos into reliable daily sales still takes testing, iteration, and follow-through.
It is not automatic money. It is, however, one of the lower-overhead routes from phone skills to paid outcomes.
O’Leary’s core point is simple: Skip building an audience for its own sake and solve a clear problem for businesses that already have customers to serve.
For anyone staring at a zero balance and a 30-day clock, the same phone already in their pocket is the only startup cost.
