Squadhelp as a main source of income

Thanks for the link, TK!

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You’re very welcome. The best of luck to you.

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Nice topic! It’s cool to read about the different ways SH helped/helps people. Squadhelp really helped me while I was immigrating to the U.S. on an artist visa and for a while served as my main source of income since I had nothing better going for me. Really helped paid the rent and the bills but I was basically living at Mcdonalds eating from the $1 menu on a daily basis.

At the time there were less contests and lower prizes. I think nowadays it’s probably easier to have Squadhelp as a main source of income especially if you’re living in certain countries though there are also more contestants now so a lot of time and effort have to be invested in order to get to or beyond $1000-$2000/month, which still isn’t something that can get a person ahead in life, at least not in the U.S. Domaining has become a much more reliable and rewarding source of income to me. Just to compare with a $1000-$2000 month at SH which I think is pretty hard to reach for most- this past week I sold 3 domains for $1888, $1495 and $888. Two were hand registered in a promo and cost me around $1.5 each. The third one cost me $150. Some weeks are better than others but overall- the income has been steady, it’s incredibly higher and it’s more passive. I do spend a lot of time looking for more domains to buy, but I love the hunt and I feel like my time is better spent.

It’s still always great getting a ‘Cha-ching’ or a ‘Congratulations! You just won…’ email but I wouldn’t recommend counting on SH as a main source of income for the long haul. No matter how good you are, you’re going to waste the majority of your time on contests you won’t win. So it’s better to invest only the amount of time that makes sense and that doesn’t burn you out- and try to find something you know you can count on and that could get you higher income.

p.s. Sorry to hear about your mom and your medication related issue, @ScoutFinch. I hope things will improve soon.

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Hey @Moretal, I know another way you could make some money from domaining… put together some courses on how to do it that people have to pay for. I bought some domains last year and didn’t sell any of them. I made poor choices and that’s the main thing is trying to figure that out. But judging from the hundreds of my names that have been registered, I at least know that I have some kind of knack for names. (My comment about registered domains is ONLY about the fact that someone else although thought of those names and registered them. I am not accusing anyone of anything!) It just means that I must understand something. I am just not great at figuring out which ones…!!!

PS: I FOUND, by accident, a 4 letter .com domain a few months ago and I was really busy at the moment so I didn’t have time to register it. Well…you know the rest. Yup, someone did.

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Thanks @Commulinks, but giving courses isn’t for me and like I mentioned previously- I kinda like keeping my secrets to myself. :slight_smile: However, if you want professional paid guidance on domain investing you can check out http://DNAcademy.com. It’s run by one of the most respected and nicest people in the industry.

BTW, 4L.com? Available? That’s impossible. Some domain search sites have glitches sometimes. There’s no point where a 4L is available to register. It’s always caught when it’s expiring (caught by a dropcatch site and then goes to auction).

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I totally understand!
Thank you for that link!
Maybe that was some kind of glitch… on the 4L domain, who knows. I was just so busy I couldn’t pursue it.

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No prob. Yeah, definitely a glitch. It’s simply impossible. There are many eyes that follow expired domains. Any 4L .com is caught and goes to auction.

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(It makes me feel better that it was probably a glitch…) So thank you!

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Having this extra income helps me purchase school cloths,shoes,supplies,for my teenager as I am a single mom and I do like to be helpful with the things my child needs.It also puts food on the table and I help support my grand daughter whom also lives with her single mom.Thank you ch’s and Squaldhelp for the oppurtunities to move forward in life!!

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Squadhelp has helped keep us afloat and this year, sweating Christmas, wondering where I was going to get the money for gifts, I had a huge sigh of relief on my last win which came on a like. While I do know that some people here make a better living here than I ever have, I don’t think it’s good as a source of regular income, due to it being a dice roll on how long it takes the contest holder to decide and the contest nature of it. It is a great place to learn the trade, stretch creative muscles and occasionally get the surprise of extra money to play with. I also love the the people who run it and it seems like a friendly community despite the competitive nature of it.

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I hope lightless, that your spirit gets the lift it needs.

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So sorry to hear about your loss Scout finch…
I don’t mind sharing where my SH funds are going – I used it all to pay for 1/3 of my middle daughter’s wedding last week. My husband had switched jobs a year ago as the stress was getting to him…and took a fairly large pay cut … so this has been a huge help.
I find it quite amazing that you can make money doing something so entertaining. For those of us that love words and creating - this is the best!
Last week I found the website for a Southern NH realty company I named ( an hour North of where I live) . It was such a thrill. The company is call Brick and Barn. If I am in the area I may have to stop in and say hello! And I agree about never knowing what will happen. Sometimes a win comes out of left field and is a nice surprise. Or it takes 2 plus months to finalize and you had forgotten about thecontest completely. Always surprising which is part of the fun!

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Reading these stories and experiences has certainly made me more grounded and thankful for what I make on Squadhelp. And a lot less disappointed when someone else wins a contest I felt I had locked down.

You are right that we have a friendly community despite all of us being technically rivals and enemies. But hey we can all co-exist happily in, and share the plunder of abandoned contests :slight_smile:.

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I think that’s what you have to do to not be a bundle of nerves here…is to have hope but not expectations. It still sometimes gets the best of me…but then I just try to occupy my mind with something else,and hope the cycle comes around in my favor again sooner or later. You are an inspiration here for us all! I do also enjoy that there are alot of nice and supportive people here all in the same boat…working hard to make a buck…but still being kind and helpful.Makes it alot easier, that’s for sure!

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Rivals perhaps but never enemies!

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Haha. But it would be hard for a creative to feel that way when someone else wins the 1000$ contest that they had the only 5 star in. :stuck_out_tongue:

But I do feel that with the spike of contests (And way more higher prized ones) in the last few months, there is plenty for everyone to go around.

@hollygirl I think “Having hope but not specific expectations” is a great approach. I try to participate in contests and do the best I can, and my experience is that you will be rewarded for good work on the whole, but absolutely not in the manner you imagined or in the contests or with the names that you imagined or expected. I guess part of that is because we often overlook or underestimate the good names we come up with, because of our personal biases, expectations or preferences. And the other way too, sometimes our greatest names are plain unsuitable for certain CHs for some reason or other.

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The SH is an example of international friendship and sporting rivalry. There were a lot of talents. I know people for whom English is native, but they will never be successful here. Thank SH for the opportunity of creativity!

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Maybe I am misunderstanding you Edukar…but did you just say native English speakers won’t be successful here? lol! I hope you are wrong about that or I am in trouble! ha!

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No problems. I meant lot of native English speakers - not SH contestants - workers, farmers, managers. Otherwise, they would not come here and do not arrange contests

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Hi Lightless! I landed here on Squadhelp because my mom saw an advertisement in one of her women’s magazines and told me about this site. This is my 2nd side gig :slight_smile: I have a full time 40 week job and on the side I sell on ebay. Squadhelp is something I just do occasionally/casually. I am a single women with my own home and 2 fur babies. I have only won three contests so far but the money has helped with my house payment, vet expenses, etc. It has been a blessing!

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