College Grad Turns TikTok Shop Side Hustle Into Six-Figure Income

Talon Krebs was sitting in an 8 a.m. college class in February when he checked his phone and found he'd already earned $100 in commissions that day from a TikTok video promoting a digital business card, according to Business Insider. "I was blown away," the 23-year-old said. "That was my biggest day already." By the end of that month, the single video had brought in more than $10,000 in commissions.

Krebs, who graduated from the University of Nebraska in May 2026, discovered TikTok Shop's affiliate program as a student, starting with just a couple hundred dollars and his personal TikTok account. He now works full time as a TikTok Shop affiliate, posting short-form videos that earn him a commission whenever someone buys a tagged product through his shopping link. The gig paid him six figures last year, according to a 1099 form reviewed by Business Insider, and he's now working on developing his own brand. TikTok's affiliate pilot program requires creators to have 1,000 followers but caps participants to a handful of posts per week.