Abby Fridman: She Left Premed at 22. Six Months Later, She Was Hitting Five-Figure Months.
Abby Fridman graduated from Stony Brook University at 22 making $2,000 a month between bartending and a boutique job. She had spent years on the premed track, the kind of path that has a clear ceiling, a clear floor, and a very clear expectation of what comes next.
Then she landed a $500 brand deal, gave herself three months to make content a real income, and set a hard rule: if it didn’t work, she’d go back to med school.
It worked. Within three months she’d surpassed her part-time income. Within six, she was hitting five-figure months. Today her business, spanning UGC, brand deals, social media management, and TikTok Shop, brings in between $18,000 and $40,000 a month.
We sat down with Abby to talk about the financial reality of betting on yourself, what the money actually looks like across her income streams, and what she’d tell any girl in her junior year of premed who’s thinking about making a similar move.
For anyone who doesn’t know you yet, who are you and how did you get here?
I’m Abby Fridman, a 25-year-old full-time content creator and creative strategist, who also runs social media management for brands.
I started out on the premed track, but while I was in school I began paying more attention to my creative calling and started to question if there was a different pathway for me. What started as a fun hobby creating TikToks turned into building an audience, landing small brand deals, then studying the world of marketing and UGC, until I was able to make a livable income. I initially started by sharing my fitness journey and then immersed myself into different niches, focusing on lifestyle content while still continuing to share my personal development journey.
Take us back to when you actually decided to leave premed. What were you making, and what was the number that made you feel like you could walk away?
When I graduated at 22, I was making around $2,000 a month between bartending and a part-time boutique job. It wasn’t one deeply significant moment. It was more of a long-term shift where with each passing day, I realized I experienced more joy creating content than following the pathway everyone had encouraged me to take growing up.
I remember landing my first paid brand deal for $500 and thinking it was so amazing. Then I set a goal: turn this into a consistent income within three months. My ultimatum was that I had to go back to med school if I didn’t make it happen.
Within three months, I surpassed my part-time job income. Within six, I started hitting five-figure months.
In those early months when income was inconsistent, how did you actually manage day to day?
I’m very strong on learning how to budget and save. It took a lot of saying no to things that most people wouldn’t deny themselves in the moment. Being able to steadily climb while maintaining a fallback savings was important, because entrepreneurship is risky and can fluctuate, especially in the beginning.
Walk us through how the money actually works now. How does it break down across your different streams?
I think one of the smartest business moves is to have diversity, even when it comes to social media. The recent TikTok situation was a harsh reminder that if one thing fails, you need a backup.
I initially never anticipated becoming an influencer. I started with UGC, but that brought me into social media management, creative direction, shoots, and even modeling. I made myself visible on all platforms and offered those as part of my services so I could be a one-stop shop for brands I resonated with.
Each stream works differently:
- UGC is great for people who don’t have a following yet, or who are struggling to monetize platforms like TikTok Shop
- Brand deals pay incredibly well if you have an audience, but being selective about who you partner with matters
- Social media management added a reliable client-based income stream alongside the creator side
- TikTok Shop opened another revenue channel that scales with content volume
What drove the jump from early five-figure months to the $18K-$40K range was diversifying. Adding sponsored posts, TikTok Shop, and social media management created different branches, and in social media marketing, there’s genuinely no ceiling.
What does it actually cost to run all of this? What are the line items people would never expect?
I like to joke that the most expensive thing I own is my brain, and it’s true, because that’s where all the creativity comes from.
When it comes to starting out as a creator, all you really need is your phone. I use my laptop only for checking emails. All of the magic happens on my iPhone: shooting, editing, staying organized in my notes. If you own a phone in today’s world, you could be making money without any excuses.
If you want to slightly elevate your content, a tripod and a ring light or clip-on light helps significantly. But the reality is I was a broke college student. I needed to use my resources without spending money to start a business.
What’s the honest financial reality of what you chose? And what would you tell a girl in her junior year of premed who’s thinking about making a similar move?
The fear of betting on yourself is very real. But it can have the highest payoff when you truly dedicate your time and talents toward making your dream a reality.
Now I make more than the average doctor while doing what I love, and I still have my freedom. A realistic monthly income for the business I’ve built ranges anywhere between $18,000 and $40,000. The beautiful thing about this career is that there’s no ceiling. The more you grow, the more you attract higher-paying deals and bigger clients.
If I could tell any young premed student one thing: do as much research as possible and go all in. Make it your obsession, make it your priority, and even if it doesn’t pay at first, treat it like a professional job until it does.
Follow Abby ✨
From a $500 brand deal and a three-month deadline to a business doing up to $40K a month, Abby built this without a following, without a budget, and without a roadmap.
Check out our Instagram post with Abby here.
Follow Abby:
Instagram: @abbyfridman
TikTok: @abbyfridman
