When Justin Baldori was laid off from his gig in finance at Jetstar in April, he had little premonition of the career he was embarking on as a social media influencer. He just wanted to invest in the sharemarket and make videos about it on the internet.

Eight months later, he has replaced his full-time income with revenue from Google ads and has signed sponsorship deals with budgeting app WeMoney and trading platform SelfWealth, both of which are eager for access to his burgeoning Gen Z and Millennial subscriber base.