Aussie earning $70,000 reveals how he more than tripled his income

A young Aussie has revealed the surprising way he more than tripled his salary, with the 33-year-old now raking in more than $250,000 a year.

Aussie reveals how he tripled his wage. Picture: Supplied

Samuel Priestly earned $70,000 working as a full-time firefighter but left it all behind to earn more than triple that amount pretending to be a firefighter.

The 33-year-old earns between $250,000 and $300,000 per year through his business, Men on Fire. He wears the same uniform but for a different reason.

The premise is simple. Depending on your preference, you can pay for a man or a bunch of men to turn up to any occasion dressed as a firefighter.

They won’t strip, but can serve as bartenders, run painting classes, or just be certified vibe creators, and it’ll cost you between $100 and $500 per hour.

Samuel Priestly was earning $70,000 as a fireman. Picture: Supplied

He said people are always ‘stoked’ to see firemen. Picture: Supplied

The business idea stemmed from Mr Priestly seeing first-hand how beloved firefighters are by Aussies.

“People love firefighters. We turn up on the worst days of people’s lives, and people are like, ‘Oh my god, the firefighters are here,’” he told news.com.au.

The Sydney local said that the public would wave and want photos with him whenever he turned up anywhere in uniform. In comparison, the police he would be working with would get a lukewarm reaction at best.

The public’s goodwill towards the profession made Mr Priestly think there had to be away to use it to his advantage, especially considering he wasn’t earning enough to get ahead in Sydney.

He realised that if people were always so thrilled to see firefighters, why wouldn’t they pay them to be the entertainment at parties?

He started his own business in a bid to increase is salary. Picture: Supplied

It has been a huge success. Picture: Supplied

Mr Priestly was interested in finding a way to make more money and he saw a gap in the market but leaving one of Australia’s most loved professions isn’t easy.

When he was a firefighter, his boss, with 30 years of experience behind him, was making just over $100,000, and he could see that if he wanted to get ahead financially, he needed to pivot quickly.

Still, taking a chance on an unconventional party idea was tough because, according to Mr Priestly, “no one leaves” the fire brigade.

“It was super hard to leave, and when I left, people were like, ‘What the hell are you leaving for?’” he said.

His boss was shocked as he had never had anyone quit his team in the 30 years he had worked in the fire department, but Mr Priestly was prepared to back himself – and the move has more than paid off.

The business is currently earning over $1 million a year, $500,000 of which is profit, and he is pocketing at least $250,000. Not to mention, his team is growing at a rapid rate and he currently has 100 people working for him.

He misses being a fireman, helping people, and having a sense of purpose, but ultimately, he didn’t get paid enough to stay.

He said that the things you see on the job, combined with night shifts, the trauma and potential illnesses all take a toll.

The crew can be hired to entertain at parties. Picture: Supplied

Of course, that doesn’t mean he still doesn’t have the utmost respect for the profession, but he didn’t want to spend his life being “wrecked” and struggling to get by and support his family.

“Every firey is a legend. Hanging out with your best mates every day is a cool job, and it was a big shame [to have to leave],” he explained.

Still, he still gets the rush of people being excited to see him in his uniform, and he said everyone is always “stoked” to see a fireman … even the grandma at her 70th birthday that he just turned up at. In fact, things went so well that he described the party as “rowdy”.

Now he is in a position where he is looking to buy a house in Sydney and is making more money than he ever thought possible.

“We are earning more than we ever hoped to earn,” he said.

Mr Priestly has managed to change his whole financial situation, all while wearing the same trusty uniform.

Originally published as Aussie earning $70,000 reveals how he more than tripled his income