#MySubDiaries- I Turned My Empty Subscription Slots Into Side Income — A Share & Earn Story
Every week, MySubShare explores how people are embracing artificial intelligence, using digital tools, and navigating an increasingly AI-powered world. From inspiring success stories to everyday struggles, unexpected discoveries, and life-changing experiences, every story offers a revealing glimpse into how technology is transforming the way we live, work, and connect.
Today, Tobi shares how she went from paying for a Canva team plan she used alone to turning her empty spaces into steady side income with MySubShare’s Share & Earn. She talks about the debit alerts she ignored, the friend whose complaint gave her the idea, and how she filled every space without chasing anyone for money. Would you like to share your story with us? Send it via stories@mysubshare.com
In Nigeria, every side hustle seems to need capital, a big following or hours you don’t have. Forex, POS, thrift reselling — everybody knows someone who tried and lost money. But some of the easiest income is hiding in the apps already on your phone.
Tobi*, 25, is a freelance graphic designer in Ibadan. In 2025, she upgraded to a Canva team plan because she wanted to “build a studio.” The studio never came. The empty seats did. Here, she talks about the month she finally did the maths, how she listed her unused spaces on MySubShare, and what she’d tell anyone sitting on a half-empty plan.
This is Tobi’s story, as told to MySubShare.
“I was paying for five people and only one person was me”
When I upgraded, I had big plans. I’d hire two junior designers, get a content person, and run a proper studio from my room in Bodija.
That was the plan. What actually happened was that clients paid late, NEPA took light for days, and I stayed a one-woman show. Meanwhile, the team plan kept renewing every month like it didn’t know my situation.
I didn’t notice for a while. You know how it is with subscriptions. The debit alert comes, you sigh, you move on. It was only when I sat down to track my spending in January that I saw it clearly. I was paying for a team plan, and the team was me.
I thought of cancelling, but I needed the Pro features for client work. Brand kits, background remover, all of that. Going back to the free plan wasn’t an option.
“My friend was complaining about the same tool I was overpaying for”
The idea came from a random conversation. My friend Dami, who makes thumbnails for YouTubers, was ranting about Canva Pro being too expensive for her. I remember thinking, “But I have empty seats doing nothing.”
My first instinct was to just add her and collect money by transfer. But I’ve seen that movie before. Someone pays for two months, then starts “I’ll send it tomorrow.” Before you know it, you’re chasing a friend for ₦2,000 and the friendship is on life support.
A few days later, I saw a TikTok about MySubShare, a platform where Nigerians split the cost of tools like ChatGPT Plus, Canva Pro and CapCut Pro. Then I saw they had a feature called Share & Earn. That got my attention.
“The setup took less time than designing one flyer”
Share & Earn is simple. If you already pay for an eligible multi-user plan and you have spaces you’re not using, you list those spaces on MySubShare. You set your price per space, and you get your own invite link to share.
The part that sold me was that payments go through MySubShare, not my personal account. I didn’t have to chase anybody. If you don’t pay, you don’t get access. No awkward DMs.
I was a bit nervous about whether I was allowed to share my plan at all. So I checked. MySubShare only accepts plans whose provider terms allow the kind of sharing you’re doing, and every listing is reviewed before it goes live. My plan was built for teams, so I was fine. But I liked that they checked. It made the whole thing feel legit, not like one of those “buy cracked Netflix” hustles.
I listed four spaces. My listing went live after review, and I posted my invite link on my WhatsApp status with a caption: “Canva Pro for designers who are tired of watermarks. Small team. DM me.”
“By the end of the month, all my spaces were filled”
Dami joined first, obviously. Then a student from UI who designs posters for campus events. Then a church media volunteer. The last space went to a small-business owner who sells hair online and needed to make her own flyers.
In the app, I could see my listing at a glance: how many spaces were filled, who had paid, and what I had earned. When I filled all four, it said “4 of 4 spaces filled,” and I screenshotted it like it was a first-class result.
The money doesn’t land instantly. There’s a holding period before your earnings clear and you can withdraw. At first, I was impatient. But I understand it now. It protects everyone if something goes wrong with a payment. When my first withdrawal hit my bank, it felt like free money, even though it was really just money I’d been wasting.
“It’s not ‘quit your job’ money. It’s ‘stop bleeding money’ money”
Let me be honest: this won’t make you rich. If anyone tells you that you’ll buy a Benz from subscription slots, block them.
What it did for me was turn a monthly loss into something closer to a win. My plan went from a cost I resented to a cost that mostly pays for itself. With what I save, I joined a ChatGPT Plus team on MySubShare for ₦4,200 a month. I use it to write client proposals and captions. My empty Canva seats are basically paying for my AI assistant.
It also changed how I think about every subscription I pay for. Now, before I renew anything, I ask: “Am I using all of this?”
“What I’d tell anyone with an empty slot”
- Check your plans first. Open your subscriptions and count the seats you’re paying for versus the ones you’re using. You might be surprised.
- Only share what you’re allowed to share. Read your provider’s terms. If a plan isn’t built for multiple users, don’t try to force it.
- Price fairly. Look at what people already pay for that tool on MySubShare. If your price is far higher, your spaces will sit empty.
- Post where your people are. My WhatsApp status filled my spaces faster than any ad would have. Think about who already needs the tool: course mates, church media teams, small-business owners.
- Let the platform collect the money. The best part of Share & Earn is never having to chase anyone for payment.
- Be patient with your first payout. The holding period is there for a reason. Plan for it.
If Tobi’s story sounds like your situation, you might be sitting on income you haven’t claimed yet. Join MySubShare to list your unused spaces with Share & Earn, or join a small, verified team and pay less for the tools you use every day. Got questions about which plans qualify? Check the MySubShare FAQ.
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