12 Kind People Who Turned Rock Bottom Into Success

I clean houses. One of my clients got divorced and couldn’t afford me anymore. Instead of dropping her, I cut my rate in half for 6 months. She cried.
2 years later—she remarried, new husband is loaded, and she hired me back at triple my rate and recommended me to her social circle. I now clean houses that I couldn’t have accessed otherwise. All because I gave her a break when she needed it.

I was a cashier at a store for 3 years and there was a mean customer. Complained about everything, talked down to me, called me incompetent. I never snapped back, just apologized and fixed whatever was wrong.
Later, I was interviewing at a marketing firm. She was on the panel and recognized me. She apologized, saying she’d had a divorce back then. Recommended me for the position. Got it.

I always send birthday messages to former colleagues. Takes two seconds, keeps me in touch with people. Most of the time nothing happens. But one year my former manager responded and asked what I was up to.
Turns out she was looking for someone for a position she hadn’t even posted yet. Thought of me because I was literally the only person from her old team who still reached out.

I was an assistant for 2 years. Coffee runs, printing, taking notes. My boss took credit for everything. I never complained or bad-mouthed her. When she left for another company, she didn’t take me.
But she told the CEO I was the reason her projects succeeded. I got promoted twice the next year. Turns out she was praising me in private—she just couldn’t give me a raise because of the budget.

I volunteered at a career center helping people with resumes. Did it for free on weekends for 3 years. Most people said thanks and moved on. One guy landed a job at a tech company I’d tried to get into.
6 months later he reached out. His department was hiring and he’d convinced his boss to interview me. Said anyone who spends their weekends helping strangers is someone he wants to work with.

I’m a plumber. Came to fix a leak and the owner thought I was beneath him. Talked down to me, made mean comments. I just did my job and charged fairly.
2 months later his pipe burst at 2am. Other plumbers were booked or wouldn’t come out that late. I showed up. He apologized, said he’d been going through something and took it out on me. Now I’m on retainer for his entire rental property.

I’m a hairdresser. One client was incredibly demanding—criticized, complained, never happy. I kept trying, adjusting, listening to what she wanted. Within a year I figured her out.
Now she won’t let anyone else touch her hair. She’s an event planner and has sent me 40 clients over the past 3 years. All because I didn’t give up on her when others at the salon refused to take her appointments.

I worked as a line cook. The dishwasher was an older guy everyone ignored. I helped him stack dishes, talked to him during breaks, treated him like a teammate. But he quit eventually.
A year later I was trying to open my own place and couldn’t find a location. Got a call from that guy. His family owned a building that was vacant. He convinced them to rent it to me at a much lower rate.

Took a job that was beneath my experience level because I needed income. Never complained, did exceptional work, and treated it seriously.
My manager noticed I was overqualified and asked why I didn’t seem bitter. I told him jobs are jobs and I was grateful to be working. He recommended me for a position at his wife’s company. It was two levels above where I’d been before I got laid off.

My boss blamed his mistake on me. I got fired. He smirked on my way out. “Who’s going to believe you?”
2 years of unemployment. I landed an interview. Walked in—and there he was. His face went white when he saw I was interviewing for a position equal to his.
His boss asked how we knew each other. I just said we’d worked together briefly. Got the job. He quit 3 weeks later. Never said why.

I drove a cab for 15 years. Always helped people with their bags, waited until they got inside safely, took honest routes. Most people don’t notice, just pay and leave.
An old lady I drove for years mentioned me in her will. She wrote a cookbook and left me the rights. Her granddaughter helped me publish it.
It sells steadily every year. Passive income from a passenger I treated with respect.

I’m a private music teacher. Give piano lessons to kids. One student struggled with everything. I adjusted my teaching approach for her. She kept playing through high school, then college.
Now she’s a music therapist. She invited me to her graduation and introduced me to the head of the music therapy program who needed someone to teach a workshop. Paid better than 6 months of lessons.