A Cuban identified on TikTok as @yisi9 sparked a heated debate on social media after posting a video in which she openly claims that she doesn't like working and prefers entrepreneurship and investment over a fixed-hour salaried job.
The clip, published on April 8 and lasting one minute and 27 seconds, has garnered over 309,700 views, 12,300 likes, and 499 comments, becoming a topic of discussion about entrepreneurship versus traditional work.
"I don't like to work, and that has been a topic of controversy. But for the world to be a world, there has to be everything," states @yisi9 at the beginning of the video.
The creator clarifies that her rejection is not of productivity in general, but of the salaried employment model with fixed hours. "I don't see myself working a nine-to-five schedule, and I've been heavily criticized for that," she points out.
On the other hand, he describes his passion for business and investment: "I have a love for entrepreneurship. I've been a businessman since Cuba."
Part of his story dates back to a childhood marked by hardship on the island. "We had to sell everything in the house, absolutely everything, because we didn't even have this. We had to sell even the little pencils to draw our eyebrows, everything," he recalls.
It was her grandmother who introduced her to the world of business from a young age. "My grandmother would take me to places where I would see her doing business. I grew up in that business environment, and I feel that the way I was raised is what propelled me to where I am today," she explains.
Currently, @yisi9 runs an online business and organizes her time independently. "Today I do my nails, tomorrow I sit on a couch, the day after I'm glued to the computer for twenty-four hours looking for ways to grow my online business," she explains.
Her work philosophy is clear: "When I feel inspired, I do it. When I don't feel inspired, I don't do it." And she defines herself with just one phrase: "I have been merolica since I was born."
Although she acknowledges that formal employment has its value—"working from nine to five gives you stability"—she insists that this model is not for her and that each person has their own way of viewing life.
The video is part of a growing phenomenon within the Cuban diaspora, where young Cubans start their own businesses and sell through digital platforms as an alternative to state or salaried employment.
Cases like that of Flor de Cuba, who arrived in the U.S. with 200 dollars and broke down in tears after reaching one million dollars in sales in just 27 days through TikTok Shop, illustrate the potential of this pathway. Recently, Flor de Cuba was recognized with an award as the Breakthrough Creator of the Year at the TikTok Shop Summit.
Another entrepreneur, Azulina, went from being a waitress to earning thousands of dollars monthly in online sales after emigrating in 2023, while a Cuban with a business in Cuba made 30,000 Cuban pesos in a slow day despite the blackouts.
The debate between entrepreneurship and formal employment has deep roots in Cuba, where economic hardship— a couple needs over 40,000 pesos a month just to afford food— drives many to seek creative alternatives that the "business-minded" mentality, learned from childhood, turns into a tool for survival and advancement.
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