Linda Wolbert always had an affinity for the ocean. Over a decade ago, she decided to leave her desk job to make a living as a professional mermaid. While skeptics thought that her unusual job would put her in debt, Wolbert proved them wrong as the Californian is reportedly earning up to $6,000 per appearance.
According to CNBC, it all started when Wolbert went scuba diving and free diving, and she noticed that some free divers would wear “monofins,” fishtail like products on their feet to help them move through the water quickly. At that point, the then-twenty-something worker thought that she could follow her passion, and after trying on a monofin, she “knew that I was a mermaid.”
Wolbert came up with $25,000 to create her first tail, which took seven months to make. In 2006, she started calling herself Mermaid Linden and began marketing herself for public events. At her first gig at a Hollywood party, the entrepreneur found herself surrounded by celebrities who wanted a picture with her.
“That was surreal,” she said.
According to her website, Mermaid Linden can freedive to 115 feet and can hold her breath for over five minutes. Her background in TV, wildlife filmmaking, and Children’s Education in Marine Sciences has earned her the title of being a real life “Mermaid Ocean Edutainer.” She also performs in aquariums and specializes in underwater stunt doubling for film, commercials, and television.
Wolbert now charges $6,000 for appearances. She also produced a children’s series called “Mermaid Minute on her YouTube channel. She said that she can make up to four figures a month just on her YouTube channel.
The mermaid’s collaboration with water sports brand Body Glove enabled her to expand her business with monofins for kids bearing the Mermaid Linden logo. She projects that the collaboration will result in over $4.5 million sales this year.
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