My name is Zakaria Chkouch from  Morocco. I am one of the bloggers and founders of Hcouch Digital website. I obtained a baccalaureate degree in life sciences in 2013 and also a Bac+1 in economics. Now I work as the director and founder of Twice Box .

I became acquainted with computers when I was 9 years old, as I used to go to the internet cafe in the neighborhood either to play or to talk to foreigners or just to try out the websites I saw in front of me, and I was surprised every time by this world. Then, after I reached 11 years old, I think, my brother, in partnership with my father (we were just a very simple family), bought our first laptop, and it was only a Pentium II (I no longer remember its specifications, but it was very weak). The internet was expensive back then, so I used to go to the internet cafe to download everything I needed (mostly games) using a floppy disk or an MP3 player (128 MB).

I spent a lot of time without the internet (which helped me a lot in getting to know this amazing machine), then after a while of using the computer I found the “Windows Movie Maker” program, which introduced me to another world, namely Animation, as I was collecting pictures in the form of a video, then I said to myself why not look for animated pictures and then collect them with my own voice (as if they were translated), and I remember at that time I was collecting GIF pictures of the Naruto anime and then adding the voice as I liked.

Some time later I downloaded Photoshop for the first time in my life, and it was Photoshop 7. At that time I would just upload my own pictures and manipulate them by adding effects or writing on them (this helped me a lot to learn the basics). Then after a while my brother bought us a 3G modem. At that time it was possible to top up 10 dirhams per day (24 hours) without limits, and this opened a door for me to the world of the internet.

At first, I only used the internet to play games, watch videos, or chat. But one day I read an advertisement that said: “You can earn more than $10,000 from Google (I don’t remember the exact price because it was an unimaginable number for me).” This is where my journey began in figuring out how I could use the internet to earn some dollars. At first, I found that you could earn by inviting your friends using special links. I entered this field and put the invitation links everywhere, from forums to social media sites, but the earnings were very low. I was earning $0.0001 (do you see the number of zeros?) for every person I invited. So I gave up on this type of earning method and started looking for another way.

Then I discovered that you could earn money by creating a website and placing AdSense ads. So I created a Blogger site for downloading games and another site where I post information about phones. However, every time I apply to Google AdSense, they reject me due to intellectual property rights. Not to mention the point-based earning sites and numerous other ways to make money, all of which are unsuccessful but very useful in my online journey.

Whenever I talked to family or friends about making money online, they would mock me and say, “You’re dreaming,” or “What nonsense! You can’t make money sitting at home.” This was my biggest motivation to prove them wrong.

After a period of searching, specifically in 2011, I found brother Raghib Amin talking about the oDesk website ( currently the Upwork website ). Here I learned that there is no profit from the internet, but rather work from the internet . When I first joined the site, I was still skeptical, but immediately after receiving the Payoneer card , my certainty increased that it is possible to obtain some dollars from the internet.

But since it was an online job, I needed a skill to get started. The first thing I thought of was my basic Photoshop skills. However, this time I faced a new problem: the English language. The website and the clients all spoke English, and at first, I didn’t even know the difference between “me” and “my.” But that didn’t stop me from learning. I used Google Translate to express myself, even though it wasn’t enough. So, I switched everything I used to English. I changed the language settings on my computer and phone, and even my Google searches and conversations with foreigners, whether from America or England, were done in English.

After a while, I got my first client on oDesk ( Upwork ). He wanted me to create a Flyer for only $12. This was my first job and my first dollars online in my life. As soon as I received it, I transferred it to my Payoneer card to go to the nearest ATM, and that’s where I got my first 100 Moroccan dirhams online in my life. Now I am considered one of the Top Rated on this site.

In 2013, I had the idea of ​​creating a website in the field I love, which is the Hcouch Design website . At that time, I was only uploading my designs and putting them on the site until my brother Ayoub Chkcouch(one of the founders and bloggers) advised me to put lessons and information about design. Here, the two of us started putting articles and lessons about everything related to creativity.

As you can see, my life is full of obstacles and challenges. Every time I overcome one, I find another set of obstacles. Every time I find a path blocked, I look for a solution. I don’t linger at the closed door; instead, I continue on my way, searching for other doors. This is what has given me greater experience and knowledge. This is exactly what I want you to do in your life: don’t stop at the first obstacle, but simply think about the solution and move towards it. Also, ignore all the negativity that stands between you and your success.