HOUMA, La. — After he was laid off twice, a 27-year-old Houma man has turned his nine odd jobs into a business.
Tyrone Smith provides everything from a "rent a husband" service to food delivery, giving a new meaning to "You can call Tyrone" in his hometown of Houma, La.
"I'm glad that he does what he does. He's a true hustler," Cheryl Eschete said. Smith once drew a picture for her husband on Valentine's Day.
It all started after Smith lost his job of three years. Smith was working at an energy company when an oil field went down.
"I cried because I was there for a long time," Smith said.
After losing his job, making simple decisions about whether to buy food or get gas became an everyday struggle. So he started doing odd jobs.
"Lawncare, pressure washing, moving services. I rent bounce houses," Smith said.
Some of those jobs include drawing portraits of families and washing dishes in Houma homes. But his business did not really take off until a video about his services surfaced on social media and turned things around. Now his nine odd jobs are blossoming.
"He didn't have the highest education, right. But he didn't let that stop him from pursuing what he wanted to do," Morris Chaisson said. "Like he just took it and ran with it and he's flourishing."
Now the days of having to choose between gas and a bag of chips have become a distant memory.
"It's very cool that I could turn nothing into something," Smith said.
He gives a whole new meaning to "hometown hero," showing once again how the Houma community shows up for each other when the going gets tough.
"Tyrone is inspirational to me," Chaisson said. "Seeing his hard work, his hustle. It drives me to be a better version of myself because he had all odds against him."
Smith has a new job driving a school bus. But he constantly gets calls for his other services. If you'd like to rent his services, you can find him on Facebook and Instagram at @Real_24_7. Or you could just "Call Tyrone" at 985-414-5727.