From writing 1000-word articles on my phone to nomading around SEA, here’s my story.
I used to earn INR 5k/month during college through writing internships. Now, I am running a solo business that has crossed 7 figures.
This is a long one but I promise it’s going to be worth it. Grab a cup of coffee, put on your reading glasses and let’s get started.
The most popular message in my DM after I launched this newsletter — Is this lifestyle possible for someone who is a prime contributor to the family income and people depend on them?
Well, I could empathize and relate to this situation.
I don’t have any financial backup I can rely on. I spend my own money on travel while contributing significantly to the family.
So, I am not your average travel influencer asking you to leave that 9 to 5 and travel the world. Most of these people were/are privileged enough to save all your earnings. It’s very different for people who don’t have the option to keep their entire salary to themselves.
But trust me when I say that if I (from a middle-class family) could pull it off, you could too.
I can help you get closer to this lifestyle; read the full article to know how.
I am not a financial expert, so please look at this article only and only in light of having a freelance job and charging well to clients.
I ALWAYS knew one thing clearly — I wanted to run my own copywriting business. (a full-time job is great but temporary).
So, it’s important to constantly ask yourself questions and figure out what you really want.
I used to earn 5k/month during college through writing internships. Now, I am running a solo business that has crossed 7 figures.
Here’s a timeline of what happened all these years.
Going from 0 to 10
2014 College — I wrote 2 articles for a company daily (1000 words each) on my phone.
2018 College ended — I got a digital marketing job where I learned email marketing, SEO, and CRO and got introduced to copywriting.
2020 — Pandemic hit and made me realize how little I was doing in the bigger scheme.
January 2021 — I started networking with a few people in private Slack/FB communities.
February 2021 — I got my big copywriting project where I created 40+ landing pages in 2 months. What an absolute thrill it was.
But, like all good things, it had to end because I desperately wanted to get out there in the real world where I manage marketing and nobody is mentoring me.
I knew there was a 99% chance of me failing, but the learnings matter more to me, + I am not afraid to fail.
April 2021 — Landed a full-time product marketing role Running the show as a solo marketer and marketing 5 products.
My portfolio grew a lot at this point.
But the culture was toxic, and people were not competitive.
Soon, I realized that they just wanted to hire me for 6 months, get most of the copywriting deliverables and then move to someone else at a lower salary.
November 2021 — I join another startup as a growth marketing manager. I got to see what great culture looks like.
You are respected and acknowledged. You are not made to feel inferior because of where you come from or how you talk.
December 2021 — I loved the thrill because our first cold email campaign worked well.
January 2021 — I realized this was not what I wanted. Despite working with the best people and getting all the needed resources, I wasn’t feeling great. I knew something was off.
Left the job and started working for myself.
First Step towards Solopreneurship
April 2022 — I took up a few marketing contracts. Some backed out, some ghosted, and I had to start from 0.
May 2022 — I was making half the money monthly, but still, it was the best phase of my life. I was getting up at 5 am, following a schedule, and taking care of my diet.
It was crazy, and I realized how desperately I wanted this life.
Until August 2022, I did some work here and there, but nothing was stable.
I was still posting daily on LinkedIn even though posting is not directly proportional to getting clients.
I was getting 20–30 DMs weekly, but they were offering me a lower price than what I deserved.
August end: Dave Gerhardt was looking for a LinkedIn copywriter. I reached out and since he had read some of my posts, he was ready to give it a shot.
September — I was working for some of the best people — all thanks to Dave. I still remember Dave’s first feedback.
It was something along the lines that I was speaking his language and this was not little kids trying to create viral LinkedIn posts. I have that message still saved me:)
It was the best day of 2022. Everything, all my hard work was worth it. I always wanted a few quality clients. I never wanted to work with people just because they have followers, even though their posts are BS. I wanted to work with the best people in marketing — Dave, Peep, Chris,…
By the end of 2022, I was sure that this was what I wanted to do more often. In October 2022, I was charging something as basic as $3k/profile (monthly).
I increased that price 4x in the next few months, reached out to the best people, and started working with them.
Haven’t looked back ever since.
January 2023 — Business got slower, leaving me with only 1–2 clients.
At this point, I decided to stop delaying my plans to be a digital nomad. So, while I was going through a really tough phase with my business, I still chose to work from different parts of the world as a nomad.
Current Status: Digital Nomad
May 2023 — I landed in Vietnam, and the journey started for me.
Today is 21 July, and I can confidently say it was my best decision.
I became 5x more productive, and my business started growing again. Not only this, but I’ve got some of the best business ideas after exploring different cultures worldwide.
This is not rocket science. You can do it too.
I genuinely want to help others escape the limitations of a 9 to 5 and become financially independent.
So, I am giving away the cold pitch that worked like a charm for me. (the ‘take your money back if you don’t get value is/will always be ON)
I am also opening a few time slots next week for consultation calls. Please feel free to book a time here if you’d like. (and reach out to me via DMs for the price)
ROI — Everyone who got a consultation call booked with me got access to my strategies, emails, networking ideas, and pricing strategy. After implementing the ideas we discussed in the call, most of them managed to go from $200–300 projects to $1500, $2500, and more.
In my next edition, I’ll share Maria’s story and how she went from making $300 to $1500/project. (she took a consultation call with me around February this year)
That’s it, folks. Thanks for coming so far. Readers like you motivate me to provide more value in these editions.
Have a great week!
:)
