Helloooooooo,

How have you been?

Are you working or chilling or planning or just reflecting the year went by?

I am definitely reflecting and planning, hence writing this issue (reflecting) and the next issue (2026 plans)

This year did not move in neat milestones.

It moved in phases. Some slow. Some heavy. Some are unexpectedly expansive.

Looking back, it feels less like a highlight reel and more like a sequence of resets. Each one teaches me something different about work, energy, and myself.

Let’s take a look! shall we?

January began on stable ground. I carried forward two retainer clients from last year and eased into the year with familiarity. I traveled to Delhi, met friends, and experienced extremes (best day and worst day) that set the emotional tone early on.

February and March were filled with travel and family commitments. Weddings in Delhi and Kolkata. Preparations for my sister’s wedding in April. Work continued, but focus was split. I was present, but not fully invested.

Despite that, March surprised me. I closed a client I had wanted to work with for a long time. It reminded me that momentum does not always look loud or obvious.

April was inward. Emotionally heavy. Family came first, and work naturally took a backseat. I did not fight it.

By May, confusion crept in. I had not worked the way I wanted to for months, and restarting felt harder than stopping. So instead of forcing structure, I explored.

May became a month of creative freedom.

I started a $5k challenge. Launched a meme-only LinkedIn page. Took weekends off. Read five books. Watched movies. Played with calligraphy and coloring. Ghostwrote on LinkedIn just for fun. Inbound leads slowly started coming back.

June marked a shift. I started a reading newsletter and took a break from constant messaging by uninstalling WhatsApp.

I leaned into building instead of reacting. That month, I closed the biggest clients of my career so far, both international.

Around this time, I also started the Noice community for creators, freelancers, builders, and online writers.

July felt expansive. A trip to Banaras with friends. The start of monthly Content Brunch sessions inside the community. It also became my best-performing LinkedIn month ever.

August was difficult. A family emergency meant unplanned travel and delayed personal plans. I also noticed myself getting a little too comfortable with work. Comfort slowed growth more than chaos ever had.

September brought balance back. I crossed my first ₹100k month. I focused more intentionally on physical and mental health.

I also closed a client through HubSpot, which felt deeply validating.

October was about showing up publicly. I hosted a LinkedIn challenge to help people finally start posting consistently. I crossed 10k followers. I experimented with video on Instagram and YouTube and stayed very active on Twitter for three months straight. It was tiring, but energizing.

In November, I moved to Hyderabad for two weeks and lived alone. I met new people, attended events, filmed content, took myself on dates, and enjoyed the independence. That phase carried into early December before I returned home.

It is December 18th as I write this.

This month has been about planning. Thinking beyond freelancing. Mapping 2026 as a solopreneur. Working on ebooks. Building systems. Treating this work not as a side hustle, but as a business.

If I had to sum up this year, it would be this:

I did not optimize for speed. I optimized for staying in the game.

Next year, I want to push myself gently but consistently. Talk to more people. Build louder. Stay curious.

This year was not polished.

But it was honest. And that feels like the right place to build from.

If you had to summarise your 2025 in one sentence, what would it be?

You read mine in the title :)

I wish you a great end of the year (whatever great means to you).

I’ll see you next Friday!

Love,
Nikita