From ₹20k in Jan to ₹100k in Sept

Hellooooooo!

How have you been?
I have been waking up at 5.30 am for the last 5 days and its…

different.

I feel like I have all the time in the world, but I am also super sleepy throughout the day!

But… we are getting the hang of it! Anywayyyy…

This edition is special.

Cause September is special!!

I made my 1st lakh a month in September 2024.

Last year, I touched my first-ever ₹1 lakh month in September 2024. Didn’t even make that number as a full-time employee, so hitting it as a freelancer felt surreal.

2025 started rough; we were back at ₹20k in January. Then July brought some relief with ₹90k, but still not quite at six digits.

And now? September looks promising.

I’ve already delivered work worth ₹1 lakh, and invoices will clear by the first week of October (what a nice birthday present!).

It feels good to be back at the six-digit mark again. Here’s what the income graph looks like so far this year.

A breakdown of income from Jan to Sept!

Jan–May

• Clients: 2 (let’s call them 1 & 2)

• Service: Blog writing

• I was busy with my sister’s wedding, so zero outreach.

• Consistent LinkedIn posting brought some inbound leads (promising, but none converted).

June

• Closed 2 more clients (calling them 3 and 4)

• Services expanded: blogs, newsletters, and interview-based thought-leadership articles.

• Still made less than May.

July

• Similar to June, but the newsletter client (number 3) became a retainer (the highest-paying client to date).

• My first-ever client (client 1) suddenly stopped giving work (no idea why!).

August

• Internal issues with client 4 → paused collaboration (they promised to reach out once resolved).

• Active clients = 2 & 3.

September

• Client 2 added editing work.

• They’ve been nudging me toward full-time (I keep saying no, lol).

• Newsletter client’s workload is solid: making September the comeback month!

Here’s what I’ve realised helps

• Diversify, but don’t overdo it. Last year, it took 5 clients to hit ₹1 lakh. This year, I hit the same mark with just 2.

  Fewer, better-paying clients = less stress, more focus.
  

• Always keep a pipeline warm. Twice in August, projects disappeared overnight. Having “just one” client in talks cushions the blow.
  
  I’m currently in talks with someone to rewrite their HubSpot articles! and with someone else to add a new segment to their newsletters)
  

• Quality > Quantity. Taking on less work but delivering it better makes space for higher rates.

  Currently, I offer only 2 services (newsletters and blogs, and 1 client each)
  

• Think beyond clients. Right now, 100% of my income relies on clients. But I was able to achieve this number by providing additional editing service to one of my existing clients.
  
  Long term, I want passive income streams like newsletter monetization, LinkedIn, or even a product (already in work in progress).

I don’t have it all figured out. But the journey from ₹20k in Jan to ₹100k in Sept taught me this:

Income growth isn’t about working more.

It’s about working smarter: choosing clients, pricing with confidence, and building systems that protect your baseline.

I was just too happy with last year’s 1 lakh to even think of continuing it. But now our goal is clearrr.

This is also an update on the $5000 challenge I took a while ago.

Focus on consistent 1 lakhs, rather than aiming for a really big number!! So we just lock in!!!

Side note: Why the fuck are all festivals coming and going in October only?
Like November me bs shadiyan hongi?

Speaking of Octoberrr, here are my Q4 goals!

1. Set up a work desk (been working from bed for wayyyy too long now)
   

2. Visit Hyderabad and Bangalore (been planning since June, happens for sure in 2025)
   

3. Focus on health, both physical and mental (already started this, but kinda difficult during festivals)
   

4. Make more money (I am not sure how much, or how (probably follow the steps mentioned above) 
   

5. Don’t cry this birthday (it’s been a tradition since 2019)

Anyway, as always, I’ll keep you guys posted on all of the above!

Very exciting things coming for Content Brunch #4!!
Fill this form (if you haven’t already) to join future sessions!

You can check out previous versions here!

Follow along on LinkedIn to see me (almost) every day instead of once a week!

Wishing you an amazing Navratri and Dussehra!!

See you next Friday!

Love,
Nikita