Leaving a Rs 1.5 lakh-a-month job at a Big Four firm is not the kind of decision most people make casually. For Shivangi, however, the salary was not enough to make her want to stay. The Gurugram professional had been watching a friend build a business and began wondering whether she could do the same.
There was just one problem, she was not comfortable creating content or putting herself online. Instead of trying to become a full-time creator overnight, she started with something smaller, LinkedIn. She began posting about her work and professional experience.
Gradually, people started approaching her to help them build their own LinkedIn presence. Today, according to the account shared on social media, she works with 8-9 clients, mostly outside India, and earns five to six times what she made at her job.
FROM A BIG FOUR SALARY TO BUILDING HER OWN BUSINESS
Shivangi was working at a Big Four company in Gurugram and earning around Rs 1.5 lakh every month.
But the job did not give her the kind of independence she wanted.
According to the account shared about her journey, she did not want to spend her working life building someone else’s company. Seeing someone close to her build a business of their own also made entrepreneurship seem less distant.
Still, she was not immediately comfortable with the idea of putting herself online.
SHE STARTED WITH LINKEDIN
Rather than making a dramatic switch into content creation, Shivangi was encouraged to start small.
The advice was simple: “You don’t have to become a creator overnight. Start with LinkedIn.”
She began posting on the professional networking platform.
What started as a way to build her own online presence soon turned into something else. People began approaching her for help with their LinkedIn presence and personal branding.
The platform that initially felt like a place to put herself out there became the foundation of her new business.
NOW SHE HAS 8-9 CLIENTS
Shivangi’s business has grown from those first LinkedIn posts.
She now works with around 8-9 clients, most of whom are based outside India.
The income difference is even more striking. According to the social media post, she now earns five to six times more than the Rs 1.5 lakh a month she was earning at her Big Four job.
That would put her current monthly earnings at roughly Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 9 lakh, if the reported 5-6 times figure is calculated directly from her previous salary.
The figures come from the social media account and have not been independently verified.
THE BUSINESS BEHIND PERSONAL BRANDING
Shivangi’s journey also points to a wider change in the way professionals are building careers.
LinkedIn is no longer used only for job applications and recruitment. Professionals increasingly use it to showcase expertise, build audiences and find clients.
For people offering services such as writing, consulting, marketing, design or personal branding, a professional online presence can become a route to finding clients beyond their immediate location.
In Shivangi’s case, that audience eventually extended beyond India.
FROM BEING AFRAID TO PUTTING HERSELF OUT THERE
The interesting part of the story is not simply that she quit a well-paying job.
It is that she did so despite initially being uncomfortable with the very thing that eventually became central to her business: putting herself and her work online.
She did not begin with a large audience, a polished creator profile or a ready-made business.
She started by posting on LinkedIn.
Today, she has international clients, a personal brand and an income several times higher than her previous salary.
For her, the appeal of entrepreneurship was ultimately not just about earning more. It was about having the freedom to decide how she works, what she builds and who she works for.
(Disclaimer: This story is based on a social media post. The details, including figures, background, and outcomes, have not been independently verified by India Today. The article is intended for informational purposes only, and readers are advised to exercise their own discretion before drawing conclusions or making decisions based on the content.)
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