“How Content made me a Millionaire”
Content technically changed my life. I consume content from everywhere. It’s been an old habit. This habit changed my bank balance. It’s simple, so all of you who are reading this can try it.
It is called “Inbound Marketing” by Hubspot (Brain & Dharmesh Shah). Please note that Hubspot didn’t pay me to write this. This mention was necessary as it is the best thing to have happened to my life.
After my not- so-enriching corporate life when I planned to start my consulting firm, the biggest challenge was getting business.
Do I have to beg for business or call my old contacts? Definitely not. While I was pondering over this, as an old habit I came across a pirated photocopy of this book. Now you know Hubspot definitely didn’t pay me! Downloaded from Torrent and converted into a spiral bound, to be precise.
The most amazing thing was, the authors in spite of being the owner of Hubspot never mentioned the word “Hubspot” for a single time in those 220 pages. My belief in inbound methodology grew higher. I realised this:
Give value, get attention, and get paid for your karma!
Please note: Give immense value free!
Why free? What if your idea gets copied?
Don’t worry, people don’t practice what they read!
Eg. All of us know getting up at 5 am, reading 60 books per year, and eating healthy is good. How many of us practice this? Less than 1%. But this 99% of people will come and pay you for doing this on their behalf of them.
I used the same learning on my website, Facebook, blogs, Twitter & LinkedIn.
I intelligently crafted and curated content on each social media & on my website.
Made sure every time each picture was posted had a purpose. I gave value in each piece of content.
I didn’t spray any content.
I waited and saw how things are getting shared. Thanked each person who shared and commented on my posts. Social Media algorithms started helping it spread faster and reach out to more and more people.
With each post, many colleges started approaching me, new businesses started coming in one by one. Yes, it took me some time. But I was patient. I believed in my knowledge and the value I was sharing rather than my bank balance (screenshot below)
This savings balance didn’t scare me at all. I built my company with zero capital.
I hired people and told them ‘I will not pay your salary for 3 months, but I will give you abundant knowledge, quit me in 2 days if I am bluffing.
It worked well. Within 6 months of marketing my content, I crossed one million in my bank account.
I found 23 people joining me within 2 weeks!
People are my biggest capital, not money!
Before I could launch my website, the largest Indian agency came to buy me. I refused. Will tell you why in my next blog “Why I didn’t sold my company to get rich faster? “
In short, I am not building a company I am building a culture. I feel my culture is not for sale. Period.
I only make my people read and study in the initial 3 months, I encourage them to upgrade themselves 24 X 7. Even once they join me after their internship, 25% of their salary is dependent on weekly exams to enhance their knowledge.
Engineers, MBA grads, and people working in MNCs quit and joined me. Worked free for me.
Some of them even come after work to again work with me. Why? I provide valuable content to them. Enrich them daily. On average 7 people apply directly via social media every month/day/week.
Any of you reading this blog can try offering jobs to my people, none will quit me. No company in this world, I have heard of does such things for their people. I am trying to build many Subhbroto and not employees.
If you notice, the real hero was my content which attracted them to me.
Now my business is based on 100% organic inbound growth. Zero meetings, zero pitches, zero salesmen in my team, zero sales calls. I don’t have any credentials to send via mail. I have politely asked brokers not to approach me with business leads.
Customers always find me. I quietly sit on the sofa drinking my cup of coffee wearing my T-shirt and shorts, you can visit me any day to see me in this attire.
My content is my salesman.
My website is my credential.
My posts are my sales pitch.
My brutal & bold content is the magnet that attracts leads.
Last month I realized I was a millionaire after seeing the bank balance!
Data is not just the new fuel; content is the crude oil!