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 reading this can also try.
It is called “Inbound Marketing” by Hubspot’s Brian Halligan and 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, I planned to start my consulting firm. But the biggest challenge I was facing was that of how to get business.
Would 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! I had downloaded it from one of th torrents and converted it into a spiral bound copy, to be precise.
The most amazing thing was that the authors, in spite of being the founders of Hubspot, never mentioned the word “Hubspot” for a single time in those 220 pages. My belief in inbound methodology grew deeper. I realised this:
Give value. Get attention. 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!
Let me give you an example. All of us know getting up at 5 am, reading 60 books per year, and eating healthy are good practices. But how many of us practise these? Less than 1%. The rest 99% people will come and pay you for doing this on behalf of them.
I used the same principle on all my content on my website, blogs and social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
I intelligently crafted and curated content on each social network and on my website.
I made sure that every time each picture I posted had a purpose. I gave value in each piece of content.
I didn’t spray any content.
I waited, saw how things are getting shared. Thanked each person who shared and commented on my posts. The 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 (screen shot 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!
My 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 about why I didn’t sell my company when I needed the money.
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 24X7. After their internship, when they join me, they are told that 25% of their salary is dependent on their performance in the weekly exams that they will be taking to enhance their knowledge.
Engineers, MBA grads, 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? It’s because I provide valuable content to them. Enrich them daily. On an 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. Because no company in this world treats its people as well as I do. I am trying to build many Subhbrotos and not employees.
And it 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 send emails asking for business. 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 which attracts leads.
Last month, I realized I was a millionaire after seeing the bank balance!