‘I quit with no backup’: Woman leaves ₹1 lakh job, earns ₹2 lakh/month in 14 months

(Also read: <a class="backlink" target="_blank" href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/trending/i-quit-50-lpa-job-i-was-terrified-woman-shares-why-she-left-corporate-career-to-become-a-content-creator-101775294344692.html" data-vars-page-type="story" data-vars-link-type="Manual" data-vars-anchor-text="‘I quit ₹50 LPA job, I was terrified’: Woman shares why she left corporate career to become a content creator”>‘I quit ₹50 LPA job, I was terrified’: Woman shares why she left corporate career to become a content creator)

Speaking to HT.com, 26-year-old Mehar Verma, who is from Delhi and studied law at O. P. Jindal Global University, shared how she walked away from a conventional career path to explore content creation and storytelling.

“I don’t remember the exact moment I decided to pursue law, but for as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a lawyer,” she said, adding that aptitude tests and even popular culture influenced her decision.

She later joined Lumiel Law Partners, a sister concern of Ernst and Young, where she worked as a tax lawyer focusing on indirect tax litigation. Her responsibilities included drafting appeals, attending court, assisting seniors during hearings, and handling client calls and documentation.

“It was structured, demanding, and required a lot of attention to detail,” she said.

“I actually started feeling that law wasn’t for me during law school itself, around my third or fourth year. But at that point, I didn’t really have an alternative,” she told HT.com.

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Alongside her studies and later her job, she began experimenting with freelance writing, ghostwriting for founders, and building her own content page. This is where she discovered her interest in storytelling.

Once she started working full time, the intensity of the profession made things worse.

“Over time, it started taking a toll on my mental health. I felt stuck, exhausted, and honestly trapped. I constantly felt like I just wanted to get out. At some point, I realised I didn’t want to be a lawyer. There was no big moment, just a quiet, persistent feeling that this wasn’t the life I wanted. So I quit.” she said.

“It wasn’t an impulsive decision, it was very gradual. Even before joining the job, I knew I didn’t want to stay in law long term,” she said.

Initially, she planned to build something alongside her job, but quickly realised it was not sustainable. As her dissatisfaction grew, she decided to give content creation a full year without distractions.

“I was still young, I didn’t have financial responsibilities, and I knew quitting would only get harder with time. That’s what pushed me to take the leap,” she explained.

“The biggest fear was simple, will I be able to earn outside law?” she said, adding that she had no creative background or guarantees.

While her friends were supportive, her parents were not entirely convinced.

“For them, it felt like a risky decision. At the end of the day, they just didn’t want to see me struggle,” she said.

Her initial phase after quitting was particularly challenging. Her first freelancing project paid just ₹10,000 per month and involved shooting and editing a handful of videos.

“The hardest part was going from a stable income to almost nothing,” she said.

Her plan was simple, post content daily and reach out to people every day.

“I remember posting daily and getting 300 to 500 views, 10 to 12 likes, and it genuinely used to affect me. But I kept going,” she said.

Her breakthrough came during a self imposed 100 day challenge where she documented her learnings, struggles and small wins. This storytelling approach began attracting founders and brands.

“They saw my content and thought, we want to tell stories like this for our brand,” she said.

This led to her first retainer clients, after which she gradually scaled her work, built proof of results and started charging higher fees.

“Low paying work, results, proof, better clients, higher pricing,” she said.

Over time, she worked with early stage founders, helped them grow their presence, and used those results to pitch to bigger and international clients.

Currently, she charges around $1200 per month for services such as ideation, scripting and managing multiple videos.

Within 14 months of quitting her job, her monthly income grew to around ₹2 lakh.

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“Earlier, I thought success was about income. Now, I define success as having control over your time,” she said.

She recalled that despite earning well in her job, she did not feel fulfilled.

“I had no control over my schedule, I didn’t know when I’d get free, even weekends weren’t truly mine,” she said.

Today, her routine is very different.

“I work around six hours a day. I go to cafés, play pickleball, go to the gym, spend time with family, and actually enjoy my life,” she said.

“You don’t have to follow my path. You don’t have to quit your job. But don’t let anyone define what hard work or success should look like for you,” she said.

“If your life doesn’t feel right, you’re allowed to choose differently.”