What four years of solo business taught Manish about earning more without hustling more
Three years ago, I interviewed Manish when he was one year into freelancing. He had just walked away from a 20+ year corporate career, where he had risen to VP, to build a business on his own terms. Last week we sat down again, almost four years in, and I came away with a lot of notes.
I have known him for four years through a freelancing community, so I have watched most of this journey up close. What I liked about this conversation is that he shared the real numbers and the real dips. Here is what stood out.
Reinvention comes before growth
Manish describes the last four years as reinvention and growth. He left a domain he knew inside out for something completely unknown, and he had to rebuild himself in the process.
He splits growth into two kinds. The outer growth is what people see: over 4,500 people trained in sales and leadership, 300+ individual clients, 30+ organisations and a social audience of about 35,000. The inner growth matters more to him. He went from doubting himself often to taking risks and trusting his own judgement, and he is calmer now.
This connects to something I read recently. If you were handed a business that makes 10 lakhs a month, or even 1 crore a month, would you have the inner work to hold it? Your external success and your internal thermostat need to match, otherwise you will feel like an imposter in your own business.
Why he chose to stay solo
Manish has worked closely with series B and series D funded startups, so the glamour never fooled him. He has seen what it takes to justify that money. Investors come with strings, and more money means more strings. He did not want to go from being an employee to being a super employee of a VC.
So he did it in a different order. He first decided what kind of life he wanted and then built the business around it. His advice for anyone starting out is to look inwards first and outwards next. Building a business is a long race, and it becomes twice as hard if the business doesn’t fit who you are.
Where the pricing growth really came from
When Manish started, he charged about 1,500 to 2,000 rupees per hour for coaching. Today it is close to 15,000 to 18,000 rupees. He was careful to say that “I charged X and now I charge 5X” hides the real story, because three things changed underneath it.
The first is who he works with. He used to work with very early stage freelancers and small companies. Today his clients are established freelancers who want to go from good to brilliant.
The second is the problem he solves. Earlier it was “how do I get my first client”. Now it is “my conversion rate is 20%, how do I take it to 40%”.
The third is how he delivers. He began with one on one coaching only. Now he also works with corporates and runs a community.
These are mostly Indian clients paying from their own pockets. Even though we are told that Indians don’t pay for high value work, that idea doesn’t hold when you are clear on who you serve and which problem you solve.
Getting your first 10 to 20 leads
Everyone starts at zero. Manish began with about 70 Instagram followers, 1,500 to 2,000 LinkedIn connections and no email list.
His first suggestion is a change in how you see yourself. If you have seven years of experience, you are an expert to someone with two years of experience. You are five years ahead of them, so start there.
Then he suggests warm connections. Tell the people you already know what you offer and ask if they can refer someone. He also did free 30 minute sales coaching sessions for seven or eight people. That gave him testimonials and confidence, so when he pitched his first paying client, he did not pitch blank.
I agree with this completely. When people say they can just use ChatGPT for their content, I offer to write on the same topic and let them compare. If they like mine, we continue. I can say that because I trust my work.
Personal brand, channels and ads
Manish defines a personal brand as the point where your right people notice you for a particular skill and understand why you are different. You don’t need a million followers for that. For him it works as a sales leverage, and it is how people come to know him as a non salesy sales coach.
On channels, we both landed on the same advice. Choose the one you can show up on daily, and two at most. Manish spent a year on LinkedIn before starting Instagram, added a newsletter after that, and started webinars two years in.
We differ a little on ads. He has not run any so far. I spend under 10,000 rupees a month, and I can do that comfortably because the business already makes money. In my view, organic content builds the base and ads simply amplify it.
The maths behind one lakh a month
Manish says most people obsess over the number of leads when the real questions are ticket size and conversion rate. If your ticket is 35,000, you need three clients. If it is 10,000, you need ten. At a 20 to 25% conversion rate, ten leads will give you two or three clients. If your ticket is 50,000 and you convert half of your leads, four leads will do it, and you can get those organically.
This is also why you can’t avoid sales, and why it is worth learning to do it well.
What authentic selling looks like
Traditional selling is seller focused. You have something to sell and a target to hit, so you push it even when the person doesn’t need it. Authentic selling starts with the buyer. You learn what they are struggling with and what is going on in their life. Then you explain how you might help, address their objections and invite them to decide. If they say no, that is completely fine.
His first coaching session with a new client has no script or formula. It is only about how they look at sales. Most people leave saying they had never thought about it this way, and once the pressure goes off, they start performing better.
The numbers, shared openly
Manish earned his first one lakh month in about five months and has never dropped below that since. He now averages 4.5 to 5 lakhs a month with no team, and he says he could have earned more if he had wanted the hustle.
My own version: I hit one lakh in the second or third month, mostly because I was already doing part time projects before leaving my job. These days I usually make between 2 and 4 lakhs. My best month was around 4.5 to 5 lakhs, and my worst was around 75k, which was a month I seriously questioned everything.
We both agree that corporate gave us a lot. It gave us discipline, structure, contacts and an understanding of how to work with teams. If you are thinking of freelancing, a few years in a job will only help you.
Three lessons from four years
You will never make more money than the value you create. To earn more, create more value.
Mindset is everything. Every freelancer you admire has had lean months. Manish created his community because he saw that one on one coaching can swing up and down, and he wanted a second stream.
Be very clear on your why. If it is only money, the months without money will be very hard.
He also said to carve your own road. Take inspiration and advice, but don’t follow anyone else’s exact path.
Just keep going
We ended where we both believe. There is no easy route, whether it is corporate or freelancing, and it is definitely possible to build a good solo business. Keep learning and keep moving, whether you are winning or failing.
Literally read the whole thing, Aditi. Feels like the universe's sign. Much needed message for me at the crossroads I am standing in.
Provide impeccable value and believe that you do a good job at it. The path will unfold. <3