The Girl Who Started with 800 Rupees and Never Gave Up

I started my freelancing journey with only 800 rupees.
My first project was writing a literature review for a thesis.
Today, people charge 10,000 to 20,000 rupees for the same work,
but that small 800-rupee project was the first step in my big journey.

At the start, I had no direction.
I was a very introverted girl who couldn’t even talk to one person.
It was just me and my laptop – actually, before that, not even a laptop.

When I was a kid, I never liked gossip, jewelry, or makeup as girls like.
Instead, I loved business talks.
I used to sit with my father when he managed accounts.
He wrote about cash and credit sales, and I loved calculating the numbers.
That’s when I realized I enjoyed doing something different.

In January 2023, I first heard about freelancing through DigiSkills.
I joined the freelancing course and learned what freelancing really is.
My teachers, Sir Hisham Sarwar and Sir Irfan Malik, inspired me a lot, so I searched for them on YouTube
and learned even more from their videos.
I have never met them, but I hope one day I will.

Later, in mid-2023, I joined the Hope to Skill initiative by Sir Irfan Malik.
At that time, I had no laptop.
Still, I wanted to learn AI development and coding,
even though I am a business student studying BBA.

I didn’t stop. I started writing code snippets in my notebook by hand.
I used to practice logic and write code lines on paper,
dreaming of the day I would write them on a real laptop.

After a few small projects, I finally earned enough to buy my own laptop
and later even my mobile phone from my earnings.
I created social media accounts and learned how to sell my services from Sir Hisham.
Then I got a direct client from Canada and completed a $1000 milestone.

On Fiverr, my achievements are 80% client retention and 5-star reviews.

Now, the same shy girl who couldn’t talk to anyone
is doing AI workshops.
Recently, I was invited as a guest speaker at AIESEC (an international organization)
and ranked in the top 4% of LinkedIn creators worldwide.

Today, I consult CEOs, founders, and marketing heads to improve their content marketing strategies and help creators use AI to grow their content.

My journey started with 800 rupees,
But this is just the beginning.
There’s a long way to go, and I’m excited for what’s next.