2h (edited) • General discussion
How my whole year went — honestly
This year was less about money
and more about learning, clarity, and reality checks.
At the start of the year, I was connected with a friend whose only focus was networking.
Daily events.
Meetups
Conferences.
CEO dinners.
Founder circles.
My goal back then was simple: local clients.
I didn’t have a clear plan, so I kept saying yes.
Wherever he said, I went.
I spent a lot on events, petrol, food, roaming around.
I did meet many big people in the industry CEOs, founders, decision-makers.
The connections were real.
The conversations were good.
But none of them became clients.
So yes, it was a great time for networking…
but a bad time for earning.
I was spending, not earning.
Alhamdulillah, my father was supporting me.
I had some clients too, but no real income, because I had only focused on skills, never on leads or sales.
Then came Ramzan.
In Ramzan, something unexpected happened.
I created a sample template and sent it to 3–4 companies.
I was mentally tired of asking money from my parents even though I was asking less than before, it still hurt.
That thought used to hit hard:“Kab tak paisay maango ga? Kuch to karo.”
Then suddenly, I got a call from a company.
Honestly, I didn’t even know much about them.
They asked about my salary expectations.
I said, “I don’t know, let’s meet and discuss.”
Later, when I followed up, they said:
“You said you’re asking for 90k.”
I was shocked.
I never said that.
But I still went for the interview without knowing much about the company, with a freelancer mindset.
They offered a 2-day trial.
I said yes.
I started going to the office during Ramzan.
This was the first Ramzan where I was waking up at 10 and sleeping early because of work.
After the trial, they offered me 45k salary.
Market-wise, it wasn’t great.
But for me who was earning very little 45k felt big.
Later, I found out they hired me mainly because I fit their budget.
Still, I’m glad I joined.
Why?
Because my skills grew a lot there.
I worked there for almost 8 months.
But deep down, I wasn’t happy.
A person with a founder mindset, working under someone, gets triggered.
Every time I saw events happening and couldn’t attend, it hurt.
Still, I stayed.I learned.
In October, I finally left the job.
After that, around 1.5 months, till mid-November, were very strange.
I was building systems.
Working with some clients I got during my job but they slowly went away too.
The hardest part?
My parents didn’t even know I had left my job.
They didn’t know where I was going during working hours.
What I was doing
How things were going.
I only told them in December, after I closed my first client.
From the end of November till now, I’ve learned more than the whole year combined.
• Upwork
• Skool
• Systems
• Clients
• Conversations
• Contracts
• Real execution
I worked with clients.
I talked to many serious prospects.
I learned through action, not theory.
This year had learning and suffering, both.
But I’m hopeful.
For 2026, the focus is different.
In 2025, my goals were mostly desires I didn’t know how to achieve them.
For 2026, I know:
• what I want
• how to achieve it
• and what systems I need to build
In shā’ Allāh, the results will follow.
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How my whole year went — honestly
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