Anamika Jha - You Need to Ask Yourself “What Am I Going to Lose by Not Taking This Step?”(Content Creator From India)

I have a few important lessons for any budding creator who wants to start on LinkedIn. Firstly just start. Don’t seek perfection at first. Just put yourself out there. Create from your heart and add value through your posts. LinkedIn is a goldmine and the sooner you start the better it is for your personal brand.

1. Tell us about your background and journey?

I hail from an Eastern part of India. Any guesses? Let me drop a hint. MS Dhoni. You got it. Didn't you? Yes, I belong to Ranchi. Hailing from a small town, I was always conditioned to take a conventional route when it came to my career. I did just that.

Being good at Commerce, I pursued my bachelor's in Commerce (Accounts) from Saint Xavier's College, Ranchi. Though I was good at it, I didn't really enjoy it. After completing my bachelor's, I took up Masters in the same, with Finance as my major. Post-completion of my master's, I started preparing for banking exams. But 2016 was the year that turned my life upside down.

At the end of that year, I was met with a tragic road accident. Though I survived the accident, I sustained many injuries and fractured both my legs. This caused me to be bedridden for 3-4 months. I became dependent on my family and lost the will to do anything.

My self-worth crumbled and everything seemed futile to me. It caused me a lot of emotional turmoil and self-hate, which led me to a state of depression.

With the support of my family, I started my banking exam preparation again, and each time I appeared, I missed qualifying by a whisker. Appearing for exams and failing to qualify became a regular affair for me. With each attempt, my self-confidence crumbled even more and more. I struggled a lot during this phase.

During this time, also I started developing a few health issues due to which I started reading a lot of health and wellness blogs which eventually helped me a lot in my writing career.

I had lost all hope until I started working on myself and addressing my internal issues in the year 2019. It was during this time I started journaling to address my underlying internal emotional issues.

I started working on myself, and it was during this process I developed a keen interest in personal growth and self-help-based content. I realized I was good at comprehending human emotions and conveying a brand message. I realized my passion for writing and the purpose of motivating people through my content.

Fortunately, in the year 2020, I received an opportunity to apply for the freelance writer position at Collegedunia. At that moment I knew it was divine intervention and I needed to go with it. I had to submit an assignment to qualify for this position.

Hence I came up with an extensively researched article and submitted the article. Within a week, I received a mail from Collegedunia regarding my selection. That marked the first step in my Content writing journey.

It was during this time around April, that I started creating content on LinkedIn. I engaged with the content of big creators and learned a lot from them. I just posted out of my love for creating self-help content despite not getting noticed initially.

As I kept posting and engaging with the post of the other creators, I started getting noticed. People started engaging with my content and I started receiving a lot of inbound leads from clients. During this time I went on work as an academic content writer as a subject matter expert in Managerial and Financial Accounting for 8 months.

Within a few months of creating content, I reached 1000 followers on LinkedIn. Within the next few months, I reached 5000, and then 10,000 followers in just 6 months. Seeing myself grow at such a fast pace and receiving so many opportunities on LinkedIn made me realize that I was doing something right. So, yeah that’s how my journey has been.



2. How and when did you decide that you wanted to be a creator and freelancer? Any experience which you would like to share?

I would say I didn’t choose to be a creator and freelancer. This career chose me. When I hit rock bottom, writing saved me. It gave me a sense of purpose. With an intention to help people, I started sharing content on LinkedIn and it truly transformed my life.

Deciding to be a creator cum writer came from realizing my soul purpose. What started as journaling later transformed into content creation on LinkedIn. Hence, I started content creation with the objective to help people through my content.

But what solidified my sense of purpose was the appreciation and thoughtful feedback and comments from my target audience. Messages from people saying that my post helped them or seeking advice on how to have a positive mindset are what keep me going.

Similarly, I didn’t choose to freelance, it chose me. After creating content on LinkedIn I started getting numerous inbound leads and hence I converted them into my long-term clients.

3. How and where do you find inspiration to churn out content while writing on LinkedIn?

Content creation for me has always been spontaneous rather than forced. I believe in creating out of heart, rather than what’s trending. Most of my content ideas come as an insight to me. These ideas come to me when I am meditating, spending time in nature, or sometimes even during my sleep.

Another source of content inspiration for me is to look at my own life experiences. Hence I share my learning experiences through my posts. Apart from them I also consume a lot of self-help content in form of podcasts, blogs, and videos, so that’s how keep my content pipeline full.

4. How did you create your brand?

I would say I didn’t intentionally create it either. It happened over time. I kept on putting myself out there. I started delivering value consistently and brand creation happened over time. Eventually, I started figuring things out by upskilling myself and learning from other creators.

But if I had to name two factors that helped me create a personal brand it would be storytelling and networking. Personal stories have the power to establish an emotional connection with your audience. So, make sure to leverage that.

Also networking with other creators and learning from them is pivotal when it comes to creating your personal brand.

5. How would you best explain freelancing to an amateur?

A freelancer is someone who works independently and gets paid for their skills. Instead of working for a single company/organisation, they work for various employers.

In layman's terms, a freelancer is someone who gets paid based on their skills, expertise, experience, and deliverables. They have the flexibility to decide their own rates and thus have the potential to earn limitless.



6. Any advice/lesson that you would like to share with the one who wants to become a creator on LinkedIn?

I have a few important lessons for any budding creator who wants to start on LinkedIn. Firstly just start. Don’t seek perfection at first. Just put yourself out there. Create from your heart and add value through your posts. LinkedIn is a goldmine and the sooner you start the better it is for your personal brand.

Secondly, start engaging with your fellow creators to get noticed. Also, don’t just engage for the sake of engagement, leave valuable comments on their posts.

Thirdly, be consistent. You don’t need to post every day, but at least post 3-5 times per week initially. Lastly don’t get disheartened if you don’t see results instantly. The principle of compounding works on LinkedIn. So, just keep doing your bit and over time it will all compound for your exponential growth.



7. What was your biggest source of motivation during the initial phases when you just started with LinkedIn, and you didn't see results?

Sheer love of writing and a desire to help people through it. I had no clue about the algorithm and what this platform could do for me. I just started because I genuinely enjoyed the process of creation. Over time I went on to find my voice and matured as a writer.



8. What advice would you like to give to all those who want to start something but are afraid of taking that step?

Don’t hold back. Don’t listen to the negative voices in your head. Trust me I have been there and I know how crippling it feels. But you need the weigh the pros and cons of doing it and not doing it.

You need to ask yourself “What am I going to lose by not taking this step?”. You’ll find the cons of not starting out are more than the cons of failing. Regret is stronger than the fear of failure.

So, give yourself permission to live your dream. What’s the worst that could happen? You would fail but at least you gave yourself the opportunity to try.

So, go ahead and take that leap of faith. You owe it yourself.



9. What do you most enjoy about your job?

The flexibility to work on my own and the freedom to do what I love is what fulfills me. Writing is my passion and personal development is my purpose, and I have married these two to create a perfect career for me.



10. Your mantra to success?

Self-belief and trust in the Divine. Also, support from my parents played a pivotal role. Without their support, I wouldn’t be here.

Bio – 

I am Anamika Jha. I am a creative Content Writer and a Content Creator. I use the power of storytelling and empathy to establish an emotional connection with my audience. Over the past year, I have garnered the support of more than 33 k followers on LinkedIn.

I help health, wellness, and personal development brands add a human element to their content. Having experimented with diverse niches, from finance to academics and from SAAS to travel, I finally found my niche in personal development and mental health. Currently, I am also working on my vision to make personal development easily accessible to the masses and intend to launch myself as a mindset coach.

Interviewed By - Shashank Sehgal