#SetsMeFree: “My goal was to be happy and work only with the people who I was comfortable with,” says Shobhraj Shakdupia on her journey to transitioning from a corporate job to establishing her own business.

I had been working in the corporate world for last 9 years. I worked for 4 companies in these 9 years, and was a top performer at all the firms. However, I realised that I was not satisfied working at any of the firms— at one I was unhappy with the compensation, whereas at the other, where I received fair compensation, I was unhappy with my work-life balance. When I had both to my satisfaction, I was dissatisfied with my growth, and this pattern continued.

The last organisation that I worked with is one of the top companies in the world, where I experienced a very different and negative work culture. That was the last nail in the coffin for me, since there I was getting everything that I had wished for, but realised that it is all about the happiness in life, no matter what compensation or how much work-life harmony you are getting. That was when I started freelancing for clients at a very small scale.

My goal was to be happy and work only with the people who I was comfortable with.

Gradually, I started enjoying my life and that is when I formed my service providing group because I saw an ocean of opportunities in this market. I interacted with so many clients who were doing small businesses, but did not have access to quality services. I made sure that I was delivering quality services to all my clients, no matter how big the projects were. I slowly started to realise that I am ultimately happy in my life, working with people who I like.

I did not have to compromise on my life and happiness just to earn money, rather I started focusing on happiness, growth and work satisfaction. The money part automatically followed.

This huge step of quitting a successful full-time career without having another full-time job to go back to, taking a risk without having a safety net is what has set me free.

Author: Posted by Megha Maheshwari, based on a story shared with WiT-ACE Editorial by Shobhraj Shakdupia.

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