← Social Media Decoded
Social Media Decoded
From 9-5 Burnout to Freelance Freedom: How Shruti Built a 5-Figure Online Business from Scratch
00:19:34
In this episode, Shruti shares how she went from burned-out corporate employee to building a thriving freelance business with no prior experience. She breaks down how she found success on Upwork, became a Certified Online Business Manager, and now helps entrepreneurs grow sustainably—without relying on social media fame.
Loading summary
Transcript30 lines
- [00:00]
Oregon Lottery Representative
In the summer, all of Oregon is our playground thanks to our incredible park system. That's why it's so cool that Oregon Lottery gameplay like video lottery or cash pop helps support tons of parks projects statewide like accessible trails at Silver Falls State park or upgrades to your favorite dog park in Newburgh. It's just one way a little lottery play for many Oregonians can add up to a lot of good the Oregon Lottery Together we do good things. Lottery games are based on chance and should be played for entertainment only. Must be 18 or older to play.
- [00:33]
Progressive Insurance Representative
This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart Choice. Progressive loves to help people make smart choices. That's why they offer a tool called Auto Quote Explorer that allows you to compare your Progressive car insurance quote with rates from other companies so you save time on the research and can enjoy savings when you choose. The best rate for you. Can give it a try after this episode@progressive.com Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy.
- [01:14]
Shreeti
Even if you get a good opportunity, take a step back, have a chat with the other person and just try to really have an honest conversation with the client and with yourself if you're really the perfect fit for that role. And that's how it's best to select your clients and select the kind of work that you want to do.
- [01:34]
Michelle Thames
Hey hey. Welcome to the Social Media Decoded Podcast, the Go to podcast for entrepreneurs and business owners who want to grow their brand, increase visibility and make more money without the overwhelm. I'm your host Michelle Thames, marketing strategist, business coach and the person who's here to give you the real no fluff strategies to help you succeed online. Each week I bring you expert insights, actionable tips, and real talk about what's actually working in social media and digital marketing. Whether you're just starting or scaling the six figures, you're in the right place. So grab your coffee or matcha if you're like me and let's dive into today's episode. Today's episode is going to be a game changer. I know I always say that, but each episode is. You already know this. And this is for anyone stuck in a job that they hate. You know that was my story, right? Dreaming of breaking free and you're unsure of where to start? Well, I'm super excited because my guest today is someone who did exactly that. She walked away from a soul sucking corporate job, jumped into freelancing with zero experience this is why I always say you don't need experience, right? But you already have the experience and built a thriving five figure business completely online. Now she's a top rated plus freelancer on upwork and and a certified online business manager. Helping entrepreneurs scale with ease. If you've ever wondered if can I really do this? Can I really make money online without being an influencer or starting a YouTube channel, then my friend, this episode is for you. So let's dive into it. Welcome so much Shreeti, to the podcast. And you're from Thriving Mondays. How are you?
- [03:19]
Shreeti
Thank you. Thank you so much, Michelle. That was wonderful. I'm well and I'm so excited to be here and share my journey. This is my first podcast. Really excited to share my journey.
- [03:28]
Michelle Thames
This is your first podcast. Well, I am super excited for you and me for this to be the first podcast that you are on. So super exciting. So let's dive into it. Well again, welcome to the show and I want to start with this. What is the exact moment that you realize that I can't do this corporate thing anymore?
- [03:47]
Shreeti
So I was working at a corporate job for four years and I was working night shifts, started taking like toll on my health. And that's when I realized that this is not sustainable. Can't be, you know, a night owl and work for somebody else and be in a job where I'm not learning, where I'm not growing and every day feels like a big burden. I'm just working from day in and day out and waiting for weekends. And I just used to feel that weekends are the only two days when I get to live. So I knew something has to change. And that's when I decided that I can't continue in this job. And people do 9 to 5 in the like from morning to evening, evening, But I was doing 9 to 5 from night 9pm until 5am in the morning. So that was a turning point for me to realize that I can, I can do better.
- [04:38]
Michelle Thames
That's awesome. So you quit without a backup plan. A lot of people listening might be super terrified of the thought of leaving a steady paycheck. I know that I was. So what gave you the confidence to just take that leap and say I'm gone?
- [04:51]
Shreeti
Yeah, I'm gonna agree with that. Because stability was one of my biggest fears. Because, you know, as soul crushing as the job was, it still came with a paycheck. And saying goodbye to that was very, very difficult. But then I decided to prioritize myself first, my health first. And with the support of my family, my husband. I decided that, you know, enough is enough. I was very fortunate that I had my husband to support me and tell me that it's okay, it's fine, that even if you're, you're not figured it out yet, you will. I believe in you and I believed in myself. And that's how I made that decision to quit and jump into freelancing.
- [05:30]
Michelle Thames
Wow, that is so amazing. You all. I love amazing stories like this because I hope you're inspired. I hope anyone listening to this is super inspired. Now, I'm not the person to tell you to quit your job without a plan or anything like that, but we're going to give you tips here today, right? You're listening. You know that you can do it. So if you've been thinking about it, it might be that time to take that leap or at least to start that side hust right. That you've been dreaming of. And then one day you can eventually take that leap. Right? So let's talk about clients. You've worked with over a hundred clients and maintained 100% job success score, which is amazing. Congratulations. What's the secret sauce to landing clients and standing out online?
- [06:10]
Shreeti
I would say that saying no is more important than saying yes. So when you, when you start your freelancing career or your freelancing journey as a video editor, as a social media manager, or as a virtual assistant, getting clients is really exciting. You know, somebody reaches out to you and they ask for help or you submit a job proposal and then you think that the other person is interested and you're really excited and you want to land that job. But sometimes it might not be the best job for you. Sometimes you're not the perfect fit for that role. So I, I would, I have this policy that I would always do like a video call or a discovery call. It can be like a 15 minutes chat as well. But before that, I would never take on a project because until and unless you know a person, you talk to a person, you don't know whether you are the perfect fit for that role or not. So I would always suggest that even if you get a good opportunity, take a step back, have a chat with the other person and just try to really have an honest conversation with the client and with yourself if you're really the perfect fit for that role. And that's how it's best to select your clients and select the kind of work that you want to do.
- [07:20]
Michelle Thames
Awesome. And I know places like upwork, sometimes, you know, get a bad rep. People Say it's a race to the bottom, like with cheap clients and things like that. So how does people, how do you filter out the bad clients and land high ticket clients? And I know that this is a question that many people are looking to get answers. So let's talk about this.
- [07:40]
Shreeti
I would say that upskilling is very important. So you may be in whatever field you are. So make sure that you're always in sync with what, what are the trends that are going on. And secondly, always seek out opportunities in a project that you're already in. For example, I, I was working as a VA in one of the projects. I was just told to kind of take the screenshot of a newsletter and put it on Instagram. That's it. But then I realized that, you know, this strategy, I mean, with this, they're not never going to grow. And then I took the initiative, I said that, you know, this post, we can repurpose it into a re, we can share it as a tweet, we can share it as a YouTube video. There are different things that we can do. And I started taking initiative in that project myself. And now I'm working as a social media strategist for the same project where I started as a va. So, you know, the opportunities are endless. So you might start at the bottom, but that's not the end. You can scale your way up. And even if you land a low ticket offer in the beginning, that doesn't mean it's going to stay that way. You can upscale in the same project as well. So seek out those opportunities wherever you are.
- [08:48]
Michelle Thames
That's awesome. And I love that. Right? We can pitch, right? If you see that you're working with a client and there's more opportunity. That's exactly what I have done in the past. I've started with clients, right? And we have maybe started on a particular project. Then I got in the inside of their business and I'm like, oh my gosh, I could help you with this and this and this. And I pitched it to the client and they said yes several times. I've done that. So that strategy that you said, 100% on point. I hope that you all have your pins and notepads and you are taking notes because gems are being dropped here on the social media decoded podcast today. This is a really good episode. So let's talk about going from freelancer to online business manager. Now, most people, you know, have a va, but VA and online business manager is two different things too. And so at some point you made the Shift from just freelancer to certified. Okay, certified online business manager. What made you transition and how has it been different and how is it different?
- [09:45]
Shreeti
It's kind of a natural and a gradual transition for me because like, like I already mentioned and you mentioned that I work with hundred different clients and that meant like a variety of different roles. So there were projects in which I was already working as a project manager or a social media manager. And then I looked at all these projects right from the bottom, I knew that how businesses are built and how they are scaled, that is something that I learned with my experience. And I wanted to have an authority to kind of also communicate to others that, yeah, this is what I can do. So certification felt like a very practical approach for me. And then I learned how to structure everything that I know because you know, like when you're a va, you know, a little bit of this, little bit of that, but how to structure it all that confidence came to me with my certification and now with the help of that, I can help my clients, I think in a very better and a very poised way. I can help them scale their business, create strategies, create a structure. And not being able to depend on them to tell me what to do, not being able to give them suggestions that hey, this works, so can we try this?
- [10:56]
Michelle Thames
Well, that's so good. That's so good. And there's so many certifications out here that you can obtain right online for free. So if you're looking to dive into a field, get experience in a new area, Google and online is your best friend, right? To search for all those things. So let's talk about being overwhelmed. A lot of entrepreneurs listening right now are overwhelmed. Okay, this was me too. I was overwhelmed recently, but I've, I've changed that. Right? And trying to do everything themselves. At what point should they consider hiring an obm?
- [11:28]
Shreeti
If you're a solopreneur, then I would say that start by hiring a virtual assistant. That's very important because many times business owners, they think that, you know, I can do it all and you can. I'm not questioning that. But if you have an aid with your site, things get so much easier. You're able to take yourself out of the admin of the day to day tasks that you can easily outsource. But once you feel that you build that business and it's time to scale, that is the time when you bring in the OBM and you pull yourself out of the business and you focus only on growth. Let your OBM handle the team, let your OBM handle the sales funnel, let your OBM handle the social media, the day to day managing the team. And you are only focused on growing the business that's going to take your business to the next level. Because I feel that what a business is, it's a business is a system of systems. And if you have no systems in place and if you think the CEO can build all the systems, then that's going to be, you'll be in a very difficult kind of a position because a lot of the times everything lives in our head, the CEO's head. And they know that, yeah, I can do this and nobody can do it better than me. But if you create a system, it can become repeatable. And what is a successful business? A successful business, something that can be, that can repeat the processes that are already working.
- [12:50]
Michelle Thames
Right.
- [12:51]
Shreeti
So that's the time you get an OBM on your team.
- [12:53]
Michelle Thames
That's so good. And you're so right. This was just me just, just, just not too long ago when I said I was trying to do everything myself and no, you can't. Sometimes we can't. And when you're, you're, you said it right, you said it right on point. When you are trying to go to the next level, you cannot do it all by yourself. And I know it's an expense, right, to hire an online business manager or va, but guess what, guess what? I bet you you'll be able to 10 times pay for that expense once you're really able to focus. And this is where we're going into the next talking about, talking about mindset, when you're able to focus on really building the business. That's where I am right now. I feel like I was in this messy middle. So it's no mistake that we're having this conversation because I was in this messy middle. Right? Building, growing. I have this community, I'm really trying to build it, but I can't keep doing it all by myself. I need someone to handle, like you said, the day to day, sending out the invitations for the podcast, coordinating the podcast. And my girl Kiki is helping me now. So I am super excited. Right, so y' all, we're going to talk about mindset balancing and a sustainable business because let me ask you this. Freelancing and online business can get lonely. Can it? So how do you stay motivated and avoid burnout? Because I'm pretty sure there are people listening today who this is affecting them as well.
- [14:10]
Shreeti
Yeah, to some extent I feel that online business, when you're just working remotely all the time. You can feel lonely. But I mean, personally for me, being a little bit of an introvert kind of works because I love to, you know, work at my own place, at my own pace and you know, with my dogs by my side, with my cat by my side. So it works perfectly. Plus I have like a daily catch up with my clients on platforms like Slack or a quick telegram note and we have our weekly meetings. So it doesn't really feel like you are in a black box as such because you're connected with your clients. They might live halfway across the world, but just like we are connecting right now, you're still connected. You feel a part of the community. And that I think is also very important for all business owners that, you know, they bring their team together at least once a month, have a weekly, have a monthly team meeting and just not talk about, you know, the business or the growth. Just let everybody collaborate. Because sometimes the best idea comes from a collaborative team meeting. And I have noticed that firsthand. So I think that's, that's the secret sauce of not feeling lonely and not feeling burnt out.
- [15:20]
Michelle Thames
Love that. I love that. And yes, there's so many communities online that you can tap into co working spaces, all type of things. Okay. So definitely if you're feeling lonely, you're not alone. Okay. There are so many people online who are doing the same thing that you are doing. Just tap in. You already here, right? You're already here with the social media decoded podcast. I know there are marketers listening. I know there are freelancers listening, people who are already online business managers. Tap in. Okay? So I'm super excited and I love community too. So I'm so glad that you said that. Now I want to talk about aha moments in your journey. What is the biggest aha moment in your journey that you wish you knew? When you first started, there was so many of them.
- [16:03]
Shreeti
But I think just getting the conviction that like to that I am capable of going to the next level was the aha moment. Sometimes what happens is that we doubt ourselves too much. We always think that, you know, we're not there yet or we have this imposter syndrome that, you know, what we're saying is not really not what people want to hear or, you know, this is stupid. We just, we listen to our worst fears. But having the learning to have that confidence in ourselves that it's fine, it's okay if I, if I'm not, you know, 100% correct, but I'm still, you know, making progress, giving yourself that pat on the back for celebrating those small wins. So that I think when I started incorporating that into my professional life, that gave me the confidence to go to the next level and keep growing, keep learning, never stop learning, never stop reading. What's the, what's happening in your industry? And like, you know, with all the things AI is already, AI agents are like now knocking on our door. So why not explore something new? So. And you'll find your own aha moment.
- [17:08]
Michelle Thames
I love that this has been so inspiring and such a great episode with lots of gems dropped. Okay, and before we head out, if someone listening, I want you to share this final thing. If someone listening wants to break into freelancing but feel stuck, what is one piece of advice that you would give them?
- [17:29]
Shreeti
Start small and don't be afraid to, you know, give up. Don't give up too early because sometimes what happens is you create your profile on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, and then you think that, oh, I'm going to get a lot of clients and got a lot of inquiries and that doesn't really happen. And we usually then put the profile aside and we forget all about it. But I say that don't give up that early. Explore what are the other options. Look at what these platforms are telling you. They already tell you that you know how you should be customizing your profile. Add your case studies, add your previous experiences. Don't be afraid to invest some money in it, buy connects and boost your profile. Do all that stuff and then see where it takes you. But keep experimenting and just don't give up that easily.
- [18:13]
Michelle Thames
Yes. Now that was such a great tip to lead us out today. Thank you so much for sharing that and I hope that you all again have been taking your notes. If you loved anything about this podcast today, anything, any gems that you got, make sure you tag me on Instagram at Michelle L. Thames and at Social media. Well, the social media decoded pod. Okay, so before we head out, where can people find you and learn more about Thriving Mondays? So where can we find you and learn more about everything that you're doing?
- [18:42]
Shreeti
Well, you can find me on my website, thriving Mondays.com and you can also ping me on LinkedIn. I'll leave all the links with you and you can share it with everybody. And I'm available for a very quick chat and I always reply to all the DMs and if you send a note on my website, I'll make sure that I reply to you. So I'm very approachable.
- [19:01]
Michelle Thames
Yes, no, thank you. So much for coming on today and sharing so many gems and you did great for your first podcast episode and interview. So I am so so excited to have you here today. So all right friends, if today's episode gave you that spark to finally start your freelancing journey, take a screenshot and share this episode on social media and tag us, okay? And if you found this valuable, do not forget to subscribe and leave a review on Spotify, on Apple, on your respective platforms. It helps us keep bringing amazing guests like Shree to the show. Okay? So until next time, I want you to keep dreaming, keep building and remember that your Mondays should feel like thriving, okay? Not dreadful. And I will talk to you all in the next one. Peace. All right, that's a wrap on today's episode. I hope you got some valuable insights and real strategies you can apply to your business right now. If you enjoyed this episode, I love for you to do two quick things things. First, take a screenshot, share it on Instagram, and tag me Michelle Lthame so we can keep the conversation going. Second, if you found value in this podcast, it would mean the world to me if you left a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps this show reach more entrepreneurs just like you. Oh, and if you want to support the show and fuel my Matcha obsession, you can always buy me a coffee at the link in the show notes. Thank you for tuning in. Until next time, keep showing up, keep growing and I'll talk to y' all in the next one. Peace.
- [20:48]
Oregon Lottery Representative
In the summer, all of Oregon is our playground thanks to our incredible park system. That's why it's so cool that Oregon Lottery gameplay like video lottery or cash pop help support tons of parks projects statewide like accessible trails at Silver Falls State park or upgrades to your favorite dog park in Newburgh. It's just one way a little lottery play for many Oregonians can add up to a lot of good the Oregon Lottery. Together, we do good things. Lottery games are based on chance and should be played for entertainment only. Must be 18 or older to play.
- [21:19]
Progressive Insurance Representative
Your new beginning starts now. Dr. Horton has new construction homes available in Ellensburg and throughout the greater Seattle area. With spacious floor plans, flexible living spaces and home technology packages, you can enjoy more cozy moments and sweet memories in your beautiful new home. With new home communities opening in Ellensburg and throughout the Seattle area, Dr. Horton has the ideal home for you. Learn more at Dr. Horton.com Dr. Horton, America's builder and equal housing opportunity builder Greg's car shopping and since he lives in Florida. Your marketing's probably pushing something a little sporty. Too bad you don't know he's planning planning a move to Alaska. Turns out marketing without a clear picture of your customer is like driving a convertible in the Arctic. A bad idea. Learn how TransUnion's 360 degree view of customer identity is bringing clarity to marketing chaos through deeper insights, smarter reach, and Precise measurement@transunion.com clarity Our state has changed a lot in the last 140 years. We know because MultiCare has been here guided by a single making our communities healthier. That comes from making courageous decisions, partnering with local communities to grow programs and services, and expanding healthcare access to those who need it most. Together, we're building a healthier future. Learn more@mycare.org on WhatsApp no one can see or hear your personal messages. Whether it's a voice call message or sending a password to WhatsApp, it's all just this. So whether you're sharing the streaming password in the family chat or trading those late night voice messages that could basically become a podcast, your personal messages stay between you, your friends and your family. No one else, not even us. WhatsApp message privately.