How Sakshi Verma Made Her First 80K by Simplifying Big Ideas

Brought up in the bustling heart of India, New Delhi, Sakshi is a 33-year-old aspiring chartered accountant and freelance writer in the banking, financial, services, and insurance (BFSI) niche. Her tryst with writing started as a therapeutic tool—an escape from the cacophony of everyday life. Her mother was the force behind her writing talent. She helped Sakshi hone her skills early in her childhood by encouraging her to write poems and journals. She also pushed Sakshi to turn this hobby into a profession. 

In her own words,

“My mom showed me a poem I wrote when I was little. I was surprised to see that I could write so well as a kid. It motivated me to explore my talent further.”

When Sakshi realized writing could also be a commercially viable skill, there was no stopping her. Initially, Sakshi wrote for a few small clients in the finance industry. She had a strong grip on the key concepts of finance, owing to her graduation in B.Com and CA preparations. Soon, she grew more in the field and accelerated her career with platforms such as Pepper.

Finding Pepper

A chance encounter with a CA mentor on YouTube exposed Sakshi to more writing opportunities. The YouTube creator suggested Pepper Content as an excellent writing platform for freelancers. Even though the company had just started its operations, Sakshi liked their vision and decided to join the team. Her journey at Pepper has been phenomenal since then. She was also able to smoothly manage her studies and learn more about finance on the way.

Growth at Pepper

In her short tenure as a Pepper writer, Sakshi has earned Rs. 80,000, all by working part-time. She considers it a major source of passive income and great support for her family as well. What she likes the best is the flexibility Pepper offers to freelance writers. She was able to choose projects and deadlines based on her availability. She worked with short-term passive income goals in mind and took on projects to meet them. 

Sakshi is now expanding her writing portfolio with Pepper. She is trying her hands at thought leadership content in diverse industries. She aims to slowly level up her income by taking up bigger projects and high-ticket clients. Pepper has been extremely supportive in her endeavors to boost her writing career.

Her Writing Process

Sakshi believes her writing is audience-centric and not just client-centric. She likes to convey her ideas in a simple “Hemingway” style that appeals to the readers. Her ability to break down complex financial jargon into simple terms adds to her appeal as a writer. She also tries to incorporate storytelling in her writing to engage her readers better.

Sakshi further appreciates how precise, detailed, and helpful the editorial feedback at Pepper is for budding writers. She recalls how her earliest pieces of writing required several edits and changes. But she did her best to learn from the editors’ feedback and mold her style. It took her just a couple of more articles to see a stark difference in her work.

One quality she likes about herself is her ability to accept negative feedback. She also makes it a point to revisit old articles to see where there is a scope for improvement.

Overcoming Challenges

Sakshi has worked on many projects with clients from different industries. She was comfortable with some, while others challenged her. She recalls one project in the technology niche: it was related to cryptocurrency. Although she wasn’t fully equipped with the know-how on the subject, she resolved to step out of her comfort zone. After Sakshi submitted the piece, she received terrific feedback from both the editor and the client. She never feared a challenging project after that.

Her Message to Fellow Writers

Sakshi advises fellow writers to write consistently and unwaveringly. She pays special emphasis on learning from feedback instead of being discouraged by it. Writing on any topic and in any niche, according to her, helps you get better at the craft. However, she believes you should keep the audience in mind when writing, and make the content easy to engage with. Sakshi also shared how platforms like Pepper help freelance writers grow and upskill themselves.

“If you love writing, just start. Write anything you connect with, and along the journey, you will soon find your silver lining,” says Sakshi.

This story might have concluded, but Sakshi’s journey with Pepper Content continues. We are working to build the world’s largest content marketplace, and creators like Sakshi are indispensable to this initiative. Our community is growing rapidly, and we continue to empower thousands of creators along the way.