‘I QUIT WITH NO BACKUP’: WOMAN LEAVES ₹1 LAKH JOB, EARNS ₹2 LAKH/MONTH IN 14 MONTHS

A woman who once worked as a tax lawyer earning around ₹1 lakh a month has opened up about leaving her stable legal career due to burnout and eventually building a freelance career that now brings in around ₹2 lakh per month.

(Also read: ‘I quit ₹50 LPA job, I was terrified’: Woman shares why she left corporate career to become a content creator)

Taking to Instagram, Mehar Verma shared a candid post describing her journey from working long hours at a law firm to finding fulfilment in content creation and storytelling.

In the caption of the clip she wrote, “In Feb 2024, I was working at a law firm, earning around ₹1 lakh a month. On paper, everything looked sorted. But I was miserable. Long hours, no real weekends, coming home at 9–10 PM and still working. I was constantly tired, constantly stressed, and honestly I dreaded most days.”

She added that despite appearing successful on paper, the job was taking a serious toll on her well being.

“At some point, I realised I didn’t want to be a lawyer. There was no big moment, just a quiet, persistent feeling that this wasn’t the life I wanted. So I quit. No solid plan. No backup.”

Take a look here at the post:

Early ambition to become a lawyer

Speaking to HT.com, Verma explained that her decision to pursue law was shaped early in life. She said she had wanted to become a lawyer since school, partly because of limited exposure to different career options.

“I don’t remember the exact moment I decided to pursue law, but for as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a lawyer. I think I was in 5th or 6th standard when I first said it out loud,” she said.

She also admitted that popular culture played a role in shaping her perception of the profession.

“A big part of that decision came from the limited exposure we have in school. Among the mainstream options, law felt the most appealing. And honestly, shows like Suits made it look even more fascinating,” she said.

Verma eventually went on to work as a tax lawyer, where her work focused on indirect tax litigation.

(Also read: Woman quits KPMG Singapore job, becomes poet in Mumbai: 'I was too right-brained for corporate')

Her day to day work included drafting appeals, attending court, assisting senior lawyers during hearings, handling client calls and reviewing documentation.

“It was structured, demanding, and required a lot of attention to detail,” she said.

Burnout and the decision to quit

However, Verma said her doubts about the profession had started much earlier, during her time in law school.

“I actually started feeling that law wasn’t for me during law school itself, around my 3rd or 4th year. But at that point, I didn’t really have an alternative,” she said.

While studying and later working, she began experimenting with small creative projects such as freelance writing, ghostwriting for founders on LinkedIn and building her own content page.

“That’s when I realised I genuinely enjoyed writing, storytelling, and content,” she said.

Despite that realisation, leaving the profession was not an impulsive decision.

“It wasn’t an impulsive decision. It was very gradual,” she said.

Eventually she decided to give content creation one full year of focused effort.

“I was still young. I didn’t have financial responsibilities. And quitting would only get harder with time,” she said.

Early struggles and lack of support

The transition phase was far from easy. Verma’s first freelancing gig paid just ₹10,000 per month. The project involved creating six to seven videos monthly, which she landed through networking during a weekend photography course.

“My parents didn’t support the decision at the time… for them, it felt like a risky decision,” she said.

Moving from a stable salary to an uncertain income brought emotional challenges. “There’s also a constant internal conflict… when things don’t move month after month, a small voice starts questioning, did I make the wrong decision?” she added.

Still, she persisted. “I showed up, created content almost every day, and figured things out along the way,” she wrote.

Building a new career through consistency

After quitting, Verma focused on two core principles: posting on social media every day and reaching out to potential clients daily.

Initially, her content received minimal engagement. “I remember posting daily and getting 300–500 views, 10–12 likes, and it genuinely used to affect me. But I kept going,” she said.

Her breakthrough came with a 100 day challenge where she consistently shared her learnings, struggles and small wins. This storytelling approach began attracting founders who wanted similar narratives for their brands.

That led to her first retainer clients. Over time, she built a portfolio by working with early stage founders and helping them grow their online presence.

“Low paying work, results, proof, better clients, higher pricing,” she explained, describing her growth journey.

(Also read: Woman quits high-pressure job to live on uninhabited island, now earns ₹40,000 per month)

Currently, she charges around $1200 per month for services including ideation, scripting and managing multiple videos.

Redefining success and work life balance

Within 14 months, Verma scaled her income to around ₹2 lakh per month. However, she says the journey is not just about financial growth.

“But this isn’t just about money. It’s about this idea we’ve all been taught that you need to work 12–14 hours a day to succeed. I don’t agree,” she wrote.

Her current routine is markedly different from her law firm days. “I work around six hours a day now. I go to cafés, play pickleball, go to the gym, spend time with family, and actually enjoy my life,” she shared.

For her, success now means having control over time rather than just earning a high salary. “Even when I was earning well in my job, I didn’t feel successful… but when I started content creation, even at ₹60–70K a month, I felt more successful because I had flexibility,” she said.

Verma, however, does not advocate quitting blindly.

“You don’t have to follow my path. You don’t have to quit your job. But don’t let anyone define what ‘hard work’ or ‘success’ should look like for you,” she wrote.

“If your life doesn’t feel right, you’re allowed to choose differently.”

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2026-04-07T07:04:48Z