(sorted randomly, to ensure pure chaos)
- I started working in 2015 as a content writer at a marketing agency.
- I built a few blogs and social pages starting in 2013—which really helped me get my first job.
- I was stuck with the idea of “location-independent lifestyle” in 2012. And I continue to hold it close to my heart.
- Yaro Starak and Darren Rowse had a huge influence on my early years of blogging. They’re the OGs!
- I started a news website. At peak, it got around 15,000 views a day.
- I even once created an Upworthy-style site. With the concept of also creating fictional characters.
- “You Can Win” is the first book I read from start to finish. Back in my school days. I raged bought that after a terrible math exam.
- I am a college dropout.
- I once had a blog on Bitcoin. Some site ranked it among the top 100 crypto blogs on the internet.
- I don’t like traveling. I don’t care about it.
- But I do want to travel to New Zealand. And live there for a while. Someday.
- I started Spell Out Marketing in 2016.
- I sucked at studies.
- John Green’s “Paper Town” is one of my fav books. Because of the feels I felt at the time. Love this quote from the book: “It is so hard to leave—until you leave. And then it is the easiest goddamned thing in the world.“
- I’ve read all the Harry Potter books. Except for the Goblet of Fire.
- I once unmatched someone on Tinder because they didn’t like Harry Potter.
- Half-Blood Prince is my absolute favorite. They deleted this scene from the movie, and I treat it as a crime.
- Economics and Math used to be my fav subjects. I can’t remember shit now.
- I suck at sales.
- I don’t know how to drive. I am scared I’ll drive over someone and fuck their life. And mine.
- I was born in Jamshedpur, India.
- I live in Kolkata, India.
- Between the ages of 8 and 15, I wanted to be a professional wrestler.
- I am very frugal.
- And that’s because I was grossly underpaid for a large part of my early career. I feel sad looking back, but I liked the people I worked with, so…
- 2019 was the worst year for me. And 2020.
- This was my first ever phone, but minus the front camera.
- Italian is my favorite chess opening.
- I am Gandhian.
- There’s this reporter/correspondent: Isobel Yeung. I wish I could be as badass as her.
- I’ve followed Gary Vaynerchuk for almost a decade now. And some of the things he talks about have had a profound impact on how I think. Be it being kind to people, having empathy, never blaming, and taking 100% accountability for everything that’s bad in my life.
- Coldplay makes me happy. A lot.
- I’ve watched “Her” (the movie) about 17 times.
- If you’re reading this, I am 100% certain that I am curious about your story. And I’d love to hear. Want to talk?
- I am not a foodie. I don’t enjoy eating as much as I should. (Exception: dosa and litti)
- I don’t eat ice cream, chocolate (unless 99% cocoa), or anything sweet.
- I have completely eliminated sugar from my diet starting Jan 1st, 2024.
- I think Chris Evans is the most handsome man on the planet. I am straight.
- Reddit’s my favorite. It’s where I doomscroll sometimes.
- I meditate.
- I left my last full-time job in 2023 because of a toxic VP.
- I love velvet. I would drape myself in velvet if it were socially acceptable.
- I like walking. I once walked for six hours straight in a crowded city. For no reason. When I could have easily taken the bus.
- I don’t drink tea or coffee or cold drinks.
- I want to own a library.
- I can’t swim. And I am scared of rivers and lakes. What if I trip and drown?
- I have a secret collection of motivational quotes that I’ve never shared because they’re too cheesy.
- I once wrote content for a client who sold adult toys. You know, the passion products.
- I’ve never seen Star Wars. At this point, I am too afraid to start.
- I think Community is better than The Office. But I love them both.
- I like Twilight movies.
- Choosing a font and color palette for IG images is among my life’s most frustrating experiences.
- I refuse to wear a suit. Never.
- I have written more than 10 million words to date.
- During my peak agency days, I’d write 3500 words on average every day. My best day score is 5,700 words.
- I am a straightedge.
- I’ve never understood the appeal of partying and clubbing and “going out.” Why?
- I think about death a lot.
- I feel sad when I think about so many people I’ve spent hours and hours talking to. And we don’t talk anymore.
- I also believe nostalgia is the worst emotion.
- It took me 14 months to get over my ex.
- I don’t know how to play rock-paper-scissor.
- I think Comet is the best movie of all time.
- If I am not listening to music, I can’t work.
- I am a pescatarian.
- I had an Orkut account in 2007(?). And even a Friendster account if I recall well. And then Google Plus.
- There was a time when I was addicted to chess.
- My dream is to create a newsletter that only gets sent during full moons.
- I am low-key scared of turning 30, which is happening soon.
- I have a crush on Zoey Deutch (I am pretty sure I can’t pronounce that surname correctly). And that girl from Delhi on LinkedIn.
- I started full-time freelancing in June 2023. It was only a year later did I start treating it as a business.
- I think backlinks will become less and less important to the point that they don’t matter.
- There was a year when I’d pick random but known companies, pretend I was their CMO, and create their marketing strategy. I studied 50+ brands extensively. I loved the exercise and it helped me a lot in becoming a better marketer.
- I believe 98% of marketing, freelancing, and writing courses are complete BS.
- I’ve never met a deadline I couldn’t make more stressful than necessary.
- My most cherished childhood memory is living in a house with my grandparents and sleeping under the moon in summers.
- My most productive hours are between 1 AM and 4 AM.
- I want to work with ConvertKit/Kit. They look like one of the finest orgs out there.
- Every five years, I write a letter to my five-year-future self. The last one I wrote was in 2020.
- I believe every marketing department should be led by content-first leaders.
- I think humor and nostalgia are the two most under-tapped emotions in marketing, and they can make almost every campaign a massive success.
- I think the amount of hate “hustle” gets is unjustified.
- I think Taylor Swift’s “Lover” album is so underrated.
- I send long messages. And I am very slow at texting.
- I am afraid I’ll end up with a lot of regrets if I live to be 50.
- My biggest personal and professional strength is to look at others and learn what not to do.
- Paul Walker’s passing was one of the worst celebrity deaths for me. It broke my heart.
- You can’t name me one rom-com movie that I haven’t watched.
- I have a well-put idea for a fiction book. I want to author it. Someday.
- I sleep very less on the weekdays. And I know for sure it’s going to fuck my health in my 30s and 40s.
- I am not a fan of planning stuff. I get anxious the closer I get to that planned event. I love spontaneity.
- I believe the internet democratized opportunities but also created new hierarchies.
- My toxic trait is to think I can remain calm and look cool on camera during a jump scare.
- I want to watch horror shows and movies. But I can’t. Because, well… There’s a scene from The Haunting of Hill House that still gives me creeps. And I watched that show two years ago.
- I don’t like taking pictures or recording videos. I don’t want to capture moments that will inevitably stir nostalgia in the future.
- I once joined a company and left the next day because they wanted me to install software that’d track my activities.
- I am the most health-conscious unhealthy person. I have not one active bone in my body at this point.
- I have an irrational fear of awkward pauses and silence in conversations.
- I’ve developed a sophisticated system for overthinking simple problems.
