Dhara: The ingredient to success is believing in yourself

Believing in going with the flow, Dhara is happy with where she is in life today. A finance graduate turned content writer, she says that creative thinking is essential to content creation. She believes in the power of social media and building long-term relationships with clients to get more projects. She appreciates the flexibility and the plans for the uncertainty that comes along with freelancing. An extrovert, who always voiced her opinions against others is always there to help anyone who is in need. Her motto is to ‘believe in yourself’ and to have commitment and transparency in work. With her strict principle of never compromising on ethics, we know she is going to do wonders in the future. We wish her success in all that she aims to achieve. 

Read her inspiring story:

Introduce yourself to us? Where are you from? About your family, parents? How was your childhood?

Hi, I am Dhara. I believe in ‘simple living, high thinking’. I am a content writer. Sometimes I wonder how a girl like me, who hated writing long paragraphs in school exams became a content writer. I never planned to become a content creator. In school days I used to write about my emotions and feelings in my diary. However, no one was aware of my writing habit at that time.

My hometown is Junagadh, Gujarat. The city is full of lush green mountains. After I got married, I shifted to Hyderabad. I would love to introduce both my families. My in-laws side’s family includes my husband, mom & an elder brother. The family where I was born includes my parents, an elder brother, sister-in-law, and a very cute nephew.

During my childhood, I was an extrovert and used to speak a lot. I always used to stand up and speak against anyone who used to oppose my family or I.  Due to my behaviour, my parents were often called to the principal’s office. However, I was never afraid of doing anything and therefore my friends used to call me “lady dabang”.

Post studying finance, why did you choose the field of content writing? Speak to us about your interest in digital marketing?

My educational journey is quite interesting. Engineering was not my cup of tea and I hated finance from day one. Therefore, due to lack of choice, I decided to pursue finance. 

After completing my 12th in commerce, I chose to do BBA (Bachelor in Business Administration). I did my first year of college in my hometown and later did my second year from the topmost college of Ahmedabad. Over there, I studied for just three months and then came back to my hometown as I felt homesick. At last, I completed my graduation in my hometown. In between the second year and third year I decided to do CA (Chartered Accountancy) and that was a daring part of my life. I haven’t completed CA yet. I have only done an articleship. Due to lack of time and hope to complete CA, I choose to do an MBA in Banking and Finance. I did a Distance Learning MBA from Symbiosis, Pune.

Still, I was not satisfied. I felt that an MBA distance-learning certificate is not that valuable for a white collar job. At this point, one of my friends suggested I look for options in Digital Marketing. I researched the future prospects of a career in Digital Marketing and learnt the details of the field. After that I did a Digital Marketing course in Ahmedabad for 3 months, which proved to me the turning point of my life. 

During that learning period, I decided to become a content creator. From all that I had learnt in digital marketing, “Content Writing” fascinated me the most. I focused on the content part and it has been 1.5 years since I am operating in the field of digital marketing.

As a writer, how do you deal with writer’s block?

There is no rocket science in writing. However, creative thinking is essential. I still remember that in my first project I was confused about how to start the first Paragraph. I had so many questions like ‘Will the client approve the content or not?’ running in my mind.  I started to write step by step. I was lucky enough that the content was approved and the client appreciated my work too. There is only one thing to remember to always “Believe in Yourself”. 

Why did you choose to freelance? When did you begin to freelance? Were you planning it, or how did it happen?

After two months of doing digital marketing, I started freelancing. I never planned to freelance, it just happened. It is said that “Unplanned things are better than planned things”. This suits my career. I got my first client from the application name ‘Truelancer’. After that I learned to build my own network.

Considering the freelancer’s flexible working style, how do you ensure to stay productive? Give tips to our readers on ensuring efficiency and maintaining the work-social life balance.

The best part about freelancing is that you can work independently on your time. The most important thing while working is having full concentration and being productive. The clients should receive satisfactory work. Here there is no boss or camera overlooking your shoulders and monitoring you, hence, you need to be self-motivated and self-confident about your work. 

As a freelancer I believe:

• Quality of work is as important as quantity. One should never compromise with their work ethics.
• You should always be transparent with clients and try to build a long-term relationship with them. 
• Relations are the priority for any freelancer. Your work and your income depend on how you communicate with the clients. 

How did you approach the first few clients? Talk to us about the initial phase of your career.

In my opinion, for beginners, it is a challenge to approach the first few clients. As you have no idea how the experienced freelancers approach clients. I remember when I got a lead and applied for the project, I was confused about what I should write and how should I describe my bid? Acing the bid element is crucial as the client’s decision of giving you the project depends on that. 

“If you believe in yourself then nothing is impossible”. In any business, clients want commitment. The same rule applies here. I learned from my experience to never compromise on the commitment. Once you give the date and time to the client, the client expects you to stick to it since you have given your word to them.

As a freelancer, how do you use social media to your strength?

Social media is the platform where you can get lots and lots of opportunities. This is a digital era or you can say the world of technology. If you are passionate about your career then you will definitely get an opportunity through social media. 

Nowadays professionals are looking forward to the candidates who are more active on networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Therefore, I would suggest that the more active you will be on these networking sites, the more you will learn and gain. 

What is the one major pro and/or con of freelancing, according to you?

Like every coin has two sides. Freelancing has also had two sides. 

According to me, the pro of freelancing is that you are your own boss at work. You can follow on your time and have your requirements. There is flexibility in work. You can choose the work accordingly and can get earning on the experience. The more the experience, the more will be the income.

The drawback of freelancing is that sometimes you might not have a single client so the income is uncertain. So you need to build a long-term relationship with the clients to maintain a steady income.

What is the one thing about clients that you dislike? What can they do to improve your work life?

There is no such thing that I particularly hate or dislike about a client. It is just that clients should sometimes understand the situation of the freelancers before giving a deadline. In the short timing deadline we will not give quality work. The research part takes time and a short time deadline gives pressure. Hence, drafting of the content tends not to be unique. 

What mission and vision do you have? How do you want history to look at you?

I have never thought about a Mission and a Vision statement. I have just kept one thing clear in my professional life: do not compromise with your ethics. 

Adding to this, I make sure to help people who are not having enough facility to learn things but are passionate about doing something in life and become a successful person. I believe that every person deserves a good and healthy life, so help as many people as you can.

Do you feel content with yourself as you look back or do you think you have missed something?

Honestly, I am happy with my life. After this turning point, I see a huge difference in myself. Life is unpredictable likewise your career is also unpredictable. In school I had thought I would be a doctor, after coming to college I thought I would be a CA, and look today I am a “Content Creator”. So just “go with the flow”. You will surely reach a destination which might be unpredictable but will turn into a miracle.    

Dhara can be reached out on Refrens, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Want to hire a freelancer for your next project but are confused? Check out our article on “How to select an ideal freelancer” for a seamless process of hiring a perfect candidate.