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My Slumdog Millionaire story. Hope it inspires you today.

Rent, pls

I was a broke student who slept on the floor. All I wanted was to not ask my dad for $80 for rent money each month. That was 2011. I had spent 2 years trying to make websites in Dreamweaver hoping to make some money, but nothing had worked. Then in 2012 I made a form-building plugin and started selling it on a WordPress plugins marketplace I found through a Google search.

I sent this email to the Founder and CEO of this marketplace (not knowing him or his email):

Collis,

You don’t know me, but I think you’d like to hear my story.

Back in December, 2012, I found CodeCanyon.net through a Google search. I was a 20-year old broke student, living in a Mumbai ghetto, studying to become an accountant, while also working full time as an intern at an accounting firm, 6-days a week, for $50 a month. I was desperate to find a way I could pay my rent without having to ask dad.

I spent a few weeks learning HTML from w3schools, and Tuts tutorials. I made a simple contact form template, and tried to sell it on CodeCanyon. I made my first $4 that day. I spend the next 8 months teaching myself how to code by staying up late at night, working on weekends, and during lunch hours at work. I launched a bunch of plugins on CodeCanyon, and they did well. All I wanted was to pay my monthly rent of $80. I got so much more.

I hated accounting; the company you founded allowed me to drop out of accounting school, and pursue my dream. Today, I am an Elite author on CodeCanyon. I have sold over 12,600 licenses. I also run a SaaS project of my own. I have travelled 12+ countries, and met some of the most amazing people. I did all this at an age when most people are still looking forward to their graduation day. I am 23.

I cannot imagine how my life would have been if I hadn’t found CodeCanyon.

Thank you.

PS: I’m shooting in the dark here. I hope I got the email right ([email protected])

Regards,
Nishant

(He responded and we had a nice conversation)

The Places We Go

I was on the front page of ProductHunt in 2014, hunted by the founder Ryan. I got interviewed by Courtland here a long time ago. HN crashed my website with traffic. I've hit many milestones and travelled to 25+ countries. I am not saying this to brag because all those things mean very little when I look back at my life for the last 8 years. It's funny that way.

What really mattered then?

The first $3.5 I made were the sweetest ever. The first time I fell in love. The first time I visited San Francisco. My first autumn, my first snow, and my first mushrooms. The time I discovered yoga, went vegan, and took control of my mental health. Even today, after 8 long years of doing it, I feel happy every time I walk into a coffee shop because a coffee shop is where it started.

The founder - Collis Ta'eed - of that billion $ marketplace I talked about earlier? He sells chocolate now.

I don't know what the lesson here is. It's late at night and I am feeling nostalgic. Don't look at the revenue graph. You are right where you are supposed to be, and I hope it is a place of happiness. Everything else is noise.

PS: Stay away from Nestle kids. Buy ethically sourced chocolate.

  1. 5

    I loved getting that email!

    Very wise words to remember. I could do with that myself, as even after making a pretty large business, I still would freak out frequently about revenue graphs and business stresses.

    Oh and, anyone want to buy some 🍫😉

    1. 1

      Collis!

      It's amazing how lives connect sometimes. Best of luck with Hey Tiger. You continue to inspire. We could all use some ethically sourced chocolate 🍫🍫🍫

  2. 3

    Wow, thank you. I'm going to use your words to clear my head, get a great sleep, and spend the weekend with my family.

    1. 1

      Glad to hear that :)

  3. 2

    Thank you for telling your story.

    The first $3.5 I made were the sweetest ever. The first time I fell in love. The first time I visited San Francisco. My first autumn, my first snow, and my first mushrooms. The time I discovered yoga, went vegan, and took control of my mental health. Even today, after 8 long years of doing it, I feel happy every time I walk into a coffee shop because a coffee shop is where it started.

    That's what it's all about. (At least for me.) Finding what you love and finding joy in everyday life.

    I want to work for myself. On my own projects. Setting my own schedule.
    I'm not there yet, but I feel so happy and content with where I am and how far I've come.

    Your story means a lot to me.
    Like @Matthewbf commented: for me it's all about the journey.

  4. 2

    Thanks for sharing, we need more people to talk about their journey not the end result

  5. 2

    Keep winning mate!

  6. 2

    Inspiring, thanks for sharing

  7. 1

    A lot of wise words here, thank you

  8. 1

    Can I work for you for free? I would love to learn about it !!

    1. 1

      :)
      I am not looking for help right now, but I'll keep your offer in mind. That said, don't work for free. You'll end up working for the wrong crowd.

  9. 1

    Awesome story, well done - and now you're in Canada, a great choice! 😁

    1. 2

      Yes, one of the best decisions I ever made!

  10. 1

    This comment was deleted 2 years ago.

    1. 1

      That's the spirit. Happy for you :)

  11. 2

    This comment was deleted 7 months ago.

    1. 1

      We are all made up of stories, and they are all just as good 🙏🏼

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