Rajat Chakraborty's Blog, page 2

Private letter #3

Note: This is a sample private letter. Private letters are sent exclusively to email subscribers. You can subscribe from here.

hey, what’s up? 

It’s 5:37 AM. I woke up at 2 (slept at 8). Since then, haven’t been able to get sleep. Feeling groggy with an unusual headache but also felt inspired to write. 

Inspiration strikes in unusual ways. I guess sometimes all it needs is a little bit of quiet. 

And sometimes it goes away…in a poof! It’s 7:23 AM now — I had to attend to the client, sorry. 

There’s so much to tell you that I don’t know where to start! To begin with, self-employment is great, but it also sucks! I think I’m enjoying it much more than my last time. I guess I’m wiser, now? 

I guess the biggest challenge has been separating art from commerce — because internally I’m an artist, y’know? I care about satisfaction in work more than anything else. And it would be unwise to think that you can “choose” to care about X, or Y, or Z. Our motivations are rather revealed, than chosen. 

Anyway, I’ve separated the two now. Writing and speaking in a raw fashion will always be my art. Now there’s piano too. For commerce, I’m launching a marketing/growth subscription for b2c tech founders/CEOs. I’ve already tested it with a couple clients and it’s working well so far. 

Before, I tried combining the two and it was a total disaster! I was always so anxious and jittery, and I couldn’t figure out why. I had to take a week long break / solo trip to jibhi (himachal) to realise that art can only be created in freedom. To need anything from it is to destroy it in its womb. 

Btw, jibhi was beautiful I trekked to the highest fort in the himalayas at 12,000 ft. Met a marketing executive from Delhi who started his own cafe. Met a hustler selling chai and maggi for 2x the price (reaffirming my marketing belief that you need to sell where the motivation is created), and a super cute kid sitting beside him, who for some reason was weirdly attracted to me; he was so attracted that his mom got embarrassed and started smiling at me. She was very cute too. And for some weird ass reason, I keep meeting moms..idk why lol. Am I that old, already? 

Ok, that’s it for this email. See you in the next one!

Private Letter #3

Note: This is a sample private letter. Private letters are sent exclusively to email subscribers. You can subscribe from here.

hey, what’s up? 

It’s 5:37 AM. I woke up at 2 (slept at 8). Since then, haven’t been able to get sleep. Feeling groggy with an unusual headache but also felt inspired to write. 

Inspiration strikes in unusual ways. I guess sometimes all it needs is a little bit of quiet. 

And sometimes it goes away…in a poof! It’s 7:23 AM now — I had to attend to the client, sorry. 

There’s so much to tell you that I don’t know where to start! To begin with, self-employment is great, but it also sucks! I think I’m enjoying it much more than my last time. I guess I’m wiser, now? 

I guess the biggest challenge has been separating art from commerce — because internally I’m an artist, y’know? I care about satisfaction in work more than anything else. And it would be unwise to think that you can “choose” to care about X, or Y, or Z. Our motivations are rather revealed, than chosen. 

Anyway, I’ve separated the two now. Writing and speaking in a raw fashion will always be my art. Now there’s piano too. For commerce, I’m launching a marketing/growth subscription for b2c tech founders/CEOs. I’ve already tested it with a couple clients and it’s working well so far. 

Before, I tried combining the two and it was a total disaster! I was always so anxious and jittery, and I couldn’t figure out why. I had to take a week long break / solo trip to jibhi (himachal) to realise that art can only be created in freedom. To need anything from it is to destroy it in its womb. 

Btw, jibhi was beautiful I trekked to the highest fort in the himalayas at 12,000 ft. Met a marketing executive from Delhi who started his own cafe. Met a shenanigan selling chai and maggi for 2x the price (reaffirming my marketing belief that you need to sell where the motivation is created), and a super cute kid sitting beside the shenanigan, who for some reason was weirdly attracted to me; he was so attracted that his mom got embarrassed and started smiling at me. She was very cute too. And for some weird ass reason, I keep meeting moms..idk why lol. Am I that old, already? 

Ok, that’s it for this email. See you in the next one!

Private letter #2

Note: This is a sample private letter. Private letters are sent exclusively to email subscribers. You can subscribe from here.

Welcome, new subscribers! 

I first began writing these as an update to my mentors on my monthly progress. Over time, it has become a habit now. 

I think the main benefit for me is clearer thinking, and a chance to reflect on the past time, present, and the future. I don’t know how it’s going to benefit you though — so please feel free to share your feedback, thoughts, goals, and challenges. 

Like I said in my last letter, I’m really looking forward to disappearing from social media in the next 20-25 years (if I’m alive till then). This will be the only way to keep in touch. And, reach out to my extended inner circle of sorts.

I don’t know what your most important priority in life right now is, but for me it’s financial independence. And I realised that I won’t be able to achieve it by working at a full-time job, no matter how glamorous it is, so I quit in Mar’24. Coincidentally, the company also decided to shutdown in April’24. (Did my boss lose hope after me leaving? idk lol.)

Since then, it has been a roller coaster, to say the least. I must admit, that I’ve been confused countless times in the past 4 months. Mostly thinking about what to build, and what route to take. I think people in our lives add to the confusion, no matter how noble their intentions may be. Instead of relying on ourselves, we begin hoping and expecting from others. And when those hopes and expectations are not fulfilled, it leads to more angst, and confusion, and lost time. 

While I can’t bring back the lost time, I can certainly learn from my mistakes. And what I’ve learnt is that it’s better to rely on myself. And my own gut instincts. I’ve learnt that the world is poison and that it is better to ignore the world altogether. 

So in these emails, I will not burden you with more junk — you already have enough of that from the world that you subscribe to. I will try to keep it as raw as possible — straight from my heart and the hands of God. 

One goal: Financial Independence 

Motivation: Freedom 

Reliance: Self 

Path: Content (read product) – Market – Fit

Start date: Aug 2024 

Less talking. More creating… 

Take care! 
Rajat

Private Letter #2

Note: This is a sample private letter. Private letters are sent exclusively to email subscribers. You can subscribe from here.

Welcome, new subscribers! 

I first began writing these as an update to my mentors on my monthly progress. Over time, it has become a habit now. 

I think the main benefit for me is clearer thinking, and a chance to reflect on the past time, present, and the future. I don’t know how it’s going to benefit you though — so please feel free to share your feedback, thoughts, goals, and challenges. 

Like I said in my last letter, I’m really looking forward to disappearing from social media in the next 20-25 years (if I’m alive till then). This will be the only way to keep in touch. And, reach out to my extended inner circle of sorts.

I don’t know what your most important priority in life right now is, but for me it’s financial independence. And I realised that I won’t be able to achieve it by working at a full-time job, no matter how glamorous it is, so I quit in Mar’24. Coincidentally, the company also decided to shutdown in April’24. (Did my boss lose hope after me leaving? idk lol.)

Since then, it has been a roller coaster, to say the least. I must admit, that I’ve been confused countless times in the past 4 months. Mostly thinking about what to build, and what route to take. I think people in our lives add to the confusion, no matter how noble their intentions may be. Instead of relying on ourselves, we begin hoping and expecting from others. And when those hopes and expectations are not fulfilled, it leads to more angst, and confusion, and lost time. 

While I can’t bring back the lost time, I can certainly learn from my mistakes. And what I’ve learnt is that it’s better to rely on myself. And my own gut instincts. I’ve learnt that the world is poison and that it is better to ignore the world altogether. 

So in these emails, I will not burden you with more junk — you already have enough of that from the world that you subscribe to. I will try to keep it as raw as possible — straight from my heart and the hands of God. 

One goal: Financial Independence 

Motivation: Freedom 

Reliance: Self 

Path: Content (read product) – Market – Fit

Start date: Aug 2024 

Less talking. More creating… 

Take care! 
Rajat

Rajat’s Private Letter #2

Welcome, new subscribers! 

I first began writing these as an update to my mentors on my monthly progress. Over time, it has become a habit now. 

I think the main benefit for me is clearer thinking, and a chance to reflect on the past time, present, and the future. I don’t know how it’s going to benefit you though — so please feel free to share your feedback, thoughts, goals, and challenges. 

Like I said in my last letter, I’m really looking forward to disappearing from social media in the next 20-25 years (if I’m alive till then). This will be the only way to keep in touch. And, reach out to my extended inner circle of sorts.

I don’t know what your most important priority in life right now is, but for me it’s financial independence. And I realised that I won’t be able to achieve it by working at a full-time job, no matter how glamorous it is, so I quit in Mar’24. Coincidentally, the company also decided to shutdown in April’24. (Did my boss lose hope after me leaving? idk lol.)

Since then, it has been a roller coaster, to say the least. I must admit, that I’ve been confused countless times in the past 4 months. Mostly thinking about what to build, and what route to take. I think people in our lives add to the confusion, no matter how noble their intentions may be. Instead of relying on ourselves, we begin hoping and expecting from others. And when those hopes and expectations are not fulfilled, it leads to more angst, and confusion, and lost time. 

While I can’t bring back the lost time, I can certainly learn from my mistakes. And what I’ve learnt is that it’s better to rely on myself. And my own gut instincts. I’ve learnt that the world is poison and that it is better to ignore the world altogether. 

So in these emails, I will not burden you with more junk — you already have enough of that from the world that you subscribe to. I will try to keep it as raw as possible — straight from my heart and the hands of God. 

One goal: Financial Independence 

Motivation: Freedom 

Reliance: Self 

Path: Content (read product) – Market – Fit

Start date: Aug 2024 

Less talking. More creating… 

Take care! 
Rajat

Why I fired myself from my job

The people who know me, know that I’m kinda crazy… do what I want. Not afraid of taking risks.

Bold. Or stupid?

The past 18 months of working at Nintee, was nothing short of an experience.

I don’t mean work experience. I mean the kind of experience you get at a luxury 5 star hotel.

I don’t even know why I’m comparing Nintee to a 5 star hotel, lol.

Maybe it’s highly subjective. Perhaps it is specific to the individual.

For me, it was. Like a 5-star experience.

As I delve into the details of how that came to be, it’s hard for me to pin-point a specific thing that went well.

Maybe ‘twas the culture. Maybe it was the team. Or maybe it was my experience of working with Paras?

I don’t know…

I think it was a feeling.

A feeling of –

I trust youYou can be yourself hereWe’re all in this togetherLet’s learn this. And this. And that.How can I help you to be successful?

Minimal rules. 0 hierarchy / bureaucracy.

I could move fast.

I could get anything done.

I felt incredibly powerful. And lucky, to be working at Nintee.

For someone who loves their craft, what could be better than this?

This is also, probably why, the most amount of learning in my career has happened at Nintee.

Forget accelerated vesting. I’m talking about accelerated learning.

On top of that, I got paid to learn.

I got to work with beautiful human beings.

Why would anyone leave such an organization?

Well, because the company doesn’t need marketing right now.

It needs market-product fit.

It needs product.

So if the company doesn’t need marketing right now, what’s the point of staying in the company as a marketer?

I don’t like rent-seeking.

I have some friends though, who enjoy it.

For me, there’s nothing more dry than wasting / killing time at work.

I have to see an immediate impact of what I’m doing.

There are only so many tomorrows…

Why I Fired Myself From My Job

The people who know me, know that I’m kinda crazy… do what I want. Not afraid of taking risks.

Bold. Or stupid?

The past 18 months of working at Nintee, was nothing short of an experience.

I don’t mean work experience. I mean the kind of experience you get at a luxury 5 star hotel.

I don’t even know why I’m comparing Nintee to a 5 star hotel, lol.

Maybe it’s highly subjective. Perhaps it is specific to the individual.

For me, it was. Like a 5-star experience.

As I delve into the details of how that came to be, it’s hard for me to pin-point a specific thing that went well.

Maybe ‘twas the culture. Maybe it was the team. Or maybe it was my experience of working with Paras?

I don’t know…

I think it was a feeling.

A feeling of –

I trust youYou can be yourself hereWe’re all in this togetherLet’s learn this. And this. And that.How can I help you to be successful?

Minimal rules. 0 hierarchy / bureaucracy.

I could move fast.

I could get anything done.

I felt incredibly powerful. And lucky, to be working at Nintee.

For someone who loves their craft, what could be better than this?

This is also, probably why, the most amount of learning in my career has happened at Nintee.

Forget accelerated vesting. I’m talking about accelerated learning.

On top of that, I got paid to learn.

I got to work with beautiful human beings.

Why would anyone leave such an organization?

Well, because the company doesn’t need marketing right now.

It needs market-product fit.

It needs product.

So if the company doesn’t need marketing right now, what’s the point of staying in the company as a marketer?

I don’t like rent-seeking.

I have some friends though, who enjoy it.

For me, there’s nothing more dry than wasting / killing time at work.

I have to see an immediate impact of what I’m doing.

There are only so many tomorrows…

Why don’t you become a product manager?

Why don’t you become a product manager? she said.

“you have all the traits”

No, I was born to be a marketer.

I wouldn’t trade my love for marketing with anything else.

Not for 1 Cr.

Not for 10 Cr.

My love for marketing is far too much.

More than anything else in the world.

It comes easy to me.

I’m good at it.

& the world is willing to pay me money for it.

Turns out there are not many “good” marketers out there.

There is a secret…to everything.

The secret to being good…is just to care…a little more than anyone else.

It is to hold your craft with delicate hands

& to look at it with delicate eyes.

Not having any expectations of what it may provide,

Other than the complete immersion you feel when you’re at it.

There is no greater joy than this.

A letter to my younger brother

You are a designer,

Why are you pursuing a software internship?

As you rejoice in your first salary,

wanting to share the happiness with us,

your eyes are seeking something that is hard to explain in words…

“Look motherfuckers, I’m more capable than you thought I was..”

“Now that I’ve received my first paycheck, why don’t you admit it already”

“Do I have your respect now? Are you proud of me now..?”

Of course, you didn’t say these words — but I could feel it.

Congratulations, for falling into the trap I was in…

Getting a higher paycheck may make parents feel proud of you and even start respecting you more,

but will it satisfy your soul?

If not, then what’s the point?

One day, parents will not be beside you.

One day, your spouse, and the kids that you (may) raise won’t be beside you.

Who will you please then? Whose respect and pride will you earn then?

On the many days when you will be left all by yourself, what will you do then?

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? [Mark 8:36]

The design errors on the hotel signboard that you’ve pointed out,

Your remarks about the clothes that I’m wearing,

and the logo that I’ve made,

and the banner that I’ve designed,

about the design of my laptop,

and my phone,

and your wireless earphones,

you’ve noticed and commented on it all.

You’ve helped your batchmates in designing their website.

You learnt UI/UX design on your own, from the internet.

You applied your visual sense, and design knowledge in the little projects that you’ve chosen to do while in college.

You’ve picked up a skill for which I paid INR 60k to learn, and I still don’t “have” it yet.

And you gave it all away to pursue some random “coding” internship. Are you kidding me?

Is it because all your friends are pursuing coding internships?

Is it because coders get more fame, popularity in the college, and make more money?

Understand, my brother,

Every human being is unique.

They have their own talent(s), gifted by nature.

If you ride on a track that is against your nature, you will suffocate.

A fish doesn’t live on land, it lives under water.

And if it tries to live on land,

it dies… 

What will satisfy you?

Sex does not have the power to satisfy your soul.

I’ve met so many people from the West,

who have had sex to their hearts content, with multiple partners,

but ultimately arrived naked in Varanasi or Himachal to “find” themselves.

Many have made wealth. Built fortunes. But came back to India,

in search for something deeper.

While the whole world is crazy about sex, money, power,

these guys have had it all.

So, if what you are chasing does not have the power to satisfy your soul,

You might want to ask yourself, Where will you go?

Where will you go after “having it all”?

Who will you turn to?

What will satisfy your soul?

What has the power to give you what you are seeking?

Wait, do you even know what you are seeking?