⏱ 8 min read
FROM
MANIPUR
TO PUNE
My freelancing journey. Not the polished LinkedIn version the real one. With the late nights, the near-resignation emails I almost didn't send, and what nine years actually taught me about building something that's yours.
The Route
15+
Years Design/Coding
50+
Client projects
India, US, Caribbean
0
Regrets about quitting
Manipur
Pune
9+ YRS
Freelancing full-time
World
Where clients are
The Boy in Manipur with a Slow Computer
Where curiosity started before freelancing had a name
Looking back now, it feels as though I’ve lived two lives stitched together by curiosity, grit, and the stubborn belief that something different was possible. But at the time, none of it felt like a story. It felt like uncertainty, slow internet, and a lot of late nights staring at code I didn’t fully understand yet.
I remember sitting at a computer a slow one, with a connection that dropped more than it worked and discovering that someone on the other side of the world had built a website. Not a company. A person. And people were reading it. I didn’t fully understand HTML yet, but I understood that: a person with a skill and an internet connection could reach anywhere. That idea never really left me.
Somorjit Konthoujam
The Move, the Corporate Job, and the Evenings
WordPress changed things. At the time, most people saw it as a blogging tool something for personal diaries and hobby sites. For me, it became a playground, a product, and eventually a profession. The first time I built a complete site for a small local business and watched them use it actually use it, actually update their own content I felt something that no corporate project had given me: direct, visible impact.
The Dilemma No One Talks About Honestly
The corporate job was comfortable. Every month, the paycheck arrived on time a reassuring anchor when bills and responsibilities felt real and immediate. And yet.
There’s a particular kind of numbness that comes from doing work that’s technically fine but doesn’t reach you. The work wasn’t bad. The company wasn’t bad. But I was operating on something close to autopilot competent, present, and quietly somewhere else.
The Comfortable Side
- Predictable monthly paycheck
- HR policies as a safety net
- Colleagues and structure
- Family's peace of mind
- Clear path even if narrow
The Alive Side
- Diverse, interesting problems
- Direct impact, visible results
- Global clients, no geography ceiling
- Growing faster, learning more
- Building something that's mine
SENT THE EMAIL.
OTHER NIGHTS I CLOSED THE LAPTOP.
BOTH WERE NECESSARY.
— Somorjit Konthoujam
Taking the Leap - What Actually Made It Possible
The leap wasn’t a spontaneous act of courage. I’ve heard that version of the story from others and it always makes me slightly suspicious. The real version is more mundane and more honest: I prepared until the risk was manageable, then I decided.
I saved a financial cushion enough months of living expenses to survive without panicking if nothing came in immediately. I learned to budget not as deprivation but as design knowing exactly what the floor looked like. And most importantly, I spent those dual-life years building relationships with clients who trusted my work and returned for more.
Year One — Month by Month (Realistic)
1
Month 1–2
The Slow Start
One or two small projects, mostly from warm network. Income is low. Lots of proposal writing, a few rejections. This is normal not a signal to go back. Focus on getting your first testimonial, not your first big payday.
2
Month 1–2
First Momentum
3
Month 5–7
Finding Your Groove
4
Month 8–10
Establishing Patterns
5
Month 11–12
Year-One Reflection
The Turning Point
The moment that made the decision easier to execute was concrete rather than emotional. Freelance projects started paying more consistently than my corporate role. Not dramatically more just steadily, reliably more. And the work felt alive in a way the office work didn’t. That combination financial parity, higher growth rate, and the texture of the work made what had previously felt like a leap feel like the obvious next step.
I finally sent the email. Not with certainty that it would work but with enough preparation that I knew I could handle the uncertainty. Nervous, but not reckless. Determined, but not naive. That was the right combination.
The Timeline — Key Moments
2000s
Manipur — The First Spark
Studies
Evening Experiments Begin
Split
Both Worlds at Once
The Resignation Email — Sent.
Finding the Groove
First international clients US, Caribbean. First retainer relationships. Rates raised twice. Started specialising in WordPress performance rather than general development.
15+ Years In Still Building
The Anchors That Kept Me Grounded
“The discipline of lifting weights taught me consistency. The camaraderie of football reminded me I wasn’t alone. These routines kept me grounded even when the uncertainty of freelancing felt overwhelming and in the early years, it sometimes did.”
What Nine Years Actually Taught Me
01
Geography Doesn't Limit Skill
02
Relationships Are the Real Flywheel
03
Consistency Beats Motivation
04
Balance Is Not a Luxury
05
Specialisation Compounds
Starting as a generalist made sense early on. But the real leverage came from going deep on WordPress performance specifically becoming someone clients seek out for a specific skill rather than someone who competes on price for any available project.
06
The Work Is Never Really Finished
Nine years in, I’m still learning new tools, new patterns, new client types. The developer who stops learning in this field has already started falling behind. Curiosity isn’t just a personality trait here; it’s a career requirement.
WHAT I KNOW NOW
With a buffer saved and diversified clients, the income anxiety fades much faster than expected. Year three felt very different from year one.
Specialisation is where leverage lives. Becoming the go-to person for WordPress performance and speed earned more and competed less than offering general development.
Looking Forward — Still That Boy at the Slow Computer
I WORK WITH
STARTUPS
ENTREPRENEURS
AND THE WORLD.
But deep inside, I’m still that boy in Manipur sitting at a slow computer, dreaming big. Freelancing hasn’t changed that it’s just given it more room to breathe.
But the things that drove me from Manipur the curiosity, the belief that skills travel farther than geography, the satisfaction of building something that works and watching someone use it those haven’t changed at all.
At the crossroads yourself?
Need a WordPress partner?
If you’re a business looking for a developer who builds fast, performs well, and doesn’t disappear after handover let’s talk.
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WordPress Performance Expert & AI-Driven Developer with 15+ years of experience. Based in Pune, India. I help businesses get faster sites, better rankings, and launch-ready pages.
Where curiosity started
Evenings that built everything
Security vs. aliveness
What made it possible
Gym, football, balance
6 hard-won lessons
Still building