About 10-11 years ago I started www.subramoney.com and I made it a point to write one page a day. I still strive too (but the next 15 days is going to be tough!).

I realized that my writing would neither make me rich nor famous. There was no business model. There is no business model as of now too. I do not think a ‘business’ model will ever appear.

I have been a broker at NSE, and am a trainer in the BFSI space. I seriously enjoy training in goal setting, wealth creation, retirement planning. I have been a broker, but I am today not capable of doing training in a brokerage house. There I will have to talk about BTST, STBT, …ETC. I am sure the traders know what these acronyms mean!

There are many advantages of doing something like blogging without a business model! First of all nobody knows you! This means you go about doing your ‘job’ without ANYBODY telling you what to do. I choose my topics, tone, style, – I did not have to worry about Google’s ‘key words’ or from which geography I am getting the hits. I do have an income of Rs. 10-12k a month from Google ads, but this figure has not grown in the past few years. It takes of my utility bills, etc. and I am not complaining. Getting paid for your hobby means at least you do not go out of pocket paying for the hosting, etc. Suits me.

Advantages:

1. You can pursue exactly what you want to do without any other person dictating what to do!
2. You do not need to engage SEO or PR agency to increase your readership.
3. I could concentrate on the quality of content – and ask myself will people remember? will people learn? will they benefit?
4. I had no agenda to write well about one industry and crib about another.
5. I could say ‘term insurance’ is the only sensible life insurance.
6. I wrote about doctors, Chartered accountants, iFA, mf manufacturers…without raising an eyebrow.
7. I have been criticized, but rarely have I taken my post off – except when one organisation asked me to – AND I OBLIGED.
8. Anonymity gives tons of strength.
9. My readers are my strength – and I could criticize the mf manufacturers
10. I could write about other anon bloggers like Mfcritic.blogspot.com
11. If you are anon, you cannot be criticized – this is important in the first part of your career
12. Being famous is not really useful – you are under far more scrutiny – I am not.
13. I know many IFA who use these articles to talk to their clients – I makes me very happy.
14. Nobody knows me, nobody who expects ANYTHING!
15. When I write about a fund manager, i hate naming the fund manager, made the exception when I wrote about Naren.
16. When I critique a fund house, there is not too much anger – a slight phone call or email…and I make corrections
17. I get invited to bloggers meet, I don’t attend them.
18. One life insurance company offered me “credibility” by being on their portal, I refused to bite.

I am generally enjoying my life. I prefer being happy and satisfied to being famous. Being famous has no upside (that is what I feel) and has tons of downside.

Prefer to be satisfied, have enough for your lifetime, take your vacations, do talking assignments, – all of this is far, far more useful than being famous.

I have had my 2 bit of fame thanks to the media industry, but hey not complaining nor missing it.