For many young professionals, landing a high-paying tech job is considered the ultimate career milestone. Walking away from this stability, especially when the combined annual salary is ₹35 lakh, seems almost unimaginable. But Muskaan Mittal and Aashish Gupta made exactly that choice. The pair gave up their high-paying tech careers to become full-time content creators. What started as a travel video during a vacation in Vietnam has now turned into a business that reportedly generated over ₹1 crore in a single year. His journey reflects how India’s fast-growing creative economy is opening up unconventional career opportunities, but also highlights the risks, persistence and business acumen required to succeed.
A software developer and data analyst quit his job to start a ₹1 crore creative business. (Photo: IG)
From software developer and data analyst to full-time creators
Before becoming social media influencers, Muskaan and Aashish worked in the technology sector. According to the couple, Muskaan worked as a software developer with an annual salary of around ₹23 lakh, while Aashish worked as a data analyst, earning approximately ₹12 lakh annually. Together, they earned close to ₹ 35 lakh a year, a level of financial security that many professionals aspire to achieve. His content creation journey began unexpectedly. While traveling in Vietnam, they documented parts of their trip and uploaded a video online. The video reportedly surpassed 20,000 views, encouraging them to experiment more with creating digital content. Initially, content creation remained a side project alongside their full-time jobs.
His first collaboration with the brand earned only ₹15,000
The pair started creating content regularly in May 2023. For several months, there was little economic return. Their first paid collaboration came in October 2023, earning them ₹15,000. Despite balancing demanding business work with content creation, they continued to publish consistently. By the end of their first year, they had reportedly earned around ₹6.5 lakh through brand collaborations and other creative opportunities. Although the income was significantly less than their corporate salaries, it gave them confidence that content creation could become a sustainable career.
The big decision: leaving corporate careers
In 2024Muskaan and Aashish made the decision to quit their tech jobs and become full-time creators. The move came with great uncertainty. Unlike salaried employment, the creator economy offers no guaranteed monthly income. Earnings depend on audience engagement, brand partnerships, affiliate marketing, digital products and other revenue streams that may fluctuate throughout the year. According to the couple, their first full year as professional creators was transformative. They signed on with a creative management agency, expanded into affiliate marketing, and hosted their first group travel experience for followers. By the end of 2024, they claimed to have earned approximately ₹45.3 lakh, surpassing the combined salaries they previously earned in the tech sector.
Crossing the ₹1 crore milestone
The following year was another major leap. The couple decided to leave their management agency after feeling undervalued and began managing partnerships independently. They diversified their sources of income by focusing on:
- Brand collaborations
- Affiliate Marketing
- YouTube and Facebook monetization
- Sale of digital products
- Selected group travel experiences
According to the figures they shared, these efforts helped them generate Rs 1.09 crore during 2025. In the first four months of the current year alone, they said they have already earned ₹21.6 lakh, while clarifying that these figures represent gross revenue and do not take into account business expenses.
The creator economy is about more than social media fame
Stories like Muskaan and Aashish highlight a major shift in India’s job landscape. Today’s content creators are building more and more businesses instead of just relying on viral videos. Revenue can come from a variety of sources, including advertising, sponsorships, affiliate commissions, digital products, memberships, workshops and selected travel experiences. However, success rarely happens overnight. The pair spent months creating content before receiving their first paid collaboration, and even after quitting their jobs, they continued to experiment with different business models before finding sustainable growth.
What students and young professionals can learn
Muskaan and Aashish’s journey is not simply about quitting corporate jobs. It demonstrates the importance of testing an idea before taking a major career risk. Instead of quitting right away, they built their audience while continuing their full-time jobs, gained hands-on experience, made an initial income, and only then moved into full-time entrepreneurship. His story also illustrates that creating content today requires skills beyond just making videos. Marketing, branding, negotiation, audience engagement, financial planning and business development play an equally important role. As India’s digital economy continues to expand, careers in the creative ecosystem are increasingly viable, but require consistency, adaptability and patience as much as creativity. For students considering unconventional career paths, her experience serves as a reminder that success often comes not from following popular trends, but from building sustainable skills and treating passion like a business. Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly shared information by Muskaan Mittal and Aashish Gupta through their social media platforms. The revenue figures mentioned are self-reported by the creators and have not been independently verified by The Times of India. Earnings can represent gross income before expenses, taxes and other business costs. The article is for informational purposes only.