I didn’t jump into entrepreneurship straight out of college.

I spent 18+ years in the corporate world... working with big brands like Yahoo!, Vodafone, Airtel, Sony Ericsson and others.

I was the “marketing guy” who sat in campaign meetings, planned big launches, watched agencies pitch creative ideas, and saw crores being spent on ad films and hoardings.

From the outside, it looked successful:
good salary, big brands on the CV, flights, fancy hotels.

But inside, there was this constant whisper:

“You are meant for more than this.
One day, you should build something of your own.”

One day finally came.
I left the corporate world and started my first business.

And then reality slapped me.

I ended up losing almost ₹10 Lakhs
and 18 months of my life trying to “figure it out.”

• No clear niche.
• No clear positioning.
• Just a lot of effort and a very confused strategy.

Today, people know me as an AI Storytelling & Business Coach.
I help coaches, experts and entrepreneurs turn their life stories + skills into a powerful, profitable niche.

But this clarity was born from that painful period of complete confusion... even after almost two decades of corporate experience.

If you’ve ever thought:

“Should I choose my niche based on my skills?”
or
“Should I choose my niche based on my life experiences?”

…then this is for you. Because I tried both, and almost broke myself in the process.

The Identity Crash After Corporate

In corporate life, your identity is handed to you:

• You have a designation
• You have a brand name behind you
• You have a team, an office, a system

When someone asks, “What do you do?” you can confidently say:

“I’m with Yahoo! / Vodafone / Sony Ericsson. I handle XYZ.”

The logo on your visiting card does half the work for you.

But when I stepped out and became “on my own,” suddenly:

• There was no brand name behind me
• There was no fixed role
• There was no ready-made identity

For the first time in years, I had to answer:

“Who am I without a company logo?
And what exactly do I do — for whom?”

I wish I could tell you I got that answer in a week.

I didn’t.

Instead, I spent 18 months trying different things, burning money, and confusing myself.. and everyone around me.

Mistake #1: Using Corporate Skills to Chase Any “Profitable” Niche

Coming from corporate, I thought the answer was simple:

“Just use your skills and find a profitable niche.”

I had skills:

• Marketing strategy
• Brand building
• Campaign planning
• Working with agencies
• Understanding consumers
• Later, a strong interest in AI and digital tools

So I tried to convert these into offers:

• Helping with marketing
• Supporting e-commerce
• Advising on campaigns
• Doing “a bit of everything” for anyone who needed help

On paper, it sounded smart.
In practice, it looked like this:

• My message was blurry
• My audience was “anyone who needs marketing help”
• My offers were not sharp, more like a menu

Yes, corporate skills gave me confidence.
But they also gave me a false sense of clarity.

I was trying to build my niche only from what I could do, not from who I really wanted to serve and what I had really lived through.

The result?

• Confused positioning
• Random projects
• No strong brand
• And that ₹10 Lakh burn spread over experiments, tools, services, and wrong decisions

Mistake #2: Swinging to the Other Extreme — Only Story, No Structure

After that loss, something shifted.

I went deeply inwards.

I looked at:

• The pain of watching savings disappear
• The guilt of thinking, “Was it a mistake to leave a stable job?”
• The feeling of being “behind” while ex-colleagues climbed the corporate ladder
• The inner battle between ego and purpose

Around this time, spirituality and Gurbani weren’t just concepts... they became support systems.
They kept me grounded through the ups and downs.

I realised I had a strong story of second innings, of:

• Falling, questioning, doubting
• Getting back up
• And slowly finding a path

I thought:

“Maybe my niche is just this ... I’ll inspire people with my story.”

But here’s the tough truth:

• Inspiration is not a business model.
• “I went through a lot” is not a niche yet.

My story was powerful, yes.
But it still needed structure, a clear who, problem, and result.

Otherwise I risked becoming another “motivational content creator” ... which I never wanted.

The Real Breakthrough: Combining Corporate Skills + Painful Experience

The real clarity came when I asked myself:

“Who do I understand better than most, because I’ve walked their path?”

The answer was obvious:

• Mid-career professionals
• Coaches and experts in their second innings
• People who had given years to corporate life and now wanted their own thing
• People who felt they had wasted time, lost money, or missed their chance

Then I asked:

“What am I uniquely equipped to give them — thanks to my 18+ years in corporate, my losses, and my learning?”

The answer:

• Storytelling from a marketer’s lens
• Positioning and niche clarity
• Using AI and digital tools to do what earlier only big brands could do
• Turning scattered skills and experiences into a clear brand and business

That’s when my niche started to crystallise into something like:

I help coaches, experts and entrepreneurs in their second innings
turn their life experiences and skills into a powerful, profitable niche
using AI-powered storytelling and simple systems.

Now my 18+ years in corporate weren’t a separate chapter.
They were the bridge:

• I know how brands are built
• I know how stories are shaped
• I know how much money is wasted when there is no clarity
• I know the emotional shock of stepping out of corporate and feeling like you’re starting from zero

And my ₹10 Lakh loss and 18 months of confusion stopped being a shameful secret.

They became my proof:

“I’ve already paid the price for these lessons.
You don’t have to.”

Skills vs Life Experience: What Should You Use for Your Niche?

Let’s break it down, especially if you’re a mid-career professional, coach or expert.

Corporate & Skill-Based Niche

Pros:

• Easy to explain: “I do XYZ for ABC.”
• Clear services: consulting, coaching, marketing, tech, etc.
• You can start earning faster.
• Feels “safe” because you’re using what you already know.

Cons:

• You sound like many others with similar corporate backgrounds.
• Your personal brand doesn’t stand out.
• It may feel like you’ve just changed your boss, not your life.

Experience & Story-Based Niche

Pros:

• Deep emotional connection with your audience.
• Your story is unique and uncopyable.
• It reconnects you with a sense of purpose.
• People feel seen, not just “served.”

Cons:

• Without a clear offer, it stays “inspiring” but vague.
• Monetisation gets difficult if you only share pain without a path.
• You can get stuck reliving the past instead of leading others.

The Sweet Spot

For me, and for many I now coach, the answer is:

Don’t choose between skills and life experience.
Build your niche at the intersection of both.

Your best niche will likely be:

• Rooted in a pain you’ve lived through
• Leveraging the skills you’ve built over years (including corporate)
• Serving a specific group of people you deeply understand
• Leading them to a clear transformation

A Practical 5-Step Exercise (Especially for Ex-Corporate Professionals)

Take 15 minutes. Seriously. This can save you months and lakhs.

Step 1: List Your Corporate Superpowers

Not just designations - actual skills and insights:

• What did people rely on you for?
• Strategy? Execution? Relationships? Storytelling? Problem-solving?
• What did you do better than most colleagues?

Step 2: List Your Turning Points (Highs & Lows)

Examples:

• Your decision to quit corporate
• A failed business
• A health scare
• A major project success that changed how you see yourself
• Financial loss (like my ₹10 Lakhs)
• A spiritual or mindset shift

Step 3: Match Skills to Scars

Ask:

• “Which skills could have helped my younger self suffer less?”
• “How can I turn what I know + what I’ve lived into a path for others?”

Example:

• 18+ years in corporate marketing
• Lost money trying to start a random business
• Now help mid-career professionals avoid that confusion and build a niche that honours both their skills and story

Step 4: Define Your “WHO”

Be specific:

• “Mid-career professionals who left corporate and are confused about online business”
• “Women in their 30s–50s who took a career break and now want a dignified second innings”
• “Coaches who have expertise but no clear niche or story”

Step 5: Craft a 90-Day Transformation

Complete this:

“In 90 days, I help [WHO] go from [PAIN]
to [RESULT] using [YOUR METHOD].”

For example:

“In 90 days, I help second-innings coaches and experts go from confused, invisible and niche-less
to having a clear story, sharp niche, and AI-powered content system
that consistently attracts the right clients.”

That’s the level of clarity you want.

Why I’m Grateful for Corporate and the ₹10 Lakh Loss

Would I advise you to lose money and wander for 18 months?
No.

But am I grateful for it now?
Yes.

Because:

• My corporate years taught me how brands and stories are built at scale.
• My business loss taught me what happens when you have action but no clarity.
• My second innings taught me how to blend story, skills, AI and spirituality into something meaningful.

Now, when I work with someone who’s:

• Leaving corporate
• Afraid of wasting their savings
• Unsure how to choose a niche
• Feeling “late” in life or business

…I’m not talking from theory.

I’m talking from experience - corporate meeting rooms, lonely mornings after failure, and the quiet determination of starting again.

Final Thought: Your Logo Has Changed. Your Value Hasn’t.

If you’re in your second innings...  leaving or having left corporate...  remember this:

• The logo on your LinkedIn has changed.
• Your email signature has changed.
• But your value, your story, your skills, and your potential have not.

Your niche doesn’t have to be a random “profitable” idea.

It can be the most honest expression of:

Everything you’ve learned in 18+ years
× Everything you’ve survived
× Everyone you now feel called to help

That combination is powerful.

And if my journey...  from Yahoo! and Vodafone meetings to losing ₹10 Lakhs, to finally becoming an AI Storytelling & Business Coach ... can help you avoid even a part of that confusion…

Then every rupee and every sleepless night was worth it.