Account Manager @ Kurogo | Sharing lessons from a life in Marketing

Hey, I'm Joe 👋

I post about: 

- Careers
- Marketing 
- Leadership 

Sound good?

Hit the follow button and come say hi.

Joseph Rudd

Content @ Kurogo | LinkedIn Creator Accelerator

I just moved from Bangalore to London on a fully sponsored writing job. Here's my story so far:

Age 17: did 4 internships in a gap year before my undergrad
Age 18: started writing online on Instagram, Medium, and LinkedIn
Age 19: signed my first ghostwriting client
Age 20: graduated uni with first-class distinction
Age 21: one of the youngest members of LI's creator accelerator, got paid lakhs to write here (wild)
Age 22: beat 700+ people to get my dream job in personal branding
Age 23: dropped out of a Masters degree from KCL
Age 24: moved back to London for work

I've had quite the unconventional story. 

The fact I'm the proudest of isn't any of the "achievements" but that I did it all my way.

I write mostly to my younger self. 

My journey is an example of how your life can change if you refuse to conform and earn the right to play your own game.

Today, the clients I work with at my job are multi-millionaires dominating their industries. I'm lucky I get paid to learn from them everyday.

If you'd like to get in touch with me, email me at varunkhadri@gmail.com.

Varun Khadri

I manifested moving to London at 24.

I started telling friends and family I was planning to move back months before my company agreed to sponsor my work visa.

When they said they'd be open to it in my annual review, the first thing I did was give notice to my landlord and decide I wanted to move back home to save on rent, to financially prepare for how expensive London is.

Then, for the next few months, I nagged my manager each month to get the long sponsorship process started.

UKVI kept changing the immigration rules so at one point it wasn't looking too promising.

I asked myself: "what do I need to do to make myself important enough to make my employer jump through all the hurdles in front of us, how can I work so hard and prove myself beyond a doubt to such an extent that they finally give me what I want"?

I was getting more and more determined.
I was also getting more delusional.

I set my laptop wallpaper to the London skyline as a visual reminder at the start of each day to remind myself of the end goal.

There was simply no other option in my head than to make this work.

I remember starting to look for flats and flatmates in the city the second we submitted my visa application.

Whenever I met new people and they asked me about myself, I'd casually say "I work in marketing, it's a remote job but I'm moving to London soon for it".

8 months after that first conversation with my manager about this, we finally made it happen.

Unhinged self belief + relentless action ➡️ whatever you're manifesting coming true.

Writer at Kurogo | We’ve built 350+ leading personal brands | LinkedIn Creator Accelerator alumni

100 years ago, even the richest people in the world had no hot showers, died from a simple infection (no antibiotics), and took 5 days to get to NYC from London - by ship.

The average life today is miles better than the best life just a few decades ago.

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Writer at Kurogo | We’ve built 350+ leading personal brands | LinkedIn Creator Accelerator

Brian Noel

When life feels hard, I remind myself I'm living out my childhood dreams ❤️

Do it for your younger self

My daily non-negotiables:

- 3 min meditation
- 5 mins of reading
- 5k steps
- 1 LinkedIn post
- Phoning family
- Tracking my calories
- 2.5L of water

None of these are particularly big.

People usually aim for 10k steps or 10 pages a day.

But these are my minimums I can do even on bad days, weekends, and on vacation.

Consistency > intensity for me.

Happy Women’s Day to all the women who raised me, shaped me, and tolerated me ❤️

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At 22, I walked into a hospital and got told I had high cholesterol during a routine health checkup.

This was a wake up call and I needed it.

Back then, I was:

- Overweight
- Drinking & smoking every other day
- In a bad relationship
- Miserable freelancing
- About to do a degree I knew was wrong

At 25, I’m:

- In decent shape
- Have no vices
- Love my own company
- Working a job I love
- Living in London

No 22 year old should have high cholesterol.

But I’m glad I did, because I’d never be here today without that wake up call 3 years ago.

I published my first LinkedIn post 6 years ago.

9 things that happened since then:

- Graduated with first-class distinction
- Got into the best unis in the world for post-grad
- LinkedIn paid me to write here every day
- Made $25k in my 2nd year freelancing in India
- Beat 700 people to get my dream job
- Got a sponsored work visa 
- Moved to London
- Built an audience of almost 20k of you
- Made friends I'll keep for the rest of my life

NONE of this would've happened if I didn't force myself to put my work out there.

If you don't know how to leverage your personal brand to attract opportunities, clients, and leads...

Start here (link in comments)

They told me I couldn't make money writing, I did.

They told me I couldn't get a stable job in social media, I did.

They told me I couldn't move across the world alone, I did.

They told me I couldn't juggle sport, content, and work, I did.

They told me I'd never survive as a dropout, I did.

Bottomline - they have no idea what you're capable of. Neither do you.

Keep going 👊🏻

Having an audience gives you unparalleled confidence.

I have less than 20k followers here, yet I know that:

- I’ll never struggle to get a job again 
- If I start a business, the first couple of leads will be easy
- 80% of the connection requests I send are instantly accepted
- It’s easier to make new friends because people trust you faster
- I can monetise my audience and make extra income whenever I want

A personal brand makes EVERY aspect of your life easier.

2.5 years ago, on the first day of my job, my boss Sam G. Winsbury politely told me everything I'd learnt until then was wrong.

I'd written blogs, worked at multiple agencies, and had been ghostwriting for years at that point.

But I had to learn how LinkedIn copywriting in particular, works at the highest level.

It was humbling. But also a really fun process.

True mastery is impossible if you're not willing to accept that you'll always be a student of the game.

I recently wrote a guide for new content writers who joined our team, a guide to content writing at Kurogo - Personal Branding Agency.

I haven't got it all figured out by any means, but it's a full circle moment to be able to pass on what I've learnt from the best.

Long way to go, but nice to look back on how far I've come :)

P.S. 
Hit me with your weekend plans in the comments 💬

I've been writing for a long time so very little rattles me anymore but this made me want to ragequit.

I’ve always struggled with really bad insomnia.

I used to take melatonin to help with it for the last few years.

But it was doing TOO good of a job, I ended up always feeling a little sleepy and lethargic.

Exactly one month ago I quit taking it.

The result has been many nights laying awake in bed and even when I do sleep, it’s for max 5-6 hours a night.

Obviously that’s been really hard but I’m so glad I did it because my energy levels aren’t that much lower.

And it’s a dangerous game anyway to rely on external stuff for normal bodily functions like sleep.

Proud of me for getting through this battle that nobody really sees.

P.S please don’t suggest sleep hacks in the comments I’ve already tried literally everything under the sun

The right companies will always take a chance on people with potential.

When I started my job, the company was hiring for a full-time, remote role.
But they ended up hiring me part-time, in the same city (London).

I was an incoming Masters student and could only work 20 hours a week.

Then, 2 weeks into the job, I dropped out and told them I was moving back home.

Since it was supposed to be a remote role anyway - they were fine with it.

I kept the part-time job, and since I no longer had visa restrictions, went full-time a couple of months later.

Then a year later, when I wanted them to sponsor my work visa and move back to the UK…

They eventually agreed.

Mind you - this was also a remote role with occasional in-person stuff, and sponsoring a work visa in the UK is no cheap endeavour, I was ALSO only the 2nd person they’d ever sponsored, and the first writer ever.

So I really had no business getting my way.

But they took a bet on me anyway.

Sure, one could argue I’d earned it.

But in other ways, I also got lucky, I was fortunate that the people in charge were good at spotting potential and great at taking care of their people.

Takeaway: it’s easier to get what you want when you make yourself indispensable at the right organisation.

Two years ago, the current version of my life was my dream.

Now it’s normal.

And I still catch myself thinking about what’s next… what’s missing… what I haven’t cracked yet.

That’s the trap.

We’re wired to measure the gap, not the gain.

But pause for a second.

You’re probably standing in a chapter you once hoped you’d reach.

The client you wanted,
The confidence you were building,
The skills you doubted you’d ever master,
The conversations you were once too intimidated to have.

Progress doesn’t feel like a big deal when you’re inside it.

It feels messy.
Too small.
Too slow.
Uneventful.

Until you zoom out.

I’m not where I want to be yet.

But I’m closer than I’ve ever been.
And that counts.

Yes I have places I still want to go, but where I am now isn't so bad after all.

Something nobody likes to hear but I need to say:

Instead of asking for free value from others, leverage the internet to create opportunities for yourself.

When I started creating content, I didn’t ask anyone for feedback or handouts.

When I was trying to get my dream job, I didn’t ask anyone for referrals or tips.

When I wanted to move to the UK, I didn’t text random people who had a work visa for advice or hacks.

Even when I wanted to start therapy, I just looked up different therapists and platforms on google maps.

Whatever I wanted to do, I just started.

I asked GPT, I spoke to personal connections about their experience, I watched tutorials and YouTube videos.

I’m not against helping people.

I’m just saying there’s so much free info out there today that you don’t have to rely on a stranger’s kindness to go after what you want.

Feb ‘26 recap (my most honest one yet):

1. Sometimes I forget just how beautiful London really is.

2. Getting to be at OT during our first unbeaten run for years was special.

3. Lifting consistently for the first time in my life, baby steps but can see progress already.

4. My biggest motivation to be active physically is so that I can eat like this.

5. Being around people who push me and have high standards inspires me like nothing else.

6. I have enough friends but sometimes I find it so calming to get in a pint alone.

7. There’s nothing that makes Londoners happier than sunlight (did I just call myself that!?)

8. I’ve had insomnia for years so used to take melatonin. I quit, now only get 5 hours a night on average sadly.

9. Nature (the moon, the stars, trees, sunsets) soothe me like nothing else ever can.

10. Indian food will always, ALWAYS be my favourite cuisine in the whole wide world.

How was Feb for you?

A supremely underrated skill to succeed at work as a 20-something:

Emotional equilibrium.

Nobody wants to hire or promote someone whom they can't trust to hold it together.

Can you show up as your best self at work even when life gets messy, other people get on your nerves, or you're just having a bad day, week, or month?

I'm not saying you need to bury your emotions completely and put on a happy face regardless of what's going on in your personal life.

After all, we're only human.

I'm just saying - the people who are given exciting new opportunities are the ones who are trusted the most.

If the powers don't have the confidence that you have your shit together, you're doomed.

It's okay to be emotional, but it's more important to come back to baseline quickly (at least in the workplace).

Good writers are chameleons. Top writers are masters of deception.

My manager is a Scouse lad who I struggled to understand for the first 3 months.

My longest standing client is a 52 y/o female entrepreneur who works with governments. 

My colleagues are people based all over the world. So is my audience.

And I’m a 20 something guy from India, living in London.

I’m never fake to anyone, I don’t change my accent, I’m never dishonest about who I am.

But one skill that I’ve mastered is how to adapt depending on who I’m dealing with.

Don’t underestimate how far cultural awareness can take you.

Simply fitting in in rooms you’ve never been a part of before can be a cheat code for a great career.

I've woken up in a bad mood every day this week.

So every morning I'd tell myself "let me do the bare minimum today and just focus on getting through the day".

But something strange started happening.

I'd start the day in a bad mood.

But as I went about my day speaking with my team, collaborating with my clients, catching up with my loved ones, going on walks...

Like clockwork, every single time, I automatically felt more motivated and naturally ditched the "bare minimum" approach without even realising it.

2 learnings from this:

- Good mood often follows movement, just sitting in bed and moping around rarely makes me feel better. You don't have to conquer the world, but do SOMETHING, because you'll build momentum and feel better in the process.

- How lucky am I that my daily routine gives me energy on bad days even if I had none when I woke up? I'm actually really proud of having built a life where doing just simple, everyday stuff gives me joy when I need it most.

P.S.
Saturday plans?

A list of all the things you got through when you didn't think you could ⬇️

- Going out alone
- Losing someone who passed away
- Losing someone who didn't
- The first heartbreak
- When they shattered your trust
- When you were judged or mocked by strangers
- When you were too depressed to get out of bed
- The moments you didn't want to live anymore
- Losing that client or the internship or the job that really mattered
- Moving out of your childhood home
- Living away from family
- Making that dumb purchase
- Whatever you're going through at the moment

Your past is the best proof of how strong you are and how much you can endure.

You're going to be fine ❤️

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The Battle

Joseph Rudd

Varun Khadri

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The Battle

Joseph Rudd

Varun Khadri

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Varun Khadri's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreVarun Khadri's LinkedIn Performance