Kurogo

Content Writer

We create thought leaders through personal branding

Post-Grad Survival Guide

Took over the publication from my friend Tom. With 44K+ followers on Medium, we're one of the biggest publications on Medium. We help 20-somethings live happier & healthier lives.

Editor in Chief

FinGhost.io

Helping finance and real estate professionals build their audiences on LinkedIn

Writer

Foundry 

Writing content for world-class professionals and industry leaders across niches such as Law, Tech, AI, Business, and more.

Kohort

Head of Content

Building the copy for the website, creating eye-catching LinkedIn posts for the founder, and writing informative articles, among other things.

Ghostwriting & Copywriting Consultant

Mobco Media

Helped build the CEO's personal brand through LinkedIn and writing articles on highly reputed websites like Forbes.com and Entrepreneur.com.

Ghostwriting Consultant

LinkedIn

The LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Program is an initiative designed to invest in creators. In India, 200 creators were selected from all over the country and given financial grants, resources, and mentorship from the country’s leading creators and executives. I was one of the youngest people selected for the program and worked alongside thought leaders from various industries.

LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Program India 2022

upGrad

I was a part of the Business Intelligence team for most of my tenure at the company. Among other things, I also worked in Talent & Acquisition, helped organize and manage the National Sales Meet 2021, and worked on researching colleges and subject matter experts in the course-building process.

Business Intelligence

WellnessCalendar.ai

Wrote, edited, and published content, based primarily in the niches of Health, Wellness, and Fitness. I also wrote captions for Social Media, emails, and posts for the Founders’ handles.

Torrey Pines Foods

Responsible for designing, creating, and publishing all of the company’s Social Media content, campaigns, and generating leads through Social Media platforms and other online mediums.

Social Media Strategist

Content @ Kurogo | LinkedIn Creator Accelerator

Dropped out of a Masters degree at my dream uni to write online.

The clients I work with are multi-millionaires dominating their industries.

I write content at Kurogo, the go-to personal branding agency in the UK. We create thought leaders.

I also head The Post Grad Survival Guide, a Medium publication focused on navigating your 20s, started by my friend Tom. We're one of the biggest on the platform.

In 2022, I was 1 out of the 200 people selected by LinkedIn in the India edition of the Creator Accelerator Program.

On my personal LinkedIn, I create content about habits that work for me and the harsh lessons life has taught me. I've garnered 10M+ views so far.

My interests outside work are Football, Badminton, and Gaming.

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

Friendly reminder: nobody is as successful as they seem on LinkedIn.

Nobody’s life is as glamorous as their Instagram.

Nobody’s making as much money as they say on Twitter.

They might not be lying, but none of us tell the whole truth on social media.

Don’t compare your worst day with someone’s best.

Varun Khadri

One of my closest friends works 2 full-time jobs.

He’s the most balanced person I know.

He has a:

- Consistent gym routine
- Healthy sleep schedule
- Decent social circle
- Great family life

His secret:

❌ He’s off most socials.
❌ He doesn’t smoke.
❌ He doesn’t Netflix.
❌ He doesn’t drink.

Amazing how much you can do when you eliminate distractions.

If it matters to you, you’ll make the time.

If it doesn’t, you’ll make excuses.

Think this lifestyle is boring? 

Yup, but boring is effective.

Today, I woke up and booked a flight across the country.

Just because I felt like it.

I wanted to see a couple of family members whom I hadn’t for a while.

Money doesn’t buy you happiness.
It buys you freedom.

The freedom to not look at prices.
The freedom to just get up and leave.

(Not just physically leave but also out of bad jobs, houses, relationships, etc)

It’s the little things that make a big difference for me.

I grew up traveling in buses and trains.

Then even when we could afford flights, it was always red eyes which destroy your routine.

So investing in comfort and buying back my time feels extra special today.

Being able to travel wherever I want whenever I want is a blessing I’ll never take for granted 🙏🏻

Cheat code to get hired:

Just follow the instructions.

I posted yesterday that I’m looking for a freelance graphic designer.

I couldn’t have been clearer with my instructions.

I was as specific as I could possibly be.

Yet 40 people:

- Asked ME to reach out to them🤣.
- Sent me connection requests.
- DMed me with random stuff.
- Commented “interested”.
- Wanted to book calls in.
- Sent me their portfolios.

Not a single person did the assignment.

Literally zero people followed the simple instructions.

The bar to get hired has never been lower.

Just do what’s asked and you’re already ahead of almost everyone else.

8 superpowers that anyone can build:

(These helped me build my dream carreer)

- Be reliable.
- Be likeable. 
- Always be an optimist.
- Dress up (yes looks matter).
- Listen more than you speak.
- Show up when you don’t feel like.
- Do more than what you’re paid for.
- Build a reputation of “figuring it out”.
- Help others without making it a transaction.

Being someone who can be trusted to get things done will put you ahead of 99% of people.

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I’m so sick of people asking me to write sh!t for them.

No, I will not work for you for free.

These are not bad people.

Some of them are even people I love.

But how would you feel if I asked you to do your job for free?

How would you feel if I EXPECTED you to do more work on top of your existing workload?

The entitlement is what pi$$es me off.

You’d never expect a barber to give you a trim for free.

You’d never expect a consultant to make you a deck for free.

So why writers?

Over the years, I’ve been asked by people to help with LI posts, emails, CVs, and even messages.

It’s not just “one post” or “one write-up”.

It’s spending my most valuable asset (creative energy).

This isn’t selfish, this is common sense.

I’d never ask anyone to do their job for me for free.

So why would I do my job for them randomly?

P.S.

The worst is when you force yourself to do it for them and then they have comments and feedback on it :)

The sheer audacity 😡

I’ve been creating content daily for 4 years now.

I have 35K+ followers across platforms.

The harshest lesson I’ve learned along the way:

Leave your ego at the door.

You’re not the hero of this story.
The viewer is.

Nobody cares about what you’re saying…
Unless you show what’s in it for them.

This doesn’t mean you should never have fun creating.

Document your life, make art, create because you enjoy the process.

Just figure out how to make all that helpful to the consumer.

Otherwise, nobody will pay attention.

My biggest learning after 3 years of working with the rich and famous:

Nobody has any idea what they’re doing.

Normal people think those at the top have it all figured out.

Wrong.

Their lives are just as messy.
They’re just as clueless as you and I.
They’re figuring everything out on the go too.

Only difference is:
Uncertainty doesn’t stop them from taking action.

Get good at not knowing how things will turn out but executing anyway.

Your ability to endure rejections will determine your success.

Here’s what I’ve gotten rejected from this month alone:

- AMEX credit card: 3rd time
- A job I applied to: over a year ago
- 7 cabs: I’m not joking, I live in BLR lol
- A founders club: I’m not even a founder 🤣
- India Young Professionals Scheme: google 

If I list out everything I’ve been rejected from in 2024, this post will be a blog.

The point is - you’ve got to be shameless.

You’ve got to ask for things you have no business getting.

Because…you just might get them.
One or two crazy yeses are all you need.

If you ask, the answer might be no. 
If you don’t ask, it’ll ALWAYS be a no.

Don’t annoy people with your persistence.

But stay at it - it’s not supposed to work out instantly.

The most expensive shoes I’ve bought give me horrendous shoe bites.

Some of the richest people in the world have failed marriages.

Chelsea FC spent an ungodly amount of money on players and are still bad.

Money doesn’t buy peace.
Money doesn’t buy contentment.

More money ≠ higher quality beyond a point.

People are very quick to judge social media jobs as:

- Unserious
- Unstable
- Unreal

Until they have to create some content themselves…

Then they:

- Ask you for help
- Realise how hard it is
- Or ask you for tools you use

Everyone secretly wants to be a Creator.

Getting paid to express yourself is the dream.

Content creation will be the most sought after job in the 2030s.

It’s easy to see the negative.

It’s easy to look at the problems.

It’s easy to rant on social media.

It’s easy to join the herd.

It’s easy to be angry.

It’s easy to jump on the bandwagon.

It’s easy to publicise the bad.

It’s easy to focus on the worst parts.

It’s hard to be grateful.

It’s hard to look at the bright side.

It’s hard to find the positives.

I choose hard every day of the week.

Happy 78th Independence Day ❤️

When I was in college, I thought it was hard.

Then I entered the real world.

You realise how easy college actually is once you become a proper adult.

- You know exactly where to be
- You get points for just showing up
- There’s no pressure to make money 
- You literally can’t fail if you listen in class

Compare that to being in the real world:

-> It’s on you to figure out where to go
-> Doing the bare minimum isn’t enough
-> You’re constantly thinking about finances
-> Failures are always around just the corner

The best decision I’ve ever made was to start building while still in college.

These are the best years of your life…

But they’re also the most important years of your life.

I’m going to sound old but:

Have fun but ensure you’re also setting the right foundation for a successful career.

You’re looking for love on dating apps.

You’re looking to fit in when you’re clearly different from the crowd.

You’re looking for happiness in your bank account.

You’re looking for fun at parties when fun for you is waking up early and working out.

We look in the wrong places because:

- It’s easier
- It’s normalised by society
- It gives us instant validation

But no matter how hard you look…

You’ll never find gold in a gutter.

My no. 1 piece of advice to new Creators:

(after building an audience of 35K+ people)

Shortening attention spans are a myth.

We still love listening to our favorite pods.
We still remember the lyrics to our favorite song.
We still watch thrillers from the edge of our seats.

Create things that are impossible to ignore.

Life is won in “the middle”.

The start is easy.
You have beginner’s luck and excitement.

The end is simple enough too.
How far you’ve come motivates you to finish strong.

The middle is where you’re the lowest on drive.

- You’re tired.
- You’re bored.
- You want results.

Seth Godin calls this “the dip”.

The dip is the most important part of the journey.

It’s the part of the process that separates the best from the rest.

Beginners quit and unpassionate people fall away.

Those who keep going past the middle win.

You can get ridiculously far by just outlasting the crowd.

p.s
Yes, my handwriting sucks.
No, I don't care.

Do you really want to be normal?

Most people hate their job.
Most people are miserable.
Most people aren’t in shape.
Most people don’t have savings.

Be careful what you wish for.

We all want to fit in.

But fitting in is a one-way ticket to mediocrity.

The greats are weird.
They’re mocked and judged.
But they’re also obsessed.

They’re not like everyone else.
Because they don’t want everyone else’s life.

Society has normalised all the wrong things.

You’re the odd one out if you:

- Don’t drink
- Don’t smoke
- Wake up early
- Watch what you eat
- Are focused on hustling

So f*ck being normal.

You were born to stand out.

I treat everything in life as an experiment.

This is what my experiment of living alone was like.

What’s next:

- Lots of travel
- Enjoying time back home
- A potential move to my dream city 🤫

P.S.
I change my mind all the time on everything, so who really knows tbh?

It's 1 am.

I'm high as hell on pain meds.

I just went for a long walk in the rain.

I needed to clear my head.

I've been so unbelievably frustrated with my body lately.

(this is the first time I'm talking publically about this).

One major injury after another.
One hospital visit after another.
Endless scans and treatments.
Endlessly over the last few months.

I've functioned and played with so much pain already.
I'm not sure how much more I can take.
Or how much more my body can take.

In all this, my mind is the one that's going to suffer.
Because when I can't do much physically...
It's my mind that becomes my own worst enemy.

I hate life right now.

But then again... I don't. Not really at least.

I might not be able to work properly right now but I'm still glad I'm in a line of work that feels like fun (most times) in the first place.

My friends and family might be sick of me talking about this health BS... but at least I have an audience here whom I can talk to about anything, anytime.

Being an athlete and not being allowed to do the one thing you love doing sucks.

But that's a part of the game. 
Everyone has to go through that at some point. 
Maybe I'm struggling so much just because these are my first MAJOR injuries, you know? 
I can't even imagine a world where I can neither use my hands nor legs properly.

But life is long. 
How lucky have I been to be using the gift of sports for so long now - even though it was given to me through none of my own doing? 

How lucky am I to just have my body in one piece and my future ahead of me? Many people don't get so lucky.

So life is good, life is fun.

You just have to zoom out a little sometimes to realize that your life isn't so bad after all.

I hope I made any sense at all but since I'm as high as a kite right now, I'll stop here.

Thanks for listening

Time management hacks that enable me to do two jobs at once:

In a distracted world, focus is a superpower.

Productivity to me is doing less but better.

I don’t do:

❌ Random phone calls.
❌ Spontaneous errands.
❌ Unscheduled catch-ups.

This enables me to:

✅ Work 60 hours a week without burning out.
✅ Pursue side projects and hobbies.
✅ Whilst also still being in shape.

There’s no such thing as “I don’t have time”.

You make time for what matters.

P.S.
I’m talking about content creation and work, not two corporate jobs.

Taplio

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