This Influencer Quit Her Big Four Job to Create Content Full-Time

• Tanvi Shah increased her Instagram following from 5,000 to more than 38,000 in about three years.
• The 26-year-old decided to leave her Big Four firm job after realizing she could earn just as much.
• Shah said the corporate world affected her mental health and her job satisfaction is now higher.

When Tanvi Shah left her corporate job at a Big Four accounting firm she knew she was taking a huge risk by giving up her monthly salary to become an influencer full-time. 

“It was terrifying and I’m still very scared,” she told Insider. At first her parents didn’t understand the potential of social media. “It was a huge relief for them knowing that I have a foundation to fall back on and the worst case scenario is I can get another job.”

Shah said when she started posting regularly on social media she hadn’t considered it becoming her main source of income.

Then when the pandemic started she began putting more time into creating videos that offer career advice for social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

“I started to invest more time in increasing the quality of images and videos and in the process worked with lots of businesses,” she said.

“My following grew rapidly as I was talking about things that were not typically discussed like mental health when working in the corporate space and being South Asian.”

Shah content found an audience and within a year she considered how she could monetize her following.

Before Shah started creating higher-quality content she had 5,000 followers on Instagram, which then doubled to 10,000 early on in the pandemic. She now has more than 38,000 followers on Instagram and about 70,000 on TikTok. 

The social media influencer says her earnings per post depends on how much work she gets a month or what brand she works with.

“The goal has been to match my salary of £3,000 ($3,600) a month. Fees for a post starts from £200 ($242) but sometimes a large brand will opt for a content package, such as an Instagram reel and a TikTok video. The biggest deal has been £1,500 ($1819) for one brand that wanted three pieces of content.”