The Income Lab | Smart Money Tips for Middle-Class Indians

🧠 Introduction If you’ve already read my posts on the 5-Hour Rule and the Skill Stack Strategy , then you already understand why consistent learning and skill stacking are the secret weapons of modern professionals. But what if you could take those same ideas and turn them into a 6-figure side income — without leaving your 9-to-5 job? That’s where the One-Year Rule comes in. A simple, realistic plan to escape paycheck dependency and build your own income stream — in just 12 months. 📅 What Is the One-Year Rule? The One-Year Rule means dedicating one focused year to build a single, scalable income source alongside your job. No quitting. No “overnight success.” Just a systematic approach that compounds like savings interest. Here’s how it works 👇 Month Range Goal Focus Area 1–3 Learn Pick one digital or freelance skill. Practice it for 1 hour/day. 4–6 Build Start small projects — portfolio, case studies, blog, or freelance samples. 7–9 Earn Start fr...

  Spoiler: I didn’t have a business plan. I didn’t spend a single rupee. I didn’t even know this would work. But six months later, I was earning ₹15,000/month in my sleep . And no—I’m not here to sell you a course. Welcome to the story of how I created a ₹0 startup and built a passive income stream using just free skills and free tools. This is not a fantasy—it’s a blueprint that you can start today . 🚫 The Myth of “You Need Money to Make Money” If you've grown up hearing “it takes money to make money,” you're not alone. But the internet changed the rules. Today, all you need is: A phone or laptop An internet connection A willingness to learn I didn’t have startup capital or investors. What I had was time after work and the hunger to stop depending entirely on my 9–5. 🎓 The Skill I Learned (For Free) That Changed Everything I stumbled onto Notion templates while organizing my daily tasks. Out of curiosity, I looked up tutorials on YouTube. I spent a week...