Bengaluru CA left a Rs 28 LPA job at 26: ‘At 27, I struggled to build consistent income’. Ex-Deloitte and KPMG employee shares what building from scratch looked like

Walking away from a Rs 28 LPA salary can look like a bold success story in hindsight. But for Bengaluru-based CA Meenal Goel, the decision came with uncertainty, inconsistent income and plenty of setbacks. After starting with what she called a “safe” career path, Goel moved into consulting, eventually left her well-paying job at 26 and began building something of her own. Years later, she says the journey involved failures, uncomfortable decisions and repeatedly showing up when the excitement disappeared.

Meenal Goel left her Rs 28 LPA job at 26

Goel shared her career journey on social media, beginning with the choices she made after qualifying as a chartered accountant. At 21, she was a newly qualified CA with what she described as a “safe” career path. A year later, she decided to move away from the comfort of taxation and choose uncertainty through consulting. Her biggest career pivot came at 26, when she left her Rs 28 LPA job to build something of her own.

But leaving a high-paying job did not immediately translate into success. At 27, Goel said she “struggled to build consistent income.”

Rebuilding her career from scratch

The following year became another turning point. At 28, Goel said she rebuilt her professional life, working on everything from pricing and positioning to clients and confidence. There were no major headlines or funding announcements behind the process.

As she put it, there were “no headlines” and “no funding round”, only a lot of quiet and uncomfortable work. That period eventually helped her build a new career around personal branding and content.

From uncertainty to a profitable business

Today, Goel says she runs a profitable personal-branding and content business. She works with founders and companies across India and earns from a skill she once questioned whether anyone would value. But despite reaching this stage, she says the failures have not disappeared.

Goel admitted that she still faces setbacks every week, including deals that do not close, content that fails to perform and plans that do not work out. For her, success has not meant eliminating failure. It has meant learning to continue despite it.

‘Nobody posts about this part’

Goel pointed out that social media often shows only the polished version of entrepreneurship. People share their wins, revenue screenshots and growth graphs, she noted, while the failed pitches, unsuccessful ideas and disappointing results tend to remain unseen. Her observation was simple: “Behind every ‘it worked’ are dozens of ‘it didn’t.’”

That gap between what people experience and what they publicly share can make someone going through a difficult phase believe they are the only one struggling. Goel's own journey, however, shows that rebuilding can involve long stretches when progress is difficult to see.

Her biggest lesson about building a career

After going through multiple career changes, Goel said she has identified one quality that gives people an advantage when trying to make something work. She called it the ability to “keep showing up after it stops feeling exciting.” For her, persistence does not mean that every week brings a breakthrough. It means continuing even when deals fall through, content underperforms or carefully made plans fail.

That mindset also changes the way career setbacks are viewed. A difficult month does not necessarily mean the larger journey is failing.

Goel’s message for people in the ‘messy middle’

Goel ended her post with a message for people who are currently struggling to see results. If someone is in what she calls the “messy middle,” her advice is to keep going. Her own timeline illustrates why. At 26, she walked away from a Rs 28 LPA job. At 27, she struggled with inconsistent income. At 28, she began rebuilding her pricing, positioning, clients and confidence.

Today, she says she has built a profitable business and works with founders and companies across India. For Goel, the part of the journey that rarely makes it into success stories is often where the most important work happens. “That’s usually where things quietly start working,” she wrote.