₹1 crore by 22: How a 17-year-old’s late-night DM to podcaster Raj Shamani changed his career
Aditya Bansal said a late-night message to Raj Shamani won him work writing Twitter threads. He said the opportunity later helped him gain clients, confidence and a wider founder network.
- Aug 28, 2026,
- Updated Aug 28, 2026 10:30 AM IST
Aditya Bansal, who says he was 17 and preparing for JEE in 2021, has shared how a direct message to entrepreneur and content creator Raj Shamani became a turning point in his career. In a social media post, Bansal said he had been trying different ways to earn online at the time, with little success, when a late-night message led to an opportunity to write Twitter threads for Shamani.
From zero experience to ₹1 crore by 22
Bansal said that the opportunity came at a stage when he had neither a degree nor work experience and no major portfolio to show. He added that the work later helped him build connections, secure his first retainer client through a testimonial, and eventually work with more than 45 founders. He has also claimed that he earned a total of ₹1 crore by the age of 22.
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A late-night idea that changed his path
According to Bansal, JEE had been pushed to October in 2021 and he had planned to study engineering and take up a job. During that period, however, he began looking for ways to make money online. He said he tried several options, including graphic design and website development, but none of them worked.
He said the turning point came one night after he watched Shamani speak about different ways of earning money. Inspired by the video, Bansal decided to turn those ideas into a Twitter thread. He said he spent hours working on it in a Google Doc and then sent it directly to Shamani without expecting much in return.
The DM that turned into his first paid opportunity
Bansal said he sent the DM at 10:41 pm and received a reply at 3:53 am, around five hours later. According to him, Shamani said he would upload the thread and, if it received a good response, would hire him to write his Twitter threads. Bansal said the post got around 1,200 likes, after which he was offered the work at the age of 17.
He said he went on to write around five or six Twitter threads for Shamani. At the time, Bansal claimed, he did not have a bank account, so he was allegedly paid through Amazon gift cards. He said the opportunity was not only about earning money, but also about being trusted. According to Bansal, Shamani shared ideas, sources and material with him, treated him like a team member, and even remembered his birthday and paid attention to small details.
Bansal said the arrangement later ended when Shamani needed a full-time team. Before that, however, he received a testimonial from him, which, he said, helped him get his first retainer client. He added that his network then expanded gradually and that he later worked with more than 45 founders.
ALSO READ: 'India has made incredible progress, but...': Austrian entrepreneur lists what got worse
The opportunity that kept him going
Bansal also said the journey was not always smooth. He wrote that there were phases when he had no clients and was not earning. Even so, he said the first opportunity he received at 17 gave him the confidence to keep going.
He added that, apart from Shamani's podcast, the two did not interact much. Even so, Bansal described that one message as the most important turning point in his career and thanked Shamani, writing that it was still the best DM he had ever written. The story also drew attention from social media users, with many saying that sometimes a small opportunity can change the direction of a career.
Aditya Bansal, who says he was 17 and preparing for JEE in 2021, has shared how a direct message to entrepreneur and content creator Raj Shamani became a turning point in his career. In a social media post, Bansal said he had been trying different ways to earn online at the time, with little success, when a late-night message led to an opportunity to write Twitter threads for Shamani.
From zero experience to ₹1 crore by 22
Bansal said that the opportunity came at a stage when he had neither a degree nor work experience and no major portfolio to show. He added that the work later helped him build connections, secure his first retainer client through a testimonial, and eventually work with more than 45 founders. He has also claimed that he earned a total of ₹1 crore by the age of 22.
ALSO READ: From ₹10 a day to ₹681 crore food empire: How PC Musthafa, a school dropout build iD Fresh Food?
A late-night idea that changed his path
According to Bansal, JEE had been pushed to October in 2021 and he had planned to study engineering and take up a job. During that period, however, he began looking for ways to make money online. He said he tried several options, including graphic design and website development, but none of them worked.
He said the turning point came one night after he watched Shamani speak about different ways of earning money. Inspired by the video, Bansal decided to turn those ideas into a Twitter thread. He said he spent hours working on it in a Google Doc and then sent it directly to Shamani without expecting much in return.
The DM that turned into his first paid opportunity
Bansal said he sent the DM at 10:41 pm and received a reply at 3:53 am, around five hours later. According to him, Shamani said he would upload the thread and, if it received a good response, would hire him to write his Twitter threads. Bansal said the post got around 1,200 likes, after which he was offered the work at the age of 17.
He said he went on to write around five or six Twitter threads for Shamani. At the time, Bansal claimed, he did not have a bank account, so he was allegedly paid through Amazon gift cards. He said the opportunity was not only about earning money, but also about being trusted. According to Bansal, Shamani shared ideas, sources and material with him, treated him like a team member, and even remembered his birthday and paid attention to small details.
Bansal said the arrangement later ended when Shamani needed a full-time team. Before that, however, he received a testimonial from him, which, he said, helped him get his first retainer client. He added that his network then expanded gradually and that he later worked with more than 45 founders.
ALSO READ: 'India has made incredible progress, but...': Austrian entrepreneur lists what got worse
The opportunity that kept him going
Bansal also said the journey was not always smooth. He wrote that there were phases when he had no clients and was not earning. Even so, he said the first opportunity he received at 17 gave him the confidence to keep going.
He added that, apart from Shamani's podcast, the two did not interact much. Even so, Bansal described that one message as the most important turning point in his career and thanked Shamani, writing that it was still the best DM he had ever written. The story also drew attention from social media users, with many saying that sometimes a small opportunity can change the direction of a career.