8th Year Of An Unimaginable Journey! Happy Anniversary ShoutMeLoud!

Today is a special day. It’s the 8th anniversary of ShoutMeLoud. And all of this started with a conversation between two friends…

Me (Harsh): Hey Dude, can I borrow your credit card!?

Ankit: Why?

Me: I want to buy hosting & a domain name for my blog.

Ankit: You are mad! Are you sure about it?

Me: Yes, I’m sure.

And he gave me his credit card.

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It was on 30th November 2008 when I made my first ever online purchase (technically someone else made the purchase because it was his credit card). This purchase was for a domain name and hosting.

It seems like yesterday since I launched ShoutMeLoud. It’s something which started from a one room flat and has become a global enterprise. It’s inspired, guided, and touched the lives of many people around the globe.

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Today, on 1st December, ShoutMeLoud turns eight years old, and it’s been an epic journey thus far. Something that I started out of passion has turned into an identity of itself.

Here are some cool facts about ShoutMeLoud:

• Started on 1st December 2008.
• Won best blog award in 2013 and 2016.
• 2,370 blog posts live on SML.
• ShoutMeLoud left its mark at numerous events including WordCamp, Affiliate Summit, India Affiliate Summit, IBM Event, Socilathon, and more.
• Conducted offline workshops (ShoutUP) with selected batches in 2015.
• Launched the ShoutMeLoud store in 2015.
• Launched ShoutUniversity in 2016.
• Traveled 7000 km for 16 days all over India to create awareness about blogging (ShoutMeet).
• First Indian blog to virtually speak at an event organized by a fellow entrepreneur/blogger in Pakistan.
• We are office free & most of our staff members are digital nomads.
• We believe in talent over age or experience. That’s why 30% of our team is in college. We have been lucky enough to have many college dropouts work for us in the past eight years.
• Formed an LLP corporation in India (2016).
• Formed a company in U.S.A (2016).
• We are here to stay for the next 10+ years.

There are many more things that have happened in the past 8 years, but in short, I just want to take a moment of your time to say:

Thank you.

This journey would have been incomplete without you & the millions of others who are connected to ShoutMeLoud.

And if you have only started your journey with us recently, no worries! We make sure that all of our content is timeless.

So thanks for joining us on this happy, happy day.

So…

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Happy 8th-anniversary ShoutMeLoud!

There is always something happening here at ShoutMeLoud. We are a team of 8-12 members. Out of those, four are permanent & the rest are working as freelancers. We have constantly been evolving as a team & also individually as humans. Our immediate plans are to improve ShoutUniversity to make it a one-stop solution for all your online marketing needs.

In 2017, we wish to launch a jobs section at ShoutMeLoud which will empower bloggers & freelancers around the globe to get new jobs and/or to find new talent.

In the meantime, here are a few messages from ShoutMeLoud team members. More team messages will be published on the company blog over at ShoutDreams.

Message from Sharat

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Hey Shouters, this is Sharat Nik and I’m from New Delhi. First of all, congratulations to each one of you and our team members on completing 8 years. I’m a proud part of ShoutMeLoud where I do everything that a normal blogger does, but then there is a lot more that is added up, minus the pressure because I enjoy doing this. I take care of most of the graphics at ShoutMeLoud. I create those featured images that you see in the blog posts. I take care of several projects at ShoutDreams, manage a team of developers, and take care of several technical parts. I also handle the execution of plans made during our brainstorming sessions.

I also try crazy stuff for the love of trying something new, and being in this online independent business allows me to do that. It’s not a desk thing that limits me, in fact, it fuels my creativity. I have completed 3 years with ShoutMeLoud and it’s been a wonderful experience working with Harsh so far. He is a great mentor who motivates me and many others to do more. He inspires me a lot. The best part about ShoutMeLoud is its transparency. Whatever I know, everyone knows.

The most challenging and fun thing we did at ShoutMeLoud was “ShoutMeet”, and there are many such crazy things which we keep on doing.

Once we suddenly thought to go to a random public place and interview people. So, we went to Connaught Place and interviewed people asking them things like what they know about blogging, what do they like about blogging as a platform, what they think about bloggers, and several other questions.

I remember that last minute call of going to Baroda for WordCamp by driving the whole night instead of a comfortable flight. I loved that because that gave me more energy to hit the road, and after that I did many road trips. Even the idea of doing ShoutMeet via the road popped up from the Baroda road trip.

Apart from that, we also did ShoutUp, a bloggers paid event in Delhi and Bangalore. And there’s been a lot more.

Sharat’s message to readers

I love working online, and this is what enhances my interest in my work. If you don’t love what you are doing, then it’s not worth it. Make sure your work is your passion because that will boost your growth. I have been in offline businesses like home services startups (OnYourDuty.com), event management, clubbing, PVC pipes manufacturing, and even started my own hosting company back in 2008. I have also traded forex for more than a year. I have been active in online spaces since 2006. I guess the only mistake I made was leaving my field every time I made some money to do something big in another field. Then I decided to come back to this online business which I completely left in early 2012. I joined Harsh in 2013 and then things became more organized. Now I have realized that consistency is the key. You need to be consistent.

Once again, congratulations to all the readers and all the team members for the completion of eight years of ShoutMeLoud. I will try to give my best to the community, more beautiful images, videos, ideas, and a lot more energy. Thank you.

Message from Eric

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Hey, I’m Eric.

I’m an editor and proofreader here at ShoutMeLoud. The editing process is a bit like a refinery. Words come out from an author in a raw form, and I make them shiny and polished. A lot of times, authors can’t separate themselves from the emotion that goes into their writing process. As an editor, it’s important to look at the work logically to counteract the author’s emotions. It’s a checks and balances system to make sure that everything is being said correctly, coherently, and in the best possible way.

Eric’s message to readers

If there’s one thing that I’d like to tell readers here at SML, it’s to make sure that everything you do is done in the way that it should be done. If you are trying to pound a nail, use a hammer, don’t use a shoe. There’s no substitute for professionalism in business. If you’re building a brand to rival Coca-Cola but your catchphrase doesn’t make sense, or you only spent 20 minutes brainstorming a name because the first one was “good enough”, you will 100% fail.

Business is mostly psychology. People want to know that you can take care of them. If it looks like you’re not even trying, they won’t trust you. Focus on the needs of the customer and forget the desire to profit. Money will come if your service is good (part of good service is being professional). Business exists because there are customers, not because there is money. Always remember this mantra: I am doing this for my consumer; whatever they need right now is what I will give them.

Message from Shallu

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Hi everyone,

I am Shallu Agrawal, and I have been associated with ShoutMeLoud for the past one and a half years. At ShoutMeLoud, I manage different areas of interest: Comment moderating, email sorting, organizing, and maintaining the process flow within the company. Recently, I have started taking care of the finance department and have also written a few articles for ShoutMeLoud. Apart from ShoutMeLoud, I also manage ShoutMeHindi.

Why do I do what I do?

Before working at ShoutMeLoud, I was a business development executive at a solar company where I had to bring in clients for my company. However, the role was very limited with nothing new to learn.

At ShoutMeLoud, I got an opportunity to work in any area I like. Managing the tiny aspects or the nitty gritty of a blog gives me a sense of fulfillment and makes me appreciate the small things in life which are very important.

When I joined SML, it was a challenge for me to slide out of my comfort zone and do something which I have never imagined before. Earlier, a task which I had no prior knowledge about would make me feel restless. But over time, with Harsh being my mentor, I learned to enjoy taking up new projects and challenges. It has widened my horizon of knowledge, improved my observational skills, and has cultivated self-discipline.

It also gives me freedom to work from anywhere, anytime, and on things that I enjoy doing.

People think that a blog is all about writing. But it is way more than that. Managing a blog is equally important. And it should be considered as serious business.

Shallu’s message to readers

There was a point in my life where I was not sure what I wanted to do. Finding what I really loved doing seemed impossible. The advice that worked for me was: “Try doing different things and see what you like. Work towards the area which you like and then find what you really love.”

So, I would like to give you the same advice. It’s ok if you don’t know what you want to do. Just keep doing different things, and you will discover your passion.

As time passes, you (the faithful reader) will be the first one to know about what’s happening, and what’s new with our blog. More than that, you will also learn how to do *this* for your own business.

Eight years ago I made a promise to myself to help grow blogging as an industry & make it a viable career option. I’m going to keep working towards that goal.

With this, I thank you again for being a part of the journey. With you, it’s been a fun ride.

I look forward to seeing your messages in the comments section below. If ShoutMeLoud has made an impact in your life, I would love to hear that too.

Thank you!

-Harsh

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