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Doctor quits six-figure career to build online business: 'Within 45 days, I made my first ₹2 lakh'
Charul recalled how burnout, repeated relocations as an Army wife and the lack of institutional support during motherhood pushed her towards entrepreneurship.
A paediatric dentist who once earned around ₹1.25 lakh a month as a senior resident doctor has opened up about why she walked away from medicine to build an online business from one of the country's most remote locations. Today, Dr Charul Singh says she earns more than she did in clinical practice, helping beginners build a second source of income through social media, digital products and personal branding.
In an exclusive chat with HindustanTimes.com, 35-year-old Dr Charul Singh, who is currently based with her husband in a remote area of Jammu and Kashmir, recalled how burnout, repeated relocations as an Army wife and the lack of institutional support during motherhood ultimately pushed her towards entrepreneurship.
"Within 45 days of starting my digital journey, I made my first ₹2 lakh. Since then, I've consistently replaced my previous salary every month, with the last few months being the strongest," she said.
From dentistry to entrepreneurship
Charul's journey into medicine began with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) from a private college. After graduating, she stepped into the workforce only to discover that entry-level salaries in dentistry were far lower than she had expected.
"After my BDS, I stepped into the real world and saw exactly what the market was paying - pennies, compared to the years and money my family had invested in my private-college education. Something in me snapped that day," she said.
She also shared that as she comes from a conservative family, she felt the pressure of societal expectations. "Being the eldest daughter in the entire family, there was already an unspoken expectation that once I crossed 25, the conversation would shift to marriage, not ambition," she said.
But instead of settling, Charul said that she prepared relentlessly for competitive exams. She first secured a non-PG junior residency at Safdarjung Hospital and Vardhman Mahavir Medical College in Delhi, followed by Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. She later cleared NEET-PG and earned admission to King George's Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow, where she completed her Master's in Paediatric Dentistry.
Following her postgraduate studies, she worked as a senior resident at Moti Lal Nehru Medical College, Prayagraj, taking her total clinical experience to more than 6 years.
Her salary as a doctor
"My first salary as a non-PG junior resident was around ₹92,000 a month. During my Master's I earned around ₹1 lakh a month. By the time I became a senior resident, it had grown to roughly ₹1.25 lakh a month," she shared.
Marriage, motherhood and a legal battle
Charul shared that she met her husband through an arranged marriage while pursuing her Master's degree. He serves in the Indian Army, a career that meant the couple spent much of their marriage living in different cities.
While she was completing her senior residency in Prayagraj, the couple decided to have their first child. She described that phase as one of the most challenging periods of her life. "The kind of experience that shaped and moulded me in the best possible way," she recalled.
She shared that she was pregnant while working long hospital shifts, with no family nearby and her husband posted elsewhere. After childbirth, she found herself juggling a newborn and clinical duties - all while serving under a mandatory state bond, which required her to work in a public health centre for 2 years or face a substantial financial penalty.
She also discovered that as a resident doctor, paid maternity leave was not automatically guaranteed. "What many people don't realise is that several states in India, including Uttar Pradesh, still don't guarantee paid maternity leave to resident doctors serving these government bonds," she said.
By October 2024, after dealing with low immunity and mounting exhaustion, she decided to challenge the system legally. "I approached the Allahabad High Court with everything documented. Within a month, the case came in my favour. I was granted the entire maternity leave with full pay, and the court held that no one can be compelled to work against their will."
The experience, she said, fundamentally changed how she viewed both her career and financial independence. "It taught me two things: build something that is truly your own, and your rights are always worth fighting for," she shared.
Why did she leave medicine?
After the legal battle, Charul told HT.com that she finally moved to live with her husband at his posting in Jammu and Kashmir. She said that even though she had the option of returning to clinical practice, frequent relocations made building a stable medical career difficult.
"We're currently posted in a fairly remote, sensitive district, and options here are limited. Every time we've relocated, it's meant wage cuts and instability in my clinical income - I was earning far less than I felt my training and hard work merited. To get a stable, well-paying clinical role, I'd have needed to be in a metro city, which isn't compatible with army life," she said.
So, instead of depending solely on one profession, she decided to build another career alongside motherhood.
(Also Read: ‘It’s about how you hold yourself’: Man explains why confidence, not seniority, earns respect at work)
Building a business from scratch
Charul shared that she spent nearly 6 months researching online business models, courses and mentors before launching her venture in June 2025. Initially, her goal was to create a second source of income. "I began with personal branding and storytelling, learning and experimenting for the first six months, and started monetizing from there. Clients began approaching me organically, results followed, and it grew from there," she shared.
Today, she runs Charul's Inner Circle, a coaching programme focused on helping beginners - particularly women - build income through digital products, affiliate marketing, user-generated content (UGC), Instagram growth and personal branding. She also works with clients across India and internationally.
When asked if she's earning as much as, or even more than, she did as a doctor, Charul said that her rapid financial growth surprised even those closest to her.
"Within 45 days of starting my digital journey, I made my first ₹2 lakh, which was an eye-opener for both my husband and me," she shared, adding that her earnings have continued to grow since then.
"My best month so far has crossed my highest earnings as a doctor," she said.
(Also Read: ‘My brother earns less but gets more respect’: Delhi woman shares WFH struggles)
'Motherhood doesn't take away ambition'
Despite finding success outside medicine, Charul said that she still loves her profession and hopes to return to clinical practice in some form in the future.
"I do miss clinical practice, but given how frequently we relocate, opening my own setup isn't realistic. I'm open to returning eventually, but I don't want to compromise my finances again in the process," she said, adding that for now, entrepreneurship remains her long-term focus.
Looking back, she said she has no regrets about leaving her medical career. "I believe it happened for a reason. It led me to something I genuinely enjoy and where I feel more present, both professionally and with my family," she said.
She also shared a message for women who feel motherhood has interrupted their careers. “Motherhood doesn't take away ambition; it reshapes it. Your priorities shift from just yourself to your family, and your brain starts finding solutions within new boundaries,” she said.
“My advice: don't wait for someone to save you: become your own solution. You don't have to choose between being a stay-at-home mom and a career woman - there's a third path, and it's worth fighting for,” she added.
