From Cooking for a Birthday to Designing YouTube Thumbnails: How I Earned ₹1,250

I started the EYFI Challenge with one question: how can I earn money using the skills I already have, or by trying something new?

I ended up exploring three very different things: cooking for a birthday party, designing YouTube thumbnails for a tech creator, and selling homemade sambar powder with my mother.

None of these opportunities came from a grand business plan. They came from paying attention to the people around me, talking about what I could do, and being willing to try.

By the end of the challenge, I had earned ₹1,450 in revenue and made ₹1,250 in net income.

My First Opportunity Came From Cooking

One of my well-wishers had a birthday celebration coming up for their daughter. I approached them and offered to help however I could.

That gave me an opportunity to cook for the celebration.

I enjoy making spicy dishes, so I prepared curry, rice, sambar, and other side dishes. I also tried a new dish specifically for the EYFI Challenge.

Cooking something new for an occasion was different from making food at home. I wanted to make sure everything turned out well, and I put my effort into preparing the meal.

I earned ₹200 from this opportunity. More importantly, it showed me that even a skill you enjoy using in everyday life can become a way to earn when you find someone who needs it.

Three Thumbnails, One Tech YouTube Channel

My second opportunity came from a completely different skill: editing.

I got the chance to create thumbnails for Engineering in Kannada, a tech YouTube channel. The requirement was for three thumbnails, and I was paid ₹250 for each, earning ₹750 in total.

This work required me to understand the instructions, set things up, and work through problems as they came up. There were moments when I got stuck, had to search for solutions, and try different approaches before getting things right.

I was balancing this alongside college, coding work, hackathon preparation, assignments, and personal commitments. Some days meant coming back from college and getting straight into the work, figuring things out one step at a time.

It was a reminder that earning through a skill isn't always straightforward. Sometimes, the work involves as much problem-solving and iteration as it does the skill itself.

A Homemade Business With My Mother

For my third experiment, I teamed up with my mother to prepare and sell homemade sambar powder.

We made the spice mix together and sold it to two customers. The activity brought in ₹500 in revenue, with ₹200 spent on the preparation, leaving ₹300 in net income.

This was another opportunity that came from using the resources and skills available to me. Rather than trying to build something entirely new, we started with something we could make at home and offered it to people who might find it useful.

What These Three Experiences Taught Me

Across the three activities, I earned ₹1,450 in revenue. After accounting for my total investment of ₹200, my net income was ₹1,250.

But the biggest challenge wasn't doing the work. It was finding opportunities in the first place.

I tried approaching different people and marketing my skills, but getting more opportunities wasn't easy, especially with a busy college schedule. I realised that being able to cook, edit, or make something useful isn't enough. People also need to know what you can offer.

The challenge pushed me to become more comfortable approaching people and explaining how I could help them.

I also learned that trying something new can be worthwhile, even when it feels unfamiliar. Cooking a new dish specifically for EYFI was one example. Each activity gave me a different experience of earning, serving a customer, and taking responsibility for the result.

If I were to do this again, I'd approach a wider variety of people and explore more kinds of work. I'd also spend more time actively marketing my skills instead of waiting for opportunities to come my way.

Nothing Is Impossible Until You Try

The EYFI Challenge tested my patience and perseverance. It pushed me to look beyond my usual routine and experiment with different ways of earning.

My biggest takeaway is simple: if one approach doesn't work, try another. Use the skills you already have, explore something unfamiliar, and don't underestimate the opportunities around you.

I'm Varsha U N, a Cohort 2 fellow at GSSSIETW, Mysuru. EYFI taught me more than I expected about earning independently, putting myself out there, and believing that I can figure things out along the way.

---

This story was adapted from Varsha U N's original EYFI Challenge report and edited by the YouStart team.