The next few days passed in a blur of tasks, tutorials, and newfound energy. Aarav arrived at the coworking space each morning with a quiet determination and left each evening with a growing sense of purpose. For the first time since college, he didn't feel like he was wasting time.
His job wasn't glamorous—he handled emails, posted content on client pages, made Excel reports, and sometimes fetched chai for meetings—but every task he completed, he learned something new. And the Certainty System ensured he always got it right. The smallest things—like how to structure an email, pick hashtags, or explain engagement metrics—came to him intuitively, as if someone had whispered the answers in his ear just before he needed them.
Skill Progress:– Digital Marketing: Beginner → Intermediate– Communication: Beginner → Competent– Time Management: Beginner → Advanced
Every time Aarav opened the system interface, these progress updates greeted him like silent cheers. It wasn't magic—it was effort, sharpened and guided with laser precision.
One evening, Ramesh Gupta called him into his cabin.
"You've been doing solid work, Aarav," he said, sipping his tea. "Clients have noticed. I think it's time to let you handle one account on your own. What do you say?"
Aarav's heart raced. "I'd be honored, sir."
"It's a local brand—Bharat Naturals. They sell handmade soaps and herbal oils. The owner is a good friend of mine but doesn't know anything about marketing. Think you can handle it?"
"Absolutely," Aarav said, voice steady.
That night, Aarav stayed up late, not because he had to, but because he wanted to. He devoured articles about consumer behavior, branding, D2C models. The system highlighted key concepts in real-time, auto-translating dense business language into something crystal clear.
As the night deepened, he opened his "Journal" tab in the system—a space where he could set long-term plans and goals. He tapped "Start a Business," and the system responded instantly.
Target Registered.Estimated Timeline: 8–12 monthsRecommended Industry: FMCG / Agri-based / Direct-to-ConsumerNext Suggested Step: Observe client behavior. Learn from inside.Potential Opportunity Detected: Bharat Naturals – product potential high, management weak. Keep note.
Aarav paused. Start a business in FMCG? That felt like a leap. But then again… wasn't this what he wanted? To build something of his own? Something stable, something good?
The next day, Aarav met with Mrs. Neelam Joshi, the owner of Bharat Naturals. She was in her mid-fifties, wore a simple cotton saree, and had an earthy confidence about her.
"I started this from my kitchen," she told him. "Now it's in five stores across Jaipur, but I still feel like a small-time seller."
"You're not small-time," Aarav said, smiling. "You just need the world to notice."
And over the next week, he made sure it did. He revamped her product pages, shot basic product photos using natural lighting, set up her Instagram and Facebook ads, and created offers tied to regional festivals. The orders trickled in first—then surged.
"Beta, I don't know what magic you did," she said, calling him one evening. "But I had twenty-three new orders today. Online!"
Aarav felt a quiet satisfaction bloom in his chest. This was impact. Not just some corporate task—this was helping someone real, someone who reminded him of his own mother.
Back home, the changes were subtle but powerful.
His father started sleeping a little easier. His mother smiled more often, asking Aarav questions about his work she didn't fully understand, but listened to anyway. Aanya started sketching her design ideas again, with a spark in her eyes that had been missing for months.
And one evening, when Aarav handed his father ₹5,000 from his first month's salary, the old man looked at him with pride that words couldn't contain.
"You've done more in one month than I did at your age in five years," he said, voice hoarse.
Aarav shook his head. "You carried us. Now it's my turn."
Later that night, the system chimed softly.
New Trait Unlocked: LeadershipPath Progression Updated:Entrepreneurship Route Initiated.Next Focus: Identify gaps in small business supply chains.
Optional Mission: Ask Neelam Joshi about her raw material sourcing. Success Rate: 100%
Aarav leaned back, staring at the glowing interface.
He wasn't just building a career.
He was laying the foundation of something far bigger.
And it had only just begun.
4o