I got laid off from Twitter in November, but now I'm making six figures as a food influencer. Here's how.

• Priyanka Naik is a 34-year-old food blogger who's on track to make six figures this year. 
• In November, Naik was laid off from her role leading partnerships at Twitter.
• Naik shared a few tips with Insider on how she's embracing life after the corporate world.

This is an as-told-to story based on a conversation with Priyanka Naik, the food blogger behind the brand Chef Priyanka. Insider has verified her income with documentation. This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity. 

For over a decade, I juggled a full-time gig in tech with a flourishing side hustle as a vegan blogger.

During that time, I toggled between roles at places like Bloomberg and Conde Nast. I landed at Twitter in 2018. 

I spent almost five years at Twitter leading partnerships in the US, and then for the whole of North America and Latin America. 

All the while, I was building my brand: Chef Priyanka. 

I grew up vegetarian. Between observing my parents, and experimenting on my own, I learned how to make delicious, plant-based food.

Yet, it wasn't until I started working, and going out for lunch, that I realized there weren't many good options for vegans. So, I started putting my culinary ideas out there by blogging. Eventually, I started getting recognition from various food media sites. 

I began to think: Maybe I'm better than I think I am at this?

Twitter gave me flexibility

One of the reasons I stayed so long at Twitter was because of the reach and flexibility it gave me to grow Chef Priyanka. 

I was upfront with the company about my side hustle when I joined. I told them I wouldn't work at a place that didn't support my passion. Though I've been a top performer for my whole career, and it might have been a different story if I wasn't. 

On many days, I was almost simultaneously working on my blog and carrying out the tasks of my job— which I don't recommend. 

The cool thing about Twitter was that many of my colleagues were pursuing their passions through side hustles, too. 

Nothing lasts forever, of course. I was already planning my exit strategy when I got laid off last November. I could tell the culture of the company was changing and I didn't want to be part of the drama of the Musk era. 

And in some ways, it was the nudge I needed to turn Chef Priyanka into a full-time gig. I had always dreamed of taking my passion full-time. I hesitated, though, wondering if I had enough credibility in the industry to go all-in. I also worried about whether the step would be compatible with my financial goals.

How I earn a six-figure income

I'm on track to make six-figures this year: Some of the money comes from posting on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Some of it comes from my cookbook, The Modern Tiffin, which I published in 2021 through Simon & Schuster. A significant chunk, though, comes from brand partnerships and activations. Since last April, I've also been writing a column for The Washington Post called EcoKitchen.  

I credit this all to the work I put into my brand over these past 10 years. 

Aside from developing new recipes and posting videos on social media, I also entered cooking competitions. I won the Food Network competition Cooks vs. Cons in 2017. My name in the industry really started taking off after that. 

I'm not obsessed with going viral

One of the ways that I've kept myself grounded— despite having so many irons in the fire— is through a clear brand identity.

That wasn't easy by the way. When I first started, people would tell me there wasn't an audience for someone like me— a brown, vegan woman with an atypical path into the culinary world. I confused people and that was frustrating. 

Over time, though, I developed a clearer sense of myself. I even started taking a "zero-waste" approach to my cooking. Which means I eat watermelon instead of tossing the rinds I make a pickle out of them. 

These days, I'd describe myself as someone who's empowering people to live eco-friendly lives.

One of the biggest benefits of having a clear brand is that it takes the pressure off of going viral on social media. I post recipes that I'm proud of instead of worrying about how many viewers they'll attract.

It's also hard to predict how anything will perform. I once posted a recipe for an Indian savory snack called chaat using tostones that I thought would go viral— it didn't.

My recipe for giant fusilli with spinach jalapeno pesto, though, was my most viral post of 2022. Chrissy Teigen even bought the pasta because of my video. To be honest, I didn't put a ton of work into it, and was surprised it did so well.

The bottom line is that if you have a passion just keep pushing. I made this all happen while having a whole other career— it's doable. 

Were you laid off? How'd it affect your life? And what did you do next? We'd love to hear your story — send us an email at mylayoffstory@insider.com.