Q1. How did your career journey start? What inspired you to start this business/ entrepreneurship? I am one of those lucky persons to have a...
I am one of those lucky persons to have a career in the field of my interest of travel & tourism which I started soon after completion of my post graduate degree of MBA with specialization in Tourism in the year 1995. After successful years of work experience and intermittent sabbaticals for family reasons, I decided to start my own venture MY BLISS TOUR meant to serve the travel needs of women travellers with and without their families.
Inspiration is often the result of ambition circumstances and compulsions. In my case, I was always thirsty for using my creativity and innovative ideas in designing exclusive and customized tours for women which often is not possible when you are working in corporate world. This is only possible when you are the boss of the company.
However this freedom comes at a cost where any mistakes can lead to risk of heavy losses at a personal level. I decided to bite the bullet and take the plunge to satiate my thirst.
Q2. Kindly share some information about your Business, products and services here.
My business model is designed around meeting the travel needs of women travellers with and without their families. These may include adventure, nature, religious or travel to any known and lesser known destinations to India and abroad. I make it a point to accompany all my tours so that I am there in case of any unforeseen developments and this also brings a level of trust and confidence among my clients that I am there with them throughout their journey to make it enjoyable and blissful.
Q3. What kind of challenges did you face while starting/doing business?
The biggest challenge while starting any business is to find the niche market for your product and to arrange working capital to run the business. In a place like Mumbai, while there are several opportunities for arranging both, there is cut-throat competition for any venture which drags down price at the cost of quality creating a confusing scenario for customers who are unable to differentiate between low cost low quality and reasonable cost high quality products. Mine has not been an exception.
Q4. Do share with our readers about your discovery period when you were facing difficulties in your business?
Any new venture faces maximum difficulties in its nascent stage like a tiny sapling. Above all there are sufficient number of people in your ecosystem who give free confusing and discouraging advice. At this time, support of family and close friends is very vital. It gives you confidence and moral support that you are on the right track. Ultimately everyone has to fight his or her own battle but these supporting words make a lot of difference in developing self-confidence.
Q5. Share with our readers about your experiment period after the discovery period?
Experiment and innovation is an ongoing process and cannot be classified as a limited phase in time. I am sure experimentation will always be part of my business model. This is the only way to keep once business alive in the face of a highly competitive business environment.
Q6. What are your future plans? Or now what is your vision for next five years?
My future plan includes specialisation in few national and international destinations and become the most trusted tour operator for these exclusive locations. I do not wish to bench mark my success or plans in terms of profits or turnover but wish to focus on customer delight and a blissful experience.
Q7. How would you advice/suggest new entrepreneurs who want to start & sustain in business?
Always have thorough domain knowledge before you venture into any business. Do not focus on making money but instead focus on keeping your customers happy. If your customers are delighted you do not have to worry about growing your business, which will automatically happen. Lastly, never make commitments which you are not sure about.
Q8. LinkedIn profile URL link
Q9. Facebook profile URL link
www.facebook.com/myblisstour
Q10 Twitter profile URL link
http://twitter.com/myblisstour
Q11. Personal blog URL link
Q12. Company website & Company blog URL link
http://www.myblisstour.com
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