You have a great job in hand. You can afford a pair of Zara stilettos for every new dress. You have a full-time nanny to pick the kids up from the school. Friday is wine and cheese night. Great life, anyone would say. But there are times you have probably asked yourself, “Is this all I’m capable of? Surely, there must be more to life than the daily 9 to 5 grind; a better way to announce my skills to the world!”
For each of one us that wallows in self-doubt, there are others such as Sandhya Sadananda and Sanjana Vinod, who like most of us, had demanding jobs, five-figure salaries and kids and families to support. Yet by giving up their jobs and choosing their dream vocation, they achieved that heady cocktail of doing what they love, while loving what they do!
Sanjana Vinod put behind a 13-year career in client servicing to pursue her childhood hobby of travelling and making people travel. As the owner of Break Away: The Destination Awaits, she helps people plan holidays and customises tours for them.
Sandhya Sadananda, a communications specialist for eight years shifted to the other side of the table—from being a client to a social media service provider. As co-founder and director of Windchimes Communications, she along with her partner Nimesh Shah, help people advertise and market their brand on social media platforms.
Sandhya and Sanjana, share their top tips for success:
Rule 1: Have clarity of thoughts: “I spent my school summer vacations on Indian roads, covering long distances along with family,” says Sanjana, while adding, “For a living, I worked in a corporate setup for more than a decade, but I was clear that I would love to get back to my childhood passion of travelling. I was just waiting for my kids to grow up and be more independent, so that I could take that risk. When I quit, I didn’t have any laid out business plan, but I was clear that I would do something in the travel industry”.
Sanjana’s success tip: Be clear about what you want to do. Ask yourself, if it’s not my current job then what is the second thing I enjoy doing the most?
Social Media Mavens: Sandhya Sadananda and Nimesh Shah
Rule 2 : Secure your partner’s or family’s support: “When I decided I wanted to quit my job with Marico Industries, the first thing I did was consult my husband. Being in joint family household, decisions that affect regular income have to be discussed openly,” says Sandhya. She was lucky that her husband, who is an entrepreneur himself, was aware of the challenges of starting up a business and welcomed her decision to move out of a corporate setup.
Sandhya’s success tip: Before you prepare for an exit interview, tell your partner or family members about the outcome–loss of monetary income for a certain period, late working hours or more help needed in managing kids and so on.
Rule 3. Ensure financial stability: When Sanjana quit her job, she had a decent bank balance to cover her expenses until her business started making money. And there was no outstanding housing or credit card loan, the burden of which could have put the household budget out of order. “Assume a worst case scenario and make an estimate of the number of months your savings will last; make your decision accordingly,” says Sandhya.
Sandhya and Sanjana’s success tip: Keep family finances and your personal expenses under control so that the loss of one member’s fixed income doesn’t put pressure on the family budget.
Rule 4. Two heads (or even three) are indeed better than one!: Sandhya’s partner, Nimesh Shah and Sanjana’s partner, Vaishakhi Udeshi were former office colleagues. Both agree that it helps to have a partner with complementary skills so that you can brainstorm for ideas and take quick decisions. “The business risk also gets divided among the partners,” adds Sandhya. Nimesh brought selling skills to the table while she had client servicing skills. Vaishakhi had a tourism industry background so she brought relevant experience which Sanjana was looking for.
Sandhya and Sanjana’s success tip: Find a like-minded person as a partner who brings complementary skills to the table.
Rule 5. Keep overhead costs low: Sandhya rented out a friend’s flat and started her business from day one, while Sanjana got her ex-colleagues and brother-in-law to do the necessary accounting/registration and logo designing work for a nominal price. “It’s only my driver who has made money from the first day,” says Sandhya, indicating that you must only incur overheads that are absolutely necessary. “You will be stuck, if you are glaring at too many overhead costs of running your show,” warns Sanjana.
Sandhya and Sanjana’s success tip: Keep overhead costs low. Find friends or family members who can offer a helping hand with their skills or expertise.
Holiday planners on a holiday: Sanjana (in the centre), with Vaishakhi (on her right)
Rule 6. Don’t aim for the sky, just yet!: “I can wish to become the next Cox and Kings in my industry, but that’s not a realistic aim. To make more and more people experience India as a holiday destination, that’s my target,” says Sanjana.
Sanjana’s success tip: Set realistic goals and expectations from your business.
Rule 7. Patience, patience and more patience: Sanjana got her first two travellers within four months, and Sandhya got her first client in the first month itself. But both of them had to spend months spreading the word about their business. Sandhya spent the first year convincing and educating people and companies about why social media is needed to build and market their brands. There were days when Sanjana felt hapless as no business came in. But the rest, as they say, is history.
Today Break Away makes as much in a month as it earned in the first four months of starting up, and Windchimes Communications is getting awards for its social media campaigns.
Sandhya and Sanjana’s success tip: Hang in there as it’s one big test of your patience and grit.
Image courtesy: © Thinkstock photos/ Getty images
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