Interview with Sheena Chaudhary- MBA, Dancer & Entrepreneur who follows her passion

IdeasMakeMarket recently caught up with Sheena Chaudhary over an interview. Sheena holds an MBA from Department of Management Studies, IIT Roorkee and also an entrepreneur who follows her career and passion together.She describes herself as a dancer, nature lover & designer and believes in practicing  Yoga and spirituality. The following is our conversation with her:

Q1. Tell us something about your journey so far?

That was exciting!

I am a small town girl who has evolved from a shy, introvert person to a confident person; this transformation happened when I started travelling. I had stepped out from my town when I was seventeen years old and joined engineering in ITM Gurgaon. Post this, I  got campus placement in Infosys in 2011.  The opportunity was amazing as I traveled to Mysore for advanced learning in Java and other computer languages. I also joined Salsa dance classes there and then got a posting in Bangalore. I enjoyed my time into programming but I got to know it’s not my cup of tea, I have a mind towards arts & marketing so I left that job after two years.

Moving to my second innings which was pursuing my MBA in DoMS, IIT Roorkee, I got to learn about business and marketing skills. I am grateful to my professors who helped me to gain the expertise. During that time period, I felt that I wanted to start my own company but I didn’t know what will be the right approach in doing so. I had joined IBM in marketing role, but the thought of starting my own venture used to keep me awake at nights.

Here I am, co-founded a travel start-up which is now 3 years ago and before I talk more, I will like to hold your curiosity for some time as we move to our conversation.

P.S. I forgot to mention that I started dancing at the age of 3, my father used to tap on table and since then I have not stopped. I have invested my time and effort to become a professional dancer.

Q2. What prompted you to become an entrepreneur?

Great question!

I remember this episode when I told my mother about starting my own business.  She wasn’t surprised and quoted “ Yeah, you used to do this when you were young, you used to organize plays and host Christmas parties and even choreograph dance for young kids”

To answer your question, I had inclination towards creating event experiences but it took some time for me to realise that this can be turned into a profession. I and my partner discussed about the camping and hiking for youth and working professionals and it’s a coincidence that on September 4,2017 (which is exactly 3 years ago) , I  told him let’s call it Gypsy. The aim was to focus on wanderlust and non-stoppable people who love to move around different places. Hence, we have named our business Banjara and Gypsy (Banjaras as in same line).

Q3. Tell us something about your venture. How difficult is it to start-up?

Banjara and Gypsy is a travel experience curator with unique experiences. We’ve started this business in 2017 from our home, our ideas and imagination was born in our little garden, As you read the company name, you might ask what’s the relevance. The gypsy loves travelling, exploring unknown, new places and believe in true freedom, we have created this community where the travelers who tag along will be called as Banjaras and Gypsies.

We first tested this out with our friends and close circle and when we were acknowledged for our efforts, we wanted to scale it for larger audience.

It was not that difficult as how it seems in our heads, we can take this as a process where to establish an organization – A, B, C steps to be taken. I think sometimes we fear about failures but if we are determined and trust ourselves, anything can be achieved.

Q4. What or who has been the biggest influence in your career so far? How do you balance your personal and professional career?

Mother Nature and my partner, Ankit Bhardwaj have been the most influencing factors in my career, they both inspired me to create something of my own.

So about Balance – I drive from within and as a dancer I know how important it is to balance. If you lose it, you will fall. So at times, even in crazy days, I try to keep myself sane and think everything is momentary and shall pass. It’s all about your mindset.

Q5. Which is the biggest challenge you have faced so far? What are your future plans?

As a professional in events and travel industry, I always felt customer satisfaction is the biggest challenge. We work on feedback and improvements but sometimes it affects us as organizers when audience doesn’t recognize our efforts. I will say Agile mindset and ecosystem helps to work on continuous development and following a “LISTEN FIRST” approach also helps in articulating your strategy for future.

We would like to take our company in international tourism space. We have had few conversations in this space and would love to make it big and create amazing experiences for our customers. We are targeting 2021 to scale that project.

Q6. How has the lockdown impacted you as a professional?

Lockdown actually helped me to think about my health and mind. It also gave me ample time to retrospect about how I will like to prioritize my next assignments. I have also learnt the power of gratitude in this time. This has become a morning ritual for me to thank everyone around me and count my blessings – it could be anything – like thanking your staff, yourself, your teachers. I have finished 56^th day of Gratitude exercise today.

Q7. What would be your advice to young professionals and MBA students? How has your experience in IIT Roorkee helped in shaping you ?

I will encourage them to think about what their true passion is. Sometimes it’s difficult to find but one advice that can help is – it comes naturally and you never get tired in accomplishing it. Once you know what you want to do, I will suggest to read and talk to people who are in same field and gather knowledge about it. It’s good to be prepared and stay connected with like-minded professionals and competitors, because they help you with what not to do and where not to invest.

My experience during my MBA was instrumental in shaping me. IIT Roorkee brings the perfect atmosphere where you have beautiful nature around you and powerful minds – taking guidance from professors and interacting with alums who ventured their own start-ups inspired  me.

Q8. How important is to pursue your passion? How can our readers connect with you ?

Your passion is your differentiating factor as I can articulate in marketing terms. Once people start recognizing you through your passion, you will understand the true value of pursuing passion. It also gives immense satisfaction and happiness. The readers can connect with me on Linkedin  or follow my venture on Instagram & Facebook.

 

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Q9. Any suggestions for IdeasMakeMarket.com?

Keep inspiring others with unique stories, that is one of the most important goals. All the best to you for doing a great work. Keep flourishing!

Team IdeasMakeMarket wishes Sheena and her venture the very best in the future ahead.

Tags: banjara gypsy sheenachaudhary Startups