Branching out, not stepping out
Agents across the country are taking the pragmatic approach and turning their passion into a second, alternative profession. But tourism remains their first love. TRAVTALK speaks to a few of these entrepreneurs who have branched out without stepping out.
Bengaluru
We have started home delivery of organic and natural products such pickle and papad. Tourism is my core competence and I have done my Masters in tourism administration. So this second venture will be an additional business; once tourism starts full-fledged, my wife will take care of it.
Guwahati
I have been doing tourism in Northeast India for over two decades, but it’s on hold right now. So I am engaged as a member of ATOMY, a South Korean company which deals in e-commerce. ATOMY is financed by the South Korean government. In the present situation, an alternative career is not a choice but a necessity; it’s about survival. I see a bright future in ATOMY.
New Delhi
I have diversified into wholesale trading and picking up government tenders of hygienic products. However, travel is my passion and I will surely continue my travel business. Diversifying was the need of the hour. I think every individual will have to take a call according to their circumstances. I utilised this time to improve my health as well.
Guwahati
Education is my passion. I have a PhD in Linguistics and I’ve started online courses for students in the Northeast who want to learn English with minimum fee. I’m now trying to set up an online education institute for this. I’ve been in the travel industry for 14 years, so I wouldn’t want to leave it, provided it continues to be a revenue source.
Mumbai
The idea of starting ‘Bima Karlo’ came to me when we saw so many of our brethren jobless or with no means to continue earning. Therefore, as market leaders, we decided to set up an alternate business model. We put in many months of research into this. While agents earn about 8-10 per cent selling travel products, insurance commissions start only at 25 per cent. This product includes life, general, health, fire and travel insurance. Also, we wanted to tie up with insurance brokers who would have dozens of contracts with dozens of companies. For this product, we have tied up with Robinhood. They will help us train the agents on how to sell insurance. We have launched the training module in June and after 15day training, we give them a certificate. There is a portal and mobile App that recruited POS agents can use. The commissions will come directly from the insurance company but we will be ensuring that it’s paid. We hope to make a difference to the economic lives of thousands in the travel and hospitality industries.
New Delhi
I strongly feel that every obstacle in our way serves as a springboard for growth. We have created a Human Resources division to connect our industry colleagues with the right company where their individual expertise can be recognised and ensure their livelihood. We are in dialogue with many companies to place the right candidate in the right organisation. I believe that we must be true to our passion and brave enough to turn it into a profession.
Indore
I have launched a cloud kitchen which follows the farm-to-fork system through the entire process of creation. It’s organic, vegetarian, sugar-free breakfast dishes. We also have our own organic farm. This is the best time to start this as people are focusing on eating healthy even more to increase their immunity. I have realised that we should not keep all eggs in one basket. Once travel picks up, though I will go back to my business, I will also continue this as it is again something I enjoy.
Mumbai
I have developed an interest in trading in the share market and investing my time in trying to understand and study it. For me, this was a need of the hour, so when one of my mentors guided me, I started developing an interest and for sure I am going to continue with it in the future as well. I recommend that if you have a talent and passion for something, this is the right time to test it. I believe it is time for us to invest in multiple sources of income.
Bengaluru
Since travel is going to take a long time to recover, I have started manufacturing and retailing of coffee, so I do not have to depend on a single source of revenue. I am also planning to involve people from the fraternity by asking them to be my distributors. We now realise that you don’t have full control on your product that you are selling. Secondly, airlines and hoteliers had already started avoiding agents. So it is important to have an alternative business.
Chennai
Now that the travel business across the country and the world has taken a backseat, I have started selling all COVID-19 products and it is keeping me very busy. I have not thought about this seriously as my first passion is tourism. This is a stop-gap venture. I would recommend others do the same because travel is becoming too competitive. I’m also worried about the Indian economy and whether people will risk travelling again.
Mumbai
In the 10th year of Sunday Pure Holidays, this year we created another offspring called Sunday’s Pure Solutions. This solutions provider company was launched way before the pandemic. We are already in the process of partnering with corporates, NGOs and HNIs for providing a one-stop solution for their every need. We would encourage everyone who is passionate about their dreams to work towards making them a reality.