At BrilliantRead Media, our aim is to bring to our community some of the finest stories from the startup ecosystem. As part of this endeavour, we invited a passionate entrepreneur – Khushboo Barry for an exclusive interview with us. Khushboo is an Entrepreneur, Explorer, Travel Consultant, Influencer, Change Enabler and Mentor. She is the Founder of The Xplorers. Let’s learn more about her exciting journey, her background and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Khushboo:
Talk us through your background and your journey as a women entrepreneur, please;
Born & brought up in Kolkata, West Bengal, I grew up watching my father nail it with his business and people management skills. I loved my Bengali food and the comfort of home but there was always something that I felt was missing. I wanted to see beyond my city and its people.
In college, I went on my first solo trip to Himachal Pradesh. It took a great deal of convincing the parents, a lot of pocket money-saving and courage to have finally done what I did back then. A 7-day trip turned into four months of learning and leading a life that I might have slightly imagined.
This is the same trip where I decided that mountains are where I want to be and travel is what I will make my career in. So when I was done with my master’s from St.Xaviers, I left town at the first job offer I received where I found myself very lucky to have worked for Star TV in Mumbai.”
Following which I worked for big names in the Events industry, saved as much money as I could and finally quit everything to work on my startup, The Xplorers. I started this with the idea to make as many people in this world explore small towns and villages in the mountains, experience different cultures and traditions, eat the local food, stay in the wooden houses and see a life beyond the one we are conditioned to live in. I gradually moved to more remote locations and started organizing bike trips across India.
My passion was turning into reality and I was loving every bit of it. Then lockdown happened and I was stuck inside a flat in a city for the longest time that I can remember, this is when the contemplations began, the thoughts started pouring in and my dream to settle down in the mountains eventually felt like it would never happen because life and its certainty were being challenged during those tough times.”
As soon as the world started opening its arms again is when I waited no further, I went on a full-fledged hunt for properties in Himachal (the same place where my heart fell in deep love with the mountains) after looking at almost 200 places is when my heart finally skipped at the place which I now I call HOME.
What attracts you towards entrepreneurship instead of a corporate career?
I’ve never imagined my life behind a desk or a laptop.
I like to be on the move. Stagnancy and monotony scare me. I knew from the very beginning that business is what I want to do but how and what became clear only after my first courageous step of taking the solo trip.”
The freedom to decide, the choice to spread happiness and awareness along with making money has always been my dream and that can only be achieved by entrepreneurship.
‘The Xplorers’ is such a unique name; talk us through more about it, please. Our audience would also love to know what kind of problem you are solving?
I wanted to build something for the people. It had to be a community of like-minded people who were all about good vibes, learnings, acknowledgement and acceptance.
People who loved exploring new locations, learning about different cultures, accepting and welcoming other people and building a happy and safe place for everyone in the community.
The Xplorers are what we are and proudly I say that every day more people are being added to the family.
During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures you have undertaken to continue your business without disruption?
If one industry was seriously affected by the COVID-19 crisis it was the Travel Industry. All the savings got exhausted because there was 0 income and the only measure I could take at that time was to not let my mind rest. Different ideas and strategies kept running through my head.
Jotting down points and thinking of what life I would want ahead were things that had become a part of my daily routine. I started conducting workshops on Travel on leading Ed-tech platforms to keep my love for the industry alive and burning.
I could never stop contributing to like-minded people, earlier it was on-field and now it had become behind the screen but at least the community kept growing and the family kept smiling.
How do you manage to keep going despite the challenges? What drives you?
The smile, happiness, reviews and feedback that I receive every single time a person ends their trip to a location with me or checks out from my homestay with tears in their eyes and a promise to come back for more is when I know I am doing the right thing and that there could be nothing that I want more from life.
Serving people and giving as much as I can to the people of this world are a part of my existence and any challenge that comes my way that disrupts me from being me is what drives me further to continue my journey.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
My mother. I have loved her as a child and hated her during my adolescence but there is no love like a mother’s love is what I realized after moving out of the home. She has always pushed me to do more in the most beautiful way.
She has praised me and made me realize my positives and my strengths and also pointed out my weaknesses with a solution to improve.
I’ve seen how intelligent a woman can be along with being a giver all her life. The love to serve people and bring them joy is a trait I have taken from my mother who I call my maama.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
(1) To learn to ignore people and their opinions that alter your dream or passion.
(2) Realizing that, if it is good or bad will always depend upon how you conduct yourself as a human.
(3) To know that there always has to be a balance between making money and staying happy.
(4) To know that every culture and its people are different and that they should never be judged for their being.
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
> Confidence in what you do.
> Doing the right thing, the right way.
> Leaving an impact.
> Contributing to the people.
> Acceptance without distinction.
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
Sit down and think about what makes you smile. Do not worry about what the world will say or how they will react to the choices that you make. Do not be afraid to fail because the more you fail, the more you grow as a person. There is no right time or correct age to begin. If you are not happy with what you are currently doing, plan ahead and quit. Do not forget yourself while building a career.
For a successful career, you have to successfully be happy with what you are doing, ask yourself, are you happy every single day of your life and the day you are not, work on your unhappiness because to be successful a positive mindset is required and a positive mindset comes with enjoying what you do with your life.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
