'Starting Up Is About Adding Value To Yourself'

Sameer Parekh (name changed) was a white-collar, 9-7 jobby stuck in a corporate rut. It’s not that he didn’t like his job; he simply wanted to “add value to himself” and have a “reason to wake up every morning”. By co-founding White Collar Hippie in November 2011, Parekh not only achieved that goal, he also adds value to his customers’ lives by giving them a slice of the great outdoors – always with a twist.

White Collar Hippie is not a routine travel company. Parekh says it fills the gap between a regular travel agency and hardcore adventure tourism, by taking urban, white-collar customers on unconventional journeys.

But launching a start-up with a full-time job is never easy. Parekh was fortunate to find a friend who shared his vision and they took the plunge together. It’s still a challenge as Parekh hasn’t let go of his corporate job as although he knows he can’t wear two hats forever.

What are the advantages of wearing two hats? How long should you wait before you resign from your full-time job? And, how do you squeeze the maximum out of every waking minute? Well, here’s the inspiring tale of an adventure junkie who wasn’t daunted by the most challenging journey of his life.

We Had The Itch But…

My partner Vikrant Chheda and have known each other since we were in school. We knew we could work together since both of us brought different skills to the table. Our initial ideas for a start-up included bringing clean drinking water to rural areas and recycling electronic and kitchen waste. But we realised businesses like these would require us to quit our respective jobs / businesses and focus on these plans full-time. They were also capital-intensive and the payback period was long.

The Great Outdoors Beckoned

Then we suddenly realised that we both loved the outdoors and the whole concept of travel. We did an initial survey and realised there was a gap in the market.  On one hand, there were luxury tour operators… you know, the ‘See Europe in 7 days’ type, and on the other hand, there were hardcore adventure companies.

Why Start Up?

I have been working in the corporate field for more than 10 years and I began to feel very restless for a year before we started up. I felt I was not adding enough value to myself. Although I would keep meeting people to see if something clicked, I didn’t know what I was looking for. Once I was sure I wanted to start up, my life began to change. Now, I have a reason to wake up every morning.

Starting Up While Being Employed

It does get hectic managing my job, the venture as well as the wife! But I don’t mind. I am blessed with dual financial security. It helps pay the White Collar Hippie salaries. The biggest advantage is that you have something to fall back on just in case your venture fails. White Collar Hippie has a team of four working full time, and, at any point, we have three to fur interns.

Juggling A Job and A Start-Up

I am performing my role in office pretty well and I don’t think I am doing an injustice to my job. I work for eight to nine hours and use the time that’s left and weekends for my venture. Also, my venture is no way connected to my job so there is no direct competition.

Although I don’t compromise my commitment to my job, somewhere at the back of my mind, I know I don’t plan to excel in my work. Hence, getting promoted to the next level is not a priority for me.

Letting Your Boss Know

Whether to tell your boss or not depends on two things. One, your relationship with your boss and, two, the culture of the organisation. If your company encourages entrepreneurship, there is no harm confiding. However, if your organisation is great but your boss isn’t very supportive, you shouldn’t reveal your other plans to him/her.  In my case, I told my boss about my venture even though my organisation is not supportive towards entrepreneurship.

Is It The Best Way To Start A Business?

Well, it’s not the ideal way but it all depends on circumstances and your risk-taking appetite.  If you’re the sole earning member of your family and you have a mortgage, I think it’s the best way to start up. Then you can look at how it’s going, get some momentum and cash flow and then quit your job to pursue your passion full-time.

You Learn Both Ways

I apply what I learn at my job to my venture and vice versa. My boss is extremely smart and I try to use the same strategies he uses in my venture. Also, I have to multi-task at my venture and play all kinds of roles, from operations to logo design to social media strategy to financing and budgeting. It widens my horizon and perspective and I apply this at the workplace. Now there is an element of fun and aesthetics to work, which I didn’t care about earlier.

The Downside Of Doing Both

Since time is limited, you will not be able to excel at both. There comes a time when you have to choose one or the other. Your personal life also gets a little hit. So it helps if you have an understanding wife and family.

Advice For Fellow Entrepreneurs

Prioritise, prioritise, prioritise! That’s the only way to squeeze the maximum out of your schedule. Here are a few things you would do well to keep in mind.

* Understand and evaluate your own situation. Assess your risk-taking appetite and then take a call

* Understand at what stage you should quit your job and pursue your venture full-time or at what stage should you give up your venture to take up a senior role in your job!

* You can’t continue doing both for very long, 12-15 months tops. This is sufficient time to see where your venture is headed and whether you are able to generate demand for your product / service.

* As far as possible, start your venture with a partner who is a friend or someone you trust

* It is very important to have a mentor to guide you throughout your journey

Greatest Challenge

Bureaucracy, lack of infrastructure and lack of government support.

Inspired By

I constantly read about start-ups and their success stories, how they managed to raise capital etc. I am also inspired by Ted Talks, television programmes such as the Apprentice (UK), Dragons’ Den (US) and Starting Up (India); and reading books on entrepreneurship like Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish.

As told to Dhvani Desai

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