“You left a job which paid 18 lakh? What were you thinking? What’s your plan?”
I practised corporate law for 2 years at one of India’s largest and highest-paying law firms. If any of your friends work at a law firm, you know how they spend time on a typical weekday (and sometimes weekends): Wake up at 9 am, office at 10 am, lunch at ? pm, dinner at ? pm, return home between 10 pm-2 am.
“Ek baar achi job lag gayi toh sab sahi ho jayega”. (You’re sorted for life once you get a good job)
We’ve all heard this. And we’ve all believed it at some point in our lives. I was no different. I always dreamt of settling with a high paying job and a luxurious house – a life with no financial worries. I won’t lie, I did enjoy the paycheques for the first few months. The rush I got from small things like ordering whatever the hell I want from Amazon, eating at luxury restaurants, staying at 5-star hotels – it was an empowering feeling.
I soon realised, however, that the high of financial stability was very short-lived. I saw the goal post moving from one thing that I wanted to another, without any lasting satisfaction. What really gave me joy- spending time with my friends and family, my creative pursuits, travelling, relaxing over a truly free weekend- was being traded off. Most of all, my time was not mine anymore. I asked myself “Can I work at a law firm for 12 hours a day for the next 30 years? When am I supposed to do the things I always dreamt of doing when I was in school and college? Aren’t these my prime years?”
The answer to all these questions was: This is the time. I have to do something different.
I first thought of quitting my job in June 2017. The thought built up during a 10-day solo trip to Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh. I had been saving my leaves for a long time and planning this trip for months. I had the time of my life on that trip – beautiful landscapes, new friends, no cell network; the trip had it all, except one thing – every morning I would wake up with the worry that this trip would end soon, that I would have to go back to the same life, the same job, the same routine.
During my trip, I visited Hikkim which has the world’s highest post office. The letters you post from there generally reach their destinations in 2-3 months. Of the three letters I posted from Hikkim, one was addressed to me.
To my utter surprise, the letter had already arrived by the time I came back from the trip. Was that a sign? Saying no felt like escapism and cowardice. I anyway gathered the courage to do as directed. That first attempt didn’t end very well, but finally, after a series of brainstorming sessions, I managed to leave my job by early 2018.
Nothing about quitting my job was easy. I was afraid of burning bridges. I was afraid of societal pressures. And most of all, I was afraid of the question in my head: What if I fail?
I come from a typical middle-class family. While my mother and sister were in absolute support of my decisions, my father had his concerns. I guess most dads’ nightmare is their 24-year old leaving a well-paying settled job and trying to make a business out of his/her passion. Getting him on board was my Everest. His argument also had merit. Financial security and stability in life are important. I gave him an assurance that I will return to my job if things don’t work out in 6 months. This relaxed him for the time being. This probably became one of the big motivators for me to work non-stop for the next 6 months: I really didn’t want to go back to my job!
So what did I end up doing? 3 months before I left my job, I started making business plans for my two start-ups – Infinite Detours and Memo Pundits. I started networking with people, figuring out my customer base, their needs, financial sustainability and delivering a valuable product.
Both the start-ups have a different business model and fall in different industries.
Infinite Detours Is A Travel Startup
There’s an interesting story behind it – once, before I quit my job, I was travelling to this village near McLeod Ganj called Dharamkot. I was posting several stories and posts because I was mesmerized by the beauty of the village. I remember a person on my list messaged me “If you don’t stop spamming my feed, I will block you.” (with a faint friendly tone). Thus came the idea of starting an Instagram travel account called “Infinite Detours”. I had always felt connected to the word ‘infinite’ because that is also the meaning of my name. The second word, ‘detours’, was based on the idea of taking a detour by doing something different in life. I kept that account active and it soon started receiving a lot of traffic. So much so, that by the time I left my job, the account had 3,000 followers.
A month before I left my job, my childhood friend Ratish and I started planning curated treks to the Himalayas. With the sole power of Instagram, within 6 months we were able to complete 10 treks in India and Bhutan and serve 100 clients from India, USA, France, Israel, Kuwait, Canada, etc. Since then we have expanded to Sahyadris and have gathered a community of 23,000 people on Instagram.
In my opinion, what sets the start-up apart is its focus on reconnecting people to nature and guiding them to spaces for exploration, adventure, and introspection. The aim was also to create a safe space where each individual not only has a powerful inner experience, but also a collective one.
Memo Pundits Is An Education Startup
We offer a specialised course found nowhere else in India. The course is for law students and is titled “Professional Drafting, Editing and Formatting of Moot Court Memorials”. Moot Courts are mock court trial competitions where teams draft arguments and present them before moot court judges. Moots are an essential part of a law student’s education.
Along with a college friend, Rachnendra, I co-founded Memo Pundits in 2014 with the aim of sharing our memorial making knowledge and skills with other law students. We continued teaching voluntarily at various law schools for 3 years (2014-2017) before we started functioning on a structured business plan in 2018. Till now, we’ve taught over 1,200 students in India with a (*touchwood*) fantastic success rate of our students acing moot court competitions.
Working full time on two start-ups has its own challenges. There are good days – when I am sure of myself that I’ve taken the right decision and I will have a happy life ahead. And then there are bad days – when the insecurities and doubts take over and I find it hard to get out of bed and work on my goals.
To deal with those days, I do a couple of regular things on the side. I play the piano and the guitar and I sing. Music has been a salvation for me since childhood, it energizes me and gets my creative side flowing. I’ve been playing the piano for the last 15 years, and a few years ago, one of my music tutorial videos crossed 300K views on YouTube. I also practice calisthenics, beginner level boxing, weight training, and meditation.
The one lesson I’ve cherished dearly since childhood is taking the leap of faith. The fear of this leap can be the sole obstacle for you to achieve your goals. The question you have to ask yourself is: if you die today, what ideas, dreams, abilities, talents, gifts would die with you. Find out what really makes you happy, and find the courage to pursue it. Be someone who makes it happen.
Decide, commit, act, succeed, repeat.
Need some instant motivation? Head over to the caption of this photo:
