Sports & Adventure
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Ms. Kavitha Reddy - the adventurous entrepreneur
“Craziness and adventurous” defines this lady who followed her heart into the field where women are not usually encouraged, and today, she is the founder and director of Basecamp Adventures! This enthusiastic entrepreneur and adventurer who is planning to reach a peak on Mt. Everest this year is Ms. Kavitha Reddy.
Kavitha’s life into adventure kick started very early when she was in school, and her love for outdoors and nature kept nurturing as she joined NCC where she did a lot of trekking. Converting her hobby into profession is the story one can admire. How can someone quit a job after giving 14 years of one’s life into flowering it? “Trekking, Rock Climbing, Mountaineering, Rafting was the best way to get away from daily routine stuff and experience some adrenaline rush and challenge the limits,” says Kavitha Reddy.
An adventurer at heart, she was very clear that she wouldn’t work on a 9 to 5 job forever and the day she did not feel like going to work she would call it a day and, that exactly is what happened. She recalls, “I thought that it was very emotional to say good bye to people who I loved working with but I did not think twice and travelled the path destiny wanted me to.”
In mountaineering or adventure terms, ‘Basecamp’ is a place where the real adventure begins and one need to reach the Basecamp after a summit or after an adventure. Hence, the word ‘Basecamp’ was chosen by Kavitha for her venture which she finds very different and fun.
At Basecamp Adventures, the passion for adventure is kept as high priority and ahead of revenues. Its vision is to evolve adventure as the most effective learning tool, to revive the spirit of adventure among people from all walks of life, and be environment cognizant. “On the operational side, we do end-to-end activities and we do not outsource or sub-source any of our activities. Hence, a lot of focus is on Quality and Safety,” she says.
Kavitha’s life into adventure kick started very early when she was in school, and her love for outdoors and nature kept nurturing as she joined NCC where she did a lot of trekking. Converting her hobby into profession is the story one can admire. How can someone quit a job after giving 14 years of one’s life into flowering it? “Trekking, Rock Climbing, Mountaineering, Rafting was the best way to get away from daily routine stuff and experience some adrenaline rush and challenge the limits,” says Kavitha Reddy.
An adventurer at heart, she was very clear that she wouldn’t work on a 9 to 5 job forever and the day she did not feel like going to work she would call it a day and, that exactly is what happened. She recalls, “I thought that it was very emotional to say good bye to people who I loved working with but I did not think twice and travelled the path destiny wanted me to.”
In mountaineering or adventure terms, ‘Basecamp’ is a place where the real adventure begins and one need to reach the Basecamp after a summit or after an adventure. Hence, the word ‘Basecamp’ was chosen by Kavitha for her venture which she finds very different and fun.
At Basecamp Adventures, the passion for adventure is kept as high priority and ahead of revenues. Its vision is to evolve adventure as the most effective learning tool, to revive the spirit of adventure among people from all walks of life, and be environment cognizant. “On the operational side, we do end-to-end activities and we do not outsource or sub-source any of our activities. Hence, a lot of focus is on Quality and Safety,” she says.
Basecamp Adventures is into Outbound Training, Adventure Travel and Adventure Consulting; so, there is something for everyone – Corporates, Individuals and Governmental organizations. In just 3.5 years, it has developed in a very amazing way. “We have over 10,000+ people who have been part of our event and we see a lot more women who are on our trip, and that make us truly happy. Our biggest success is that we have created a unique space in the adventure travel space and have been encouraging people from all walks of life and all age groups to take to adventure,” narrates Kavitha.
Continuous focus and quality work in Outbound Training and Adventure Travel, and adding more modules/activities and locations are some future plans for Basecamp to take adventure to the next level. Kavitha says, “We are in the process of setting up a campsite in South of India, which will become a centre of Outbound Training and Experiential Learning.” Additionally, they will be adding more options of holidays and extend the holiday packages covering more states and countries. Currently, they are exploring tie-ups and are networking with several players in the tourism space. “We will keep referring to our Vision statement, and would eventually want Basecamp Adventure to be synonymous with Adventure/Outdoor Learning,” she adds.
Kavitha Reddy has trekked extensively in India, Nepal and Bhutan and has climbed many peaks in the Indian & Nepal Himalayas. Her passion became her venture, and for her, the most important thing is to keep that passion going. She believes in keep doing what we believe in and revenue will follow, but never the other way round. She says, “By just being part of all the adventure activities we do, we run our organization in the very spirit we started it in, and there is never a dull moment or a difference between the adventurer in me and the entrepreneur.”
The challenges she faces in adventure are always stepping stones in her life. But the ones she faced being an entrepreneur are as follows:
She also adds her ideas and thoughts which helped her overcome these challenges.
Continuous focus and quality work in Outbound Training and Adventure Travel, and adding more modules/activities and locations are some future plans for Basecamp to take adventure to the next level. Kavitha says, “We are in the process of setting up a campsite in South of India, which will become a centre of Outbound Training and Experiential Learning.” Additionally, they will be adding more options of holidays and extend the holiday packages covering more states and countries. Currently, they are exploring tie-ups and are networking with several players in the tourism space. “We will keep referring to our Vision statement, and would eventually want Basecamp Adventure to be synonymous with Adventure/Outdoor Learning,” she adds.
Kavitha Reddy has trekked extensively in India, Nepal and Bhutan and has climbed many peaks in the Indian & Nepal Himalayas. Her passion became her venture, and for her, the most important thing is to keep that passion going. She believes in keep doing what we believe in and revenue will follow, but never the other way round. She says, “By just being part of all the adventure activities we do, we run our organization in the very spirit we started it in, and there is never a dull moment or a difference between the adventurer in me and the entrepreneur.”
The challenges she faces in adventure are always stepping stones in her life. But the ones she faced being an entrepreneur are as follows:
- Early stage funding, fewer options if one is not getting an investor
- Longer, expensive and complicate statutory process
- Getting the 1st team in place - Finding people who like to be a part of the start-up
- Finetuning the business model with an open mind
- Getting the 1st customer
She also adds her ideas and thoughts which helped her overcome these challenges.
- Dare to Dream, because dreams can come true only if you have dreams
- Build a team at the early stage
- Keep an open mind, be prepared to change course when required
- Ask for help/suggestions/feedback
- Build a personal profile along with the company profile
- Don’t give up
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“It is important to ‘Follow your Heart’, but it is also important to be practical about the possibilities, options, business models etc. One can follow Passion only when it can meet the set objective and there is a clear business model. I could start Basecamp Adventures because I saw a viable business opportunity and a great possibility to channelize my passion in the right direction,” were her words for aspiring leaders who believe in their dreams, and keep their passion and follow them.
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Any facts, figures or references stated here are made by the author & don't reflect the endorsement of iU at all times unless otherwise drafted by official staff at iU. This article was first published here on 12th November 2014.
