They say that behind every successful man there is a woman. But in some cases, the man is often the reason behind the success of a woman entrepreneur. Tina Wadhwa, Director, Lets Travel, is one such lady, who took the capitalist plunge with the support and back-up of her better half. Here’s her story – her journey – featured in our women’s special issue.
Priyanka Saxena Ray
A Graduate in Hotel Management from IHM Bhopal and MBA in HR, Tina, at the time of her marriage in 2005 was working in the radio media industry in Dubai while her Husband was part of the tourism industry. One day the couple decided to get back to India and started their own travel company – Lets Travel in 2007 wherein Tina was the main handler, initially. Over a decade later, the duo is now actively running one of the successful companies of the travel trade today.
So, as a lady, does she find the travel trade in India a conducive place for women entrepreneurs? “Tourism is a great industry and has given birth to numerous super powers. It is a very interesting field for a women to work, I feel that the majority of its workforce are female and I am glad to share that even in my office, majority of my colleagues are females. With a huge range of skills women have, they are even rocking the industry and living their dreams,” she adds.
Not just the better half, Tina’s extended family too was extremely supportive of her career choice and stood beside her like a rock. “I always treated Lets Travel as my baby. To be a successful business woman, all you need is to balance your life well and I always believe that if I am happy at home, I come into the office with tremendous energy. And if I am happy at work, I come home with tremendous energy. It actually is a circle. Yes, my family has been very supportive,” she explains.
Not one to have been a victim of gender judgement, Tina feels that the discrimination between a man and a woman is always going to be there and it’s beautiful difference that should be enjoyed. “What matters is the inner you – fight with your inner self. Happy Women’s Day!”, she concludes.
Which is your favourite Travel destination in India?
Goa
What is the one change you would like to see in the Travel Trade Industry?
Running a travel company is a consultative sales job: Most of us can sell a lot more if we can be perceived as a trusted advisor. This means relationship-building and trust-building skills rather than pushy sales skills.
