“Being a trailing spouse, I have had to reinvent myself several times. After founding Khojees Hunts , I found it difficult to remotely manage a ground level activity. I used to keep searching online for success stories of businesses run remotely, but could not find any” says Neha Ratnakar.
She met her spouse when she was just three years old. She claims he is her best friend and the reason she is now a trailing spouse. Neha has lived in 9 cities, in a total of 5 countries and runs her venture in India and Russia. Let’s hear more about the lady who makes you “hunt”!
Tell us a little about yourself
I am an industrial psychologist-turned-corporate-trainer-turned-face-painter-turned –mehendi-artist-turned-web designer-turned-event-organiser! But one thing that has always been common, is that I am a serial entrepreneur. I have reinvented myself several times to match my life circumstances and interests.
How did the idea for Khojees Hunts come about?
It’s a crazy story actually. My husband and I love planning elaborate activity based parties for our extended families. When my daughter turned 1, we thought we should enjoy a party for a change. We wanted to plan a treasure hunt in Indore (Incidentally, I am from Indore) and hence decided to look for a company which would do that for us. Unfortunately we could not find anyone who did it.
So eventually I decided to design and run the hunt myself. We made a hunt for our extended family to accomplish some whacky tasks and some acts of kindness in the streets of Indore. The event was a huge success with surprising results. By the end of it, relatives from both sides of the family (my husband’s and mine) who only knew each other by names, were sitting at the same table pulling each other’s legs. The Industrial psychologist in me realised the huge potential an activity like this had in a corporate setting. And hence Khojees Hunts was born…
In the future, do you plan to add more services to the venture?
Till date Khojees has conducted dozens of hunts in 3 countries and more than 5000 participants have played the game. At present we offer hunts for team building, employee engagement or pure fun. We are also in talks with a few companies for using Khojees Hunts for brand promotions. We are also getting an app developed which will make our hunts smarter.
What is most challenging about entrepreneurship to you?
Holding my horses sometimes! Like I said I am a self-confessed and a hopeless serial entrepreneur. Every time I see a need or gap somewhere, my heart starts dreaming and my brain starts making a business plan. I might one day write a book about the millions of plans I have made and never executed, but right now with a budding business, it is a risky hobby to indulge in.
Being a trailing spouse, I have had to reinvent myself several times. After founding Khojees Scavenger Hunts initially I found it difficult to remotely manage a ground level activity. I used to keep searching online for success stories of business run remotely, but could not find any. So I have decided to make a success story myself. With efforts and a great team, we have managed to reach where we are today.
What is a typical working day like for you?
I am a “Mom-preneur” in the truest sense. My 3 year old stays at home with me and hence my work schedule revolves around her schedule. While caring for a child, every day needs to be novel. However, I try to make a to-do list while spending time with my daughter.
I try to do something new or creative for Khojees every week. Otherwise it is very easy to get so busy with the regular operational work that you stop having fun while working on your own creation.
Can you leave our readers with a few thoughts?
The one question I ask myself repeatedly is “What is the worst that will happen?” Go out, explore, try new things, put yourself at risk and don’t be afraid to make a complete fool of yourself. What doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger! There is way too much to do. Don’t get bored because there is nothing interesting in your Facebook feed or TV!
Khojees Hunts allows people to have unrestraint fun while creating great memories. Stop hunting for love, start loving the hunt!