House of Experts Ep 32: Vibha Kagzi in conversation with Kanika Tekriwal, Founder of JetSetGo

House of Experts is a show that ReachIvy kick-started to help those who are unclear about their career choices. We hope through these sessions with some very successful people, we can shed light on a new career path every week. House of Experts plans to make a collection of interactive and informative sessions with experts from various domains.
Vibha Kagzi, the host, is the Founder and CEO of ReachIvy.com, a premium study abroad and career consultancy organization. Vibha, a Harvard alumna, is a successful entrepreneur and believes in helping others chalk out their future careers.

In episode 32 of House of Experts, we were fortunate to host, Kanika Tekriwal, CEO & Co-Founder, JetSetGo. Kanika first entered the aviation industry at the age of 17. Her dream is to enable the fastest possible connectivity from point A to point B.

With over a decade of hands-on experience in the aviation industry, Kanika is redefining what it means to fly through pioneering JetSetGo – the region’s most innovative private aviation company, which currently manages and operates India’s largest private jet and helicopter fleet.

Her expertise and vision have brought her the National Entrepreneurship Award from the Govt. of India. Her ‘Turn every NO into a YES’ attitude has also lead her to leave a mark on numerous coveted lists, such as Forbes’ 30 Under 30, BBC’s 100 Most Inspirational Women, Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum, CNN’s 20 Under 40 and Game Changer by Times She Unltd.

Some excerpts from the interview:

1) Tell us about your early years and your journey of becoming an entrepreneur.
I grew up in a typical Marwari family where education wasn’t the focus for girls. But my mother’s viewpoint was completely the opposite, she believed in making sure I receive the right education. I went to a boarding school in London at the age of 6. Learned how to be an independent and responsible child. After my high school, I went on to pursue my MBA in England with an objective to look for job opportunities in London. I worked there for a few years in the aviation industry. At the end of 16, I realized I had a passion for this Industry and further decided to do something in it. I discussed my idea and plan with different people to understand the feasibility of my idea but every person I discussed it with, told me this idea wasn’t going to work. With every No, I became stronger and motivated to push my idea to the next step. That’s how I began JetSetGo.

2) During your journey, did you ever lose faith? How did you cope up with it?
In 2014, I had done the booking, activated all the services for my first customer, and thought everything is set, unfortunately, 2 hours before departure the flight didn’t take off due to a technical issue. That was very the moment when I decided its time to pack my bags and close the business, but something within me said “Don’t give up”. I decided to then go back, give it another try and check all the possible ways to not commit this mistake again.

3) How do you maintain a good relationship with your customers?
I don’t believe in marketing my services and spending money on advertising because this business works more on the word of mouth. It’s a business where you deliver what you commit to. So, whatever profits I make I give it back to the customer in form of experience, services, and discounts. If the customer is really happy they will definitely come back and spread the experience they had with others.
For me, “My customers are everything” and I make sure whatever they need is fulfilled. I also learned when one is in any business, one must acknowledge their mistakes, say sorry, and respect their customer and their views. Would elaborate with an example, Even if the flight is late by 10 mins and it’s the company’s fault, I refund the tickets or make it up to them in another way.

We’re really grateful to Kanika for sharing her journey and valuable learnings with us.

Missed out on the previous house of expert episodes? You can watch them here

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