How to start your own outdoors venture, and just about anything!

This is the story of a young software engineer-turned-outdoors entrepreneur named Ishan Sharma. This is the story of a small bunch of people who are determined to take people beyond their potential.

But this is also the story of every person who ever looked around their tube-lit classroom or hi-tech workplace, spied upon rows and rows of people staring into their computer screens, and then looked at the murky city sky outside and wondered...I wish I was out there!! 

It is the story of every executive who ever looked out of an airplane window at the rolling hills and green fields below, wistfully wished she could be down there, then picked up her bag and dutifully stood in line to deplane and go for that boring meeting.

It is the story of every person who ever stepped out of his multi-storeyed building into a traffic clogged street, covering his nose against noxious fumes, jumped into the nearest auto-rickshaw and asked to be driven to the market 2 kms away, grumbling about the 50 bucks he has to shell out for this short journey.

And if you have ever heard that voice in your head telling you to just do it, get out there, push your limits, then this is also your story. So read on...

Three years back on a cold January night in Delhi Cantt, I was strolling down the road with a gawky young boy, listening to him talk about the choices facing him. On one hand was a cushy, well-paying job close to home in Delhi with a large IT company - what many would describe as a dream job for a software engineer like him. On the other hand was an opportunity to start a company with a friend in a field which was not only completely unrelated to his area of study, but also something that probably had no guaranteed takers in the Indian market. I watched as his young mind processed various scenarios, pros and cons, parental expectations, peer pressure, and realise that the first option is a safer one. One could always join a company, work for a few years. Then once there's enough money in the bank, think about a start-up. I was just silencing a tinge of disappointment, when I heard him say, "I think I will go the second option. It's either now or never." I wanted to whoop with joy and do an awkward somersault in the air, but restrained myself at the thought of him bolting in shock. 

Ishan went on to start a company called Get Beyond Limits with his friend and colleague Salwat Hamrah. Both trekking enthusiasts and fans of the outdoors, their Bangalore-based company organizes trekking trips across the picturesque Karnataka landscape. "But," says Ishan, a confident and successful entrepreneur today, "Get Beyond Limits is not just another trekking company. In fact, we are an organisation with a love of the outdoors, which wants people to realise that there is so much more they can do beyond what they have settled for in life. Unlike city life where everything is available at the touch of a button, the great outdoors throws real challenges at us, and overcoming these challenges time and again makes us aware of what we are truly capable of."

GBL organizes different kinds of learnings for a wide variety of groups, be it parent-child connection camps, a day of shadowing for entrepreneurship students to test their mettle, or treks for corporate groups and individuals.

Outside of his entrepreneurial avatar, Ishan is also a Career Mentor with The Potter's Earth. When we asked him what advice he will give to young people wanting to pursue a career in this field, he says, "It may sound cliched, but I have realised in my own life the truth behind the following learnings..,"

1. Believe in yourself. If you truly feel that this is something that will give you happiness, satisfaction and a will to give your best, just go for it and give it a shot.

2. Don't be conscious about making the right decision. Worrying about making the right decision can often stop us from making a decision at all. Instead, go with your gut and remember that even if the decision is wrong, you will still end up learning something.

3. Spend time with yourself to know what you really like and what you don't. Follow your passion, because that's what will take you beyond your limits. But to really know your passion, you need to know yourself and what makes you tick. 

Summing up with a quote from the advaita philosophy, Ishan tells all of us, "the day you are ready to learn is the day the right teacher will cross your path."

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To find out more about Ishan and his venture, visit the official website of Get Beyond Limits. If this story rings close to your heart and you want to find out more about Ishan's journey, let us know and we'll set it up a mentoring call for you with Ishan.

About the Author

Anamika Dasgupta Sharma is a Youth Coach and Founder of  The Potter's Earth. After working in the corporate sector as an HR professional and executive coach, she followed her calling of working with students and young people - and thus was born the idea of The Potter's Earth. Between the pre-teen days of her two boys and the hectic schedule of her startup, Anamika enjoys a crazy but fulfilling life, which she refuses to trade with anything less crazy. She tops it all up with indulging her passion for writing, blogging and reading.