Spicing It Up : Tulsi Khemka

I had a bad pregnancy and quit my job overnight!

Tulsi Khemka never planned on starting up! While she was resting during her pregnancy, she decided to ensure that it doesn’t stop her from working, or doing what she wants! “I started freelancing during this time and looking out for options for the ‘post baby period’. A corporate job seemed impossible to do,” says Tulsi.

My husband was involved in project in the spice industry and I started helping him with the research,” says Tulsi. During the research, Khemka realised that a lot of spices were not easily available to people. “A lot of people use alternative spices to substitute the right ones,” she added. She decided to bridge this space by starting up Spice Safari.

Jumping into entrepreneurship wasn’t easy for me. It meant working with my husband, with financial uncertainty and an erratic work life balance.

Accepting the change was tough for Tulsi, physically and mentally. “While I was excited about starting something new, I took time to get ready for it,” adds the founder. The Spice Safari journey has been exciting and challenging at the same time for the founder. “From technology to marketing and sourcing, everything was new and challenging for us. But that was a part of the game, and we were up for it,” she adds.

Our parents were very worried about the 2 of us working together!

“My mother has been supporting me in taking care of my son, Neil. From taking care of him right after school, to ensuring that he sleeps on time when I have late night meetings, my Super Mom is handling it all,” adds Khemka. She believes that family support is absolutely essential for an entrepreneur. While Tulsi has been working hard at making Spice Safari bigger everyday, she ensures that a lot of time is spent with her son. “I sign up for weekend classes to bond over activities with my son. Whether it is story work shops, pottery class, or even a sport session,” she says proudly. Tulsi believes that working keeps her happy, and does not feel guilty for being an entrepreneur mom.

If am an unhappy person, I will be an unhappy mom.

Sacrifices come at every stage of a woman life. And while starting up as well, Tulsi gave up a lot of things to focus on Spice Safari. “Changing from corporate to entrepreneurship, I realised that I could never completely switch off from work,” says the founder. But through the journey, Tulsi only got stronger.

I have always heard women say I have a kid I cannot work, I cannot go out, I don’t think anything stops us from doing what we want to.

She advises women to learn that its okay to leave children with their grandparents while they grow up. “Your child might not have the fanciest school projects or be the best dressed at a fancy dress competition because you were taking care of other things, but he will surely have the strongest mother who would inspire him to do what he wants to in life!” she adds.

Website : www.spicesafari.com

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