Trigger Tribe Stories: Karam
Trigger Tribe Stories: Karam
Karam is a travel addict whose adventures around the world and consulting experience led him to found his business, Sho-Me, a platform that helps hotels bring digital on-board to improve the guest stay and experience in a new country.
Yet the decision to make the move and leave the comforts of his day job wasn’t easy.
However after a serendipitous session with one of Trigger’s life coaches on the Transformational Conversations Programme, Karam decided to take the leap into entrepreneurialism.
We caught up with him to find out how he made his dreams a reality…
Firstly, at Trigger we know you’re more than your work-label, so tell us…
What are your favourite topics of conversation?
Science, religion, politics, business, human psychology, human connections and intimacy ... lots of topics, anything that can help me learn and grow.
What’s your conversation superpower?
I've been loving the question: "what more do you want to say, do or feel?". Whenever I use it I find I’m able to connect more deeply with others and understand their desires.
What is most important to you right now?
I'm about to launch my own business, so I’m quite focused on the journey and on the personal growth that I will gain.
Now congrats is in order - you’re setting off to launch your own business! We’d love to hear about the kinds of conversations you had whilst making this decision.
Did you face any challenging or serendipitous conversations?
One of the hardest yet most serendipitous conversation was with one of the life coaches on the Transformational Conversations Programme. I was struggling to take the decision to leave the comfort of my day job and embark on the opportunity to start my own business, but by them asking the right questions it helped me take the decision confidently and actually talk more about the decision with others!
Did you have any uplifting conversations? If so, how did they come about?
Yes, I had an uplifting conversation with my previous employer. When I shared my plans with him, he was supportive and offered to help me throughout the journey if needed.
What advice would you give for others who are wanting to start a new adventure, but are not sure how to broach the conversation with their employers, colleagues, friends or family?
1.) Get out there and talk about your idea to help you put your thoughts into action!
It can be someone close to you or even a stranger. I say this because being confident that this opportunity is the right one at the right time for you is hard and there’ll always be doubt if you are doing the right thing. Talking is great because it helps you commit to your actions and move forward.
2.) Try and have something material before you leave your job
I've been working on developing my idea for two years before I felt it reached a point in time where I could actually quit and focus on it.
3.) Maintain positive relationships - you never know when they’ll come in handy
Starting a business has risks and at times you will need a safety net to fall into, so maintain positive relationships with your past employers, friends and family - plus they might even become your future customers.
4.) Be authentic in your conversations about your plans
People will be happy for you and supportive of your decision. They might even provide you with contacts, be your client or help you whenever you need it!
Lastly, we’re curious to know - after graduating from the Transformational Conversations Programme what effect has transforming your conversations had on your life?
It gave me more confidence to talk to anyone and helped me take my conversations to different level by connecting with others in ways I rarely used to.
What has been the most useful conversational tool you learnt?
Listening and giving the space for others to speak their mind: it’s allowed me to be there for others when they needed it the most.