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How Pooja Vijay Started Pink Pedals And Converted Her Passion For Cycling Into A Business
Pooja Vijay is the founder of Pink Pedals, a bicycle rental service in Jaipur, Rajasthan. She is also the first bicycle mayor of Jaipur. She earned this title from a social enterprise based all the way in Amsterdam, Europe.
She started this journey in 2017 with just 9 cycles. With the hard work she put into nurturing her idea, Pink Pedals grew. Her offbeat business idea began to get attention. It also got featured in the Top 26 Startups in Rajasthan by Inc42, an Indian startup information platform.
Pink Pedals now has a fleet of more than 300 cycles and is one of the largest bike sharing and rental companies in Jaipur.
The Change In Path From Law To Bicycles
Pooja Vijay is a BCom graduate with an LLB degree. Before Pink Pedals, she worked for corporate companies like Infosys and Genpact.
Bicycling was just a hobby that she enjoyed. But this changed when she heard about the rise of pollution in Delhi.
She felt that Jaipur, her home city, could be in the same state of pollution anytime soon. To her, Jaipur is home, the city that gave her everything. She wanted to do something to help her city and the environment.
The solution that then came to her mind were bicycles! That's how she went on this new journey.
In the start, people wondered why she was quitting a law career to take on a very unusual business path, but Pooja knew herself. She knew this is what she wanted to do.
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Pooja changed her career path from a corporate role to cycling. It is a slightly risky decision, but she felt confident about it.
If you also want to step into something new but don't feel 100% positive about it, try taking a career test.
Through the test, you'll discover where your skills and interests lie. This will then help you decide whether a new career path is an advisable decision or not.
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How Pooja Executed This Fabulous Idea To Rent Bicycles
The idea started with 9 cycles. In the beginning, she placed it at Jawahar Circle, a popular park in Jaipur. Initially, very few rented the cycles.
But Pooja was determined to pursue this idea. She now had to think of new ways to attract people.
So she kept different bicycles for all age groups. For small kids with supportive side wheels and comfortable ones for elderly customers.
After that, she suggested people cycle and see the rich heritage of Jaipur instead of getting stuck in traffic. This attracted tourists.
She also installed bicycle stations in Mahindra World City, a part of Jaipur, where all the big corporate companies are located. This way, she made corporate employees interested in cycling to work.
She didn't hold back but went ahead with all the creative ideas she had, and eventually, this got her success!
Pink Pedals is now 4 years old and, on a mission, to make cycling a habit to stay fit, healthy, and happy.
How Did Pooja Vijay Achieve Success?
She Turned Her Hobby Into A Career - Cycling was a hobby for Pooja, but she made a business out of it. It was an unusual path, but she was confident about handling it.
She Knew Herself Well - Making a living out of any hobby, be it cycling like Pooja, or something like designing or even cooking, requires you to know yourself thoroughly. Taking internships or career tests are some common ways to become aware of your individual strengths.
Pooja Thought Differently - For her startup idea to achieve success, she thought in a very unique way. She saw that her city lacked a culture of cycling and she wanted people to be eco-friendly. Her ability to think differently shaped her success.
If you also have a strong startup idea, then believe in your vision and build the idea with your passion just like Pooja did.