Exclusive Story by WeirdKaya - Proper accreditation to WeirdKaya and consent from the interviewee are required.
Tamilarasi had a stable career, a pharmacy degree, and a decade of experience working with some of the biggest MNC companies in the country.
But she walked away from all of it and chose an industry she had absolutely no background in.
Tamilarasi graduated as a pharmacist in 2016. But instead of waiting almost 1.5 years for a government hospital placement, she decided to take a leap of faith.
She jumped straight into the pharmaceutical industry, completed her PRP to get her pharmacist license, and never looked back since.
For almost 10 years, Tamilarasi worked across multiple multinational companies (MNC) and rotated through different roles which included sales representative, marketing, regulatory affairs, and medical liaison.
‘An introvert who couldn’t sell’
According to Tamilarasi, she describes herself as an introvert who had little to no idea when it came to selling or promoting products.
This was evident when she landed her first sales role in the pharmaceutical industry, where she faced constant rejection from doctors and criticism from bosses.
To make things worse, she also had to contend with high turnover rates at her workplace as colleagues kept quitting in droves due to their inability to handle the pressure.
However, Tamilarasi chose to stay and learn from each mistake she made as she saw them as a lesson, not a setback.
“That job changed me from an introvert to an extrovert. It made me braver, more outspoken, and stronger.”
Making the switch
Tamilarasi’s switch from the pharmaceutical industry to tourism wasn’t a random choice as it was rooted in her life experiences growing up.
“I was born into a family where travelling simply wasn’t a part of life. The first time I flew out of the country was when I went to Paris for my honeymoon.
“But as time went on, I discovered that I enjoyed planning itineraries, dealing with suppliers, and coordinating logistics. This then led me to organising company trips during my time in the pharmaceutical industry.”
Upon realising that the tourism industry was where her heart truly was, Tamilarasi stepped away from the pharmaceutical industry entirely and used her work experience to build her budding travel agency, which she personally invested RM200,000 to get it running.
Like many “green” business owners, Tamilarasi faced financial difficulties during the first two years of kickstarting her travel agency, where she had months of zero income.
“There were months where you don’t earn anything and you feel very down. But I didn’t give up.”
Slowly, Tamilarasi’s persistence paid off in the form of customers trickling in, with some booking her travel agency on a yearly basis to handle their trips. This has since led her to earning her first six-figure sales this year.
Balancing act
Tamilarasi’s travel agency isn’t your typical walk-in, pick-a-package kind of place. She primarily focuses on private tours and she and her husband will personally visit the destination themselves before promoting it to customers.
“That’s how I close deals, because I have the product knowledge. I’ve been there so I can explain it properly and in-depth. And it’s this level of detail that keeps my customers coming back.”
When asked what the hardest part of her journey was, Tamilarasi didn’t mention about the RM200,000 she personally invested, the two years of uncertainty, or switching to a different career. Instead, it was breastfeeding.
“Being consistent for two years is a mental struggle. You have to be so strong and not every woman can do it.
“Thankfully, I had my husband to help me out with night feeds, washing the pump equipment, and handling all the financial planning for the company.
“My sister also helped in handling the administrative work and looked after my two toddlers whenever my husband and I had to travel. Without this form of support, I don’t think I would have done any of this.”
Closing words
In a society where everyone has the urge to splurge on luxury items, Tamilarasi strongly advised those looking to be entrepreneurs to refrain from making big purchases and instead channel the funds into the business.
“Make sure you have enough savings to sustain yourself for at least two years, because that’s likely how long it’ll take for things to stabilise.
“And most importantly, don’t give up in the first few months just because things aren’t moving. Entrepreneurship is all about taking risks. If you don’t try, you’ll never know.”
Exclusive Story by WeirdKaya – If you wish to reproduce this story, please ensure that you obtain consent from the interviewee to maintain factual accuracy and avoid the potential spread of misleading information.
If referencing or using any information from our story, we kindly ask that proper credit is given, along with a backlink to WeirdKaya, as acknowledgment of the efforts made by our editors in sourcing and conducting interviews.
