Q 1. Kindly give our readers an introduction to your business. Please include what your business is all about, in which city you are located and if you have offices in multiple locations/ cities.
Ans: Athreya – a medical resort. It is an authentic Ayurveda medical resort, owned & run by a family of 5 generations of heritage experienced ayurvedic doctors.
It is run in a very organized and professional manner with a personal touch & is recommended to anyone who is looking for an alternative to western medicine. It is set in a natural setting surrounded on one side by paddy fields and is an oasis where you would rejuvenate and regain your health and vigor.
This creates an environment for purifying the body naturally, which eliminates toxic imbalances through panchakarma, enabling natural resistance to diseases and the attainment of good health. Food is healthy and follows the ayurvedic chart of “right food”.
It is highly recommended to anyone seeking an alternative to western medicine and a genuine holistic experience.
Q 2. Kindly give us a brief description about yourself (it should include your brief educational or entrepreneurial background and list some of your major achievements).
Ans: Dr. Gireesh
Hail from ayurveda physician family for 4 generations
Graduated In 1972.
Dr Gireesh and his wife Dr Padmadevi has their concepts to have quality medicines and resort like hospital in their early carrier visions and they worked for it.
Started athreya pharmaceuticals in 1996, Athreya Ayurveda Resort in 2004
As Gen Secretary Of Kerala Ayurveda Mandalam – Strives In Propagation Of Ayurveda. The 5th generation of Doctors involves Dr. Sreejit son-in-law of Dr. Gireesh, Dr. Jayalakshmi daughter of Dr. Gireesh.
Dr. Sreejit and Dr. Jayalakshmi has been continuing the dream and vision of her parents in an improving path. All the Doctors at Athreya are professionally qualified along with Traditional knowledge.
Q 3. How did the idea for your business come about?
Ans: To spread the message of ayurveda healing power to people outside the state of kerala and nation. We are ayurveda physicians any way so we like to extend our knowledge and expertise to all
Q 4. What three pieces of advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
Ans: 1. Make Hard Smart Work
2. Be Transparent About Expected Results
3. Value The Time Money Faith Someone Invests On You
Q 5. What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Hardwork, Honesty, Perseverance
Q 6. How many hours do you work a day on average?
Ans: 12 hours for 6 days a week
Q 7. To what do you most attribute your success?
Ans: Grace Of God, Hardwork, Honesty, Perseverance
Q 8. How do you go about marketing your business?
Ans: Mouth to mouth publicity, Having an online presence.
Q 9. Where did your organizations funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it?
Ans: Home assests, self made, taking loans and making sure it can be re payed even without the income from the new venture for the 1st 3 years but to be able to maintain multiple small incomes. The initial years can be very difficult, to maintain the cost of running the business and loan repayment so plan well, avail the loan only towards the final stages of project development.
Q 10. How did you obtain investors for your venture?
Ans: NONE, we being Ayurvedic doctors and planning to run Ayurvedic hospital with personal touch and resort like ambiance was never possible to grow beyond certain level. So, we always were modest about expansion.
Q 11. What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
Ans: Grace Of God, Hardwork, Honesty, Perseverance
Regular client feedback, always making sure what we serve and what the client seek is matched and giving a sincere and transparent idea about what to expect from us before the client makes a decision if to come to us or not. If there is any limitations for us we should be able to convey it much in advance and avoid surprises after reaching our centre.
Q 12. Where you see yourself and your business in 5 – 10 years?
Ans: To be the top destination of ayurveda medical tourism in world map.
Q 13. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire the most?
Ans: None
Q 14. How important have good employees been to your success?
Ans: Very Important, in Ayurveda the most important aspects for getting the best result for treatment are 1. Bhishak(Doctor) 2. Dravya (Medicne) 3. Upasta(Attendant) 4. Rogi (Patient). This has been mentioned in the 1 st chapter of a basic fundamental text in Ayurveda called Ashtanga hrudaya, in a chapter called Ayushkamiya(Desire for long life). In the text the qualities of staff or employees, in our case attendants is mentioned. They are Anurakta(Compassionate towards patients), Shichi(cleanliness), Dakhsha(Alert, active) and Budhiman(Inteligent). We have been fortunate to get the best of the employees to work with us and that is as important as one fourth to our success.
Q 15. How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
Ans: The thought about giving up never comes up, either it will become unimportant or its priority is changed. Without such a change in trend there should not be a giving up. Some tasks like 100% organic farming took us around 5 years to attain and we never given it up.
Q 16. What motivates you?
Ans: Passion for work, to see patients cured, to see their lives changed in positive manner, to continue the traditional values, to support the employees and their families.
Q 17. What are your ideals?
Ans: Learn, Propagate, Serve, Prosper
Q 18. How do you generate new ideas?
Ans: Be feedback from clients and lot of introspection
Q 19. How do you define success?
Ans: Satisfaction Of Clients
Q 20. How do you build a successful customer base
Ans: Making sure we don’t disappoint anyone for a financial gain, if we feel like someone coming to us have a different need we try to guide well as much as possible while explaining what we really are best at so that in the future they can plan and come back to us. Not to underestimate anyone’s potential. Not pushing the clients to anything they feel uncomfortable. Best performance, professional services in personal soberness
Q 21. What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
Ans: To help all
Q 22. What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
Ans: Being awarded TripAdvisor Excellence for 7th time in row and getting the prestigious travellers choice award 3 times.
Q 23. What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Ans: Mindset of leadership and risk taking
Q 24. What kind of culture exists in your organization?
Ans: Value for money time and faith someone putting on us
Q 25. How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
Ans: Is our professional ethics
Q 26. In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur.
Ans: Sincere
Q 27. If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
Ans: We felt like world is changing so fast that even the same carrier is still undergoing a lot of changes and improvisations. Adapting the already chose carrier to be at the top needs more fighting spirit than starting over again.
Q 28. How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?
Ans: Yes positive effects, only when we have the experience and calculations to set invisible boundaries without affecting both, we get to see both happy family and professional life. Since we are a family of 6 doctors combinely running Athreya Ayurvedic centre, the understanding among us helped to make the balance.
Q 29. What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
Ans: Adaptability was always the need of the time, let it be seeking knowledge, new services, being up to date in most useful and modern hygiene standards etc. We always was able to come up with the most needed improvisations but always fears if we miss something important.
Q 30. How did you decide on the location for your business?
Ans: We always wanted to blend Ayurveda, yoga, organic food and village atmosphere. So our search reached here Pallom – which is like gateway to the lush green paddy fields on one side which have no boundary on one side and at an optimum distance from airport and other connectivity.
Q 31. Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Varies on many factors but core idea is honesty and clarity to the clients, giving best value for their effort and not just for money, being able to face the hurdles of business like a normal routine, and ultimately oversee and foresee the needs and activities.
Q 32. If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
Ans: Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Being A Great Visionary
Q 35. Who has been your greatest inspiration?
Ans: Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
Q 36. What book has inspired you the most? (OR what is your favorite book?)
Ans: MANY LIVE MANY MASTERS – DR BRIAN WEISS, ITS HEALING BOOK
Q 37. What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made?
Ans: There are many, nothing I remember that is still uncorrected.
Q 38. How can you prevent mistakes or do damage control?
Ans: Make only new mistakes
Q 39. What are your hobbies?
Ans: Reading Gardening, Long Drives
Q 40. What do you do in your non-work time?
Ans: Study
Q 41. What makes you happy?
Ans: Happiness of my clients
Q 42. What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?
Ans: Had to compromise time with friends
Company Detail:
Company name Athreya Ayurvedic Centre
Address Pakkil.P.O, Pallom
City Kottayam
State Kerala
Zip Code 686012
Tel No +91 90204 04444