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Mom’s journey from 9-to-5 employee to homestay entrepreneur: ‘ 21 lakh in revenue’

A mom walked away from corporate security to start a homestay business, turning her initial self-doubt into a thriving success story.

Published on: Aug 19, 2026, 16:10:25 IST
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Leaving corporate security without a concrete roadmap is daunting, but for one woman, prioritising her child proved to be a life-changing decision. Quitting her 9-to-5 job to be close to her child, she ventured into the homestay industry as a complete novice. She said today her short-term rental business generates 21 lakh in revenue, turning initial fear into a thriving entrepreneurial journey.

The mom who left her stable career to start her own business. (Instagram/@airbnbwithsnigdha)
The mom who left her stable career to start her own business. (Instagram/@airbnbwithsnigdha)

“I never thought I’d be living a life like this one day. Crazy what a few years of building a short-term rental business can do,” wrote Snigdha on Instagram.

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She shared a video in which she revealed that, in 2023, she decided to leave her regular job to start a homestay business. Despite apprehensions, she finally started making a profit. She said that now she earns “ 21 lakh in revenue”. Some of her properties in Delhi are listed on Airbnb.

“I left because…”

In another detailed post, Snigdha shared why she decided to leave her job even before she formulated a proper business plan. “I didn’t leave my 9–5 because I had a perfect business plan. I left because my child needed me. My child was struggling with separation anxiety, and every time I had to leave for work, a part of me felt like I was choosing my career over him.”

Instead of pausing her career, she simply shifted her focus to a new industry. “So I made a decision that scared me more than anything. I left my 9–5 job. And honestly? I had absolutely no idea what I was doing next. I had never even stayed in an Airbnb, let alone thought about running one.”

That is when she started researching how it works and what she needed to do. “I was scared. I doubted myself. There were so many moments when I wondered, ‘What if this doesn’t work?’,” she recalled.

However, her doubts began to fade when she got her first booking. “But then something happened that changed everything. I got my very first booking… on my very first day. That one booking wasn’t just a reservation for me. It was proof. Proof that maybe I could actually do this.”

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Snigdha recounted, “Slowly, the fear turned into confidence. And the best part? My child didn’t have to wait for me to come home from work anymore. He could be with me while I worked. I didn’t have everything figured out when I started. You take the first step… and confidence comes along the way.”

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Trisha Sengupta

Trisha Sengupta works as Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of experience in the digital newsroom. Known for her ability to decode the internet’s most talked-about moments, she specialises in high-engagement storytelling that bridges the gap between viral trends and traditional journalism. Throughout her tenure, Trisha has focused on the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. She frequently covers personal finance and real estate struggles in hubs like Gurgaon, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, while also documenting the unique challenges of the NRI experience. Her work often highlights the movements and philosophies of global newsmakers and personalities like Elon Musk, Mukesh Ambani, Nikhil Kamath, Dubai crown prince, and MrBeast. From reporting on Amazon or Meta layoffs and startup culture to the emergence of AI-driven platforms like Grok and xAI, she provides a grounded and empathetic perspective on the stories shaping our world. When not decoding the internet, Trisha is likely offline: lost in a book, exploring a historical ruin, or navigating the world as a solo traveler. She balances her fast-paced career with family time and a healthy dose of curiosity, currently trading her "human" sources for silicon ones as she masters AI to future-proof her storytelling.

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