Many dream of abandoning the daily corporate grind to build something of their own, but a few actually have the courage to plan and pull it off. At 33, Tarana Chauhan did just that when she traded a ₹24 lakh annual salary to restore her century-old ancestral home in Rohru, Himachal Pradesh. In a conversation with hindustantimes.com, she detailed how her lockdown side hustle blossomed into a boutique retreat.
The corporate journey
Chauhan told hindustantimes.com, “I started my career through campus placement at Tata Consultancy Services as a Senior Business Analyst. 2 years later, I moved to Anheuser-Busch, where I eventually became a Product Manager.”
Also Read: SBI assistant manager quits job to start yoga studio, blames mental exhaustion
She recalled, “I spent almost six years in the corporate world, going from a package of roughly ₹7 lakh a year to earning close to ₹2 lakh a month when I left. So, financially and professionally, I was doing well.”
“Today I run…”
Despite having a stable job and a comfortable salary, Chauhan realised that “a successful career and a fulfilling life aren't necessarily the same thing”. Hence, she decided to leave behind the corporate world to start something entirely new.
“Today, I run Nirvana Homes, a century-old homestay in the Himalayas,” she expressed, adding that the idea started in 2020 when she returned home during the pandemic.
{{/usCountry}}“Today, I run Nirvana Homes, a century-old homestay in the Himalayas,” she expressed, adding that the idea started in 2020 when she returned home during the pandemic.
{{/usCountry}}“Being here made me realise how much I loved the mountains and how little I actually wanted the city life I had been chasing.”
"I was working long hours…'
Chauhan recounted that a question she often found herself asking while working as a corporate employee compelled her to make a change.
“I was working long hours and progressing professionally, but somewhere along the way, I had stopped asking a very basic question: ‘What kind of life am I actually trying to build?’”
She recalled watching people climb the corporate ladder and earn higher salaries, but with it came greater stress, responsibilities, and dependence on a secure income.
The entrepreneur admitted that there’s nothing wrong with such a life, but it wasn’t fulfilling enough for her. “I realised I didn't want to spend my most productive years building a life around someone else's priorities. I wanted to build something that was mine, something that could give me not just an income, but ownership over my time and choices.”
Old house, new dream
“I started refurbishing our old ancestral house and began the homestay alongside my corporate job, while we were working from home. I wanted to see if the idea could actually work before I took the leap,” Chauhan recalled.
However, her efforts slowly paid off, and her side hustle turned into a real business. It became stable enough for her to take the plunge and quit her job.
“Some months I don't even make ₹1 lakh”
“I've now been running Nirvana Homes full-time for almost three years. My income today is not as predictable as a salary. Some months I make over ₹5 lakh, while in some months I don't even make ₹1 lakh,” Chauhan shared.
She added, “And surprisingly, I've learnt to enjoy that seasonality. Because what I've gained isn't just another source of income but with it, the ability to decide how I spend my time, where I live and what kind of work I want to build my life around.”
“Sometimes you don't need a life-changing event to tell you what you want. You just need enough silence to hear yourself.”
“The first hurdle was psychological”
Though fulfilling, her new journey wasn’t easy. Chauhan shared, “The first hurdle was psychological. When you have a stable, well-paying job, leaving it feels irrational. There is always a voice asking, ‘What if this doesn't work?’ And I had no background in hospitality. I went from being a Product Manager to suddenly wearing every possible hat in a business.”
She told hindustantimes.com, “In the beginning, I was doing almost everything myself, hosting guests, serving food, taking people on local tours, managing bookings and handling day-to-day operations. I was also dealing with construction, figuring out electricity and plumbing issues in a rural setting, and managing the property's social media.”
She recalled encountering an unusual problem when she had to add her property to Google Maps.
“The property didn't have an existing Google location. And because guests needed to be able to find us, it became a surprisingly important part of getting the business ready. I had to use its latitude and longitude to establish the exact location and get it approved. That process alone took almost a month and delayed our opening.”
That initial month-long battle with coordinates offered her a sharp, lasting lesson on the realities of running a business completely on her own.
“It sounds like a small problem, but it taught me something important about entrepreneurship: when you're building from scratch, there is no ‘someone else’ to handle the problem. Every problem is your problem to solve.”
Even after establishing a successful venture, she faces daily operational demands due to the unpredictable nature of the hospitality industry.
“Today, I still face challenges, difficult guests, slow seasons, maintenance issues and unexpected expenses. But I don't resent them anymore.”
She explained, “There is a very different kind of satisfaction in solving a difficult problem when you know you're building something that belongs to you.”
“Things I love most about this life…”
Chauhan told hindustantimes.com, “There are three things I love most about this life. First, I can plan my work around my life instead of constantly trying to fit my life around work. I can be there for my family, travel when I want to, and structure my days in a way that works for me.”
She expressed, “Second, I have the joy of owning the journey. I’m building something of my own, and there is something deeply fulfilling about watching my ancestral home come alive as a business that I created.”
Lastly, she added, “What I love most is that my work now feels like me. I can sit around a bonfire with my guests, eat marshmallows, listen to their stories, and sometimes make friends along the way. My work has become about connecting with people and creating experiences, something that feels much more natural to me than sitting behind a laptop reviewing spreadsheets.”
“Earlier, I used to live for the weekends. Today, my work is a part of the life I actually want to live.”
“I didn't choose between a salary and a dream overnight”
While she chose to walk away from corporate life, Chauhan emphasised that making a radical career shift isn't a one-size-fits-all formula.
“I don't think everyone needs to quit their job. In fact, I think quitting without a plan can be a very expensive form of courage. What I do believe is that we should stop treating our current life as the only life available to us.”
She advised, “If you want to leave your job someday, start building the bridge before you burn it. Learn the skill. Start the side project. Test the idea. Save some money. Understand what your alternative actually looks like.”
The homestay owner explained that her own transition was built on careful overlap, balancing a full-time job while proving her homestay business model could actually work.
“That's what I did. I didn't choose between a salary and a dream overnight. I slowly made my dream capable of supporting me. And perhaps that's the biggest thing my journey has taught me.”
“You don't have to choose between being practical and being brave. Sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is build your way towards the life you want, patiently, intelligently and on your own terms.”
The 33-year-old explained that one's decision should be guided by how they measure achievement and personal fulfilment.
“For me, success today isn't about climbing higher. It's about waking up and knowing that the life I'm living is one I consciously chose.”
Also Read: ₹1 crore/month">He quit Bengaluru tech job for ‘peace of mind’; now his startup earns ₹1 crore/month
Tarana Chauhan hails from Shimla. Presently, she lives in her rural village, Rohru, where she runs her homestay, Nirvana Homes.