beginnings
how I got started | I first came up with the idea while I was
still working as a Chief Information Officer in New York. I had gotten
to the top of my career field by age 30 and was bored. I knew that I was
capable of doing something more and I really wanted to integrate more
creativity and travel into my lifestyle. For me making money wasn't
enough; I wanted to make a difference too. So I decided to combine my
love of travel, environmentalism, and volunteering into one company
which builds sustainable boutique resorts in developing countries.-----
I wasn't quite sure how to go about doing this, however, so I decided to
leave the country and do a year of service to clear my head. I applied
for and received a Fulbright Fellowship to Bangladesh. A few weeks later
I quit my job in New York, donated everything that I owned to charity,
and moved to Bangladesh to do research on low-income housing for garment
workers.-----
I certainly never thought that I would start my company in Bangladesh,
but as my Fulbright was winding down and I was thinking about what I
wanted to do next, I realized that there was a demand for the type of
product that I wanted to create here. There are lots of expatriates
(like me) living here and they would all love to escape the dirty,
crowded city of Dhaka. Bangladesh is gorgeous if you get out of the city
and there are certainly many opportunities for social and environmental
improvement here.-----
When my Fellowship ended I started looking for land. I chose a strategic
location in Jessore because it is near one of the few airports in the
country, it is close to the Sundarban Forest (the world's largest
mangrove forest and one of the biggest tourist attractions in
Bangladesh), and it is also close to India. The land search was a very
slow process. I lost the first few pieces of land that I was interested
in: one piece had a bad title, another I lost because I was a foreigner
so they decided to quadruple the market price, another I lost because I
was buying too much land at once so they decided I was rich and also
quadrupled the price...-----
I have done some crazy things in order to get the land for my project,
including disguising myself as a Bangladeshi man!-----
In the end, with the help of a local agent, I was able to get a
beautiful piece of land at the intersection of two rivers. It has lots
of fruit trees on it and is walking distance to a charming little
pottery village.-----
Some of the obstacles that I have had to overcome: (1) Looking for land
without the owners knowing that it is a foreigner who is buying it ; (2)
Setting up a company in Bangladesh (a VERY complicated process. You can
see my blog: http://www.kboekhoff.blogspot.com for details on the
process); (3)
Opening a bank account here. So far I have managed to open a bank
account that will let me put money into it, but I can not yet take money
out of it! ; (4) Getting investors. As soon as I got to the fundraising
stage of my project the bottom dropped out of the capital markets.
inspiration
why this job?| I am an explorer and an adventurer. I have been
scuba diving, hang gliding, and sky diving. I have traveled to all six
inhabited continents and I prefer to stay in small, culturally authentic
places. I love travel, design, and environmentalism. I wanted to make a
difference in the world and use my skills to improve the lives of
others. I also wanted to provide beautiful, authentic travel experiences
for other savvy travelers like me. The sustainable boutique resort idea
lets me use my background as a designer and real estate executive,
provides me with an opportunity to explore exotic new places, and gives
me an outlet to implement environmentally and socially responsible
programs.
love
why I love this job!| (1) My flexible schedule. I am no longer
stuck behind a computer all day. I go to mud workshops, fly to my site,
meet with my wonderful team members. I work when there is work that
needs to be done and on slower days I enjoy my life! Taking tennis
lessons and dance lessons, swimming or working out, or socializing with
my friends. The concept of "week days", "weekends" and "working hours"
no longer applies to me. My work is integrated into my life; it is just
"my life" and it is fabulous!!
(2) The creativity. Pretty much anything that I can design or conceive
of I can integrate into my project! Some examples:
(a) I am designing the dishware for my resort and having it made by a
local potter;
(b) I am going to do most of the landscaping for the resort with edible
plants;
(c) We will organically grow fruits and vegetables at the resort that we
will serve fresh in our restaurant;
(d) I am starting an environmental education program in a local school;
(e) I am building the resort with mud (in a high end way) to reflect the
local vernacular architecture;
(f) We will be getting all of the quilts for our guest rooms from a
local non-governmental organization (NGO) comprised of village women who
do very high quality nakshi kantha embroidery in their homes;
I could go on and on...
(3) Exploring. Looking for land was a fun process because I would hire a
rickshaw for the day and just go around looking for beautiful places.
Before the market crash I was planning on putting together a fund to do
about ten resorts in various places around the world, so I took a couple
of months to travel around Eastern Europe scouting out gorgeous spots
to build resorts. I like taking my motorcycle on little dirt paths and
going to villages where they have never seen a white person before!
work
my typical day| That's another thing that I love about my job;
there is no such thing as a "typical" day! Today I am responding to a
press query, going to the printers to get some investment summaries
printed, then going to a mud workshop from 9am to 7pm. Afterward I am
going to a friend's house warming party. Last week at this time, I went
to the gym, then to the Board of Investment to complete one part of my
company registration, I sent out a few emails, had lunch with a friend
at a local expat club, then went to my tango lesson. Every day is
different which is what keeps my life so exciting!
challenges
what they are | So many challenges! But that also makes it fun
for me! I love problem solving. A few of the biggest ones: Doing
business in a foreign language that I don't speak very well ;
Navigating the legal system here;
Figuring out how to form a company (it is a giant chicken and egg
conundrum!) ;
Raising the money for the project ;
Cultural differences in work ethic and communication styles.
upside
all about growth | Lots of opportunity! I am combining the two
fastest growing trends in the hospitality industry: there is 20% annual
growth in spa and wellness centers and 20% annual growth in sustainable
tourism. Panigram Resort is my prototype property for a new
international brand, Unity Resorts. I intend to develop 100 socially and
environmentally responsible boutique resorts in developing countries in
the next 15 years.
More Info
|
