As COVID restricted the physical movement, Catterfly launched hyper-local activities where it had physical footprints and team ready to take people along as local guides. Though with complete lockdown, everyone was stranded at home and it was no more fun standing in the city center waiting for people to turn up. With everyone stranded at home, the only way to bring these unique experiences to people was through digital channels. This new idea itself was an antithesis of travel and meant a shift from delivering ‘travel experiences’ to ‘experiences that travel brings’ but consumed remotely.
Catterfly soon extended the concept to many other themes including interactive virtual tour conducted by experts from countries as far away in Norway and Portugal, museum tours from France, wine tasting and cuisine workshops from Italy, and literature-based workshops on the life and works of authors like Shakespeare (Macbeth is set in Scotland and Romeo-Juliet in Italy). In each theme, a native expert from a far-away culture delivers a unique travel-based experience that shifted perspectives for others.
In fact, to manage this pivot Catterfly had to change almost everything–consumer segments changed, product portfolio transformed from ‘High-Price: Low-Volume’ to ‘Low-Price: High-Volume’, and with corresponding shifts in sales, marketing, finance, operations, technology and expert management approach. It is life turned upside-down but tremendously satisfying as there is no better privilege than helping others while finding the path. As one of the native artists mentioned, “Catterfly helped me to light candles and celebrate Diwali and was also standing by when the hurricane swept away my roof during the pandemic.” In moments such as these Catterfly lives several lifetimes as it was positively impacting native artists, tribal women who themselves are driving girl child empowerment, schools in rural parts of India, and of course the workshop participants!
The new journey is still unfolding as Catterfly prepares for travel to rebound in newer ways. After all, a Caterpillar does not become a butterfly in one day and few aspects changed. It is the conviction that the principles which Catterfly adopted will outlast the founders and the existing team, and that their journey is already impacting lives of true torch bearers of a culture as they generate income with dignity. It was a win-win for the travelers and experts also, as newer ways of delivering-consuming travel-based experiences will stay with them in the future. These are the real Catterflyers who believe in the philosophy of change and personal growth by shedding their prejudices, biases, and constraints of the past. As they spread the message much further, there is no better hope for the entrepreneurs, especially in the times that we live in. If there is a purpose to life journeys, perhaps this is it!
This is not the story of Catterfly. It is about everyone and anyone who stepped out of the comfort zone and kept walking despite any odds that came in the way. There is no other way to grow, even though it may not be obvious at times.
(A repost of a feature on Catterfly's journey last year after COVID struck the world. This article and accompanying illustration first appeared on IIT-Bombay Alumni Association's magazine Fundamatics in April 2021: https://fundamatics.net/caterpillars-can-fly/)
