Shiven Madan and Nikhil Saigal, Home Safe

From August 23 - September 1, 700 young leaders from over 107 countries and territories, along with senior management of over 100 companies are converging in Hyderabad for India’s largest international congregation of young people – the AIESEC International Congress 2010, India. The event will also attract over 45,000 virtual participants to join this one-of-a-kind celebration of youth leadership and diversity.In the run up to the conference YourStory.in will feature entrepreneurs who are AIESEC alumni.Home Safe (www.homesafeindia.com) is Delhi’s first Premier Chauffeur Service established with the intention of making the process of driving in Delhi hassle free and completely safe, along with working towards making Delhi’s road safer. They provide their customers a safe, dependable and comfortable alternative to driving when they would rather not, be it at night, during the day or for an out-station trip. YourStory spoke to Shiven Madan, Founder and Director, Home Safe.YS : What is Home safe?

Home Safe is currently offering its services in Delhi-NCR region. We provide our customers a safe, dependable and comfortable alternative to driving when they would rather not. Delhi-ites are now free to let their hair down and have a blast without having to worry about inconveniences like parking, traffic jams, police checks & other perils of commuting.

YS : How do you plan to scale up your venture?

We started initially with night services to cater to the clientele not wanting to drive after consuming alcohol but noticed a big potential in short term chauffeur on hire services during the day and after a few months of being in operations became a 24*7 chauffeur on call service. Next we plan to move to other metro cities to establish a pan India presence and prevent drunken driving at the same time.YS: Why did you choose to be an entrepreneur rather than stick to a regular 9-to-5 job?

Nikhil & I, both of us chose to take a jump and become entrepreneurs because of the strong belief in a cause and its potential to be a business model. We, being at a juncture in life where we could afford to take the risks and test the waters decided to go ahead, and did intensive research and a market scope to understand the potential of the idea and the consumers mindset.

YS : What has been the biggest challenge for you so far, and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge we have faces since the time Home Safe has come into inception has been the lack of vigil and interest in the cause of drunk driving by the authorities and associated civic agencies.

YS : What drives you to stay buckled on the rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship?

The constant desire to take the business to new levels and the belief that its possible keeps us going. The massive learning we take away from every single day make the ride all the more enjoyable.