My name is Rachit, and I want to share something personal with you. From a very early age, I always wanted to do something big and create a life I am proud of.

I was born and raised in New Delhi in a middle-class family. Although I was very fortunate to have very supportive parents, I always felt like someone who is dumbest of all and struggled to study. As a young, energetic teen, I was interested in playing cricket and hanging out with neighbourhood friends. But whenever it came to studies, I was always made fun of by my friends and neighbours. All my teenage life I missed having that one friend who could have helped me understand my situation and help me deal with it.

Being honest, I didn’t have any passion for life until I moved to New Zealand. Back in India, I did a Bachelor’s in Business Administration because my family asked me to do so. After that, for three years, I dabbled in different industries. Of course, I made money, but I never really enjoyed what I was doing. I felt like my life was not moving; I was not able to develop myself and improve my skills.

So I decided if I can go to a foreign country and study at a great Uni, I thought I would be able to upskill myself, improve my personality, get a better job and earn more money.

So my father helped me take the education loan and come to New Zealand.

When I came to New Zealand, just like any other immigrant, I was excited, happy, and eagerly waiting for what’s next. I wanted to make new friends, travel, go to the uni, and of course, get that Permanent Residency.

Within just two months, I realized being an immigrant is not what I imagined initially.

Being an immigrant was sharing a room with other friends and not having privacy. It was having to bum rides off with friends and not being able to afford to eat out. It was struggling to understand a different accent and working part-time after classes.

But it was also friendships and completing the dream of seeing a different world. It was personal growth. It was constantly being faced with my inadequacies, being in over my head, and needing to learn on the job. It was being afraid and moving forward anyway, and every day just trying to be a bit better than the day before.

I understood being an immigrant is hard.

As there is a saying when God wants to help, they choose someone as a way to help others.

I remember one beautiful day at our 3rd Indian Auckland Meetup I was talking to a member, who was going through the pretty same situation as I was two years ago. Someone who knew the job he is doing is not going to contribute to his career journey but he couldn’t help as he was not sure how he could secure the job in his field that he wants. As I have been through this situation, I suggested expanding his network and making friends with the people who are already at the place where he wants to reach, meaning, try and contact people who are already doing similar jobs/business that he wants.

After coming back from the meetup, I had the same altar call moment that I felt before founding Indian Auckland Meetup. I wanted to do something, and I wanted to create something that would not only help network with others but help people get advice from successful immigrants.

I am sure each of you has some unique skills and work ethics but I understand in a new culture and job market it is hard for us to find out what is right or whatnot. I believe the only secret here to reveal is learning from the people who have already successfully achieved the things that you want. People who have already tested the waters did the heavy lifting and created a successful life for themselves in this country. Just like, you hire a personal trainer when you want to build muscles, why not take help from someone who is already doing a job in your interest in the field?

I understand this because I have been through a similar situation and I recovered from it only because of those successful friends who helped me when needed. I researched for months to come up with an idea, so I could create a platform where I can present the advice from these successful immigrants in the best manner.

And then I found Jake Millar online, I came across his channel Unfiltered.tv and was super impressed to read his story. At the age of 19, he sold his first company to the NZ govt and, after that, founded New Zealand’s fastest-growing media startup, Unfiltered. It is a paid­ subscription platform designed to help business leaders achieve true success. A series of videos where Jake interviews world-class business leaders and talks about their journey and asks for their advice on different aspects of the business. So the business owners could learn from their mistakes or unique strategies and build successful businesses.

This is the inspiration I needed. And this is how I founded “Behind the Dreams.” An online show where we interview successful people in all the different fields and try to explore their mindsets, what skills they acquired to get a job and strategies they used to reach the level of living they are at now. With Behind the Dreams platform, we endeavour to build the Ultimate FREE Resource designed for those who have just started or are still on the way to chase their dreams in their new home so they can have the knowledge, tools, inspirations, and courage to build their successes on their terms.

Within just launching the platform four months ago, the show has gained a lot of attention from the immigrant community in New Zealand and Australia. Here are a few comments of the viewers who are following the platform on Facebook.

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