TripLegend Profile

Describe your product or service: 

“Off-the-beaten-path adventure trips for solo travellers — 100% carbon-neutral, immersive, and unforgettable.”

Describe your company values and mission: 

“We believe that mass tourism has exceeded its limits, and we want to turn travel again into what it initially was meant to be: explore new cultures, experience local cuisine, and leave your comfort zone.”

How are you funded? I.e. type of funding, number of funding rounds, total funding amount. 

“Six Digits Angel Funding [and] government grants.”

How big is your team? Tell us a little about them (I.e. co-founders, freelancers, etc.) 

“Two co-founders, Three employees, 10 interns.”

How did you come up with and validate your startup idea? Tell us the story! 

“We organized a small-group trip to a Greek island where most of the friends didn't know each other before. We organized quite a lot of local and immersive activities (like olive oil farming, buying fish from local fishermen and preparing it together with locals, collecting mushrooms, renting some boats, etc.), and we thought this is how travel always should be!”

How did you come up with your startup's name? Did you have other names you considered? 

“A lot. We checked for easy to spell, length, no swear words, no similar names, availability of .com domains, etc.”

Did you always want to start your own business? What made you want to become an entrepreneur? 

“Yes, but I first went for the corporate job to learn that it never fulfilled me, so I quit and started from scratch. Now, I love to do whatever I think is right and not what corporate politics dictate me to do.”

Did you encounter any roadblocks when launching your startup? If so, what were they and what did you do to solve them?

“COVID-19 pandemic.”

Who is your target market? How did you establish the right market for your startup? 

“Young professionals with a limited amount of holidays. No players in the market yet for these kinds of ready-made packages for this target group.”

What's your marketing strategy? 

“Content, content, content (videos, images, storytelling) on all platforms to build a strong community.”

How did you acquire your first 100 customers? 

“SEO, online marketing, public speaking events — and with a very personal 1:1 approach.”

What are the key customer metrics / unit economics / KPIs you pay attention to to monitor the health of your business? 

“Sales, CAC, Repurchase Rate, Marketing effectiveness (€ revenue per € marketing spend), reviews.”

What's your favorite startup book and podcast? 

“Many: ‘The Lean Startup,’ ‘Deep Work,’ ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fck,’ ‘7 Habits of Effective People,’ and ‘The Hard Thing About Hard Things.’”

Is there a tool, app, or resource that you swear by to help run your startup? 

“Slack and Slite.”

What is something that surprised you about entrepreneurship? 

“All my existential fears turned out to be wrong — you will always find a solution to keep your dream going. Plus, it's way more rewarding but also challenging than I thought.”

How do you achieve work/life balance as a founder? 

“Sleep 8 hours, morning routine (sports, enough time for breakfast, read/learn) before going to work, eat low-carb.”

What is a strategy you use to stay productive and focused? 

“Pomodoro method (25-minute blocks to focus on one topic), switch off distractions (phone vibrating, pop-up messages), focus on one topic at a time.”

Did you have to develop any habits that helped lead you to success? If so, what are they? 

“Focusing on working but also taking the time and energy to develop strategic objectives and measurable metrics (OKRs).”

What was your first job and what did it teach you? 

“Being a waiter in a premium restaurant when I was 14 years old — speaking with people from different backgrounds, table manners, and how to anticipate needs and wishes.”

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