SUCCESS STORIES

TRANSFORMING PEOPLE THROUGH TRAVEL AUTHENTIC TRAVELING LEVERAGES SBDC EXPERTISE TO GUIDE PEOPLE ON MEANINGFUL PERSONAL JOURNEYS BY KATIE GINDER-VOGEL After Andrew Scott earned his undergraduate degree from UW–Madison and a Master’s in Italian Renaissance Art History from Syracuse University, he stayed on at Syracuse’s campus in Florence, Italy for three years, teaching students in Syracuse University’s study abroad program about fifteenth century Italian art. He loved the challenge of teaching students and found his job very rewarding, but as he watched his friends with PhDs from prestigious universities struggle to find academic jobs, he found himself thinking about non-academic ways he might keep the interaction with students he loved as part of his professional life. Eventually, he returned to Wisconsin, where he worked in marketing at Exact Sciences, while continuing to brainstorm about ways he might share his experience traveling the world and living abroad, as well as his love of teaching, with others. During his time living in Florence, Scott had traveled to almost 30 countries, setting a deliberately slow pace of travel, so he could immerse himself in one city or neighborhood for days or weeks at a time. He had also spent a year living in Rome and Berlin. “My more than four years of international experience changed me as an individual,” says Scott. “Authentic Traveling stems from my desire to teach and help others be healthier and happier, sparking flames of curiosity and independence in them.” In Italy, Scott consulted with several small local businesses, like specialty bars and wine tour companies, focusing on strategies for attracting millennials. Eventually, he left Exact Sciences to consult full-time, and in 2016, he purchased the authentictraveling.com website domain. He initially intended to use it for his personal blog, but then he decided to take the leap and make it his business site—which meant it was time to get serious about building out his dream company. “I needed to figure out how to go from idea to reality, and that’s where SBDC came in,” Scott says. “A friend who had done the program spoke highly about it, so I applied for a grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.” Scott was off the grid in Cuba when SBDC business consultant Linda Davis contacted him to interview him for acceptance, but he called back just in time and was accepted into the Small Business Development Center at UWMadison’s Entrepreneurial Training Program, which he completed in the spring of 2017. “In the program, instructors present on the various aspects of building business, and every week, a specialist visits the class to augment students’ knowledge about how to run a small business, especially as a solo entrepreneur,” explains Scott. “We covered legal, HR, accounting, and marketing, and we compacted the most important info on all these areas into a three-hour class, which allowed us to write a business plan, with help from a business consultant, at the end of the course.” Scott initially assumed he’d complete his business plan during the two-month course and had planned to travel and conduct research all summer. However, after he began working with Davis, he realized his project was complicated enough that it would take several months to clarify all the aspects of his business plan, so he committed to spending his summer in Madison, honing his plan.

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SUCCESS STORIES “I’m happy that I did it that way,” he says. “It ended up ten times better than it would have been, and it’s great that Linda had the patience and foresight to continue helping me.” Davis, who has a deep understanding of how daunting it can be to start a business, encouraged Scott to break up the process into manageable chunks by setting one goal for himself each day and making sure to accomplish it. She helped him focus on concrete steps that could keep him moving forward as he built his business and wrote his business plan. “It was an invaluable experience,” says Scott. “Linda is absolutely fantastic; she’s incredibly talented; business-savvy; and really good at motivating you and helping you to see the big picture.” Scott says Davis also kept him focused on his target audience. “I got into the habit for a while of trying to create content that appealed to the most people in general, rather than the right people, those who would be interested in the services Authentic Traveling offers,” explains Scott. “Linda helped me to realize that even though it may be slower to build an audience when your content is devoted to a specific niche, ultimately, it’s the best way to build a loyal, enthusiastic following.” Scott and his cohorts conducted market research with the help of UW-Madison Business Librarian Peggy Smith. Authentic Traveling aims to provide inspiration and tools to help travelers turn their next trip into an exceptional experience, so Scott’s in-depth analysis on the type of customer he should target revealed that his audience would likely be people who enjoy both travel and personal development. Scott worked to build a specific customer persona on which to focus. “We’re geographically independent and online-based, so psychographics and demographics were really important,” he says. In addition, Davis helped him organize focus groups, develop a series of scientific, rigorous questions, and analyze the results. Scott conducted four focus groups with local millennials who had expressed interest in travel and personal development. “Focus groups are an invaluable way to get direct info from potential target customers—or maybe you realize there’s another group you could target,” says Scott. In fact, he realized after his focus groups that he could broaden his focus beyond millennials to a larger population of customers who were travel and personal growth enthusiasts. Scott still meets with Davis regularly as he works to grow his business. “Having someone who can look at things from 30,000 feet is really helpful because when you’re focusing on the dayto-day minutiae, you can lose sight of the big picture,” he says. “I enjoy talking to Linda and can’t speak highly enough about her as a resource.” Now, Scott is focused on sharing Authentic Traveling’s main message—that the right kind of travel can inform and improve one’s life and be a catalyst for growth and discovery. After a positive initial response, he’s going through the process of growing and differentiating his company in a crowded market. Because Authentic Traveling isn’t a local business with a storefront, he’s using content marketing to get the word out and sequentially releasing new services and products, including print books, online courses, and consulting services. “I believe the best marketing is to give people what they want, and if you’re honest and passionate about helping people, a percentage of your audience will want more from you and be willing to compensate you monetarily,” he says. “I offer free content and haven’t paid for marketing yet. I’m focused on inbound marketing via the website, Twitter, YouTube videos, and word of mouth.”

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SUCCESS STORIES development. A companion journal offers an interactive component, with space to write down daily thoughts; activities; and prompts to inspire introspection, intervention, and adventure. Scott is also developing a related online class that he plans to release by the end of the year and regularly meets with clients one-on-one, to provide customized travel planning guidance and travel tips. Next year, Authentic Traveling will offer its first group trip, focused on personal growth. “We’re big believers that you learn as much from the people you travel with as from where you go, and it can give travelers peace of mind to know they’ll be traveling with people who share their goals,” Scott says. “We’ll offer slightly non-traditional travel opportunities, like trips to Iceland, where travelers can focus on inner exploration.” Scott and a team of travel guides will create experiences in collaboration with local residents, so travelers can live like locals, participating in popular activities like scuba diving, winemaking, truffle hunting, and festivals. “Our goal is to assist travelers in fostering meaningful relationships with people around the world,” explains Scott. “We help visitors transform into temporary locals by connecting them with local residents, planning exclusive activities, teaching them new skills, or simply providing inspiration. At the same time, we emphasize spontaneity, encouraging clients to create their own adventures of exploration, growth, and personal development.” As Scott developed his business plan, he researched the psychological reasons why certain travel experiences shifted his worldview, and he keeps his business grounded on science. The local connections he emphasizes also foster sustainability, as does his emphasis on giving travelers the opportunity to be part of a solution to global problems. “Authentic unique experiences, not staying a five-star hotel, are the new luxury,” he says. “What type of trip will offer me a new perspective and is outside what I could see on TV, online, or in National Geographic? Scott’s competitor research revealed an opening in the market for businesses like his that focus on traveling for personal growth. His long-term vision is for Authentic Traveling to be at the forefront of a new kind of travel that’s holistic, not just about taking interesting pictures and posting them on social media. “We want to grow the traveler and also build connections with local people, helping to improve the world, one trip at a time,” he says. “We’re hoping for multiple tours at the same time, all around the world, with very specific aspects— like a trip that focuses on overcoming fear and building confidence, or even end of life stuff. We hope in ten years to be leading that kind of revolution—a shift in thinking about travel. We’re big, big fans of how travel can mentally, physically, and spiritually recenter you.”

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(608) 263-7680