We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heather Edridge a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

My current business is my second chapter. I previously ran a Home Staging Company for 20 years. As I got older it was just getting more and more wearing on my body. So the time came where I just had to make a change for my health and well being.
I had no idea what to do next….but I always had this thought in the back of my mind, “Being a travel agent would be the coolest job ever!” I would say to my self, “I wish I had done that.”
Then my thought process switched. I suddenly started thinking “Why not?”
So I did!
And that is the best decision I have ever made!! I absolutely love my job. I have such a passion for travel. I love seeing the world, experiencing different cultures and learning to understand them and then being able to share that passion with my clients and providing those opportunities to make life long memories just fulfills me like nothing else.
Not sure I would have changed my timing, as I travel A LOT and that would have been difficult to do and also be there for my two children growing up in the way I wanted to be there for them.
So for me this was actually perfect timing.
My second Chapter…..

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As I mentioned in the last question, I have such a passion for travel. I think it is so important to have a better understanding of our world. We as individuals need to get out of our bubbles, our safe spaces and go experience other countries, other cultures and meet people that may be different than us. I just feel that is important to understanding the world.
My “travel bug” hit when I was 15 and my family went on a vacation to the Bahamas. I had never seen such beautiful beaches and that turquoise water was mesmerizing. That takes me to a quote from the book Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover that I read recently, “I didn’t realize what seeing the ocean would mean to me, but now that I’ve seen it, I want every human on earth to experience it…..it’s like years of therapy rolled into a view.”
That perfectly sums up how my ‘travel bug” began!
The Bahamian people were so incredibly kind and FUN!! I still remember a boy that I became friends with that worked at the resort. His name was James. I have never seen him since and will never see him again, but that friendship impacted me to the point I still remember him to this day. That made me realize that it is good to cross paths with others, even if for just a fleeting moment, it changes you for the better.
I want to provide those same opportunities for others.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I mainly use social media for my marketing. I think it is the absolute best way to reach potential clients. I keep my social media very personal and less corporate feeling. I only post pictures that I have taken myself on my travels. I think it is important for clients to see me traveling and that gives them inspiration to travel and also where to travel.
I am still building my social media presence so I am not where I want to be yet, but it takes time. I want my followers to be authentic and people who want to follow me because they enjoy my content. For me it isn’t about the’ number” of followers. Its about having followers that truly want to watch my travels and get inspiration from that and hopefully then reach out and ask me to help them have the same magical travel moments.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I think the biggest part of my resilience is starting a completely new business in a completely new industry at the age of 51. There was such a huge learning curve I had to go through. It was scary to make that leap. I purchased a franchise so I did have support there, but while having to learn all the Franchise rules, regulations, contractual agreements, back office system etc, while at the same time learning an entire new industry. The travel industry is so complex and you NEVER stop learning. The learning process is always ongoing.
As well as learning the franchise and travel industry, I also had to learn how to navigate social media through a marketing perspective. I did not have to do that with my last company. I gained all of my clients via word of mouth, referrals and Google.
My potential clientele for travel has a much broader reach so I had to reach farther!
It has been two years since I launched Bon Vivant Escapes and it is thriving. I am growing more and more and even in the crazy “wave” season, which is what our busy time of year is called, I am woking 12-15 hour days and practically live at my office…..I still love it! I am so glad I wasn’t afraid to make that leap! I know I am where I am supposed to be!

Contact Info:

• Website: bonvivantluxury.com
• Instagram: @bonvivantescape
• Facebook: @bonvivantescapes
• Linkedin: Bon Vivant Escapes/Heather Edridge
• Twitter: @BonVivantEscape

Image Credits
Europan Marketing Headshots: Harry Watson-Watson Visuals LLC Full body European Shots: Ihsan Unuvar Budapest Photographer