Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Richard Campbell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Richard, thanks for joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later
I’ve spent my adult life exploring the world, while working serious jobs in technology and consulting. It was only when I turned 40 that I read a book by one of my Professors from college that my life changed. The book was ‘How will you measure your life’ by the late Clay Christensen, and it made me think about how I want to invest my time.
I had a young family at the time, and while I enjoyed my job and my colleagues, I also wasn’t passionate about what we did. I realized that I wanted to make a difference and help people more.
I didn’t know what that was at the time, but built a hobby site as a means to get back into technology. Now 7 years later that hobby site is 10Adventures, and every day we help people live more fulfilling lives, enabling them to have incredible outdoor experiences.
I really wish I had pursued this career change earlier. It is so rewarding being a founder, and working to build a product and website that helps people is incredibly rewarding.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m the founder of 10Adventures, a travel platform that makes it easy to book customizable, private adventure trips for about the cost of joining a group tour.
I got into travel tech by accident. I was COO at a 400-person consulting company when I built a website that gave free route guides to my favourite hikes in the Rocky Mountains. Over time other hikers asked if they could add their favourite hikes and we grew to have route guides for national parks around Canada, the US, UK and Europe.
What happened next surprised me. Our users started to email me and ask if I could be their guide on their next trip. That was the start of 10Adventures, where our platform allows travelers in over 35 countries find and book customizable active and adventure vacations in over 85 countries.
What I’m most proud of at 10Adventures is the impact we have. Private, custom travel is so powerful, allowing deep connections with loved ones, and shared experiences that become the stories they tell at dinner parties and the photos that are on their walls.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I’ve been lucky (or unlucky) to live through 5 major downturns in my life. Add this to a lifetime of travel in developing countries means that I have seen a lot go wrong, and had to learn how to deal with adversity.
I look to three things to get through the tough times.
First of all, all hard times end, and think about the future and where you want to be when things get better. So deal with as much as you can to help alleviate the hard times, but then quickly move onto thinking of where you want to be when things rebound and building towards that.
Secondly, even in bad times there are good things that happen. Don’t focus on the bad, don’t treat people poorly, but be positive, and focus on the good things that are happening. For me it makes me feel better, and I’m sure I’m a heck of a lot nicer to be around.
Finally, lean on others. It’s easy to withdraw and try and be a martyr. But others are the help you need to get through hard times. I’m lucky that I have a great family that support me, as well as wonderful mentors and advisors. A bad day evaporates with a hug from my wife or one of my children. And a good call with a mentor can help reframe a tough situation and help me more effectively solve something that is going wrong.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
It’s funny, but most entrepreneurs I meet aren’t marketers. We are strategy, technology, or operations people that love creating and building stuff. But when you get down to it as a Founder we are all sellers, and marketing becomes the biggest skill we need, it’s the lifeblood of any startup.
My background is strategy, project management, and financials. At 10Adventures.com that only went so far, and I soon realized I needed to pivot to improve our ability to sell.
My pivot had two big components: knowledge and mentorship.
First of all, I started reading everything I could on marketing, with two books really impacting me. These were Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller, and Obviously Awesome by April Dunford. These books helped define the brand at 10Adventures, and also how we position ourselves.
The next part of pivoting to my marketing focus was through talking to smart people. This started at the 500 Global Accelerator, where my mentor helped me to understand the problems we are facing, and worked with experiments to improve how we market. Then later I built a team of mentors and advisors with sales and marketing leadership in travel and technology.
Combined we have made great strides, improving our conversion rate, growing sales, and delivering better to our customers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://10adventures.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/10adventures
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-campbell-yyc/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/10adventures
Image Credits
All photos Lynn Campbell