In the following interview with Oliver Bray one of the founders of Xtreme Gap, Pro Adventure Racing Athlete Thomas Kennedy finds out about why and how we started Xtreme Gap Year.
Thomas Kennedy: Well, this assignment is directed for me to learn about entrepreneurs
Thomas Kennedy: and I am attempting to learn about how you started this company
Thomas Kennedy: and why
Xtreme Gap: Well a couple of reasons
Xtreme Gap: Firstly I am passionate about travel and the good experiences you can have
Xtreme Gap: And after 8 years of working in jobs that I had not passion for it was time to do something about it
Xtreme Gap: secondly, I knew tha there were alot of gap year companies taking advange of their clients by overcharging and pushing Voluntourism holidays that were not beneficial.
Xtreme Gap: I wanted to change that
Xtreme Gap: And finally because I could – i had the contacts and experiences
Thomas Kennedy: thats amazing and honourable! what kind of work did you do before you created this? did you have any background education?
Xtreme Gap: none
Xtreme Gap: I did a business degree
Xtreme Gap: buit that did not really help, because i graduated in 2002 before the internet was really as it is today
Xtreme Gap: I spent 8 years in Recruitment
Xtreme Gap: Which is sales
Xtreme Gap: but actually the skills are similar in a way. Talking to people about changing their lives
Xtreme Gap: But no, I did not really have experience, of anything related to travel, or online marketing. It was avery steep learning curve
Thomas Kennedy: What do you do on a day-to-day basis?
Xtreme Gap: Still most entrpreneurs are the same, they launch businesses with out a related education. Richard branson went to my school and left aged 16 after he set up virgin records from a phone box at the school
Xtreme Gap: Didn´t stop him!
Xtreme Gap: Pretty much everything
Xtreme Gap: From overseaing the direction of the business – stragetising, soming up with concepts for new trips, reasearching new partners overseas, web design, search engineoptimisation, sales, marketing!
Xtreme Gap: Customer service
Xtreme Gap: lots and lots. Too much actually!
Thomas Kennedy: That’s an unbelievable amount of work
Thomas Kennedy: how many employees does your company have?
Xtreme Gap: 5
Thomas Kennedy: may i ask what there roles are?
Xtreme Gap: The directors run the operations side of the business and then we have 2 reps overseasworking on a contract per customer basis
Xtreme Gap: So they are not completely defined roles, although we all focus on different areas
Xtreme Gap: With a small company there is always an element of all hands to the deck….
Thomas Kennedy: very true, i can see the same thing with my mothers company,
Thomas Kennedy: Started out of our basement and grew to an international level
Xtreme Gap: It is a good way to grow a start up, so the management of the future knows exactly what it is like to do different positions.
Xtreme Gap: Solid foundations for organic growth.
Thomas Kennedy: that is what we were learning for the past 2 weeks, anyone can buy a company mid proccess, however the ability to create the company, gain knowledge and have complete understanding of the industry is priceless.
Thomas Kennedy: When did you start the company?
Xtreme Gap: 2008
Xtreme Gap: It is alot of trial and error too.
Xtreme Gap: And long hours and being prepared to keep at it. Take the good with the bad.
Xtreme Gap: When we started I remember thinking I had never worked so hard, for no pay just because I believed in it. I was no stranger to long hours, in my recreutiment jobs I used to work 11 hour days, but this was on a whole new level
Xtreme Gap: Was tough, but it paid off.
Xtreme Gap: I still remember our first customers name, Steve Mosely
Xtreme Gap: We got him on a you tube video review later.
Thomas Kennedy: That is amazing!
Xtreme Gap: https://xtremegapyear.co.uk/trip/koh-tao-divemaster-thailand-video
Xtreme Gap: then 2 days later we had our second customer
Xtreme Gap: and we were off.
Xtreme Gap: It took 6 months from concept to the first person confident enough to book with us.
Xtreme Gap: I had to get a part time job during the start, working as a night receptionist is a hotel in Amsterdam
Xtreme Gap: So I would stay up all night writing content for the website
Xtreme Gap: and then in the day work more on it, sleeping about 5 hours a nights.
Xtreme Gap: It was tough!
Thomas Kennedy: We always talk about how hard it is to start a company, but you never really understand till you talk to someone who has… I take it you wouldent go back to your old position in a million years!!
Thomas Kennedy: I just have one more question
Thomas Kennedy: What kind of marketing strategies do you use? how do you make sure your company is well recognized?
Xtreme Gap: Correct. Never! Well we mainly use online marketing, mainly in the form of google optimisation, this is a very time intensive process, alot of social media, maybe you have seen our you tube channel, will lots and lots of Video
Xtreme Gap: http://www.youtube.com/user/XtremeGapYear When we can we do PR https://xtremegapyear.co.uk/gapyear/category/press/ but my personal favorite is word of mouth.
Xtreme Gap: Some of the trips we run are unbelievably cool
Xtreme Gap: they give you a real buzz once you have experienced them
Xtreme Gap: so people do tell their mates when they do things like this:
Xtreme Gap: http://www.youtube.com/user/XtremeGapYear#p/u/1/qsd88YChsEk
Xtreme Gap: When we get a recommendation that is definately the greatest reward
Xtreme Gap: so like us on facebook Tom!
Xtreme Gap:
Thomas Kennedy: Yes sir!
Thomas Kennedy: Im pretty sure I already have! I have been keeping up to date since New Zealand and I am extremely impressed!
Xtreme Gap: Thank you
Thomas Kennedy: I hope you dont mind me doing a presentation to my 400 person class about your expierence and your company
Xtreme Gap: Well…. if you must! Stick in a video there as well how about this one. It is our take on how we blow everyones cash.
Xtreme Gap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haTUZlZ2RDY
Thomas Kennedy: i can do that for sure
Thomas Kennedy: I have 30 min of pure talking, im sure I can toss it in!
Xtreme Gap: That was actually our car!
Xtreme Gap: You need low overheads when you set up a business, it is a fine example!
Thomas Kennedy: This is a perfect video!
Thomas Kennedy: haha whatever gets you from A to B
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Thailand gap year | Kenya gap year | Brazil gap year | Tanzania gap year | Mozambique gap year | Ecuador gap year | Namibia gap year | Brazil gap year | Tanzania gap year | Mozambique gap year | Ecuador gap year | Venezuela gap year | | south africa gap year | | australia gap year | | africa gap year | Become a diving instructor| asia gap year | | Fiji gap year | | New Zealand gap year | fitness holiday | Gap Year Diving
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