‘The world is the best teacher. You can’t ever learn anything the way you can learn when you’re talking to other people and seeing people who look and live differently.’
Gabriella Ribeiro has the travel bug, and it’s this passion that fuels her business. She owns TRUmarketing, a boutique firm that specializes in travel-related clients worldwide. With 48 Hour Power Jaunt, she plans 2-day adventures for busy entrepreneurs.
‘One of the best things an entrepreneur can invest in is a plane ticket and a little bit of observation.’
Find out what travelling has taught Gabriella throughout her life. She updates us on the travel industry today and how it is coping up during the pandemic. She also shares her entrepreneurial journey and her top favourite destinations.
Find more about Gabriella and her work here:
TRUmarketing: https://trumarketing.com/
48 Hour Power Jaunt: https://www.48hourpowerjaunt.com/
For tips on how to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset, listen to previous episodes.
John: Thanks for listening today! Don’t forget to subscribe and share this episode. Joining me today is owner of Trumarketing, Gabriella Ribeiro. Her boutique firm specialized in travel related clients worldwide, she also runs 48 Hour Power Jaunt, where she plans 48 hour adventures for busy entrepreneurs. Thanks for being on the show today, Gabriella.
Gabriella: Oh! Thank you for having me.
John: I’m only excited to learn a little bit about your journey, how you became who you are today. So, maybe share with the audience members, how, what, what the people know you by today versus when you first started?
Gabriella: Oh wow! They knew me as I guess the go to person for anything related to travel but that wasn’t just sort of you know, it didn’t just happen in my career. I grew up in a heavily travelling family and my dad was an entrepreneur so, it was, it was just kinda natural thing you know we always move around a lot not, not you know not looking I mean, you know not moving as far as we moving house but just you know travelling a lot, taking up opportunities. My dad have a lot of opportunities to take us really all around the world and you know, I wasn’t something that I meant to do or form a career out of that, I didn’t think that you could but I thought it was just, okay a hobby? You know and I’ll be a lawyer or diplomater something like that and you know as I went forward and I studied journalism in college and I love to write I just sort of, it was a pathway that just that sort of found me. I meant to try to work in a tv news production and my dad just said “Okay, take a job here.” And you know as a travel company while you’re looking for that you know, see how you like it and you know and he kinda said here a little bit and kinda check out, check out what a career in trouble maybe and It’s sort of just found me. I keep getting better and better, I had an opportunity at a company and then after that I took all I learned and I formed my own business nearly 20 years ago.
John: That’s amazing!
Gabriella: It’s sort of found me and it was something I love to do and I figured it out how to wrap a business, some of a lifestyle I learned it.
John: That’s amazing! I’m just gonna ask you like take, maybe some of the listeners back when we’re travelling with your dad. If you don’t mind sharing like what kinda entrepreneur was he? And then, did you have that entrepreneurial kinda mindset early days to, by being so close with guide in terms of his daily activities and what he had to go through to do what he wanted to do to run his kinda life to be able to travel? Like, what guided you to this whole travel industry?
Gabriella: Yeah. Well, I mean I grew up kinda you know see on days offs of school we went to my dad’s office we you know, we microwave popcorn and we hand wrote documents. It was very exciting but I always, I always stun of being the boss and you know to me it was very normal and sometimes we’d stay home and you know do some work and that was just how knew things he didn’t actually go every single day to an office, he’s travelling a lot and I didn’t really know what that meant to have a dad who did 95 and he travelled a lot sometimes he you know he wasn’t home for dinner. It’s just a lifestyle we grew up in but I knew for sure that I really loved how it all seemed you know, how you could command things and give me decisions and that was fascinating to me. So, I think and also my brother is an entrepreneur, completely different business but it had rugged off on us in some way because we both sort of round up you know figuring out that we really are better of with people now looking over our shoulders and in creating our own pathways, and in creating lifestyle that work for us, and our you know in our life, in our families, and all of that. But it was really interesting to kinda see the highs but I’ll be honest with you there are also some lows you know and I’m very candid about that and I’ve written a book about it as well just better entrepreneurship but you know it can be great and it can also be devastating times where you have financial challenges and things like that. So, I had a friend to see all of it, the good and the bad and I think with that it really helped me learn how to actually do this and I don’t think any amount of schooling can teach you, you know what life is like on the business streets so to speak. So, I was able to see that from upfront and learn from you know learn from successes and also some mistakes.
John: And, in your early days, is there something that you know? Did you have real, other jobs? Or did your dad kinda push you to kinda join him early days? So, that you can see the kinda envision. What life is as an entrepreneur or did you have like, you know the jobs as a teenager and a college university student or whatever it may be.
Gabriella: I always had a job, from very early age I have a paper out and I was like 10, I mean I always worked, so there were times that he would guide me and say ‘hey I have this friend who need some help or in a look for an opportunity. But by the time I graduated college he was working for a company and sort of guided me in that path. And you know, like I said take a little you know office job, figure out what you like about it, its stable, it’s a paycheck, learn how to deal with everything and then if you ever want to do something on your own do it later on you know, but get some experience, don’t just jump before you see how you know the corporate culture work. Which I learned you know it was just not for me, but I did learned a lot it was a really great period in my life I was able to travel a lot, so it was a tourism company and see structure but also see what I didn’t like about it you know, it sort of solidified me that I definitely needed to be own my own.
John: I’m just gonna ask you, in terms of this new travel company, well no longer new cause you’ve been doing it for 20 years. How many years were you in the business working at different companies before you kinda prevalent and decided “This is for me. I’m gonna try something.” Cause there’s something a gap in the marketplace or something you can do little bit better like, maybe share with the audience members like your years of it, experience why you decided like mentally as well as, what drove you like what pushed you to take that next step?
Gabriella: You know what, I always wanted to but I knew same as my dad who would have told me you know just learn because you don’t, you think you know everything, everybody comes out to college and they know everything in here, and they get a little like a about it you know but you really don’t. So, it was a time for me to settle also time for me to understand how to deal with different personalities, how to navigate my way you know how to learn as much as I could and also I did wanna pursue my MBA so, instead you know I like, I never, I mean look kudos to anyone who does anything in their path but I always felt like for me, I could never stop working. Well, I did that because how would I get back in so, I was able to sort of you know have stability which is great and be able to pursue another path way you know for the education wise and then to learn like I could but I always knew that it was just too crowded, it was too you know too much too much just that the other thing. And I never really look I always knew I wanted to lunch my own company but somebody had just come to me when I was at that job and seems really like you know your style, the way that you do things, we have a position opened that’s work from home you know we’d be a retainer based client and this is how and all of that was very weird to me, I said no. Oh my gosh cause I work at a company that was very non-employee friendly put it that way. So, all of a sudden somebody wanted to buy me a laptop and wanted to pay for my cellphone, and all these things that I never you know had seen before, and I was able to sort of take that and make the job because I have one client. I said “Okay, this is good.” Money is okay it was more money than I was making there and you know as I grew it was sort of like “Oh from doing all this for once I get probably try to do it for two.” And then, you know another client came and so on and so forth. So, that’s gonna help was build, people always ask me like, how did you do this? And the worst person who ask me cause I’ve never made a business plan, I don’t map it out you know everything that I’ve done I have ideas and I just sort of act on them, that’s my business plan has never hesitating but not trying to structure, project income and all of that stuff because it truly, you never know especially afters this past year you really, you really don’t. So, you know you go with what feels right.
John: Yeah. Going with the flow momentum and you know once you have comfort and taking some risks right? When you’re younger, you’re more adopt to take risks because you can always join another company or you don’t have huge obligations like a house or mortgage, or you know children, whatever maybe. So, taking that risk early to allow you to make mistakes, grow and then pick yourself up. Did you endure a lot of mistakes when you were at the on set? And maybe share with the audience members like some of them and how you overcame them?
Gabriella: Oh! Absolutely. I think that number one thing I would say you know as I always kinda tell people, you have to figure out really early how to manage cash flow because when your in business for yourself you realize very quickly that people don’t pay their bills on time you know and there’s something to be said for you know nice paycheck and all of that is great but most of the time when you’re a consultant and an entrepreneur. You, you know, you’re invoice is generally the last to get touched you know in anyone’s finance office and I thinks it’s, it was that was right humbling because I had always had a paycheck, it wasn’t big but you know what I mean or you know when I was something at home before I always had a place you know so there was no big deal. But learning how to do that and getting yourself on a cycle of being able to maintain some savings for those times that you are whining, for those bridge moments is a huge thing and that was a very, very you know very challenging thing for me to learn but you know I learn hard way but I learned early. And I think also doing your due diligence and checking out references, and checking out clients, I’ve been burn by many clients that I took just because it looks good on paper you know and you know there were times specially when I was younger that I didn’t really look into you know what kind the people am I working with you know, what kind of reputation do they have in your industry. And you know really taking that time not just signing off on anything just because you wanna build but you really have to, you have to look and you know just be, make sure that the people that you’re gonna choose to work with are trustworthy.
John: And that takes time but also experience right? And early days you take everything because, yes! You know, you don’t know what you don’t know right? And as you mature in your business and you become more wise, you’re venting them. As much as I vent you, you’re gonna vent them to ensure that they’re in line with your core values, their integrity, their trustworthy, their honest people but it takes time just like in every business so, I love that you’re sharing that. I wanted to take a step back again, I wanted to ask you like early days I know you mentioned your dad being such a big influence in that entrepreneurial spirit for you. Was he like your main go to kinda mentor? Or did you have others that you kinda realign yourself with? Throughout that journey of early days.
Gabriella: You know in the beginning yes for him but unfortunately, for me he past away pretty early in my life so, I was in my late 20’s so he actually never saw all that stuff all that was happening which is a shame but I always had you know between him and just really influential you know friends and family members in my life. We always relayed on that, those people and they were some people that I connected with early on were much older than me in the business world that just either took a liking to me or took a liking to them and have never stared me wrong, and to this stay some of them are were tired now you know but I still you know chat with once in a while who can see the vision in their, the really people that had really good longevity and great reputations in the industry. So, I always took the advice of people that I thought, not only highly successful it didn’t have to be you know billionaires but just that they really respected and they had done good things you know what the opportunities they were provided. So, with that it was really you know, all of that circle that I worked to build and you know building your network is so important from the ground up and specially starting when you’re really young. You know it’s never, never too early to find like a circle of people you know corporate or not that you can really count on to go to for things who want your best interest, who are not jealous and they’re not trying to hold you back you know people outside of where you were and core kind of thing that just want the best.
John: And, one of the things that I love is your network, your network is your net worth right? And it’s so true in every aspect of not just entrepreneurial journey and business ownership but in life in general right? It’s that social interaction of people that you can trust and turn to when the things are good or bad and they will give you a different perspective and be honest with you because they know how difficult it is because they gone through it. Did you find it very challenging to connect with them early stages because you know like you know early on in your journey what you don’t know right? Like to reach out or to connect and bond with influential people is a struggle for a lot of entrepreneurs because they’re afraid of what they’re gonna say right? How did you overcome that?
Gabrielle: I think you know just going for things I was in job and that’s why I took the job in the beginning because I need to get comfortable with I mean, I never loved presenting in front of people and I never loved you know I always let speak my mind but I didn’t like doing presentations and I didn’t like you know kinda sharing at ideas I was afraid of in my mind if I’ll be good. So, I think putting myself in a situation and a particular job where I had to pick up the phone and I had to like go in to meetings and talk about what I was living in you know that was I was doing advertising. And, you know and pitching and selling people campaigns it was like I never said no, I guess at the core I never said no cause I was always afraid if I did say no somebody would not come to me again and give me that opportunity. So, I just kinda dealt with it you know did everything I could every trip I was ask to go on even if it wasn’t convenient or di wanna go, I went and just became a person of yes, so to speak and I think that was really kinda what you know I put myself in a lot of situations that I was so uncomfortable in but because of that I was able to connect with some people at a higher level have them notice me what I was able to create and you know take those relationships as they came and I think like a, that was around the time like well, I guess social media started after that but it became a lot easier after, after you can connect with people. You know and then you can find people randomly “Hey! Do you remember me?” But I think in many industry it’s very, very insular and I think it’s especially in travel industry it’s huge but you wind up seeing the same people so often, I mean a lot of industry is like that so, you reconnect and reconnect. So, you just you know it takes no seconds at all to drop someone align or just you know better, I’m thinking you know of this time that we went to you know this particular country and have this laugh for that kind of thing just reconnecting with people that you know work hard of your past as you were building and just letting them know what you’re doing and you know at present so, save up this energies
John: And did you have any regrets early days? Because it sounded like you were “yes person” looking back now with all the years that you know of wisdom. Would you have done anything different? Or do you feel this is something? Everyone needs to learn as they mature and get into this business ownership, entrepreneurial journey.
Gabriella: Wouldn’t done anything different because every single thing taught me something or and I look back it’s just everything in my life has round up, I mean working with people now that I worked with you know 15 years ago. I had a client who I worked with you know 15 years ago that just hired me for projects so, you know I mean it’s crazy I think everything does teach you how to get to the next step and there were some really awful time, there was a you know times that we had you know clients that were that behave badly you know cause a lot of strife for a lot of people around us that you know sort of impacted us. You know we had a lot of things that we went through just me and my team but if we hadn’t stand then we wouldn’t know what to look for and the same thing with the cash flow if I didn’t learned really early you better save your money and figure out how to deal for the rainy days because the rainy day can and unfortunately did happen to all of us in this business and some many of us during COVID. So, yeah I think everything taught me something, I’m still not you know there’s no perfection I still, I mess up all the time but yeah at least I think I have more tools to tell myself now.
John: Perfect! Now let’s pivot to your actual business so, let’s go into you know 20 years of running your business. Did you have to change it throughout the years to address different gaps or competitors, or like, what did you start your business as? And how did they evolve to where it is today?
Gabriella: Sure. I think we started as you know just hard core more like gorilla marketing used to call it town old book, you know just getting being different because what we do is we work, we sort of if you know what a pharmaceutical curaprox as, they kinda walk around and go to doctors offices and say use my medications. We do that but for a travel so, we go to travel agencies we you know market to meeting planners and we teach them about you know the companies and the hotels we represent. So, in order to do that effectively we can’t just be people that walk around and offer brochures, we have to get into the psychology of why somebody might book our destination and that kind of thing. So, we started to do things that were much more creative, more immersive, work on you know connecting it those relationships with some other people that we become our biggest sellers you know and making it more of a holistic approach rather than a transactional. So, trying to develop relationships that would be long term so let’s say that you know we were different and that take you know 18 months ago when everything fell apart you know we could no longer really do that as we have grown so much. We were starting to do in person advance, we were doing all of these you know life productions, some things were doing great and everything just completely fell, all of the clients fell off everything, the revenue dried up, everything you know possible because there was nothing to pull from in the travel industry. So, we had to do things differently again and we evolve to more virtual platform, we started to launch digital live events which were actually well and as what people needed at that times so, now as we come back things fortunately come back well, you know we’re gonna continue it if I say what did you learn? And we learned that there’s space for virtual events you know and hybrids moving forward so we can actually create more of a business around these products we develop so all of that is really good news.
John: So, do you currently still go travel? As much as you once did early days? Or, and how has that impacted the way you working this industry? Because you, look a year and a half ago, a year ago there was no travel right? And before that you’re probably you know able to do whatever you wanted anywhere in the world like, what has changed and how did you change right? To become still in operation and thriving.
Gabriella: Yeah. When we change our approach as far as virtual like I said more virtual and digital but I, two things happened. I realized that this sort of became you know my role because we have a really large audience of agents and everybody was so depressed so I sort of some my role during that time was just a cheerleadering keeping people’s spirit up and just thing this underneath to I get it you know and I would host weekly calls for people could just come on and cry if you needed to and just I don’t know what the heck I’m doing. And that sort of helped build a stronger you know base in community because these people were always gonna be coming back you know to us when this thing was over. We also look towards other sources that are more stable for instance, we’ve never worked with tourism boards before but tourism boards run by government and government generally don’t run out of money so, they were good prospects to pursue, you know who see the value and consistencies so we were able to start to work with some great tourism boards during this time which isn’t great. But I was travelling throughout. I know probably it wasn’t the safest thing to do but I had to show myself as well as the people who were in my orbit that it can still be done, so yeah it was painful. I had horrible moments but I also did get on planes. Back in June before California just blew up last June I went to California. And it was my first time on a plane in months, prior to that I was flying all the time, several times for a month I take my daughter everywhere so she was travelling with me all the time and it just stop at that first flight was huge, and it was also a really great game changer for my audience to just share with them every single thing that I found. What is this look like now, what is the aircraft look like now, what is everything smell like, what is everything you know taste like on the plane, that kind of thing. So that was helpful and I didn’t travel throughout and I used that opportunity. It was a risk, but I used it to show people that the world was still okay. You know we see horrible images on the news but I’ve gone to Dubai last October you know it’s still on before vaccinations and everything was clean, people were working fine, and people we’re living in a normal life, and everything look beautiful and sparkling, and I think you know a lot of people needed to see that because we were sort of just shown everything is devastating and you know everything is falling apart, everybody’s bankrupt and in fact that, that wasn’t true you know. So, I think people need to that hold so, I decided to travel during the period and I’m still travelling very heavily now.
John: That’s amazing to hear and for some of the listeners are still or they’ve never travelled, or they’ve, are fearful to even leave the house right? To do road trips, the long flying, what do you have to say about those people? Because and I’ll be frank here my first experience of travelling was in university college, I didn’t experience exchange program. First time ever to travel on an airplane and it was an eye opener to me, to see how many people lived different lives, different cultures, different experiences, and it opened myself up to a new world because again, I come from immigrant family you know just struggling to even just get our foot in the door right? And it was hard challenging times when we were younger but that first travel experience, when I came back to Canada and I hung out with some of my friends, we would still be doing the exact same thing as when I did leave. It was like a year and therefore, I felt I had all of these memories, experiences, relationships I met along the way and they had nothing else to talk about then, you know what’s on tv, sitcoms, and whatever. For me, that gave me an opportunity to look, I’m gonna travel multiple times a year because that’s gonna be the best thing for me to evolve and learn as much as I can in this global world that we live in.
Gabriella: And one thing is, I love everything that you said and it is so true and I think it’s the best teacher and that’s why I decided the very early age that you know, if there was an opportunity I would take my daughter and where she grow up on a plane basically you know and there’s sometimes where she would miss school for a little bit but I always, the world is the best teacher and can, you can ever learn anything the way that you can learn you know when you’re talking to other people and seen people who looked differently that who lived differently and you know you can’t learn that here. And, I think it’s important but I always you know specially over this time to said, what would I say to people that want, I can tell you that the world is still standing and everything is beautiful and things are a little bit different but you know monument are still very much alive and people are still celebrating and living life but you know with the sensitivity aspects because I know nobody can tell someone to just get over something you have got to going when the time is right for you. So, that’s what I have said from the beginning and to what I’ve always said you know we never want to push anybody to go, I can only tell you what I found but if time is not right for you then you have to wait for it to be right and wait for your fearless subside, whatever it is that you need because you know if you’re go in your stress it’s not gonna be the trip that you wanted. So, you know go when you feel okay to go that’s what I can tell you, you know.
John: And be mentally prepared right? And take as much precaution as you can because life was still continue. People are still gonna be moving doing what they need to do to survive work, you know spend time with family and friends, and over the course of I would say 2 years even prior to this pandemic I started working on my bucket list right? 500 places, world wonders, different places I wanna travel globally and for me, that excites me so that whole anticipation of travel you know that booking, the journey of leaning like I look forward to like checking out the hotel, different sites. It gets people all excited right? So, that whole process of travel unless you do it for the first time, second time, five times, hundred times you know understand what you’re missing so, take that stuff to get outside of your comfort zone. A lot of people probably afraid or they’ve never done it because maybe no one in their family or friends have ever travel either. There so many people that travelled everywhere, everyday, go out there. I’m a big advocate of travel but by the way, Gabriella I love travelling, it’s like so hard for me because for me my son is very young so, we don’t wanna take that risk but it’s okay right? Like, time I’ll spend more time with him now because I know it’s precious right? So, living in the moment, taking time and understanding you know when time is right, I’m gonna travel again with him everywhere right?
Gabriella: And he will, and that still be plenty of time and I think I love what you said just the things that are still moving and they really are that’s the thing people are just out like living money in it if you go to most airports, I mean I’m in the US seconds of people kinda never stop travelling probably should have. Airports look the same like the only difference is a mask, the shops are open, people are moving you know it’s very much I think you know we rely on just watching what we see taking that in but you just, you have to take that step once you see, once you see your neighbor doing it, once you see your friend doing it, it becomes a lot less scary.
John: And specially, cause I live in Canada you’re in the US, we as western culture you know if you’re first world nation and you have the liability to do the things with success right? And there’s travel opportunities? Take that and live with it right? Like, these are opportunities that there were countries with only dreamed of because they’ve, they’re surviving on shelter and food right? So, do you believe to have choice, the freedom of travel , freedom of choice, right? Go out there and make something out of it like, go out there meet person, give to others, experience things that you’ve never been able to experience because if you’re lacking that whole mind like the whole journey of, it embracing a new culture or just watching on tv, it’s not the same until you live it right?
Gabriella: It’s true and specially for an entrepreneur that families that kinda pushing you know entrepreneur’s travel because you have more flexible schedule so you know you don’t have to be in an office so to speak. It really, once you go and you see people doing business in a different way and I don’t care if it just a street vendor, negotiating with somebody else or you know with a smile, or somebody just taking you know something making something out of nothing you know and across fist studio out of an abandoned garage you know that kind of thing. When you see people doing that and different parts of the world, you come back really inspires so, I think that’s one of the best thing like an entrepreneur can invest in, is a plane ticket and a little bit of observation.
John: And that’s amazing for you to say that because I travelled Asia, Europe or whatever it is and the way they do business right? Culturally and you what it meant to have like such as stable you know family business right? You can extract those ideas and bring it home and you might have a good business that you can scale right? And grow as an entrepreneur you gotta be open to you know uncovering different opportunities right? And seeing with your own eyes what’s out there because on tv, it’s all fear right? It’s all news, it’s all about PR, the whole purpose of what you see digitally is different than reality so, you gotta see it first hand.
Gabriella: You do, and there’s so many destinations like to they suffer from begin a bad wrap because maybe something happened you know could be years ago, could be few months ago, and “Oh! I’m not going there it’s very scary.” and then lots of time people go and they said “I don’t know what I was worried about.” It was most prospitable place, it was wonderful you know and that, that’s really you need to just go and I think like it’s far as the travel industry goes just tip, somebody’s looking there is, there’s no amount of advertising that’s gonna bring this business back. It is social proof and social credit, it is seeing someone do it and try to mimic it you know it is seeing your friends you know trusting them and what they just did and they came back safely to influence you I don’t think it’s about paying ads anymore or anything like that you know. Yeah.
John: Yeah. Like the PR aspect right? Like-
Gabriella: Yeah.
John: As much as needed is out there to push your mongering and all that stuff of like messing with your brain right?
Gabriella: Oh yeah.
John: To restrict you to do things that you’re so used to or you look forward to. I would say you know just like what’s going on right now, you know learn, go out and figure things out uncover, talk to people that already lived it right? And find that grass roots like how they are doing, see if it’s actually safe like maybe it’s a one community or street block and whatever like, then avoid it right? Like if you have choice go out there and experience other places that you know you’re not feared to you know get assaulted or you get whatever it is, a crime right? Enjoy it and that’s a whole purpose of like travel, I find like even right now I do weekend getaways right? Like, road trips and I travelled to different parks and whatever it is, it’s fun we look forward to it because it’s like small, little micro moments right? And that’s what life is about, moments that you wanna share with the people that you love through experiences cause that’s what people will remember.
Gabriella: Absolutely! It’s stories you can tell and all the, all the things that you soak up even when you don’t think you’re learning, you’re watching some peculiar images from place, you learn something.
John: So, if you don’t mind sharing, Gabriella. With, what currently are you up to, is there certain projects that you’re up to and how you know, now that you’re more virtual and like how has your business you know changed, pivoted and is there anything that you would like to discuss in terms of like your business?
Gabriella: Oh, we’re doing so much stuff that I always wanted to do like I said we were working for tourism board and it’s such an honor you know to work with the government entity you know and to be able to promoted destinations so, we’re thrilled we’re doing a lot of creative marketing you know and sales actions for a couple of destinations and the world better some of my favorites so we’re thrilled. And you know like I said, we want some broadcasting initiatives, we’ve turned things into our little tv shows on our YouTube channel and we’re seeing a lot of people, you know we’re seeing those numbers grow so people really liking them. I think what we did also is to help people you know stay relevant and to get educated during this time. We created broadcast instead of forcing them to these virtual trade shows you know where they have to get locked to this zoom with somebody and you know that a meeting that will gone nowhere. We wanted to give people on demand, creative content that they can watch, that they can share, they can pause, they have to eat dinner you know, that kind of thing working around when they needed to stay positive you know travel agency needed to know, okay, what can I sell? What’s happening here? Which borders are open? So, just trying to be as information fuel as we can be and we do have another products, you mentioned in the beginning our 48 Hour Power Jaunt, where we created these like compact high-end energy trips of a lifetime for busy people so they could fly anywhere in the world. We construct their journey like gives them the best of the best of a city and do things that they would never even know were possible and that was on pause for a while, again because COVID just tryna ruined everything temporarily and we’re still, how can we do this? How can we get someone to an international destination back in 48 hours between testing and this not so we figured it all out, we’re working with people on site to be able get them their COVID tests right when they arrive, to be able to turn around and come home, yeah. Get that all done you know and eliminate any of the hassles to be able to allow this long weekends to happen again. So, a lot of it was patience you know behind the scenes waiting, you know for some solutions to arrive but jumping on the solutions when they did arrive.
John: And, I’m glad that you’re mentioning about like change right? Because that’s the whole purpose of business ownership or entrepreneurship, if you’re still, if you’re waiting for things to happen. You probably gonna you know not survive when something does happen right? But you’re able to be like be nimble, spot opportunities, look at different opportunities that you can do things to hit different segments of marketplace, and grow and still survive because that’s what it’s all about right? Like, same with travel.
Gabriella: Yeah.
John: You think you’re gonna show up on time and go on board, and travel to a destination without delays and hiccups like, that’s never the reality right? Throughout that whole journey and that’s the whole purpose right? Like you have to be decisive, you have to be quick on like figuring things out and moving along and being okay with it, and now that you’ve travel in all these different place in the world like, you cannot grow with it.
Gabriella: It’s never fun believe me this last year and a half was not fun, maintaining stretch but you know we just had to do like if you’re gonna survive like you know there’s a question of a “Okay, are you gonna survive or not? Like, do you need income?” You have to figure it out and there’s always, there’s always something to do, there’s always the way you know part of the struggle finding it but even when you think there’s nothing, I mean so many people were devastated. There’s no opportunities, everything’s close, there always was a little something you just really had to work hard to find it.
John: That’s amazing. So, out of all the places just a personal question, is there top 3 global destination that you would like to plug in terms of like if anyone had an opportunity to travel, where would you recommend?
Gabriella: Oh wow! You know always South Africa, cause it’s very life-changing and it’s one of those places that I’ve truly between the people that you meet and the magic that you see and the wildlife and you know this nothing like being on safari, it’s almost imaginable you know that kind of thing if you do it with your family and you know with just people that you love and it’s just the most life-changing place you know, and one of the most naturally beautiful. You know I’m half Portuguese, half Italian so, I always go to you know Portugal and Italy is my default my places just because there were just nostalgic and of course gorgeous, rich in history but also very good you know good values and great food, great wine, and really just kind of like the complete package. So, I think that would be my tops.
John: That’s amazing! Then, I mean this is what life is about right? Like, you know share with family and friends, go out there, learn, go experience different cultures and if you’re able to travel like don’t wait right? A lot of people are waiving for you know the perfect time.
Gabriella: And I don’t know what, I don’t know what for because this thing is with us for very long time so, we you know if you’re waiting then I don’t there’s ever gonna be time where there’s no COVID you know. Like it maybe we just need react to a different maybe you know we have vaccines some things like this but it, it’s going to be a thing and it’s gonna be a thing for a while. So, either we work around it you just say, okay you know I wanted to go to Vatican but I’m just gonna wear mask, no problem like that. So, if you really wanna do it that bad and some small little things like that, really want make a huge difference.
John: Yeah, and I love your positive you know vibe right? Because you know that’s what people need today right? Like just be okay with what you know, take your passions like make sure that you’re equipped and you’re you know what you’re the rest are what’s, keep living like stop, stop worrying too much and just enjoy.
Gabriella: Well, that’s always got me with this whole thing. I was like okay well, you know like specially in the US like there was so many moments and time where cases were terrifying, now we’re not doing so great either but it’s like people are catching COVID at the grocery store and they’re worried about going somewhere else like cases are far less and everything is seems to be managed a lot better you know. I mean like is some communities you know you coud, you could get it by going you know down the street. So, I think you know you have to weigh, the risks and also the look at some of the realities, you know it’s always a factor, it can always be a factor but it’s also a factor in your backyard.
John: And, I love that you’re exposing your daughter to travel early just like how you were because I feel that is probably the best thing you can do for any child right? So, they’re ingrained with like different experiences, cultures, religion, whatever it is right? People, colors, nationalities, food, whatever, because the more you’re you know cultured, the better well-rounded you are as a human. I love that.
Gabriella: Absolutely! You can learn a lot.
John: I love that. Well, thanks a lot, Gabriella. Is it, what’s the best way people, if they do have any questions, they can check you out or reach out to you?
Gabriella: Sure. It’s trumarketing.com it’s easiest and I’m on Instagram, @theexplorateur so you can check my travel as well.
John: So, I’m gonna share that in the show notes and I do wanna thank you because I fell very blessed to have you on the show. Thanks a lot, I had a lot of fun learning a little bit about you and your journeys and of course those 3 tips, South Africa, Portugal, and Italy. I’ve been to two of them, never been to South Africa but I will definitely go on those safaris that you mentioned. So, thanks a lot Gabriella and have a good day.
Gabriella: You too, thank you so much.
