EP (18) Jared Sternberg: Why He Left a Law Degree Behind to Launch a Sustainable Eco-Tours Travel Company
Jared didn't always want to start a eco-tourism travel company. But he did always want to have an impact on a global scale, in some way or another. What that looked like, took a few years to figure out!
From an early age, he was fortunate enough to be able to travel with his family to many beautiful destinations. And as he got older, his curiosity for the world and cultures expanded.
While completing his undergrad degree in University, he spent a semester studying culture and language in Barcelona, before traveling around Europe - which he credits as the benchmark experience that opened his eyes. There were so many places that were rich in natural and cultural history and he wanted to share that with other like-minded adventure seekers.
After beginning law school, where he was studying human rights and the environment, Jared underwent a bit of a personal 'awakening' that forced him to question his future and the path he was on. Did he want to work 80+ hours a week? Did he want to drown in paper work, possibly only to be blocked by red tape as a lawyer? Was he passionate enough about law to make a career out of it?
It was not an easy decision for Jared to walk away, having done so much schooling; but he felt a stronger pull in a different direction. One that would blend his love for the environment, people, cultures and travel. The irony of it all was that he definitely would be working 80+ hours as a founder/entrepreneur of his own company. A fact he often laughs at.
And get this, he's never regretted his choice to start Gondwana Eco-tours. It's not an easy road as an entrepreneur; but it definitely can be an extremely rewarding one.
Questions I asked:
Where did this explorer, travel bug come from? When did it start?
Why did you decide to leave a potential law career behind, in pursuit of a big idea?
Was there an ah-ha moment that forced you to question your life path?
Was entrepreneurship ever on your radar?
How did the idea for Gondwana come about?
What's the big difference between your tours and ones offered by larger tour companies?
What does sustainability mean to you and how do you incorporate that into your company?
How do you track your carbon footprint?
So much more...
What You'll Learn:
Why he's thankful for his biggest failure and the lesson it taught him
Why starting a tour company is not as glamorous as one might think (even though you do get to see a lot of amazing places)
How they've been able to grow over the past three years and where he hopes to take the company in the future
Why a tour company is driven by word-of-mouth marketing
How his company helps to decrease your carbon footprint while traveling
The key factors to building an international team and why respect for culture is one of the biggest ones
Why it's almost the same amount of work to build a tour for 12, as it is for 20; but why he wants to keep the tours small and intimate
The main reason why he hasn't given up
And lots more!!
Other Links:
CONNECT WITH jared & gondwana
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST
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Edited by: James Nicholson