Posted Under: Entrepreneurship, Our Heroes

Our next Hero is Andy Hayes who, despite all the scariness, left the corporate nest to do his own thing. He loves to travel and after a bit of transition he left to be and live all-things-travel. He started the travel writing while he was still working, but once he realized the energy and passion it gave him, everything snowballed pretty quickly, and he never looked back. His two businesses are:
– Sharing Travel Experiences: an online travel magazine and associated services like travel concierge
– Travel Online Partners: a consulting firm offering online marketing support to the travel industry

So without further ado here is what Andy & I talked about…

DD: Who are you and what kind of corporate job were you at?

AH: My name is Andy Hayes. I am a tourism online marketing expert and the editor of a popular online travel magazine.  Prior to launching my two businesses, I was a process analyst at a large financial services firm.

DD: What made you leave the job?

AH: I had started to do a few things on the side and quickly realized that despite the scariness of going out alone (and the reduction in income and increase in risk, at least initially), the idea of working on projects that I chose to work on and projects that I was insanely passionate about outweighed anything else.  As I like to say, it is better to be poor, scared, and happy than rich and miserable.

DD: What did you do to break the corporate jail? How did you prepare yourself for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

AH: I read books – probably a hundred – and I poured through blogs.  I researched anything and everything that I could get my hands on about marketing, social media, small business trends, and tourism industry – and it was all for free.  Blogs are free and the library had all the “it” business books that most people recommended.  In hindsight, I felt like I’d devoured as much information as I’d learned in college, only in the space of a few moths.

DD: What are your tips for employees who want to be entrepreneurs but are hung up on something?

AH: 1) Believe in the power of serendipity – ex. “leap and the net will appear.”  But also understand your risks.  You don’t have to remove them; you just need to know what you’re up against.
2) Passion outweighs financials every time.  Pick the thing that makes you leap out of bed in the morning, not the thing that will make you dirt rich.  It won’t be puppies and roses every day, but you’ll need that passion when things get hard.  And trust me, they’ll get hard.
3) Find a few mentors.  You need people who you trust to tell you what you need to hear when you need to hear it.  Lean on them.  Appreciate them.  Thank them.  You can’t decide everything on your own.

In summary:  there will be great days, and there will be bad days.  Know what your purpose is and why you’re doing what you’re doing, and you’ll be able to have the energy and strength to succeed.  They say that stamina wins over talent, and I’m beginning to realize they are right.

DD: How are you now? Are you still in same business, and how do you feel?

AH: I feel AMAZING – every day is a wonderful opportunity to do great things.  I have a community of followers who I love and who appreciate my knowledge and the support that I give them, and I appreciate everything they do for me.  I would never go back, and I’m excited about the things that are just appearing on the horizon.

DD: Wow! Thank you Andy for sharing your story with me! At the end of an interview or a series of questions it is great when someone says they feel “AMAZING” about their entrepreneurial project. I wish you all the best in the future, and thanks again for telling me your story.

AH: Thank you Devesh for listening to what I have to say and for believing in entrepreneurs. Good luck in your future endeavors and I’m looking forward to meeting again soon, whether it be to discuss entrepreneurial or travel adventures, both of which have had a huge impact on my life and career.

DD: Andy Hayes everyone, process analyst turned travel/tourism and marketing expert. Remember to follow your passion! And as Andy Hayes stated oh-so-perfectly: It won’t be puppies and roses every day, but you’ll need that passion when things get hard.