Kelly Lewis reflects on growing up in Hawaii, moving to New Zealand after college, and then traveling to 85 countries on all 7 continents. She shares some of her top highlights, like taking the world’s highest bungee jump in Macao. Kelly then takes us on her entrepreneurial journey of bootstrapping numerous female-centric travel brands from scratch with no prior experience in the space. She shares the origin story of “Go Girl Guides” and explains why Thailand is so special to her. Kelly then talks about building, scaling, and eventually selling “Women’s Travel Fest” after ten years, so the brand can live on under new ownership. Next, she talks about founding Damesly as a boutique women’s tour company, and shares details about some of the upcoming trips. Kelly then talks about the process of writing and marketing her best-selling book: “Tell Her She Can’t: Inspiring Stories of Unstoppable Women”. She then offers her tips on launching a book, organizing sold-out events with returning customers, and building, scaling, and existing businesses. And, finally, Kelly reflects on her current work-life balance and what travel means to her. FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT: www.TheMaverickShow.com
Hosted by Matt Bowles
230: Bungee Jumping in Macao, Building Female-Centric Travel Brands, and Empowering Women to See the World with Kelly Lewis
Episode #230: Bungee Jumping in Macao, Building Female-Centric Travel Brands, and Empowering Women to See the World with Kelly Lewis
Hosted by Matt Bowles
230: Bungee Jumping in Macao, Building Female-Centric Travel Brands, and Empowering Women to See the World with Kelly Lewis
Episode Summary
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About the Guest
Kelly Lewis
Kelly Lewis is an entrepreneur, travel maven, author and keynote speaker who grew up in Hawaii and has now traveled to over 85 countries on all 7 continents. In 2010, she founded Go Girl Guides, a company that produces travel guidebooks and online resources specifically designed for women. Kelly’s innovative approach to female travel helped to revolutionize the industry. In 2016, she founded Damesly, a travel company that offers immersive experiences for women led by female experts in their respective fields. The company provides opportunities for women to connect, learn, and explore new destinations together in a supportive and empowering environment. Kelly is also the founder of the Women’s Travel Fest, an annual conference that brings together women from around the world to share their travel experiences and learn from each other. The event has become one of the most influential gatherings in the travel industry, attracting thousands of attendees each year. Throughout her career, Kelly has been recognized as a trailblazer and innovator in the travel industry, and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets including Forbes, CNN, and The New York Times.
What You'll Learn
- How to Bootstrap, Scale and Sell a Business with No Experience in the Space
- How to Organize Sold-Out Events with Returning Customers
- How to Write and Market a Best Selling Book
Links From the Episode
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CHECK OUT THE TRIPS AVAILABLE THROUGH DAMESLY
READ KELLY’S BOOK
ATTEND WOMEN’S TRAVEL FEST
CHECK OUT KELLY’s TRAVEL GUIDEBOOKS FOR WOMEN:
LISTEN TO THE “BADASS DIGITAL NOMADS” PODCAST WITH KRISTIN WILSON
OTHER MAVERICK SHOW INTERVIEWS MENTIONED
#1 BOOK THAT KELLY RECOMMENDS
#1 PERSON WITH WHOM KELLY WANTS TO HAVE DINNER
LOCATIONS WHERE THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE
TOP 4 TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
TOP 3 BUCKET LIST DESTINATIONS
OTHER PLACES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Africa
- Argentina
- Australia
- Bhutan
- China
- Cuba
- Egypt
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Jordan
- London
- Mexico
- Middle East
- Morocco
- New York City
- New Zealand
- Oman
- Senegal
- Thailand
- UK
- Uzbekistan
OTHER PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
CONTACT KELLY
Time Stamped Show Notes
**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.
[3:00] Matt and Kelly talk about Portland, Oregon
[4:02] Kelly Reflects on 10 Years of Hosting “Women’s Travel Fest”
[6:58] Growing up in Hawaii and Developing Her Interest in Travel
[8:46] Moving to New Zealand and Kickstarting her World Travels
[12:57] Taking the World’s Highest Bungee Jump in Macao
[15:18] Developing The first “Go Girl” Travel Guidebook in Thailand
[18:36] Building the “Go Girl Guides” Brand and Founding Women’s Travel Fest
[21:39] Building the “Women’s Travel Fest” Brand for a Successful Exit
[24:33] Founding “Damesly” as a Boutique Women’s Tour Company
[27:16] Upcoming Damesly Trips
[31:00] Listen to the Badass Digital Nomads Podcast with Kristin Wilson
[32:00] Writing Her Book: “Tell Her She Can’t: Inspiring Stories of Unstoppable Women”
[36:04] Tips for Authors on Writing, Marketing and Launching a Book
[38:32] Tips for Organizing Sold-Out Events and Getting Repeat Attendees
[42:07] Tips on Bootstrapping, Scaling and Selling Businesses
[44:56] Kelly’s Day Structure and Work-Life Balance
[47:44] What Travel Means to Kelly
[50:53] The Lightning Round
[53:31] Follow and Connect with Kelly
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