The Entrepreneur Experiment EE421 - Email is King: How Rory’s Travel Club Hit 200K Members with a €12 Email Subscription
In this episode of The Entrepreneur Experiment, Gary sits down with Rory King, the founder of Rory’s Travel Club- a radically simple subscription business that’s quietly revolutionising travel in Ireland and beyond.
With no investors, no fancy app, and no startup playbook, Rory turned a €10 Facebook idea into a thriving travel club with over 200,000 members, a 10-person team, and a blueprint to reach one million users. From sleeping in his car outside Applegreen Petrol Station to traveling to Sri Lanka with his customers, Rory shares his unfiltered journey of hustle, honesty, and high-impact email marketing.
If you’ve ever wondered how to build a profitable business without venture capital - or how to make email sexy again - this episode is your masterclass.
Show Notes:
In this episode, we cover:
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💡 How Rory validated his idea with a €10 PayPal experiment on Facebook
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📬 Why email marketing (done right) is still king—with 70% open rates
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🚀 The low-cost, high-impact subscription model fueling explosive growth
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🤝 How Rory builds loyalty through real-life connection and 1:1 interaction
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🌍 The plan to scale from Ireland to Scotland, the UK, and beyond
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🎯 Why keeping the annual fee at €12 is part of the growth strategy
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🧠 Repurposing old content + smart social media strategies
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🔄 Retention, recurring revenue, and the beauty of a no-commission model
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🛏️ How 5-star hotels and top travel brands now come to him with deals
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☕ From sports science grad to group trip leader: Rory’s real entrepreneurial journey
Links & Resources:
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Follow Rory on Instagram: @rorystravelclub
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Email Marketing Tool Rory Recommends: ActiveCampaign
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