
Tourpreneur Tour Business Podcast How Ian turned his passion for Philadelphia and running into a full-time tour business
Jul 23, 2019
53:27
On Episode 16 of Tourpreneur, host Shane Whaley digs deep into the story of Ian Thomas and why he set up a running tour in Philadephia. Lace-up your running shoes, strap on your iPod as Ian reveals more about:
- Why Ian left the world of International Transport Logistics to set up his own running tours of Philadelphia.
- What he learned at Business School that he is applying to his business.
- Why he decided to go full time after one year of being a tour operator.
- Why Google Adwords doesn't make sense for his running tour business but SEO does.
- His SEO tips for tour operators, including what SEO tools he uses.
- Why Philadelphia is an ideal city for a running tour.
- How his running tour resonates with locals as well as visitors and how he is trying to capture more of that market share.
- His blog strategy.
- Why he decided to build his own website, See Philly Run with Squarespace.
- Why he feels See Philly Runs operates the best running tours in Philadelphia.
- What challenges and obstacles he faced when he became a tour operator.
- How he discovered what licensing, permits and insurance he needed to operate a running tour business.
- What it was like leading a running tour with his first paying customers.
- Which distribution channel gave him his first customer.
- How he got knocked back twice by Airbnb Experiences and was accepted on his third attempt.
- Tips on being accepted to the Airbnb Experiences program.
- Why he offers five different running tours and which running tour is his most popular?
- Why he decided to work with FareHarbor.
- What his only hangup using Fareharbor is and what he wishes they would improve.
- What tools/apps he used to run his tour business.
And Much More!
