Agile Businesses: Gary Kohn Of Luxury Travel Hackers On How Businesses Pivot and Stay Relevant In The Face of Disruptive Technologies
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Stay flexible: Always be ready to make a bold and quick move if the timing is right. Don’t feel stuck but don’t by any means feel obligated to do anything that doesn’t feel ideal. Things happen quickly in our world, so you want to be ready to pivot if/when the occasion calls for it.
As part of my series about the “How Businesses Pivot and Stay Relevant In The Face of Disruptive Technologies”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Gary Kohn of Luxury Travel Hackers.
Starting his professional career over 30 years ago in Hollywood as an actor where appeared in over 30 films and TV shows before moving on to become a film and TV producer. Over the years he’s worked with some of the biggest names in the business. He’s consulted and worked for almost every major studio and network in show business, was head of development for various companies and served on the board of Verge Media, a technology company. This is where he became fascinated with how technology and content were beginning to intersect and born out of that was Luxury Travel Hackers. He spent a solid two years developing the idea and model before he decided to take a leave of absence from Hollywood to build LTH.
Shortly thereafter he met Katie Warner, a former Assistant Attorney General to the state of Texas who left law to become a travel photographer and agent. The two of them, with their love of photography and travel joined forces to start LTH.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
I spent most of my career in film and TV production and after decades in the business I wanted to pursue something fresh and that captured other core interests. The way I created my work schedule was to spend 6 months out of the year in intense production work and then 3–4 months of the year traveling to remote places. Travel ironically kept me grounded. I loved meeting new people that had nothing to do with show business. Travel has changed my life and I really felt the need to share these experiences with the world in a way that I knew, and that was through storytelling and content. I kept having conversations with my co-founder Katie Warner who was an owner of a boutique luxury travel agency, and the pieces really came together quickly for Luxury Travel Hackers.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
Mistakes that cost you money are quite painful at first, but in retrospect you can sometimes laugh and hopefully learn from them. That said, in my former industry I worked intensely for many months on production projects and then everything would stop and you’d get back on the horse again shortly after for another wild ride. Those were intense months but the planning was impeccable and you couldn’t afford many mistakes. WIth this startup (Luxury Travel Hackers), I treated it at first with crazy intensity and kept it going for the first couple years of work and planning. The mistake was going too hard, not stopping to analyze, reflect and really look at where all that money was going. At the moment you are very much “go go go” but with where we are at I just shake my head, laugh and know that sometimes slower is faster.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
There are so many people to name and I have had so many advisors and partners who have been crucial along the way. Throughout my life I wasn’t looking at their resume, I was reading their energy, passion and enthusiasm for whatever it was they were doing. That said, with my latest venture I would have to credit Woodrow Zeigangel, who was my earliest advisor and champion for Luxury Travel Hackers. Not only did he teach me to be a CEO, but he always had my best interest in mind and didn’t sugarcoat anything. That brutally authentic and unfiltered experience helped shape who I am now and elevated my ability to be an entrepreneur. I also have to mention my co-founder Katie, who is incredible, knows how to inspire a team and always keeps me in check to protect the company culture, which I appreciate.
Extensive research suggests that “purpose driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your company started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?
While the company will be building in more elements that “give back” at a certain point, Luxury Travel Hackers holds a team that lives with authenticity and passion for their work and industry. I believe each individual has a core purpose in their life, and part of that is shared in their own unique way when blended with the LTH work culture. That said, the initial team members at LTH all bonded over the mission of the company, to deliver an incredible travel experience that is within reach and delivered in the “new school” medium of social media driven shopping and transactions. We live our purpose by serving our customers with the highest standards, latest technology and by offering exciting content that keeps users engaged and inspired.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you tell our readers a bit about what your business does? How do you help people?
Of course, so Luxury Travel Hackers is essentially an innovative and exciting new approach to booking travel in 2022 and beyond. The company is a new age travel solution and was designed with the mobile millennial in mind, taking the guesswork out of selecting ideal destinations and arranging travel. We spend countless months compiling influencer sourced travel photos and video, and develop recommended vacations via robust social media and story-driven content. Each trip is curated based on the interests and budget of each unique traveler. We are also the only travel tech company to produce travel content with influencers and make vacations bookable via social media.
With all the travel booking sites out there, they ultimately leave all the research and booking work to the user which can be overwhelming, expensive and very time consuming. We’re talking hours, days or weeks to finally make up your mind, book through potentially multiple sites and still forget some critical details. We wanted to create a white glove experience, narrow down the options for travel to those curated by top influencers and make it within reach of your everyday travel enthusiast. We handle everything, and many could consider this a new school travel agency approach with an influencer and travel content approach.
Which technological innovation has encroached or disrupted your industry? Can you explain why this has been disruptive?
There is really nothing like this on the internet. Luxury Travel Hackers is at your fingertips and let’s travelers scroll through content on Facebook or Instagram, and with one click book that trip with minimal effort. That said, what got us here initially was the downfall of brick and mortar travel agencies, the rise of the internet, travel booking websites (Hotels.com, Expedia etc) and ultimately top social media players like Instagram. With preferences constantly changing and more and more websites and apps eating up our precious time, booking travel has become more of a chore than perhaps a pleasurable experience. The travel booking industry is in need of an easier way to browse, select and book their dream vacation for the year. What was also missing was suggested travel destinations, and we are disrupting the industry by bringing a sense of simplicity back to a world that is carrying information overload.
What did you do to pivot as a result of this disruption?
We created Luxury Travel Hackers as a direct response to the increased complexity of booking travel on the internet. We are trying to take the busy work and difficulties in deciding on travel into our hands and handling everything in-house for our traveling customer base.
Was there a specific “Aha moment” that gave you the idea to start this new path? If yes, we’d love to hear the story.
Katie Warner and I were speaking one day and talking about her former career as a boutique luxury travel agency owner. At some point in the conversation, the passion for her former business reignited when we realized that partnering on these fresh business ideas could take that model to a new and exciting level. This led to repeated conversations and strategy sessions on how to build it out, and instead of becoming a fizzled idea like most in the world, this became a real business that is growing quickly. I believe this was proof that the company was meant to be and we were simply trying to build out a technology that we would use ourselves.
So, how are things going with this new direction?
It’s going great, we have been able to pivot and adjust quickly to changes in the industry and world overall. We are sort of the “new direction” in travel anyway, so hopefully we can set the standard for future travel booking in 2022 and beyond. I would say if your business is leading the change, it’s also good to be open minded and always be on the lookout for clues on where things are heading.
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during a disruptive period?
It’s very difficult to do this with everything, but a great leader during a disruptive period should always be open to new ways of thinking and doing things. Listen to young people, the high school and college kids who embrace the latest technology and keep their eyes on things that perhaps people in their 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and beyond might not see until it’s too late and you missed the party. Often rapid change comes when people want an easier and quicker way to do something, so if your industry feels that there are certain “dated” elements to do, there is absolutely a disruptive period in flow whether you know it or not. Depending on the industry, the leader should keep that open mind, read up daily on the latest trends and always listen to the younger team members at the company. It’s really about integrating all the best ideas across the board, and not acting like a “boss” and only doing what you know.
When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?
Keeping an open dialogue going often allows those fears and frustrations to be expressed and ultimately calmed. People may fear their current industry is dying, changing too quickly or even too new for where they are at. The truth is that most things don’t last forever and even if you feel comfortable where you are at, there should always be a sense of urgency to evolve, learn and stay on top of trends. Low morale typically happens when teams feel fearful of uncertainty, so keeping that conversation going to keep things based in reality and being okay with that tends to be helpful. If the team is encouraged to share their thoughts and be empowered to rise to the best potential, then they will feel safer in the face of uncertainty and changing industry dynamics.
Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?
I would say mindfulness is key, if one can’t keep in touch with their own emotions then navigating turbulent times may not fare well for both leadership and their team. It’s really about practicing what you preach, and if leadership is well grounded and mindful about emotions during both ups and down, then that will translate and trickle down into the work ethic and mindset of the team as a whole. Everything else is subjective, so for the most part how someone handles a hard time or a point of amazing success is really a personal thing. The best we can do is handle our own thought process and set a great example for the others around us.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make when faced with a disruptive technology? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
I would say the biggest mistake is that they see disruptive technology as a threat instead of an opportunity. This plays true for those who may be stuck in their industry or company and are not sure what to do next. For those who get too excited about a new technology, they may jump the gun and spend too much money investing in something that actually wasn’t ready or meant to evolve the way they thought.
Ok. Thank you. Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to pivot and stay relevant in the face of disruptive technologies? Please share a story or an example for each.
Stay flexible: Always be ready to make a bold and quick move if the timing is right. Don’t feel stuck but don’t by any means feel obligated to do anything that doesn’t feel ideal. Things happen quickly in our world, so you want to be ready to pivot if/when the occasion calls for it.
Be a leader, not a boss: There’s a huge difference here, and when faced with disruption you want to keep your mind and ears open 110%. Holding down the rules and doing things your way won’t work when your entire industry can be flipped upside down in days, weeks or months.
Be ready to make a move: Don’t get stuck in the hamster wheel of operational standards and procedures. Sure your product may be on fire and you feel comfortable running the company a certain way, none of that matters if you miss an opportunity of a lifetime to evolve and lead the new pack in your industry.
Take time to rest or vacation: If you work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week you won’t have much time to sit on the mountain and think of what your next move or idea will be. That downtime is where you re energize, reflect and think of ideas you would never conjure up while on the clock.
Surround yourself with other entrepreneurs: If you don’t have other friends who are business owners in other industries then you may be missing out on massive growth potential. Don’t live in an echo chamber of peers in your own industry, doing the same thing you are.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“A mistake is always an opportunity for growth”. I figure if you are making mistakes and perhaps have some regrets, then you have learned something valuable and have grown from it.
How can our readers further follow your work?
Luxury Travel Hackers is on all social media platforms including Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/luxurytravelhackers/ — https://luxurytravelhackers.com/
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
