Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Andrew Long, president of Scavenger Hunt Anywhere, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Scavenger Hunt Anywhere provides team-building scavenger hunts to corporate groups in cities and resort locations around the world. We seek to challenge the business skills of our participants. Our program is designed to challenge a group's ability to strategize, allocate roles on the team, prioritize, manage time, think outside the box, and beat the competition. This is cross-training for business people! We can handle any number of participants, and they can be from any kind of corporate group. Our programs are suitable for meetings, offsites, conferences, and days out of the office.
Tell us about yourself
I am motivated by the idea that people who like each other work better together. Originally I sought to take corporate leadership teams on three-day canoe trips and use this as leadership training. That turned out to be a very hard service to sell! One day, an event planner called and asked if I could plan a 700-person scavenger hunt. I put together a beautiful proposal, right within their budget. We never got that client, but I understood that this was the perfect way to combine a fun, competitive activity with soft business skills. We started offering scavenger hunts in a few different cities. I love that I am one of the only people on earth who walks around cities and thinks, "Hey, that would make a great scavenger hunt clue."
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
In 2012, we broke the world record for the largest scavenger hunt ever held. This was for 1500 people in Las Vegas. It was a highly successful scavenger hunt, and it was amazing to see all those people doing the hunt at the same time.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The hardest thing in our business is the uncertainty about future revenue. As a hyper-niched events business, we tend only to get a handful of repeat clients. Although we get referrals from happy clients, we have never found a way to create recurring revenue or subscriptions, and this makes it difficult to plan for the future.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Ensure that your business gets you excited. If you are interested in what you are doing, you will be motivated to do it every day.
- Build your business with a plan for recurring revenue. This will not only help you forecast future revenue, but it will make your business attractive to a potential future buyer.
- It is easier than ever to find people to work for you. Finding good talent on LinkedIn and Upwork has been a game-changer for us. It takes time to learn how to find the right people on these types of sites, but when you do, it can make a huge difference in your business.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.scavengerhuntanywhere.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScavengerHuntAnywhere
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iloveteambuilding/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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