I’ve been within the journey running a blog world since 2004 and working Journey Dudes full time since 2007. These pioneering days have been thrilling and the thrill hasn’t stopped.

Skilled journey running a blog usually appears to be like really easy. And it ought to seem like this, as in any other case you’d be doing one thing improper. However very often it’s very totally different behind the scenes. Particularly within the early days, if you’re making an attempt to make a dwelling with your enterprise.

Strive explaining to your father-in-law that you’re getting paid to journey the world. Good luck!  😉

Operating a enterprise often contains many unpredictable issues taking place.

And never many understand how a lot sh*t I’ve gone by over the previous couple of years and what I’ve skilled. Seven years in the past I created the primary Social Journey Platform and it was one thing VERY particular. 

The developer model was working properly… up-to-the-minute we went on-line.

I used to be trying ahead to shouting out about it with an enormous bang after which…it went black!

The newly relaunched website was black for an entire week! And it remained ugly for the next months. Even the best issues didn’t work, like registering new customers, although it was constructed with a content material administration system which focuses on communities. My developer’s crew failed fully and all the cash felt wasted. And it was some huge cash! 

We have been by no means in a position to broadly announce what we wished to current. And I used to be so proud of the particular idea, as we created one thing distinctive and really helpful for the traveler.

As a substitute I had many sleepless nights, ready for emails from the builders. Attempting to rescue and clear up the scenario. 

This was the largest disaster I’ve been by as an entrepreneur. For weeks I used to be solely reacting to what was occurring, which is a devastating standing when working a enterprise. Then one evening I awakened with an thought and I went to the pc to ship out an e mail. Ultimately this e mail itself didn’t change a lot, but it surely was this motion which did. It was this second I began to take management once more over the scenario. Which was the turning level.

I’ve seen comparable conduct through the COVID-19 disaster. By experiencing my very own disaster earlier than, I used to be now in a position to be taught from this, in order that we did our greatest to maintain on appearing ourselves, as a substitute of reacting to others. This sounds a lot simpler than it’s, when the entire trade you’re employed in appeared to break down round you. However we managed…  extra to that later.

So again to the relaunch seven years in the past.

In some unspecified time in the future we obtained the web site secure, however all of the dangerous coding of the years earlier than had been taken over by the builders as a substitute of making a brand new website from scratch. Fortunately the visitors stayed across the identical, however we couldn’t make investments additional, as it might have been wasted on a poorly functioning web site. So we simply stored on fixing stuff. And at this level I can’t thank Erik from aroundtheglobe.nl sufficient who helped me out together with his IT information and expertise over time! He did his magic and we have been in a position to carry on going with the web site.

Normally issues in life occur for a motive, although very often you solely discover out far later.

Other than Journey Dudes I’ve been working as COO and as a accomplice of iambassador. This very profitable and thrilling time is now over. However I’m trying ahead to discovering out the aim of this step. And I’m enthusiastic about it!

Why?

As a result of we had a quiet soft-relaunch of Journey Dudes in December. And the perfect is… the location runs easily!

Now we have been working during the last yr on this (truly longer). And although the pandemic has been horrible in many alternative methods, we invested our time and stored on working onerous. 

And we will already see that it was price it! 

Like so many others, our web site’s visitors dropped dramatically when Sars-CoV 2 hit the world and the journey trade. However since our relaunch we’ve seen a rise of over 210% once more, which is clearly a results of the great work we’ve completed.

The brand new website is secure, slimmer, and much better optimized in many alternative methods and we’re simply going to maintain bettering it. It’s not a Social Journey Platform anymore, however now we’re lastly in a position to implement all of the concepts I’ve.

As Journey Dudes, we imagine in working onerous and in sharing the success.

In all these robust years we’ve been in a position to develop our enterprise in many alternative methods. We grew the crew and created a brand new video format, which we then used to supply our personal journey present. This has performed an enormous position within the success we had with our Journey Dudes campaigns within the latest years. 

Crucial factor is, we did this with ardour and plenty of enjoyable. 

This was doable because of the Journey Dudes dream crew, which supported me over so a few years and who believed in me.

However in the long run, I used to be solely in a position to obtain all this because of my great and powerful spouse and with the help from my entire household!

And I hope I can nonetheless rely on this for slightly longer…  🙂

… because it’s time to work on nice and profitable collaborations once more!

Journey Dudes has been a neighborhood the place passionate vacationers and bloggers share their journey suggestions. Thus far we’ve imported round 1,000 of the articles and we are going to maintain including many extra.

We need to proceed as a neighborhood, however in a extra unique arrange and by invitation solely. We’ll begin with this within the subsequent few weeks.

We’ll be bettering our content material technique and our intention stays to help one another and to supply our viewers with precious journey suggestions and to assist improve their journey expertise.

I even have very large and thrilling plans for the following few months! I’m already very enthusiastic about this….I can say that a lot:

It’s going to be particular once more!

So keep tuned!

And journey on

Melvin