Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Mark Wolters, Founder of Wolters World, located in Champaign, IL, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Wolters World is a travel and culture education business. We produce videos on various travel topics, from culture shock to the do's and don'ts of travel to advice for traveling with children, all done in an honest and fluff-free way. We also produce business education content on our Professor Wolters channel. There we have marketing, social media, and career development education.
Our core audience for the travel channel is families who want to travel the world and do more than just check off something on their bucket list. We help people experience more of the culture when they travel. For our business education channel, we are focused more on entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized businesses.
Tell us about yourself
After reading too many blogs and travel guides that overhyped travel destinations, I felt that there needed to be a more fair and balanced voice of travel out there, so I created Wolters World, which focuses on giving honest travel advice on destinations around the world where we give people the good and the bad parts of travel so they can be better prepared for when they do travel.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
We have over 200,000,000 views on YouTube and nearly 1,000,000 subscribers as well. Those have been milestones that have meant a lot to me, but the best is when people will randomly write us and tell us how we inspired them to travel or how we helped them feel confident to travel on their own. It's really a special feeling knowing you were at least a small part of so many people's travels around the world.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Finding the time to get everything you need to accomplish done. That's why finding a good team is critical for success.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Don't quit your day job. You still need that income and insurance for a while. It's OK to have a day job and run your own business on the side.
- Be OK with letting go and delegating tasks to others, especially if they are tasks other people can do quicker or better than you. That will help you free your time to focus on more important issues in your business.
- Know how to set limits. Your business will suck all your time, energy, and money if you let it. Set boundaries, give yourself time off for your family, and don't let your business be 100% of your life, or else you will burn out.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://woltersworld.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/woltersworld
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woltersworld/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/woltersworld
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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