"Start with your team. Happy employees mean happier customers."
Embark on a journey into the world of bespoke travel with Jay Ternavan, the entrepreneurial force behind a Croatia tour company that has flourished into a multi-country travel venture spanning Europe. In this exclusive interview, Jay shares the story of his company’s evolution, from its humble beginnings to its current prominence in the industry.
Jay reflects on the challenges faced during the pandemic and reveals the strategies that enabled his team to not only survive but thrive in the face of adversity.
From fostering a culture of resilience to embracing technological innovations, Jay offers valuable insights into navigating the dynamic landscape of modern travel.
As we peer into the future, Jay unveils his vision for bespoke travel, emphasizing the importance of personalized experiences and adaptability in an ever-changing industry.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Jay Ternavan: Hi, I’m Jay Ternavan, I started a custom Croatia tour company back in 2006 that has since grown to cover over 30 countries all over Europe, with nearly 100 staff.
We put together one-of-a-kind trips, based on detailed knowledge of the best hotels, and tours, and combine that with on-the-ground support so travelers can have all the benefits of an organized group trip, without the strangers, plus the flexibility of choosing to do exactly what suits them.
In the past year, what is the greatest business achievement you’d like to celebrate with your team? Please share the details of that success.
Jay Ternavan: We survived and bounced back from a pandemic that made selling our destinations impossible, and I think we could only do that because of the amazing spirit of our team.
We’re in a people-first industry and by keeping as many of our staff on as possible throughout 2020 and 2021 we were in better shape than most to handle the surge in travel since 2022.
We’re on track to double in size since 2019 in just 5 years – and two of them don’t count!
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, are an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle to keep talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued, and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are you adapting to the current shift we see?
Jay Ternavan: By our nature we have a lot of remote workers. We keep people engaged with their colleagues through regular calls in small teams, one-on-ones, and though it might seem old-school, Skype and Whatsapp provide a sense of ‘presence’ to give a feeling that you’re working alongside people even through they might be two countries away.
We instituted a wellness program to encourage people to develop healthy habits, or unwind, and we have bi-annual offsites to encourage togetherness across departments.
Online business keeps on surging higher than ever, B2B, B2C, online shopping, virtual meetings, remote work, Zoom medical consultations, what are your expectations for the year to come and how are you capitalizing on the tidal wave?
Jay Ternavan: We’ve been selling travel online since we began – our storefront is our website, our fitting rooms are the custom-developed interactive itinerary presentation tool we use.
We’ve moved to having Google Meet calls with our guests, during and after the sale, to engender trust and put a face to the voice on the phone.
Now the general public are much more used to video calls due to the pandemic, and it’s become second nature.
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as THE real challenge right now?
Jay Ternavan: Chistopher Hitchens was British, so I’ll answer the second question. Especially in Europe, where the labor market is particularly tight, hiring the right people is the biggest challenge we face and I imagine most other companies too.
Years 2020-2023 threw a lot of curve balls into businesses on a global scale. Based on the experience gleaned in the past years, how can businesses thrive in 2024? What lessons have you learned and what advice would you share?
Jay Ternavan: Look after your staff first. If you strive to give your people a great work environment, encouragement, and rewards, they’ll deliver a better level of service to your customers.
Those customers are more likely to recommend you, and come back again.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Jay Ternavan: Given what I said for challenges, I think an uncanny ability to hire the prefect person for the job, within a week of advertising the position, would be a wonderful skill to have!
With the right people around you, everything is easier and you feel like you have a whole load of other superpowers.
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Jay Ternavan for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Jay Ternavan or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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