Kiwi Business Story: Rachel Williams from Viva Expeditions

Rachel Williams is the founder and Managing Director of Viva Expeditions, a travel agency offering personalised itineraries, group tours and small ship cruises to some of the world’s most exclusive destinations.



Location: Auckland 
Business Type: Travel and Tourism
Founded: 2009
Number of employees:  Four
Current Business Situation: Covid recovery and product expansion to new destinations 
Relationship with The Icehouse: Owner Manager Programme Alumni Business Coaching recipient  

What does your day look like?  

I have multiple roles! Prior to Covid, we had a team of 14. Now we're currently operating as a team of four but we’re in the process of rebuilding. I've been the marketing manager, reservations consultant and business development manager at times. And I make the coffee. We've all had to really pull together but in a normal world my role is around strategy and relationship building.

How did you arrive in the business?  

After many years working as a tour leader throughout Africa and South America my partner and I saw a real opportunity. The market was dominated by budget and backpacker trips and boring old coach trips.  

We spotted a space in the middle when my parents and some of their friends did an Inca Trail trip with us; active, adventurous, and exciting travel options with good levels of comfort more suited to the 30 to 70-year-old market who want that real connection, a full experience, and don’t want to just look out of a coach window. So, Viva Expeditions started in 2009.  

What are your current challenges?  

We were growing fast when Covid struck. It was pretty heartbreaking having to make cuts in every area of the business when you’ve spent so many years building it up. 

We did $10 million in sales two years ago and this year we will have done five million dollars. But with disruption comes opportunity. We learnt how to run a lean business, which would have been hard to achieve before.  

We’ve transformed how we spend money to establish where our best return on investments will come from – to make sure it's a high-value but high-margin product that we're offering.  

Short-term cashflow is a huge problem. We have a phenomenal number of future bookings, so we have an extremely healthy future bank balance, but we’re having to wait until the end of the year to see that. It doesn't help us now. 

We needed to generate short-term revenue, which is why we launched our unique luxury experiences in New Zealand, such as Southern Lights by Flight which takes in the Aurora Australis. That's been the biggest success for us, and it's generated some really good revenue.  

Another major challenge is the rebuilding of the NZ tourism industry, which is 70% down on what it was pre-Covid. People have left, got jobs in other sectors, and there’s a talent shortage. As businesses expand, that short-term cashflow deficit will be a problem for many travel businesses as they scale. 

What did you do with The Icehouse?  

I did Owner Manager Programme 47 (July to November 2019), and I am on a long-term coaching engagement with Kevin D’Ambros-Smith. Going into OMP I was excited, and I loved the learning. I knew that I needed to develop myself to be able to take the business further. OMP not only fulfilled that need but exceeded my expectations completely.



What were your key takeaways?

You’re guided through the programme in such a clever way, from looking at your business, looking at yourself, and then looking at how to manage change. It was a beautiful way to move people through the programme.

The sessions on cashflow management and developing a deeper understanding of the financials were amazing and taking care of myself became crucial. As a group, we all scored low on the resilience module with Dr Sven Hansen. That was a revelation, and I think I can speak for the group when I say that everybody has changed their life in terms of how they're looking after themselves.

I’ve also been working with Kevin and in the past two years he’s been able to pull me through the hard times. He also really helps me think outside the box and how to take an idea and turn it into something more valuable, which is incredible.

 
How do you weave those takeaways into the business? 

I used to have a lot of stuff in my head. From a leadership perspective, I now bring the team in more to the constructive and decision-making process..  

Sharing the vision for the business changes how the team acts and how they feel towards the business. They take more ownership because they're completely onside with our vision and our goals.  

Thanks to OMP I learnt a lot about myself and I believe I'm much better in how I work with people, how I run my meetings, and how I integrate and bring my staff into the business’ purpose. 

2022 is all about rebuilding the team and getting myself back into a position where I can focus on the growth piece. I have been the hamster on the wheel a little bit this year, but we've had to be. We just had to do what needed to be done.  
OMP gave me more direction, drive, and motivation – and in the sense that it's achievable. There are plenty of positives on the horizon. 

Have you worked professionally with any other alumni since doing the programme/workshop?
 
We have had cohorts on our NZ trips and I have bought Chilean wine from another cohort, which has been great! We’re all on a WhatsApp group – communicating every day, chatting about business and so on. Having the cohort has been an amazing resource. They’re a really fantastic group of people.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to start a business right now?

My main message to people in the start-up space is to get a mentor. I can’t overstate the value of having one. I have used them for a long time, starting with the free mentorships offered through groups like the Regional Business Partners, then moving on to the more advanced mentorship as you develop.

Follow the link for more information on Viva Expeditions and its extensive range of travel products and services.