In this Spark & Ignite Your Marketing episode, host Beverly Cornell dives deep into the entrepreneurial journey of Ralph Velasco, founder of Continental Drifter Experiences. Ralph shares how he transitioned from owning a restaurant to becoming a successful international tour leader by mastering one key element: setting clear expectations. Learn how Ralph found his niche in cultural travel, avoided the common trap of trying to appeal to everyone, and created experiences that keep clients coming back year after year.
This episode is packed with actionable insights on the power of knowing your audience, building trust through authenticity, and delivering unforgettable experiences. Whether you’re an entrepreneur looking to carve out your niche or someone seeking inspiration for a more focused business approach, Ralph’s journey will resonate with you.
Key topics:
The Power of Niching: Ralph learned early on that trying to appeal to everyone is a losing strategy. By focusing on cultural immersion in small group tours, he attracted a loyal client base who valued tailored, high-quality experiences.
Setting Expectations as a Trust Builder: Ralph emphasizes that clearly defining what clients can expect—both in travel and business—creates trust and builds loyalty. This transparency is what sets successful businesses apart from the rest.
Experiences Over Everything: Ralph’s business model is built on delivering immersive, authentic experiences. Entrepreneurs can take a page from his book by focusing on how to offer their clients something truly memorable and unique.
Follow Ralph:
Small Group International Tours – Continental DRIFTER®
LinkedIn.com | Ralph Velasco
Special Gift from Ralph!
– $200 off per person on any of my upcoming tours for people who mention the SPARK & IGNITE podcast.
– Free Cultural Ettiquette eBook
Watch on YouTube:
Transcript:
Beverly:
Did you know that travelers who engage in cultural immersion report a 95 percent satisfaction rate and a much deeper connection with the places they visit? Welcome to another insightful episode of Spark and Ignite Your Marketing. I’m your host, Beverly Cornell, and today I am thrilled to introduce Ralph Velasco, the founder of Continental Drifter Experiences. Ralph has been organizing and leading small group cultural tours around the world since 2008. Welcome to Continental Drifter Experiences. With a rich background in international business and entrepreneurship, Ralph offers unique travel experiences that emphasize cultural immersion and mindfulness. Ralph, it’s wonderful to have you here.
Ralph:
Hi, it’s great to be here, Beverly. Thanks for asking me on.
Beverly:
So tell me a little bit of how you got to this place in this business.
Ralph:
Yeah, I’ve always loved travel since I was in high school. I studied in Madrid, Spain for a summer one year. The next year I was a volunteer in Venezuela for two and a half months. Then I was a volunteer in Peru. And also I studied in Mexico City for a summer, so 4 years in a row, I was traveling on my own with groups, but in high school, so I got the bug early on, especially for Europe and specifically for Spain, which is 1 of my top countries. And I always thought that it was virtually impossible to make a living from photography and travel. But then we had this perfect storm of the internet, social media, digital photography in what I would call around the early 2000s. And I had my second restaurant in downtown Chicago from 2001 to 2004. And I was getting ready to sign either another five year lease extension, or was I going to sell the business? So I took a yellow pad and on one side, I said, what are the negatives of owning a restaurant? And one is you have to have employees, you need a physical space that’s expensive. I came home smelling like a French fry every night.
Inventory. Yeah.
Ralph:
Inventory selling something that people put in their mouths and could make them sick. So I wrote on the opposite side of that page of those items. And I said, I don’t want employees. I want to work wherever my laptop is. I want to work for myself and want to take a shower before work, not after every day. I, this was. Early on in the dawn of digital photography, and people were starting to get their digital cameras and their one megapixel easy shares cameras. And so I said, I bet there’s a market for people wanting to learn how to use these new digital devices, and perhaps I could teach them how to do that and use it with regards to travel. In 2008, we all know what happened in September, 2008, we had the financial crisis and it was actually the best thing that ever happened to me as a financial advisor, because I’d already started my business. I had. I’ve been teaching at the local city of Newport beach Santa Ana college, Saddleback college places where I didn’t need a teaching degree, but I could still get in front of people that were interested in travel and photography. So I was teaching digital photography and and that was a great way to start the business as a slow burn. And then when the financial crisis hit, I burned all the bridges and I said, I’m just going full force at this travel thing. And here I am. 16 years later, hard to believe.
Beverly:
So what is your why you’ve had all these experiences, but why start this business when you know now and have it and continue and what problems do you solve? What experiences do you give? Talk a little bit about that, like the passion behind it.
Ralph:
Yeah. A big part of the why was on that, that yellow pad, I wanted to do the opposite of those things. But I also love to teach. I’m probably not considered the most patient person and most other aspects of my life. But when it comes to teaching especially photography skills and things like that, I can repeat things over and over again. I don’t mind it at all. And I enjoy passing on some of the skills that I’ve learned. And also just sharing these incredible places with my clients. So I get to go to these places typically a year in advance to scout them out, to make sure that the right fit for my clients. I got to get the pictures to market the trips, meet the people, have all the experiences, try the restaurants, meet the guides. And then I love to come back a year later, cause I want to get pictures that are. Of the season that we’re going to go back to and see, maybe it’s a harvest or the spring colors or something, then bring those groups back and introduce them to the incredible people that I’ve met the artisans and craftsmen and people. That’s why I do this is to be able to see these places through my client’s eyes. On a later trip,
Beverly:
I love that you love Spain because I feel like a part of my soul is there. Like I, and I lived in the Costa del Sol, so I had been to Madrid and I, but Barcelona, Valencia, Granada, like all, I lived in Alicante. So I lived in that area. My first major was international relations. I wanted to work for an embassy. I wanted to really create. World peace, in a way, because I think when people meet and connect, it creates something entirely different than just viewing a picture or some of those kinds of things. Having the experience, meeting the people, connecting, changes you on a really fundamental level. And I love that you’re about like immersive experiences. So talk about what an immersive experience looks like.
Ralph:
Yeah. One example of a trip that I do is called France’s magical Dordogne and that’s we go to the Dordogne region of Southwestern France, that’s just East of Bordeaux, but we stay at a private. Castle there. It’s an 11th century castle it’s just gorgeous. We go there and we stay there for a week. The more I travel, the more I am about doing a deep dive, as opposed to just touching on a lot of places. And my. People that travel with me tend to be fairly well traveled and so they’re appreciating this as well.
Beverly:
How important, I know how important, but how important is the food and the drink and some of that side of it when you talk about immersion?
Ralph:
Extremely important. I come from a food background, as I mentioned earlier. I eat three meals a day. So I try to make food a big part of my trips. I go to some of the best food cultures in the world. France, Spain, Turkey, Italy, Mexico. On and on Vietnam, India, Cambodia. So some wonderful food cultures that you have to emphasize the food. Food is one of, a few things that we all have in common. We all eat, we all drink. So when we go to these places, it’s super important to, to learn about how they. And I love market walks, doing cooking demonstrations and classes, going out with chefs doing, things that have to do with the food because, it, it seems so basic that, yeah, we all eat, we all know how to eat. But sometimes there’s different ways to purchase items, to pick them, to cook them, prepare them. And so I really love that nuance of travel and getting our hands into the flour and making pasta and all these other wonderful things that is such a big part of travel.
Beverly:
And there’s something just really basic about sharing a meal in a different place and something unexpected or something you’re not used to, it’s such a fun part of, I think, travel for me anyway.
Ralph:
Yeah. And oh, for sure. And so many cultures that people are, they may not be well off by our standards, but they almost always have more than enough food to share with us. And to, they’ll go out of their ways though. Give more than maybe they probably should, but they, it’s such a cultural thing and a social thing that I’ve had the best experiences. And that’s one of the things I love to do on our trips is to perhaps go inside someone’s house and have a cup of tea or a lunch, or, the specialty of the house or the country there and just be there. Be in someone’s home or sometimes in their place of business and see the behind the scenes. That’s what I love. Yeah. It’s the best part of travel. If you ask me.
Beverly:
Yeah what you do is so fun and so interesting Ralph, for me, travel, I love it. What is something that frustrates you about your industry and how do you do things differently?
Ralph:
Let’s see. We always have to take into consideration, are we, Adding to the problem of tourism, or are we promoting it trying to do it as sustainably as possible you’re hearing a lot about things happening in Spain especially Barcelona, where the locals are getting really frustrated with the tourist crowds and, It’s a problem, and especially in some, certain places more than others like Barcelona that is just swells. I don’t know how much in the summer, especially when you get the big ships coming in and, big bus tours and things. So it’s got to be very frustrating for people. So this is another reason that I like to get our groups off the beaten path into smaller villages that aren’t as touristy places that we can be. Just our group, like at the castle, or sometimes we’ll have private visits to say that 20, 000 year old cave paintings or other places where it’s just our group. And we’re making a smaller impact. I typically will. Cap my groups at anywhere from six to 10 people. There are some trips that I can go up higher on and still feel comfortable with. But that gets us into smaller properties, smaller hotels, restaurants, villages, places where, big bus can’t get into, or a bigger group can’t get into family owned restaurant. And so that allows us to have a much more immersive and intimate experience. So I’m really big on that. My trips aren’t the least expensive trips out there, but there has to be a premium to be paid in order to have the smaller groups and so the people that come on my trips are. All five star rated. I’ve only got five star ratings over 16 years. And so I think people really appreciate that and are willing to pay somewhat of a premium to be able to get that more intimate experience, which is so important.
Beverly:
So who are your typical clients? Who is an average person who comes on a tour with you?
Ralph:
Yeah. Anywhere from forties plus age group, typically I’ve had younger, I’ve had older, but no forties to seventies for the most part. So baby boomers, Gen X travelers people that have the time, the resources to travel the interest. They like a more slow type travel. They’re probably not arranging their own trips because they want either busy executives or they don’t maybe, I don’t know, maybe not trust themselves to, because when you make your own travel plans, you’re taking a risk. You can look at all the reviews and stuff, and that’s great, but you you have to trust the tour operator as well. And so I get a lot of busy executives on my trips attorney that just came on my recent Copper Canyon, Mexico trip. And we do a meet and greet at the beginning of every trip and everyone introduces themselves, how they came to the trip, et cetera. And he said, I’m super busy. I’m an attorney. I know that when I show up to one of Ralph’s trips, it’s just going to be great. And I don’t have to think about a thing except for arranging my flights at his instruction. So that makes me feel really good that, there’s people out there that trust me with an expensive trip a price a trip that they’re spending good money on and they trust me to deliver a great product. So that means a lot.
Beverly:
It’s not just the money though, Ralph, even I feel like executives, their time is precious too. So that precious vacation time they’re trusting with you and that memory they’re trusting with you, which I think is far more than the money, but yeah, that’s, that is it is. A big responsibility and gift at the same time. So yes, I can see that looking back on your journey from restaurant tour to financial services to now international travel immersive experiences. What is one aspect of your business strategy or decision making process that you think has evolved over time and why?
Ralph:
Thing I learned early on in doing this, cause I, I didn’t take any classes, I didn’t have any mentors. I created this business just how I felt it should be and how I would want a company to be that was offering these services. I, one of the things I learned early on was setting expectations. How important that is, at the beginning of pretty much any business you want to sell. Anything to anyone and we all know that’s typically a recipe for disaster. So I had to narrow it down and really find out what my niche was, who the people were that are interested in these kinds of trips and to set expectations and not to try to appeal to everyone. Because then when. If people come on to a trip that isn’t just right for them, they’re going to have a bad experience. And in the long run, it’s going to be bad for you. So I started really being very upfront with what people can expect to see and do on my trips so that it would automatically filter out people that weren’t. After those things, they wanted something else. So I started out doing a pretty hardcore photography workshops. And I learned very quickly that wasn’t the type of trip that I wanted to offer. I wanted something that was a little bit stepped down from there, more casual. Photography was a part of our trips. It wasn’t a photo workshop or even a photo tour. I called them cultural tours. With photography. So now I’ve even backed away a little bit more from that. So we’re all some sort of a photographer. We’ve all got these devices in our pockets. So certainly we want to get good shots. So I’m more than willing to help people, but we’re not doing the specific photo walks and the image reviews and the one on ones and all that stuff.
Beverly:
So share a customer testimonial or experience. Of someone who has been on your trip and what, how it’s changed them or affected them.
Ralph:
Yeah. I’ve had several people tell me either on video or in written testimonials, Ralph, this is the best trip I’ve ever taken in my life. And 1 of them said, Ralph, I’m sure you hear this all the time, but this is the best trip that I’ve ever taken in my life. And I said I hear it once in a while, but not enough. So I’m glad to hear it anytime. So those are things. Another client said, I would travel to the ends of the earth with Ralph to be on one of his trips, and those things just, they mean so much because again, people are putting, time, effort, money. They’re bringing their friends and family. They’re trusting people that they’re recommending to me. So they’re putting a lot of faith in me. So I have to deliver. And if something does go wrong, which is pretty rare I’m pretty devastated. I’m I, my life is about trying to fend off these problems well in advance of them happening. And I think that takes a lot of time and effort and is, makes the difference between a good trip and a great trip.
Beverly:
Talk a little bit about how you reach your goal. Ideal customer. What are some of the marketing tools that you use?
Ralph:
I do a lot of public speaking. Certainly podcasts are one way, but also I speak at the travel and adventure shows, which is a series of travel shows here in the U S. That have been going on for probably 15 or 16 years or more, maybe even more, but I’ve been doing it for about 14 or 15 years. Every year. Speaking up several of the shows throughout the U. S. I’ve also spoken at conferences and Jerusalem, Spain, Ireland, Sweden, Cairo, and just getting in front of people that are interested in travel and photography. I love to teach. Those skills. So travel tips, photography tips. And so I love to give out that information. And then I think that resonates with certain people. And then they say, I’d love to go on a trip with that guy. That’s how I’ve built. My following is just getting in front of people that are interested in this subject. And one tip I’ll give to people that are in different industries is that if you’re looking to test a. A business idea. Think about teaching it at the local city, community college or place where we all get those quarterly magazines from the local community college or city that says, we’ve got these classes coming up. You could be a teacher and teach that subject. That’s what I did early on with photography is I started teaching travel photography. At the local city of Newport beach and these different community college, a university of California Irvine extension program things like that. So it’s a great way to test your idea, start to build a bit of a following, get some testimonials and feedback about what you’re doing and see if there’s a market for your idea.
Beverly:
So I think it’s like the rec. Magazines, you get the, whatever your city is or County is the recreation stuff. Like they have the aquatics or they have tango, you can learn tango and all kinds of things. So those kinds of places, even oftentimes they have language classes and things like that too. So
I, yes,
Beverly:
so I worked for a tech software company called mango languages. And I did those travel and tourism conferences, so what’s, is there a marketing mistake you’ve made and what did you learn from it?
Ralph:
I’ve spent a fair amount of money on things like Facebook ads, Google ads and things like that. And I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a single person to come from, paid marketing like that I’ve tried everything and I’ve given it time, cause I know that these things take time and you have to build up that juice. Those are things that never quite worked for me. I’ve hired social media. Account managers and things that never quite worked out. For me, it’s been getting in front of people and, having them get a feel for my personality at a conference on a podcast, wherever the public speaking was and then following up with email marketing. Which is something that I do a fair amount of and I just I was really confusing my clients because I had three brands at one time and I knew that I needed to consolidate them into one side photo enrichment adventures. I had all the company experiences. I had the continental drifter, but I knew I last year I finally had the time and resources and help. To bring them all under Continental Drifter. And so everything is now there. I don’t have to maintain three websites and three different accounts for every social media out there. So yeah, that was a real pain. Now my life is much more simplified and everything is just a continental drifter. co and you can find everything.
Beverly:
What is your long term vision for Continental Drifter experiences?
Ralph:
I just created this new series of books called The Mindful and Intentional Traveler. And one is a book called Sixty Affirmations for Travel. And the second one is a Gratitudes Edition, and they’re adult activity books with some coloring pages and crossword puzzles, word searches, having to do with travel. There’s motivational quotes in there, but there’s also space for you to write your own gratitudes and affirmations and notes and keep a journal. Bye. The mindful intentional traveler series came out of a trip that I did to Peru many years ago when I was 16 years old and we were young boys, 15, 16 years old in this new part of the world. And we would start complaining a little bit. We didn’t care for the food or the we wanted our mother’s cooking or, be with our friends and family, our own beds. And, we were just whining a little bit. And so 1 of the priests it was a. Trip through my Catholic high school said, guys, you have to be here. Now you’ve got this incredible opportunity to be in this different place where things are meant to be different. Embrace that, enjoy it, learn from it, be here now. And so that’s something that always stuck with me, but I lost it. And as a travel photographer, I’m probably one of the worst people because we tend to see the world through the viewfinder of a camera. And so I often come back from these amazing places and I think to myself, was I truly there? Yeah, I was there physically, but. Did I, did I actually experienced the place other than through the viewfinder of my camera? And so I created these books that are meant to bring you back to 0, bring back to present to make you more mindful and intentional. And I’m just working on another. Book right now where it’s about how to be a more mindful traveler through the five senses feeling, tasting, touching, hearing all these different senses that we tend to forget about I do. And so it’s every now and then you need to just stop, look, listen, hear, feel, and these different touch all these different experiences is in a place. The cool breeze, the smell of those pine trees, all these different senses and definitely put the camera down, and you might not expect that from a travel photography instructor, but put the camera down I really try to stop, look and listen and just take the place in. I’m much more about sitting in a cafe, having a coffee or sitting in a pub with a beer and just watching the world go by, maybe talking to the person next to me. To me, that’s really what travel is about. It’s not necessarily seeing all these sites and ticking off things on our bucket lists.
Beverly:
You, when you say sitting in the coffee, having coffee, I remember being in Venice and there’s San Marcos square and I was having coffee and there was somebody playing phantom of the opera and there was the pigeons and there was, it was like this whole scene was in front of me and it was just like a slice of life, it was just a slice of life. Yeah. So powerful and really. impactful moments for me. Yeah.
Ralph:
And around this idea of the mindful and intentional traveler, I’m also looking to create some speaking engagements based around this, like a Ted or TEDx talk about this idea and also creating some retreats that would allow people to Come to that 11th century castle or a wine estate or some other beautiful property where we can practice these skills and then go out into the local villages and put them into practice and really work on being more mindful and intentional. I think people will get so much more out of their vacations than they already are.
Beverly:
We’re so busy during the day is that we work and all the things. So having the intention and the mindfulness during our vacation, I think is really what resets us for when we come back. Cause I don’t know how many people who are listening have been on a vacation and need a vacation from their vacation.
Ralph:
Oh, absolutely.
Beverly:
I do like the idea of the slower and more immersive now specific. Now that I’ve seen a much, a lot of the world, having more of the immersive experiences and having more mindful. My mother and father went to Egypt. And my mother is a hippie. She comes from, I was born in the seventies. So she was, she’s a hippie and they did a like yoga meditative experience in Egypt. And so in one of the pyramids, they did meditation with a didgeroo and this very cool thing. And she said it was the most unique vacation I’ve ever had because it was more slow down. Enjoy the moment you’re in a pyramid. This is Amazing. And even the sounds of the pyramid inside, like just a different. I, all you’re speaking my language, Ralph, like you’re my people. This is what I love about the world and travel is having these moments and connections. And
Ralph:
yeah. And the, when we go to these places we tend to think that, I can’t wait to get out of the hotel. Why am I sitting at the hotel? It’s a waste of time.
Yeah.
Ralph:
But what if that hotel is a 11th century castle with 270 acres of grounds and beautiful landscaping and gardens and. Paths and things like that, or an agriturismo in southern Italy, these beautiful places where the property is a destination and you don’t feel like you’re wasting time. If you’re at the hotel. Because it’s already a destination. So that’s what I’m trying to create as well. Not go to these places where we can’t wait to leave the hotel, but the hotel is a destination as well. It’s part of the trip.
Beverly:
I think you’re right. Like the place that you stay is as much part of your trip as everything else. If it’s done it can
Ralph:
be. Yep.
Beverly:
So I have a lightning round. I feel like I talked to you about your travels and trips for a long time. We probably could share stories, which would be wonderful. But I have a lightning round where I have I want to get into your favorite business insights, tools, and inspirations, Ralph. Are you ready for that?
Ralph:
Sure. Yeah.
Beverly:
How have I imagined with you traveling? And going and scouting relationships and connections are really important for you. So how have you created and maintained lasting connections on this journey?
Ralph:
Nowadays with things like WhatsApp and social media, we can keep in touch with people like we couldn’t back in 1988 when I did this round the world trip when I was 24 years old and, it was like writing people’s Physical addresses down and who’s living in those same places anymore, but now we’ve got email and everything else. So it’s a lot easier to keep in touch with people. But I’ve created some amazing friendships around the world, especially with my local guides and tour operators. And I’ve got a network of people around the world that are in the travel industry that I love to keep in touch with.
Beverly:
Technology has come a long way. So if continental drifter experiences had a voice, what word or emotion would resonate from its core?
Ralph:
Gosh. Imagine the joy of travel, just sharing the That joy.
Beverly:
And it sounds like you’re leaning towards mindfulness too. Mindfulness of travel. So the joy and mindfulness.
Ralph:
Absolutely. Yep. You’re so right. Yep.
Beverly:
So I’m sure you’ve read tons of books. You’ve been on a lot of podcasts, listened to some podcasts, I’m sure. And you’ve met a lot of other business people on your way along the way. Is there been any of those that have left an indelible mark on your journey?
Ralph:
Yeah, they’ve all left a little bit of a mark and some more than others, but I, that’s, the beauty of travel too. And just meeting other people is learning from them and these different perspectives around the world. That’s what I love about travel is getting these different perspectives we tend to think that we’ve got it all figured out and that’s just not the case. I love to listen to other perspectives. I’m very interested in learning from other people. And, I think going through life thinking that our way is the only way is, can be a real mistake. How do
Beverly:
you keep your entrepreneurial spirit alive and what do you feed it?
Ralph:
As an entrepreneur those of you who are, that it’s always a struggle there. You’re always thinking about your own business and how you can improve it, make it better and get in front of more people. I love to read biographies. About entrepreneurs, especially people that have done extraordinary things. So that’s the way that I keep that part of my spirit fed and love to read about entrepreneurism all the time. So that’s how I keep it going.
Beverly:
do you get a. A lot of logistics and planning going to go into a trip that you create the pre planning a year before the actual reservations and making sure everybody has everything, all of that goes into it. Is there, I would imagine that maybe I’m wrong, that at the end of the trip or during the trip, there’s a lot of like soul feeding that happens when people are having the aha moments or they’re like, this is amazing. That’s like such good fuel for your. Spirit too.
Ralph:
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Especially just being with people on the trips and getting testimonials or hearing people talk amongst each other about how they’re enjoying something. Getting those testimonials later, which I always ask for. That. That’s what feeds my soul is knowing that I created a great trip that people really got something out of.
Beverly:
I feel like a lot of entrepreneurs like to build things and it sounds like you had three different businesses. So you were very busy building things. How do you maintain a sense of purpose and clarity?
Ralph:
I feel like these trips are so important that people are, I think spending more. Money on experiences than they are on things, or they’re moving that way. And that’s my, always been my preference is not to have stuff, but to have experiences. And so I see people doing that more and more. And I’m all about encouraging that. And yeah, I hope that answered your question.
Beverly:
How did your business do during COVID when nobody was traveling?
Ralph:
Oh, horrible. People couldn’t leave their houses, let alone go on an international trip. So I was hit real hard, especially as a one man business that. That’s part of the reason that I was able to survive was I got my expenses way down. I didn’t have employees. I didn’t have a physical space that I, yeah, that I needed to to maintain an office. So I was able to get my expenses way down and I was able to get other things done, create a YouTube channel, write some books. And so I made a really good use of my time, but it’s been it’s been a bit of a struggle to get back up to where I was pre COVID as people are looking at different ways of travel. There’s issues with wars and Ukraine and Israel and everyone thinking that. Europe’s on fire and that’s just not the case. So economy, all these different things. And the fact that travel tends to be a luxury item, it’s not the first thing that we need to spend money on, but in a way it’s, should be one of the top things because it definitely, Re energizes us and keeps us going.
Beverly:
I need to go. I have wanderlust, so I need to go someplace. Okay. So if your business was an animal, which animal would it be and why?
Ralph:
Oh, boy. Animal. I imagine I want to say a lion, but yeah, I guess only because I’m a leo.
Beverly:
So you have a birthday coming soon then.
Ralph:
Happy early
Beverly:
birthday.
Ralph:
Thanks. But I, I also think of gypsy, but gypsy is not an animal, but my grandmother had a dog called gypsy that she called him that because he was always running away. He was always going somewhere. And so now the, I’ve got that bit of a moniker called the gypsy, but God, that’s a great question. I would have to think about that. I don’t know.
Beverly:
Is there an animal, is there an animal, yeah, that travels all over the place, that hydrates? Yeah, like
Ralph:
birds, they’re always on the go and moving somewhere, following the sun. Yeah, a bird would be a good one.
Beverly:
Yeah, I like that. That’s a good one. Okay, that’s the end of the that’s the end of the lightning round. You survived. I just have a couple more questions for you.
Sure.
Beverly:
If you could look back when you first started your restaurant or when you got out of college, or even maybe that 17 year old or 16 year old that was in Peru with the priest, if you could give that kid some advice. I
Ralph:
would say number one, invest, start investing early on as a younger person, put 100, 1, 000 a year away and just let time do its thing with that money and invest because you’ll be so glad that you did it later on when you’re older. And you’ve got something to show for it. Spend more time and resources on experiences, not necessarily things, houses and stuff like that. It’s about for me, it’s about, quality of life, not quantity. I, I always say that, something could happen to me tomorrow and I’ve lived more than 99. 9 percent of people ever will seen and done more. And so I’m very content with that. And who cares how much money you, you died with in your bank account because you’re gone. Do things now and tomorrow never comes.
Beverly:
It’s not promised, that’s for sure.
Ralph:
That’s right.
Beverly:
What practical advice would you offer a small business entrepreneur or a budding entrepreneur to jumpstart their journey? Is there something they could do today after they get off this podcast that could help them be more successful?
Ralph:
Yeah, I would say just keep persevering. There’s going to be a lot of times when you want to give up. Things seem like they’re maybe too hard. It might be easier just to get a traditional job or something, but don’t ever give up if you can afford to burn the bridges and make it so that it’s not easy for you to have plans B, C or D. Sometimes it’s good to have those things you want to be smart about it, but also when your back’s against the wall you don’t realize how strong you are and how much you can actually accomplish when your back’s against the wall and you don’t have all those other alternatives to fall back on.
Beverly:
You’re right. So before we go, please share where our listeners can learn more about Continental Drifter experiences and keep up with your latest projects and books.
Ralph:
Sure. So everything can be found at continental drifter. co and you can go to slash experiences for a list of all my trips. I’ve got blogs there. My podcast. That I’ve been on and that that I’ve had cause I’ve had podcasts in the past, but not right now. And there’s my books can be found there, but you can also search on Amazon with the continental drifter and 60 affirmations or gratitudes. And you’ll find my books there. And what else? Find me on all the social medias at Ralph Velasco or continental drifter. And pretty much just Google. Me and I’ll come up on some something.
Beverly:
I’ll put all those links on the show notes as well, so that people can find you. Thank you so much, Ralph for joining me today and sharing your wealth of knowledge and expertise.
Ralph:
My pleasure. Thanks, Beverly, for having me. It’s great.
Beverly:
I’ve enjoyed it very much. You’re speaking my language. Like I said, I could, I think that once you have a, when you have a love of travel, it’s a different kind of person I think those of us that love it, we tend to stick together and we have lots of stories. To our listeners, I hope you found this episode as enlightening as I did. And remember to implement any of these insights that are shared today into your small business. And don’t hesitate to reach out to Ralph or myself. If you have any further questions or need assistance or want to plan an amazing trip, stay tuned for more inspiring conversations and actionable tips to ignite your entrepreneurial journey and marketing on future episodes of the Ignite Your Marketing Podcast. And until next time, keep sparking and igniting.
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