Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean McPartlan.
Sean, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born and raised in Marietta and studied business at Georgia Tech. While at Tech, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Europe. That trip ignited my love of travel and my desire to learn more about other countries and cultures. After college, I worked in finance at Delta Air Lines, due in large part to the travel opportunities that working at Delta afforded.
I’m passionate about travel and meeting new people. During my time at Delta, I visited over 30 countries and lived abroad in Paris for two years, working with sales teams throughout Europe. I loved meeting people from around the world and discovering new cities. However, the more I traveled, the more I realized how difficult it was to experience cities from a local’s perspective and how impersonal the trip planning process had become. I founded Talk to a Local to combine my passions of travel and meeting new people with a mission to make travel personal.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Every new startup confronts obstacles and Talk to a Local is no different. But the biggest struggle the business has faced is still ongoing. With the coronavirus pandemic crippling the travel industry, Talk to a Local has been heavily impacted. It is not a great environment for travel businesses but I’m optimistic about the long-term future of travel and I look forward to helping future travelers discover new cities. Once we are allowed to safely travel again, Talk to a Local will be here to continue serving travelers.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Talk to a Local – what should we know?
Talk to a Local connects travelers with locals to help discover new cities. Travelers learn how to experience new cities like a local, with a local.
Talk to a Local gives travelers the opportunity to connect with a like-minded local in the city they are planning to visit. There are several local guides in each city so travelers can choose a local that shares similar interests. The travelers are then able to text with the local before the trip to ask questions and have a point of contact during the trip planning process. The local sends travelers his or her own local recommendations on the city, all tailored to the travelers’ unique interests. During the trip, the travelers have the option to meet the local in person for coffee to learn more about the city from the local’s perspective.
Choosing Talk to a Local to help with the trip planning process offers a unique way to plan for a trip. Travelers deserve to learn and experience cities like a local, with trips personalized to their interests and free from bias and misinformation. Talk to a Local creates a marketplace for personable, knowledgeable locals to share what they love about their respective cities and help travelers plan trips and discover cities.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
One of the biggest learning moments for me was learning how to receive feedback. When you start a business, everyone has ideas for how to tweak the model and it’s hard not to take any suggestions for improvement personally when you’re pouring your heart and soul into the venture. I had to learn that criticism of Talk to a Local was not criticism of me – the intent of the feedback was positive. By opening myself up to feedback, I was able to have insightful conversations about the vision of Talk to a Local and ultimately build a better service for travelers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://talktoalocal.co
- Email: admin@talktoalocal.co
- Instagram: instagram.com/talktoalocal
- Facebook: facebook.com/talktoalocal
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