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Deidre Bounds - Founder of i-to-i.com Deirdre Bounds founder of the extremely successful ethical travel website i-to-i.com which she started in her bedsit 11 years ago and recently sold for millions to First Choice Travel. Her story is truly remarkable having no commercial experience, no family history of enterprise and no funds, all she had was a great idea and wads of passion to create her own business. Today, Deirdre is one of the most sought after motivational business speakers in Europe. Q What gave you the idea for i-to-i.com, what is it about and who is it for? Deirdre "i-to-i came about just after I returned from a 4 year career break teaching English and travelling. I was a Youth worker in Leeds and many young people wanted to take a gap year. I saw that English teaching was going to be the easiest way (either as a volunteer or earning cash abroad) for English speaking young people to have an authentic cultural experience. I began by organising TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) courses in Leeds schools for sixth formers. Then I branched out into offering weekend courses across the UK. The volunteer holidays came about as many people on my courses wanted short term work experience abroad. I had contacts abroad and was able to bring together native English teachers and schools. It was a simple idea, one that wasn't entirely new; I just repackaged it and called it 'Meaningful travel'. Q: What is your background how did you get into the travel industry? Deirdre: "My background was as a failed marketeer - seriously... I didn't really have a background before I went travelling and English teaching. So I suppose my background is a reformed backpacker!" Q: What was your biggest break? Deirdre: "Getting the largest student travel company STA Travel to stock i-to-i brochures in their 400 global branches. I had a staff of about 3 at the time, but persuaded them that i-to-i was much bigger." Q: Have there been times when you felt like giving up? Deirdre: "No, I've never felt like 'Giving up' as I always had my dream to make i-to-i a global company. There have been many, many times when I felt overwhelmed, confused and concerned about my own ability; usually at the end of a bad day. One of my mottos is 'This too shall pass', and the feeling generally did by the morning. The problems were still there, but I had renewed energy and vigour to find solutions." Q: What gems or gems could you give to other women starting their own business? Deirdre: "Enjoy what you do, Know where you are going, Watch the cash, Never give up (you may want to tweak your strategy though!)." Q: What do you enjoy most? Deirdre: "Creative ideas and moving on them quickly. I enjoy my young children now also." Q: Do you believe they are lucky or is it down to just hard work? Deirdre: "Both, but mainly down to hard work and devoting my soul to the cause." Q: Do you consider you are successful and are you still ambitious? Deirdre: "Occasionally I consider myself successful in a couple of areas of my life, there are many more that I can improve upon such as: Being a better mother (giving quality time to my children), being a better home maker (I used to be a good cook and I'm out of practice, being a better friend, I need to give more time to my friends, being successful is an inside job, there are many elements to it, it progress, not perfection that I'd like." Q: Are you still Ambitious Deirdre: "Yes I'm still ambitious, I'd like to write a great self help book and be a renowned international motivational speaker.... that's my next goal. You see, you need to know where you are going to get there!" Q: Who are their role models? Do you have one? Deirdre: "Ghandi, Mother Teresa, my own mother." Q: Do you have a family - has that been hard to fit in and have they supported you? Deirdre: "I'm married to a wonderful supportive (and handsome) hubby and have two children, Frankie (7) and Ava (2)." Q: We always talk of juggling -when we speak of successful women - yet we don't ask this of men - what are the views of your women with regard to this." Deirdre: "For me, women can't have it all. I made a decision to get great childcare and concentrate on my business. I'm lucky now that I can spend more time with them, but even with time and money, I'm still ambitious and want to continue to fulfil my goals." Q: What do you wished you'd known when you started your business? Deirdre: "How to recruit great people and finance." Q: Any tips on booking a great holiday? Deirdre: "Decide on what it is you want to do (adventure or beach), where you want to go (even with kids there are great destinations for adventure family trips), scour the internet and ensure you call the company and ask ALL questions especially inclusions/exclusions. Ask for a discount, you'll generally get 5% at least!" Q: What is your favourite travel destination? Deirdre: "Country: Greece. I was an English teacher here and when I left 14 years ago I vowed I'd be back. Three years ago we bought an olive grove and have built our dream house. Its beauty is awesome, its history is fascinating, its food is fattening, and its people... well I'll leave that for you to find out! My favourite city is Havana, Cuba." Q: What next? Deirdre: "I'd like to be a bestselling author of a self help/motivational book and be a renowned international motivational speaker. I'm a mentor for start up businesses. I'm also patron of Marie Curie Cancer Care in West Yorkshire and offer financial assistance to charities that assist suffering alcoholics and addicts. It's important to give back what has been given to me." |
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