Guest Bio
Elinor Fish is a Tourism Business Consultant and founder of Open Air Consulting. With over 14 years of experience building and leading an international travel company, Elinor has firsthand insight into the challenges of growing a tourism business and preparing it for sale. After successfully scaling her own company and navigating the complexities of a business exit, she now helps travel industry owners understand the true value of their companies and guides them through the process of scaling, structuring, and ultimately selling their businesses on their own terms.
Show Summary
In this episode of the Big World Made Small Adventure Travel Podcast, host Jason Elkins speaks with Elinor Fish about her journey from founding and operating a women-only travel company to becoming a trusted consultant in tourism business sales and growth. Elinor shares her experience of building her company from a solo endeavor into an international operation with a dedicated team and explains how the pandemic and post-Covid travel surge impacted her business and contributed to her decision to sell.
Elinor dives into the importance of preparing a business for sale well in advance, focusing on creating systems that allow the company to operate independently of the owner. She discusses the due diligence process, the role of business brokers, and how early planning can greatly improve outcomes for sellers. Additionally, she emphasizes that the steps taken to ready a business for sale can also free entrepreneurs to enjoy their businesses more and avoid burnout.
Throughout the conversation, Elinor offers practical advice on managing employee concerns during ownership transitions, capturing meaningful customer feedback, and aligning business sales with personal life goals. Her insights extend beyond selling to building a sustainable, valuable asset that supports both business success and personal well-being.
Big World Made Small guest features are invitation-only and selected based on story, experience, and fit with the show. Guest support helps make the episode possible, but it does not determine who is featured. This helps keep the show free of third-party ads and interruptions while keeping the focus on real, story-driven conversations.
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