480 Madeline Jhawar: Pivoting with the Coronavirus Crisis

Why Now Is the Time to Deepen Relationships with Customers and Focus on Marketing

Imagine. You run a profitable travel agency you built around your passion for finding “off the beaten path” and epic custom-crafted experiences in Italy.

Then, the Coronavirus Pandemic strikes down one of your favorite places in the world… and puts your business in a tailspin.

Countless business owners are grappling with the biggest challenges they have ever faced as they try to keep the lights on … try to keep their team members safe, motivated … and paid … and try to find creative ways to stay in business.

Enterprising entrepreneurs have a lot going for them in times of crisis.

We get used to adapting to things we cannot control, and finding opportunities to solve new problems and create value no matter what we face.

Madeline Jhawar is such an entrepreneur.

Madeline founded the travel agency Italy Beyond the Obvious, 11 years ago, after living and working in Italy for 5 years.  It was expanding with many loyal and returning customers and a new online business model helping others replicate her innovative fee-based model for custom-crafted experiences.

Today she shares what she is doing to keep her team members in Italy and here in the U.S. safe and motivated, how she’s working with vendors and customers to handle cancellations and refunds  – and how she’s adapted her online travel business course to help people through the crisis – all while keeping a smile on her face and learning new skills many moms in business now face: homeschooling.

More about Madeline Jhawar at Italy Beyond The Obvious

Listen to Madeline Jhawar on her podcast at Italy Beyond The Obvious

More about Madeline Jhawar at www.italybeyondtheobvious.com

Madeline Jhawar founded Italy Beyond the Obvious, 11 years ago, after living and working in Italy for 5 years.

CEO and founder of Italy Beyond the Obvious, a company creating customized Italian vacations for curious travelers – and unlike traditional travel agencies with commissions-based fee structures, Madeline has a fee-for-service business model – serving high-end clients who want to connect deeply to the culture with customized and magical experiences. Before Coronavirus … back in, uh, B.C. Madeline says many people told her: “you have my dream job! Please teach me how to do what you do!” So late last year she launched her online course on how create an online business creating custom vacations.

Madeline has lived in 11 cities and now resides in the heart of Silicon Valley with her entrepreneur husband and teenaged children – and we talk a lot about how to juggle fast-pivoting businesses with the new challenges of home schooling and much more.

Get the Transcript HERE