Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean Petersen.
Hi Sean, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am the founder and owner of Golf Trip Junkie. I’ve planned golf vacations for my clients to several top golf destinations worldwide, including Ireland, Scotland, Dominican Republic, and throughout the United States – Scottsdale, Phoenix, Williamsburg, Orlando, Tampa, and Miami, to name a few. The story of Golf Trip Junkie emerged from trying to find a way to make a living while being able to enjoy my two greatest passions – golf and traveling.
The idea of starting GTJ hit me on a course during a round of golf, and I knew instantly that this was what I wanted to do. Before launching my business, I listed some of the most popular golf resorts I wanted to collaborate with and reached out to them to sort out the partnership’s details.
The next step was to come up with a list of potential clients. This was easy as I am a golf enthusiast myself and have a great deal of knowledge in this area. I told every golf lover I knew about my business plans, and everything took off from there.
Actually, my very first client was an acquaintance who wanted to go on a golf trip with his buddies. One of my friends informed him about my newly started business, put the two of us in contact, and that was how it all started. From the very beginning, my clients had very positive feedback and were deeply satisfied with the overall experience, which provided me with some much-needed reassurance that my endeavor would turn out to be successful.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Each group of golfers I work with poses a different challenge. The whole process starts with getting to know the clients and anticipating their needs to be able to figure out what would suit them best for their golf vacation.
Choosing the right destination and resort is one of the primary aspects of planning a successful golf getaway. There are several other factors that I have to consider, such as:
– the players’ level of skill
– their passion for golf
– their time availability
– their needs and preferences
– environmental factors
For example, a group of experienced golfers could be easily bored with a too-easy course. On the other hand, choosing a more challenging course for a group with low-skill level golfers might go the wrong way and be a cause of disappointment.
Although it is pretty challenging, I enjoy the whole process. Creating customized vacations for my clients is a craft: knowing what each group of golfers would like to experience most and providing them with the best golf experience they could ever imagine. My passion for golf kept me going over the years and motivated me to overcome any impediments.
The most significant hardship for my business was the pandemic, which has made traveling a lot harder, and I felt a notable decline in activity during the lockdowns. Fortunately, now everything is returning to how it once was, and I am busier than ever. I strongly encourage and believe it is essential for people to unwind and get their energy levels up, especially during the stressful, overwhelming times we’re living in.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My signature is complete transparency and hands-on flawless customer service, with attention to detail from the beginning to the end of my work with my customers. I plan golf trips for various groups, ranging from two golfers to large corporate outings of over forty people. Most of my clients are golf enthusiasts, and I also work with companies looking for a different kinds of team-building and corporate events.
I have an outgoing personality with a solid sense of humor, and I am easy to work with, but most importantly, being an avid golfer myself, I know what makes a great golf getaway, so I can make the right decisions when it comes to destinations, resorts, courses, and other preparations.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
My advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to make a living out of their passion. If I didn’t have such a great passion for golf, I could’ve let myself be discouraged even by the slightest of hurdles.
What helped me the most was actively trying to improve my online presence by creating a website and social media accounts for the business. A trusted friend of mine with web designing knowledge helped me with the programming side while I was focusing on writing helpful content on my blog to entice golfers to get to know my website and pique their interest in my services. It worked very well, and now Golf Trip Junkie is known as a trusted source for delivering high-quality golf vacations for golfers from all over the United States and beyond.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://golftripjunkie.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/golf_trip_junkie/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GolfTripJunkie
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/golf-trip-junkie/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/golftripjunkie
