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Meet Maruska Gannon of PlanADayOut.com in Orange County

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Maruska Gannon.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Maruska. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
At the age of 25 I decided to leave my country to follow the American dream!

I had just been told from my boss of 5 years that I wasn’t going to be promoted because I was a woman. Yes, those were his words. At the largest bank in Switzerland, it didn’t matter that I obtained one of the highest test scores in the entire region or that I had impressive qualifications, I didn’t have a chance because of my gender. After 5 years of hard work, I quit and announced to my parents that I was going to move to the U.S. where I was going to have a better chance in life. And so I did.

In February 1995, I landed in Los Angeles on my own, with no real plans…and knowing very little English. Still today, I wonder how I managed. I couldn’t communicate, I didn’t know anything. Even something as simple as where to buy food or clothes. Everything was different than where I grew up. I didn’t have a phone or internet to look things up. I just had to walk and hope I bumped into what I needed. I then signed up for English classes at a school in Santa Monica. After three months, I spoke English well enough to start classes at a community college.

Fast forward two years …I got admitted to UCLA. One more year forward, I was asked to join a special program that allowed me to concurrently pursue my Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Mathematics. I graduated in 2001 Summa cum Laude and won the highest award that was given to only one student out of the entire graduating class.

I had worked so hard for the last five years. All I did was study and work to support myself. I never relaxed, I just couldn’t. I had to work as hard as I could if I wanted to have a chance to spend the rest of my life in the U.S.

I forgot to tell you that one year before graduating I won the lottery….the Diversity Visa lottery. That means that out of 50,000 participants, my name was pulled from a hat and a green card was handed over to me (that is not quite how it works, but you get the idea). That was it. I could now stay in the U.S.! I did it!

The next 15 years of my life is not as thrilling, but important to get me where I am today. I got hired as an actuary and worked as an actuary for the next 6 years, got married in 2003, had my boy in 2006 and then my girl in 2009. That is when I left the corporate world. And let me tell you that wasn’t easy! In fact, I was feeling quite depressed sitting at home with my kiddos. I was so used to working all day and being on a tight schedule all the time, that I just didn’t know how to relax and enjoy life. And to be honest I still don’t know how.

So that is when PlanADayOut.com, my brainchild, came around. Tired of sitting at home waiting for my kids to stop napping, I decided that we should start exploring Orange County together. I was on a very tight budget but I soon discovered hundreds of amazing places that you can visit with your kids, completely free. There were so many that I started to create an excel spreadsheet to keep track of the information. I soon filled the spreadsheet with hundreds of activities and I personally wanted it to become an easier tool so I could easily find inexpensive outings to go enjoy with my kids. So I sat down, and started to create my website.

I drew on paper what I wanted my website to look like, wrote down what I wanted each button to do, and then handed over my design to my husband hoping that he could code it for me. That was March 2012, when my third child, PlanADayOut.com, was born. Since then I dedicated most of my days to grow my audience and spread the word about this incredible tool I created. PlanADayOut.com has grown so much and it is now very well known in the community. With over 1.8 million hits a year and around 380,000 users, it has become one of the most looked at websites in the area for family outings! And I am so proud of it!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t think I know what a smooth road is. I mentioned many of my personal struggles above, but PlanADayOut.com definitely added to my daily struggles. Spreading the word about my new invention was not easy, but a fun experience. I sent countless emails to local bloggers, mom clubs, local venues to let them know about PlanADayOut.com, hoping that they would share with their followers, but that didn’t go very well.

One day in 2012 I had the honor to meet a journalist from the OC Register (our local newspaper) and with my surprise, the next day, she published a small article about PlanADayOut.com. That is when things started to take off. Soon after, the organization Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County discovered my website and started using it daily to find free activities that the big brothers/sisters could enjoy with their little brothers and sisters. After that the word started spreading.

But there were many bumps in the road and still are. Ranking in Google is not easy at all. One day you rank, the next you don’t. Convincing local venues to share information with me was and still is a struggle. Keeping such a large database up-to-date is not easy either. But the biggest challenge is finding the time to get it all done since I don’t only work daily on PlanADayOut.com, I also tutor math, and homeschool my kiddos.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with PlanADayOut.com – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
PlanADayOut.com is a free online resource for Orange County families filled with hundreds of local outing ideas and activities for kids. The website is very user-friendly allowing families to find tons of fun things to do with kids based on a whole host of search parameters, such as distance from home, cost, children’s ages, and much more! So at any time of the day, with just a couple of clicks you can find something to do with your kiddos that fits your budget and needs. This is a very one-of-a-kind tool that makes kid-fun accessible to everyone.

So I am now known as the mom that tells other parents where to take the kids. I had people “stocking” me to see where I was taking my kids so they could take the kids to do the same (It doesn’t help that my car as a huge PlanADayOut.com sticker on the back). When I go to the park and hear moms talking about PlanADayOut.com I sometimes share that I am the founder and they make me feel like a celebrity. I am obviously not, but it feels really good to know that your invention made a difference in many lives.

What do I do? I entered all the 1,000+ activities into the database, every day I search the internet for new fun family activities, I constantly think of new ways to improve my website, I blog, I share outing ideas on Facebook and Instagram, I cover local events and share my opinion with my followers, I analyze Google Analytics to see how to improve the traffic, I read articles about Google ranking, I analyze the traffic in Facebook to figure out when to post and how many times to post, I analyze Mailchimp to try to improve the click through rate, I read every single 100+ emails I receive daily. I also created an advertising program and despite the fact that I am not a sales person I miraculously manage to sell ads. And last but not least… the best part of my job… I take my kids out and about daily to discover new places that we can share with our wonderful audience!

I am very proud of my website. I receive countless emails from moms and dads letting me know that their life wouldn’t be the same without PlanADayOut.com. Thanks to PlanADayOut.com, families go out more often and create lasting memories. I have parents telling me that they are better parents because of PlanADayOut.com. Others thank me for providing a tool that allows them to have fun with their kids for free. Recently I had a single mom tell me that her kid’s happy childhood is all thanks to PlanADayOut.com. Those are the comments that keep me going. These emails are the reason why I continue to spend countless hours looking for fun outings that everyone can enjoy. I am proud of what I created, and so thankful for all the parents out there that love my website and continue to share with me their experiences.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I always envisioned to expand PlanADayOut.com to cover the entire USA but considering that I am homeschooling my kids I will probably never find the time and funds to get it done. So unless I bump into someone that can help me expand I think I will continue to be the Orange County lady that can help you find something fun to do with the kids. And I am totally happy with that.

Pricing:

  • Our resource is completely free and most of the family events listed are free.

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Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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