Today we’d like to introduce you to Kolin Jones
Hi Kolin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Kolin Jones. I’m 23 years old and am the Founder & CEO of Amalfi Jets. As far as I can remember, I’ve always been an entrepreneur and aviation lover. When I was a young kid, I have always had my eyes turned skywards, watching aircraft take off and land at Van Nuys Airport here in California. My goal was always to become an airline pilot and fly around the world to these exotic places.
As I started to get older, I had this deep yearn for business. When I was 13 years old, I remember all of my friends at school just got the brand new Apple iPod that came out, I remember going home to my parents and asking them, “Hey can I have an iPod?” Their response was simple, “Of course, just go buy it yourself!” From there, this challenge was started in me to make as much money as possible. That’s when I discovered eBay and began to sell everything I could get my hands on. 45-days later, I had that iPod, all bought with my own money that I earned.
This internal challenge continued in high school when a few of my friends got brand new BMWs. I decided to take on the same challenge to see if I could make enough purchase a BMW. That’s when I discovered Shopify Dropshipping and built a few online e-commerce stores. This translated into selling via Amazon FBA and within 6-months, I had saved up enough to purchase a BMW.
Fast forward to college, I was attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and pursuing my Airline Transport Pilot Certificate to eventually go on to fly for the airlines. However, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and the entire pilot hiring stopped. However, drawing on my roots of flying at Van Nuys Airport, the busiest general aviation & corporate aviation airport, I dug deeper and saw that the private aviation space was in some of the highest demand ever, approximately up 500%+.
I remember reaching out to a few of our competitors through a fake “rich person” gmail, James Middleton III and gathering as much information on the private jet charter space as I could. The one thing that stood out was that most of our competitors were started by people that were not pilots, had no understanding of safety, and were not providing a top tier experience in the space. That created the need for Amalfi Jets.
Fast forward 4 years, and we now have 12 employees, are doubling our revenue year over year, launched version 4 of the Amalfi Jets App, built our own proprietary software, Atlas, to streamline our own internal operations, and have been proud to provide a top tier experience for our guests around the world.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Building a scaling business is never as easy task. As you start to scale, the challenges scale with you. When building a company, I’d say the most important thing to focus on is building a strong company culture of those who share the vision and want to see the same success that you do. People that are working to work, get a paycheck and run home, are not the people to take the company to the next step.
The challenges have been attracting top tier talent and fostering a culture that prioritizes rewarding the team, to ensure the company’s success is their success.
We’ve been impressed with Amalfi Jets Inc., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Amalfi Jets, is a leading private jet charter, jet card, and membership provider through it’s network of 3,500 aircraft across 170+ countries. We work with various UHNWIs and Fortune 500 companies providing an unparalleled experience, no matter where you travel in the world. You can book private jets simply through the Amalfi Jets App.
Our focus at Amalfi Jets, is to provide the an experience of “pure excellence” on each flight and we do this through our strict aircraft quality standards, pilot safety standards, and the complimentary Black Car Service, Premium Onboard Catering, and our Amalfi Departure Representatives to meet/greet/escort at clients at each departure.
In terms of our brand, I’m proud of the wonderful team that we’ve built who believes in our mission and continues to support our growth within the industry.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
For me, happiness is in the growth of our company and in the culture that we build at Amalfi Jets. I’m proud of each and every employee that we have on our team and the contributions that they’ve made to our growth. I think seeing the success of our team and the excitement they have behind what they do is very rewarding and keeps me motivated.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amalfijets.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amalfijets/?hl=en
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmalfiJets
- Other: https://www.amalfijets.com/request-a-charter
