Life & Work with Mathew O’Neill

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mathew O’Neill.

Hi Mathew, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
We originally had no plans of starting a business at first. My now wife (and business partner) Trevi O’Neill used to plan all of these fun adventures and vacations for all of us, and as my way of showing thanks, I would put together a short slideshow or video documenting our trips together as a keepsake for her. After running out of iPhone storage space, I decided to start posting and storing these videos and photos on Instagram and YouTube. From there, we started building traction through engaged followers who were asking for our advice or looking for us for inspiration on creating their own family adventures.

From there, we started to get more serious about turning this into an actual business. We formed an LLC, we upgraded our equipment, we took courses, and then we started reaching out and working with brands relevant to our newly formed business.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In building The Adventure Buddies, the road has not always been smooth, but it has always been an enjoyable experience. Just like any new business, we have had plenty of turn downs or rejects from brands, hotels, or other collaborations, we’ve had people doubt our business model and call The Adventure Buddies a hobby and not a business. And as these struggles were difficult to deal with at times, they haven’t stopped us (and in some cases even helped motivate) from continuing to press forward.

We have learned so much in such a short time, and one of the biggest learnings is that it is very difficult and or rare to become an overnight success story, and so time, effort and hard work is something that will have to be consistent in order to grow the company. And that is something that we are continuing to do here at The Adventure Buddies.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We are The Adventure Buddies, a family travel influencer company that is focused on sharing travel best practices through tips and reviews, as well as providing hope and inspiration to others to get out and explore this beautiful world that we live in.

What is unique about us is our story. We feel that we are a true modern family. A family that has overcome a painful divorce, found love again and created a new family that is stronger than ever and one that is passionate about exploring the world together.

Our adventures that we typically embark on, is another area that sets us apart from family travelers, as we typically do adventures that are a bit outside of the norm. We pride ourselves on having adventures wherever we are, whether that be searching for the rare platypus in the Australian outback, or organizing a charity donation drive for a small school in Costa Rica.

We feel that everyone should be able to have an adventure, as having adventures is not based solely on your current circumstances, but mostly based on your perspective in life, and so we aim to inspire and to give back wherever we can, to help encourage others to get out and have adventures of their own!

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
We use a bunch of editing apps and software (GoPro Quik, Splice, Abode Platform) to help create all of our content. And we have been self-taught in this journey through leveraging online resources found through YouTube searches of similar families or influences in the industry. Our favorite and biggest inspiration is The Bucketlist Family.

Contact Info:

• Email: mat@theadventurebuddies.com
• Website: www.theadventurebuddies.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/theadventurebuddies
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/everydayadventureswiththeadventurebuddies
• Twitter: twitter.com/theadventbuds
• Youtube: youtube.com/theadventurebuddies