See the business: Sahara Rose De Vore traveled the world to experience freedom and happiness, engaging in deep conversations with the people she met. Then, she realized she could turn what she loved doing into a business that helped others do the same.
Look for gaps: Sahara found her content tilt after researching the travel and coaching industry and recognizing the potential of a travel wellness coach. Later, she expanded her coaching business to add a certification line and a community component, which was missing in other programs, to help travel coaches sustain and grow their businesses.
Turn popular content into paid products: Listening to her audience, Sahara turned her two most popular blog posts into her first paid content product – a book: Hey You, Just Go!: 80 Countries by Age 30! A Guide to Designing Your Dream Lifestyle Even if You’re Broke, Scared, or Don’t Have Time.
Remember free: The Travel Coach Network offers multiple free resources in exchange for email addresses—a great marketing move. Beginner guides, courses, and a podcast give the audience a taste of her content before they commit to buying.

The Story of Sahara Rose De Vore

Sahara Rose De Vore listened to her classmates’ travel tales in an international tourism course at Roosevelt University. “Hearing their stories made me realize I wanted to see the world,” she says.

She made a pact with herself to travel after college and saved for her adventures by working five jobs. After graduating in 2010, she sold most of her belongings and bought a one-way ticket to Ireland, where she planned to stay for six weeks.

The moment she stepped off the plane, something clicked. Little did she know that over the next decade or so, she would experience that freedom and happiness in 83 more countries and launch a related content business.

Starting a blog as a family check-in

Sahara started a blog to reassure her mother about her safety. It was a simple way to share her location and stories.

Sahara traveled for the experiences and conversations she had with other travelers. She gained a deeper understanding of why people travel and saw how travel helps mental well-being and personal growth.

“I wasn’t drawn to traditional travel roles like blogging or influencing. I wanted to help people leverage travel for something deeper,” she says.

Launching the first business

At 30, Sahara resolved to figure out her career path. In Spain, she purchased a laptop and researched online business opportunities. She discovered coaching.

“I didn’t even know coaching was a booming industry. But when I read about it, I knew I wanted to be a wellness travel coach. I didn’t know what that meant. I didn’t see this term anywhere, but I didn’t care, she explains.

Sahara launched WTTM Consulting and researched the wellness benefits of travel, particularly for corporate employees. She joined the Global Business Travel Association and attended its conference. She landed her first paid speaking gig about 18 months later through these connections.

Today, WTTM Consulting accounts for just 10% of her time.

Sahara’s first content product was a book titled Hey You, Just Go!: 80 Countries by Age 30! A Guide to Designing Your Dream Lifestyle Even if You’re Broke, Scared, or Don’t Have Time. She based it on her two most popular blog posts: how to travel the world when you can’t afford it and how to travel on a budget. She also included a travel coaching empowerment component.

Building The Travel Coach Network

The real turning point came in 2018 when Sahara founded The Travel Coach Network. What began as a response to frequent questions about travel coaching evolved into a comprehensive platform. “I realized there was no centralized resource for travel coaches, so I decided to create one,” she explains.

The network’s cornerstone is the travel coach certification program, accredited by the International Coach Federation. The self-paced program takes five to six months to complete and provides participants with the tools to establish travel coaching businesses.

Sahara says the program doesn’t stop once someone gets certified, as many other coaching programs do. “Ours is very much focused on the business and growing [the students’] businesses as well,” she says.

Over 600 students have enrolled in the $1,397 program. Sahara offers a four-payment plan to help students manage the cost. However, she offers a bonus one-on-one coaching session to incentivize students to pay in full upfront.

Creating a community for ongoing support

While the certification program is the cornerstone of TCN, Sahara wanted to offer more help to travel coaches. She created the TCN Membership Club to provide continuous education and support for them at all stages of their journey.

Membership is open to anyone for $9 per month or $99 annually. The club provides guidance for members to sustain and grow their businesses. Sahara and her team experimented with a three-tiered membership structure before settling on the single recurring payment structure.

Sahara also offers low-cost digital products, too. She sells an Ultimate Business Planner Bundle ($9.99 digital; $15.99 print on demand through Lulu.) After receiving numerous requests from travel agents and retreat leaders about travel coaching, Sahara created the $79 Blueprint to Getting Started as a Travel Coach to teach the basic components of travel coaching without the cost of the full-blown certification course.

Sahara also offers one-on-one coaching ($99 an hour).

Marketing with free content and course offerings

Sahara also sees content’s value in attracting an audience. In her marketing, she offers a Beginner’s Guide to Travel Coaching and a Guide to Providing Transformative Travel Experiences in exchange for an email address. Subscribers receive a welcome email series and the monthly newsletter. She has about 4K subscribers.

Sahara also offers a free entry-level course, Introduction to Travel Coaching, which includes her 101 training, a workbook, and a beginner’s guide, in exchange for the student’s email address. She also invites them to sign up for the newsletter in the registration form.

Another marketing tool is her podcast, The Travel Coach Network Podcast. The podcast, which has 15K downloads, not only teaches but it answers questions from the audience and addresses their FAQs. The Travel Coach Network could monetize the podcast in the future.

The network also offers free resources for travel coaches and travelers. It also is in the testing phase of a travel coach database. This free resource lists coaches who have completed the certification program or are in the membership club.

Another free resource is the Women Thrive Through Travel MasterFind Virtual Event. Started in 2020 to get people talking about travel, the event now has about a dozen speakers and routinely attracts 350 to 500 attendees. Event sponsors have included Royal Caribbean and Trip Beat Travel Club. Attendees also receive a discount on the accreditation program, prompting its largest sales month of the year.

Sahara doesn’t do it alone

In addition to Sahara, The Travel Coach Network team includes three employees – a podcast and blog manager, a membership manager, and a social media designer/manager. Sahara brings on contractors for projects or task-based items. In the next year, she plans to expand the team as she delegates and gets more items off her plate.

Printing planners and workbooks on demand can be a smart strategy to attract students to your online courses and coaching. Contact a Tilt Publishing representative today to learn how to do it.

The post Travel Entrepreneur Turns Blog Posts into Book and Grows Coaching Business appeared first on The Tilt Publishing.

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