We were lucky to catch up with Amy Keats recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Amy with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
My work ethic stems from both parents. Children of the depression, they endured great sacrifice, got very little given to them both monetarily and in the form of opportunities. My Mom excelled in school graduating at the top of her high-school and college classes and went on to have a successful career in Nursing. My Dad hitch-hiked to college to earn both his undergraduate graduate and graduate degrees, have a great career in education. They had hardships, moved many times for careers(my Dad’s mainly), before finally settling in Northern New Jersey where I grew up.
I had a great childhood, but it was instilled at a very early age that school, good grades, involvement in extra-curricular activities were to be taken seriously and would collectively act as a launching pad from which to make our first leaps.
After a hiccup in College, a very bad relationship which would delay getting my degree. Persevering thru seminal period summoned my ability to focus, prioritize, wade through the proverbial BS and achieve my goals.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I worked in the Textile Industry in New York City for 30+ years. Trained in Textile Design, I worked in design for 6 years before making the leap to sales. The early part of my career pre dated computer aided design, my work was very solitary-away from the rest of the office so I could focus. My happiest days were those when I was asked to work with a customer in the showroom to answer technical questions, share advice with respect to weave, color, overall aesthetics.
I had the pleasure to work with mills from around the world and it was at this point that I met my great friend Cinzia. Cinzia was the export manager for a fabulous mill from Northern Italy just outside of Milan. We had a terrific relationship, relied on each-other daily and became very close friends! I would spend time with her family in Italy and she with mine in the U.S.-it was just so enjoyable and seamless. We would joke at the time(mid 90’s) that we should leave the textile business behind and start a gastro-tour business(pretty sure that wasn’t a term yet!) bringing Americans to Italy. This pre-dated the internet, social media etc, we had little kids, mouths to feed and we didn’t give that dream much serious thought-but neither did we forget it.
Fast-forward to 2024, we had both stepped away from the Textile Business, children grown, we harkened back to our conversations about the possibility of ‘what if”! Cinzia has developed her own business(Cinzia Trekking)taking guests on daily hikes in Northern Italy. I launched Kefi Tours, adventures off the beaten path for those travelers who have ‘been there, done that’, have been to major cities and are perhaps tired of tours, crowds, lines, and the hustle bustle. My goal is to take guests to places they’ve never seen and possibly never heard of-why? Because I had the incredible chance to experience out of the way, off the grid, unique destinations with Cinzia each time I would go to Milan for business. She never failed to carve out 1/2 or a full day to take me someplace to taste(literally AND figuratively) the local flavor and history of a unique city or town.
Kefi is a Turkish word that essentially means spirit of joy, passion for life, excitement, happiness and fun, words which also happen to describe my spirit!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1.). The ability to LISTEN, truly listen KEY. Don’t rush responding for the sake of filling a void.
2.). Be open to PIVOTING. I was trained in design but leapt to sales, leaning heavily on my technical background. The economy forced me to change the representation of mills depending on favorable trade and geopolitical events.
3.). If possible, take a step back every couple of years and assess if you are motivated, happy, growing (personally and professionally)….if the answer in NO, let it be a catalyst for change.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was to love and support me unconditionally. The knowledge that one has people in their camp at all times is a tremendous gift. I knew they were a lifelong, renewable source of guidance, patience in listening and kind of a neutral no judgement zone-unless asked! No doubt they would freely give their opinion but would never lead with it. Though they had limited knowledge of the ‘ins and outs’ of my business, they were always available to me when I needed to ‘unload’.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kefitours.com
- Instagram: Kefitours.ak
- Facebook: Kefi Tours
- Linkedin: Amy Keats
Image Credits
Elaine Zelker(Head shot)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
