An Inspired Chat with Kim Giovacco of Greenville SC

Kim Giovacco shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Kim, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I’ve always been an extreme planner, both in my personal life and in my business. I basically have my whole year planned a year in advance. My path right now is winding down in the next five years to retire. But I can be persuaded to wander in terms of our tour schedule if someone from overseas approaches me with a really interesting itinerary.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Kim Giovacco, and I’m living my dream life, because I was able to combine my passions of travel and veganism into a career, and have been enjoying success for eight years now. My international vegan tour company is called Veg Jaunts and Journeys, I’m proud to say that 60% of our bookings are from repeats clients, and indeed we have a good number of tour guests that are spending all of their vacation time with us, booking three or four tours every year. Many of these guests have become great friends, both with me and among other guests.

We pride ourselves on having small groups of only 10-12 people, and unlike almost every tour company out there, our prices are based on having your own room. In addition to the sightseeing that we do, one of our main goals is support other local vegan businesses around the world, whether that includes taking a cooking class, visiting an animal sanctuary, enjoying a food tour, shopping at a vegan store, or staying at a vegan accommodation.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
Before I started my business, I worked for the government of Singapore for almost 20 years. My colleagues were wonderful and respectful and it was terrific training for what I am doing now. Singapore is a model of efficiency, and that suited me well. And even though I worked in a branch office in the US, it was definitely a different culture, and one I really enjoyed being a part of.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I began my business just two years before the pandemic. In 2020 and 2021, I had 15 international tours cancelled. My business bank account was down to almost nothing, but fortunately before the pandemic, my business had no debt. I was eventually able to receive government loans, which have already been paid back. I was also able to refund my clients all of their deposits, unlike large tour companies, which only responded by giving their clients vouchers which sometimes had short expiration dates. Thankfully, everything came back even stronger in 2022. Our average group size increased from 6 people to 12 people, and many tours have waiting lists. We also expanded our offerings from eight to 12 tours per year.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Veganism has changed my life for the better in every way, and I will never stop letting people know about its benefits.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days. 
I definitely jumped out of bed with glee the first few years during the first few years of having my own business. I easily worked 70 hours per week, and would be at my laptop until I was bleary-eyed. I fully admit that I lost almost all motivation during the pandemic, and it was difficult to ramp up again, not knowing when it was going to be safe to travel.

Now, after much trial and error, I have lots of systems in place, and I work a more normal 40 hour work week. I am so grateful that I get to set my own schedule though!

What I am excited by now is that in 2027 I will be merging with one of my competitors, so that we can create even bigger and better things in the world of vegan travel.

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