Meet Maryssa Salomon

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maryssa Salomon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Maryssa, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

It began with just knowing I had a purpose. I knew this at a very young age, and I spent the rest of my life searching for it as if it was something I had lost and desperately needed to find again. In the third grade, I played the violin hoping to become a world-renowned violinist, but practice was during recess every Tuesday and Thursday, a sacrifice I was unwilling to make. Ultimately, I played long enough to learn “Mary Had A Little Lamb” before quitting the violin and rejoining my friends at recess full-time.

Then, at 16, I pursued acting and secured an audition with an agency for representation. I walked into my audition feeling very confident until the agent asked me to play the role of a “Valley Girl”. I wasn’t familiar with the term so I asked for an example. The agent referenced Hillary Banks from the popular TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and despite the agent’s effort to bring the character out of me, I couldn’t step outside of my comfort zone to play a role so opposite of who I am. I left the audition with the agent’s voice echoing in my head, “More… more… I need more… can you give me more?”, knowing I had let her down.

Finally, years later, while I was a senior in college, my friends and I decided we’d take a trip to Vegas to celebrate graduation. I did all the planning, and with the verbal agreement of everyone paying me back, I took on the financial responsibility and secured our accommodation. Unfortunately, all but one person in the group dropped out, and no one paid me back. That pain was deep. It forced me to search for a better way to plan group trips, and through all of my searching, I found TravelTrunk. It was then that I realized I had found my purpose. There’s no amount of time at recess worth more than the time I’d rather spend building a better solution for our travelers. And when our travelers need more, I’m willing to go orbits past my comfort zone to improve our solution.

It’s my purpose to build a platform where people can create exceptional travel experiences with loved ones and not have to feel the pain of getting burned financially like I did.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Yes, of course. I’m Maryssa Salomon, Founder and CEO of TravelTrunk, a fintech/travel company based here in New York. I come from a large family, so organizing plans and ensuring everyone stays financially responsible has always been a challenge. For me, it’s no surprise that TravelTrunk was created.

TravelTrunk alleviates the financial burden for individuals and holds everyone in the group accountable for covering shared travel expenses. The most exciting part of what we do is helping our travelers create unforgettable experiences with friends and family. When you eliminate the tension caused by money owed, you fully enjoy the company of others. It’s such a key factor for group trips.

If anyone is interested in using TravelTrunk to plan their group trip, please join our waitlist on traveltrunk.co. We’re currently in beta and gradually allowing travelers into the app so we’d love for people to give us a try.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The three qualities most impactful in my journey are curiosity, resilience, and traveler-obsessed.

After my failed attempt at collecting money for a group trip to Vegas, I could’ve decided not to travel with friends again and become a solo traveler. Instead, I was curious and asked myself why I was unsuccessful in executing a group trip I had spent months ensuring was in place. There was no solution for what I discovered so I built it myself. With each failure in my journey, I never stop asking why.

Also, as an entrepreneur, you face many challenges and setbacks, you have to be resilient to make it through. My biggest challenge was having no technical background and constantly running out of money from paying developers who couldn’t complete the project. Rather than quit, I found a platform (Bubble.io) that allowed me to build my MVP without a single line of code. It was the catapult that got me to this point.

Lastly, I’m obsessed with understanding our travelers and their needs. Before TravelTrunk, I hated rejection and harsh criticism. However, since pursuing TravelTrunk, I’m constantly seeking feedback. I view traveler complaints from a new perspective—as a way to improve our product, not defend it.

My advice for those early in their journey is to maintain an open and positive mindset. If you remain curious what you find might be the thing that changes your trajectory for the better.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

While we’re constantly learning more and more about our travelers, what we know so far is that our ideal client is a travel enthusiast who enjoys exploring with friends and family, but may experience some level of anxiety when it comes to managing group trip finances. TravelTrunk is the FinTech solution for financial clarity and commitment among all group members, empowering organizers to confidently plan unforgettable experiences with loved ones. It’s group travel without the hassle.

If you value mid-luxury to luxury travel experiences with friends and family, visit traveltrunk.co and join our waitlist. We’re gradually introducing travelers to our app, and we’d love for people to start exploring what we have to offer.

Contact Info:

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