Meet Tony Jefferson

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

Hi Tony, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

Being the only person in the room who looks like me can be frustrating sometimes. It requires being comfortable in your own skin and remembering you’re in the room because you belong there. Black people have made a lot of progress in the tech industry but not so much in ownership and leadership roles. It throws some folks off when I say I own a social media platform.

My typical introduction goes something like this. I am the owner and founder of TravelingSession.com, a travel-based social media platform that helps people find travel destinations that fit their travel style. The response I get too many times goes something like, Oh, you’re a travel agent, or So, you’re a travel influencer. No, I meant exactly what I said. I created and own a social media platform.

I don’t run into a lot of black tech founders, but the ones I do are working on crazy projects. We’ve got folks working on telecom companies, web hosting platforms, secure browsers, and data centers. The list really starts to grow when you look at the app game. It’s important to highlight these folks to encourage others to go after that idea they’ve been sitting on. One of my biggest goals is to make being a black tech founder not weird.

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

I am the owner and founder of TravelingSession.com, a travel-based social media platform that helps travelers find places to travel that align with their travel style and what they’re looking for in a destination. Instead of promoting the latest hot spots, we focus on the traveler. I’m originally from South Carolina, but I’ve traveled extensively, living in Japan, Germany, and Korea. After finishing a career in the US Air Force, I combined my IT background with my love of travel to create TravelingSession.com.

Travel has been on the rise lately, but there’s a problem. You can see it in your social media feed. Everyone’s going to the same places, doing the same things, and taking the same pictures. It’s all cookie-cutter travel ideas and generic experiences. This ultimately leads to overtourism. That’s why you’re seeing fees to visit Venice and protest in the Canary Islands.

I wanted to create a better way of finding places to travel. During my travels, I stumbled onto some dope places you don’t hear about. I enjoyed myself more in these places than the ones that make the obligatory Top 10 Destinations lists most of the time.

I realized that travel is different for everyone, and everyone is looking for something different when they visit a new destination. So, instead of chasing travel trends, I wanted to get to know travelers on a deeper level. What’s important to them in a destination? What are their interests? Where have they traveled to compare destinations? There are way too many outlets giving generic travel recommendations. So, I created a platform where people can share their travel experiences, reviews, and ideas in a way that hasn’t been done before.

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?

Starting a business is an introspective journey. Every success and failure falls on you. The change from employee to owner requires a mindset shift. Here are a few things you can do early on to help with the transition.

Learn Something New Everyday
The key to success is constantly consuming information. Starting a business requires a lot of information they didn’t teach in school. Whether it’s books, podcasts, YouTube videos, or whatever, find sources that will keep you in the know. Luckily, we live in an age where information is readily available. But, you have to seek it out. No one is going to give it to you.

Figure Out Your Messaging
Think about your messaging early. It’s hard to sell a product or service if you don’t know who you’re selling to or what they want. So, figuring out your messaging early on is the key. It’s much easier to build your business around your messaging compared to reshaping it to match your messaging. Trust me, I made this mistake.

Have a Plan
My journey was super stressful in the beginning. Mostly, because I didn’t commit to actions. Just like the stock market goes down when there is fear, uncertainty, and doubt, your business will suffer without a clear direction. The more specific your plan, the less anxiety you’ll have when it comes time to execute. If you have to pivot, that’s cool, but you can’t start without picking a direction.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I built TravelingSession.com with content creators in mind. I know people making amazing content, but can’t find engagement. Meanwhile, most social media channels keep showing the same content from the same destinations. Creators spend more time trying to keep up with the algorithm than making the content they want.

Traditional social media platforms treat travelers as a microcosm, but everyone has a unique travel style. Travel recommendations are better when they come from like-minded travelers. So, I created a system that allows users to find the content they want while also giving them a better insight into the person who created the content.

Plus, building a community is more critical than ever to creators. People are consuming information in different ways. You won’t be able to rely on searches to drive traffic to your site. You need to create a tribe that will visit your content regardless of whether they can get the same information from AI. I’m not talking about gaining a crazy number of followers. I’m talking about followers that will consistently engage with your content. My goal is to create a space for travel content creators to find that audience.

Our community centers around authentic travel reviews. Featured reviewers get to showcase their unique perspectives on the places they’ve traveled while helping others find their dream destinations. It’s a great way to connect with like-minded people, make a real difference in their travel journeys, and build your brand. Learn more by visiting our Write for Us page at – https://travelingsession.com/write-for-us/.

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