Meet Tyler Richardson

We recently connected with Tyler Richardson and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tyler, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?

I try to eat a well-balanced diet while maintaining 3-6 days a week in the gym. For me, CrossFit has been instrumental as an outlet for stress. I believe it is absolutely critical to manage the rigors and stresses that come with business. The best way I’ve found to do this is physical exertion through exercise. The gym is also a great networking tool.

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

From an early age, I had always wanted to be an entrepreneur. Facing the most common problem entrepreneurs face—funding—I decided to attend LSU on a full scholarship and study petroleum engineering, which was the highest-paying four-year degree at the time. My plan was to get a job after college and save enough to invest in myself. Upon graduating, oil had dropped to a measly $22 a barrel, and all of my job prospects disappeared overnight. Facing the dilemma of having spent years of my life on what ultimately turned out to be a dead end, I enrolled in captain’s school and obtained a master captain’s license.

My first business venture was born: Fury Outfitters, a fishing charter and waterfowl hunting outfit. After operating my charter business for a year, I quickly realized turning your passion into a business isn’t always a good idea. It was ruining my pastimes, making them feel like work rather than pleasure.

I accepted a job running airboat swamp tours, which became a major turning point in my career. I quickly recognized how lucrative the New Orleans tourism industry was. Witnessing how poorly managed my employer’s company was, I knew I could open my own tour company and do better.

I opened Tour Big Easy in 2016. Tour Big Easy is a concierge service acting as a sales entity specializing in New Orleans swamp tours. At inception, we operated as a platform licensed to rideshare drivers, ultimately turning them into mobile tour sales booths. Today we focus mainly on our web based platforms, but employ a range of sales tactics.

I opened Zip NOLA in 2021, the world’s first fully aquatic swamp zipline. The first of its kind, Zip NOLA features a course consisting of five ziplines, two suspension bridges, and a spiral tree staircase nestled into the cypress trees of the famed Maurepas Swamp.

I’m set to open Tree Frogs Adventure Park in March 2024. It will be South Louisiana’s first complete high ropes course.

Professionally, I remain focused on expanding my operations in the tourism and entertainment industries, with several new projects coming in 2025 and 2026.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Confidence is a key factor. In order to follow your dreams, you must visualize a path and execute it with confidence. With that being said, you must possess the humility to be brutally honest with yourself. Many entrepreneurs fail to be honest in their self-assessments, causing their ideas and businesses to fail because they refuse to pivot or alter their business plans.

Persistence is very important. You have to be willing to persist in every aspect of your life. Some days you won’t feel motivated, but you must have the discipline to persist.

Drive is essential. Every entrepreneur must possess this quality—it’s the engine for their dreams. You must have the drive to innovate and transform what exists merely in your head into a successful business.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

My parents taught me the value of hard work through their unwavering example. Watching them work 4-6 jobs between them was instrumental in shaping who I am today. My mother and father’s tireless dedication firstly instilled in me a deep appreciation for hard work and the dignity it brings. Secondly, their sacrifice showed me that I wanted to create a different path for myself—one that would honor their efforts while building something beyond pure labor. Their wisdom and example continue to guide me, as I knew that while honest work was essential, I would need to combine it with entrepreneurship to create the life I envisioned.

To this day, my parents remain my greatest inspiration. Their determination showed me that anything is possible with enough grit and perseverance, while their sacrifice gave me the foundation to dream bigger. I’m forever grateful for the values they instilled in me and the example they set.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tourbigeasy.com www.zipnola.com www.treefrogspark.com
• Instagram: @zipnola @treefrogspark @onlyfansairboattours
• Facebook: @zipnola @treefrogspark @onlyfansairboattours
• Yelp: @zipnola @treefrogspark @onlyfansairboattours