For Entrepreneurs Who Travel

I consider myself a globetrotter and an entrepreneur. And last year I joined six other globetrotting entrepreneurs in Nicaragua for a long weekend of business development in a collaborative group setting.

The event was called, The Ignition Lab.

Non-profits, consulting businesses, a travel media platform (that’s me) and a graphic stationary business – we ran the gamut from industry to industry. And despite our varied endeavors we had one thing in common, a goal to turn an entrepreneurial dream into a reality.

The organizers, Antonio Neves and Bassam Tarazi are the brainchilds of the event. Both are friends of mine and both are exceptional business coaches and mentors.

So, with the backdrop of a beautiful house overlooking the stunning bay of San Juan del Sur, we got to work in the business of challenging ourselves to be bold.

In the mornings, we had outdoor adventures – from ziplining through the trees, repelling down a cliff, surfing and yoga. And the rest of the days were spent workshopping each other’s dreams.

I watched and partook as we reached aha-moments and new self-awareness, and found new paths illuminated. Each person with their unique background added helpful perspective.

It was a very supportive environment where bonds were forged. And I think it was clear to all of us that the distance from home and our regular communities let us dream a little bigger than usual and imagine new futures.

But on the morning of our last day in Nicaragua, I had mixed feelings. I knew the trip was good for me. I knew the net sum of it all was positive. But my experience was different from those of the others. And it wasn’t until I got home that I could really make sense of my take-away.

See, at that point, I had been working on my Travel with Kate web-series and website for some time. And I already knew many of my next steps: shoot more videos, edit, post, promote, social media, build, build, build that audience, and form partnerships.

What I needed was a better defined mission statement and a set of principles to help guide my endeavors based on real-life metrics as well as my own expectations. And the Ignition Lab helped open the door to those learnings.

So while others went home with checklists and action plans – I went home with a much needed new perspective that informs my decisions to this day.

You may have the question, did I need to travel to Central America to have this experience? I’m not sure I can answer that question unequivocally.

What I do know – that I’ve learned in my entrepreneurial endeavors – is that everything leads to something else. And the more opportunities and relationships you initiate the more progress you make. And the Ignition Lab helped accelerate real progress for me.

Below is a video made of our Ignition Lab trip.