A business plan for MyTravelClub.com, an innovate social network built specifically for travelers. Instead of getting reviews and opinions from strangers, get your information from friends and family directly from My Travel Club. Interested in making My Travel Club a reality? Email jonlhussey@gmail.com

1. My Travel Club
A Social Network for Travelers

2. What We Do
• A platform to document travel experiences:
1. Interactive Maps
2. Ratings & Reviews
3. Top 5 or Top 10 Lists
4. Travel Journals/Blogs
5. User-Generated Content on Homepage

3. What We Do
• A travel social network:
1. Friend Notifications
2. Introduction to a Broader Network
3. Mobile Check-ins with Gaming Incentives
4. Facebook Application & Integration
5. On-Demand Travel Guides Built from
photos, maps, reviews, and lists from within
your social network

4. Goals
• Become the first site a traveler visits while
planning a trip and the first site they visit
upon returning.
• Provide a fun and rewarding user
experience
• Built on goal of connecting people who
love to travel

5. Competition
• TripAdvisor.com
• Frommers.com
• Lonely Planet.com
• Fodors.com
• Igougo.com
• VirtualTourist.com
• TripIt.com

6. Demographics

7. Where Users Get Travel Information
61.5 million Americans traveled overseas for vacation in 2009
Source: United States Department of Commerce

8. Where Users Get Travel Information
We want
to reach
61.5 million Americans traveled overseas for vacation in 2009
Source: United States Department of Commerce

9. Our Advantage

10. From the Washington Post
“Ah, TripAdvisor...you have
to wonder sometimes about the
(a) motivations and (b) IQs of
some of the reviewers.”

11. An Example from Ko Phi Phi, Thailand
“I felt like I had been dropped
on Lord of The Flies…when
we finally got to our rooms,
we were nonplussed*.”

12. “I felt like I had been dropped
on Lord of The Flies…when
we finally got to our rooms,
we were nonplussed*.”
*

13. Nonplussed by this view?

14. A Review by my Friend, Ken

15. A Review by my Friend, Ken
“This is the greatest
place in the world”

16. S trengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats

17. S
Strengths
•Personalized Experience
•Strong User Experience
•Innovative Thinking
•Technological Skills
•Social Media Knowledge
•Customer Service/Relationship
•Management: Young, Loves Travel

18. W
Weaknesses
•No Existing Brand Identity
•New to Travel Industry
•No Existing Customer Base
•Minimal Business Experience
•Minimal Initial Funding

19. Opportunities
O
•New Network of Trusted Reviews
•Redefine Online Travel Guides
•New Genre of Print Travel Guides
•Create a Brand Built on Trust
•Make the Experience Fun for Users
•Integration with Social Media

20. Threats
T
•Already Busy Travel Market
•U.S. Travel Decreasing
•TripAdvisor.com Expanding
•New Start-Ups Competing
•Difficulty Developing for Facebook

21. TripAdvisor.com
7.4 Million Monthly U.S. Visitors
+
Other Competitors
6.3 Million Monthly U.S. Visitors
=
Total Competitors Traffic
13.7 Million Monthly U.S. Visitors

23. Year One Traffic Goal
MyTravelClub.com
411,000 Monthly U.S. Visitors
=
3 percent of all of our
competitors monthly U.S. visitors

24. Technology & Costs
• Website & Mobile Application - $60,000
• Facebook Application - $10,000
http://apps.digijeff.com/

25. Staffing Costs
• Founder, CEO, Utility Worker - $75,000
• Digital Communications Manager - $60,000
• Two Marketing & Sales Staff - $100,000
Total Staffing Costs - $235,000

26. How to Build an Audience
• Facebook integration, easy sharing capabilities
• Facebook targeted advertising ($1,500 per month)
• Social media marketing & customer relations
• Google AdWords ($3,685 per month)
• Travel Conventions
• SXSW Conference
• Jumping Pictures - Viral Contest

27. Revenue
• Display Advertising
3 ads x 411,000 monthly visitors x 12 months x $7.50 CMP = $110,000
• Affiliate Advertising w/ Living Social Escapes
• Business Listings
• Travel Guide Printing on Demand
411,000 monthly visitors x 12 months x .01 (1 percent) x $3.50 = $172,620

28. Projected Financials
Year 1 Year 3
Revenue
Display Ads $110,000 $258,930
Affiliate Marketing w/ Living Social $90,360 $210,000
Business Listing Program $90,000 $270,000
Travel Guide Printing $172,620 $402,780
REVENUE TOTALS $462,980 $1,141,710
Expenses
Development $80,000 $10,000
Staffing $235,000 $300,000
Marketing $67,800 $150,000
EXPENSE TOTALS $382,800 $460,000
NET EARNINGS $80,180 $681,710

29. Stepping into the Blind Spot
No more reading reviews by nonplussed
anonymous people online, Harvard students, or
stuffy travel writers.
Build your online travel guide around the people
you trust.