Posted Under: Entrepreneurship, Our Heroes

Today we are talking to Adam Dailey as our next guest under the “Our Heroes” series.  Attending college together, Adam and his wife Jessica collectively won 17 NCAA honors and 9 National Championships in running.  Adam worked in business development while Jessica worked in community relations. Working for the same company, Adam and Jessica both got laid off at the same time and looked to entrepreneurship for a new opportunity. The duo created Ludus Tours which helps families of Olympic athletes travel to games in support of their loved ones. Let’s dig deeper in their success story…

DD: Who are you and what kind of corporate job were you at?

AD: I am the CEO and one of the founders of Ludus Tours; a tour outfitter that focuses on global events like the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, Formula 1 Austin and Oktoberfest.  I started Ludus with my wife. We began dating in high school and went to the University of Arkansas together. Together we were awarded 17 NCAA All American Honors and 9 National Championships while running for the Razorbacks.  In 2000, we both competed in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.

I was the Director of Business Development for RunTex (where Jessica was Community Relations Manager) before we started Ludus together in late 2003.

DD: What made you leave the job? When did you realize that you wanted to be an entrepreneur & why?

AD: We hated our jobs. We hated sitting at a desk and ultimately being held back by someone else’s objectives and obstacles.  We were miserable and looking for a way out…when the opportunity to be ‘laid off’ arrived, we jumped on it, not knowing where it would take us.  We just knew we wanted out. We were eager to get back to Europe, where we’d lived for two years previously.

Jess and I had always dreamed about running our company, but hesitated because I liked the thought of working for big companies and doing bigger things.  In 2003, we found ourselves jobless.  We were burnt out.  We jumped at the chance to create something from scratch and be solely responsible for the results, instead of having someone else stand in our way – which seemed to keep happening in other jobs.

DD: What did you do to break the corporate jail? How did you prepare for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

AD: On numerous occasions my superiors told me that I should be working for myself.  How do you take a comment like that?  I was able to part ways from my last job and it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. 2003 was a bit of a tough time to start a business…but there is always a reason ‘not to do something.’

When competing in the 2000 US Olympic Trials, Jessica and I identified a business opportunity. We witnessed firsthand how challenging it was for athlete family members, many of whom had never left the United States before, to go abroad and support their Olympic hopefuls.  Using our athletic contacts from years in the Track & Field community, Jess and I created Ludus Tours, a business originally focused on helping athlete families members make it to the Olympics. Now Ludus Tours focuses on fulfilling the needs of travelers based on the premise of simply showing people a good time – providing amazing, unforgettable experiences.  Ludus now runs tours to the biggest international sporting and cultural events like the Olympics, World Cup, and Oktoberfest.  The list of events is always growing!

I guess the difference is that we were behind our company 100%…not that we weren’t as employees, but lived and breathed it when we started LUDUS. Simply put, you’re going to work harder when it is your a$$ on the line.

DD: What are your suggestions for aspiring entrepreneurs?

AD: Who do you know? Use your contacts and form long-term friendships and meaningful relationships with these people.  As simple as this tip is, it is the starting point of our successful company that some people may hesitate using because of the belief that they want ‘to make it on their own’. Ask yourself: Who do you know? Who do they know?

Ludus is a small company, and therefore has limited resources, so we rely heavily on creating, building and maintaining relationships.  Email is free.  Years before the Olympics begin Ludus sends a team to the event city (currently we have a team in London), to cultivate relationships with local vendors, partners and even competitors. Starting our event programs so far in advance also allows us to build rewarding relationships with Federations to continue helping various athlete family members.

Another thing that people don’t talk about much is that being an entrepreneur is like jumping off a cliff.  It’s risky. You have to be ready to take a risk…and fall flat on your face.  My suggestion for an aspiring entrepreneur is to take the plunge.  Nobody is going to push you to do it…it has to come from you and don’t look for signs.  Take the leap of faith and don’t look back.

DD: How are you doing and how do you feel now?

AD: At our first event, the Athens 2004 Summer Games, we had only a handful of clients.  After that, we took off a few months to travel and see if Ludus was what we really wanted to do for a living. Again, don’t look for signs from above.  This is real life – unfortunately, hard decisions have to be made.  We continue to be entrepreneurs, but yes, there are nights when I can’t sleep because of financial or other work related stress.  Owning your own business is stressful, but we’re at a healthy stage in our business.  For the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, we hosted over 3000 clients and were the official tour operator for seven different International Federations.  Ludus is now in a state of change. I am setting high expansion goals for the next two years – especially in London for 2012.  We are using new streamlined technology and hiring more employees than ever before. We are excited for the future and see huge opportunities in London, Sochi and beyond.  It’s fun and its fast, which are two vital things for Ludus as a business.

DD: Adam Dailey, one of the founder of Ludus Tours, everyone! The very basis of success revolves around who you already know.  Chances are your inner circle has the resources you need or know of people that have what you are looking for.  Your friends and family are not only the key to start-up success, but are also the key to continued growth. I also liked his comment about the plunge “My suggestion for an aspiring entrepreneur is to take the plunge.  Nobody is going to push you to do it…it has to come from you and don’t look for signs.  Take the leap of faith and don’t look back.”

Oh, I almost forgot, check out their Oktoberfest & Munich Travel Solution

Success to all!