Blog Post
Part 5 2000 - A New Beginning
Linda Horstmyer • Jul 27, 2021
2001 - Kaboom
For me, 2000 was a year jam packed with life changing events. Some, over the top exciting, and some, not so much.
Early in the year my partner and I started a consulting company that focused primarily on the travel sector with emphasis on cruise lines. We provided project management, change management, technical support and more to a variety of cruise lines large and small. A more dynamic environment is hard to imagine. Except when you sign on to consult for a privately held hospitality group (with a mad hatter owner) that likes to have meetings at the drop of a hat that often went on into the wee hours. Or would have you jetting off to a private island without even a toothbrush!
Outside of the travel sector we worked with other clients on project basis and had experiences with International Banks and Financial Advisors. While not as exciting as cruises, each client gave us great opportunities to expand our skillset. Highlights included the development of a Vendor Analysis tool that helps clients choose software and apps based on a well researched weighted analysis. We also crafted a critical reporting tool for an International Bank to keep track of Regulations Compliance.
Halfway through the year our offices were flooded during a “100 Year Storm Event”. What a mess. Just when we were on a roll, we had to rethink our operations. Not to mention replace most of our equipment. Ugh! Learned a valuable lesson on the importance of redundant systems!
2001 was just fabulous!! Wonderful clients, challenging projects and a booming economy. And then. Disaster. As you might imagine, hospitality was completely decimated by the events of 9/11. Within months all of our clients cancelled their projects and let go all consultants and contractors. One client released as many as 1800 folks. It was a terrifying event for our country and one with an unknown impact on a business we loved so much.
Time for plan B.
We moved up a five year plan to relocate out of South Florida and started a search for a nice small old florida kind of town. We were both raised in and on the ocean and craved that kind of lifestyle. After an extensive search we landed in Hobe Sound. What a treasure!
Business began to slowly return and we found ourselves commuting down a few counties but did not mind because we knew we were coming back to paradise.
Early in the year my partner and I started a consulting company that focused primarily on the travel sector with emphasis on cruise lines. We provided project management, change management, technical support and more to a variety of cruise lines large and small. A more dynamic environment is hard to imagine. Except when you sign on to consult for a privately held hospitality group (with a mad hatter owner) that likes to have meetings at the drop of a hat that often went on into the wee hours. Or would have you jetting off to a private island without even a toothbrush!
Outside of the travel sector we worked with other clients on project basis and had experiences with International Banks and Financial Advisors. While not as exciting as cruises, each client gave us great opportunities to expand our skillset. Highlights included the development of a Vendor Analysis tool that helps clients choose software and apps based on a well researched weighted analysis. We also crafted a critical reporting tool for an International Bank to keep track of Regulations Compliance.
Halfway through the year our offices were flooded during a “100 Year Storm Event”. What a mess. Just when we were on a roll, we had to rethink our operations. Not to mention replace most of our equipment. Ugh! Learned a valuable lesson on the importance of redundant systems!
2001 was just fabulous!! Wonderful clients, challenging projects and a booming economy. And then. Disaster. As you might imagine, hospitality was completely decimated by the events of 9/11. Within months all of our clients cancelled their projects and let go all consultants and contractors. One client released as many as 1800 folks. It was a terrifying event for our country and one with an unknown impact on a business we loved so much.
Time for plan B.
We moved up a five year plan to relocate out of South Florida and started a search for a nice small old florida kind of town. We were both raised in and on the ocean and craved that kind of lifestyle. After an extensive search we landed in Hobe Sound. What a treasure!
Business began to slowly return and we found ourselves commuting down a few counties but did not mind because we knew we were coming back to paradise.
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This post is the fourth in a series where I want to share some of the things I have learned over the course of my career. It has been varied in terms of industry and the customers served and has given me many valuable lessons along the way. I hope to benefit my clients with advice, ideas and cautions as a way of contributing to my local community. Next up was a sink or swim introduction to the early years of the internet. My love of travel, and startups, lead me to a new subsidiary of a large travel wholesale group in Ft. Lauderdale. Certified Vacations offered wholesale travel packages in addition to running Continental Airlines Vacations and (CAV) Delta Airlines Vacations (DAV). I want to work for New River Technologies (NRT) which was the internet arm for Certified. Fast and furious, my experience with NRT was exhilarating! I managed a large staff of web designers and we crafted dynamic websites for CAV, DAV and countless others. Understanding client needs and goals and translating them into the digital environment was a challenge in this new form of communication. Key was understanding how people wanted to learn about and book travel. Early on we developed relationships with Microsoft, Priceline, Expedia and other emerging online travel sellers and, looking back, the experience was absolutely thrilling. To say that the pace was fast is an understatement! I was hooked. Somehow, I had to figure out how to leverage my marketing, advertising and communications background into a dream job. A short stop with Sunglass Hut, before they were bought by Luxottica, honed my skills for effective communications with retail customers. We launched a new, and very innovative, website for sunglass sales that, like other startups, was full of challenges in every department. We were a small group and gathered in a small area, we all learned a lot about each area of the business. The programming side of websites has evolved so far from some of the early days I am grateful have been witness to the genesis of what is now a highly technical process. 2000 was a big year and was highlighted by a move to Small Business Ownership. Stay tuned!
This post is the third in a series where I want to share some of the things I have learned over the course of my career. It has been varied in terms of industry and the customers served and has given me many valuable lessons along the way. I hope to benefit my clients with advice, ideas and cautions as a way of contributing to my local community. Next up was the job of a lifetime! I joined startup Renaissance Cruises as their 7th employee hired. What a whirlwind! This dream job gave me experience working with Madison Avenue advertising agencies to craft a unique brand identity for the upscale cruise line that travelled the world on a fleet of eight ships of about 100 passengers. So many details had to come together to present a brand image that matched our target market. My planning, budgeting and implementation skills were refined and expanded in this challenging job. Moving over to Product Development for Renaissance was amazing. Responsible for crafting unique and compelling products this job took me around the globe. Literally. I gained invaluable experience by operating in a multitude of environments and cultures that helped me expand my capacity for effective communication in any environment and circumstance. Creative solutions were a must! After wearing out two passports I moved on to Sundown Vitamins and dove headfirst into the retail environment. The attention to detail required in keeping up with daily sales reports was intense and challenged my ability to spot trends and respond quickly to market changes. Returning to the travel industry landed me with another startup. Preferred Holidays was a new subsidiary to AVIS and included all the urgency and excitement one would expect for a new endeavor. Sadly the effort was short lived but, serendipity landed me back with a large wholesale travel company! Stay tuned for the next update!
