Town Sight: “The Easiest Way For People To Monetize Their Extra Time.”

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We spoke to Ivana Zigic of the Croatian startup Town Sight. She talks about challenges, opportunities and why it's crucial to plan before founding a startup. Learn more:

Describe Town Sight in 50 or less words.

Town Sight is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique travel experience around Croatia. Whether a casual cycling tour in the heart of Varaždin, a shopping tour in Zagreb, or an unforgettable sun-set watching near the beautiful old town of Dubrovnik, Town Sight connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point.

Town Sight is the easiest way for people to monetize their extra time by doing and showing what they like and to bring local culture to visitors around the world.

Why did you decide to pursue your own dreams rather than someone else’s?

The last job I was not challenging enough so I decided to follow my dreams and not someone else’s.

Describe your typical working day from coming to the office to leaving it.

I still do not have a typical working day. Every day is different but each begins with checking mails, the number of users and tours and communicating with developers because we are constantly working on improvements on the website. The rest of the day is mostly solving the current things from the to-do list.

In 7 years from now: How did your startup change the world?

I hope that seven years from now Town Sight will be recognized by the various tours that are not only sun and sea, and that Town Sight with the experiences from Travel Buddies (tour guides) will contribute to the extension of the tourist season. But if it fails to change the world my world surely is already changed.

In what ways do you measure your success and how do you make sure you don’t lose track?

As I mentioned earlier, I have a to-do list and by crossing something from that list I measure my success, I’m still at the beginning and everything that I accomplish from that list is a success.

Already pivoted? Did customers use the Town Sight like you imagined it in the beginning?

We are currently gathering of as many guides, the so-called Travel Buddies and publishing their experiences on Town Sight. In the next few weeks we are going to turn towards our end users and then we will know for sure if we are satisfied. But for now we are happy to see how guides use the page.

Bootstrapped or financed: What fuels your startup now and what will in the future?

Town Sight is definitely bootstrapped. The fuel now are my savings and I hope it soon will be the earnings from our service fee.

With ferocious competition and a booming trend to build new companies: How do you make sure you don’t get lost in the shuffle?

Competition is healthy and everyone should definitely keep track of what is happening in the market. To make sure that I don’t get lost in the shuffle, I continuously attend business education classes and trainings, as well as follow what is happening in the global market because we are far behind in some trends in tourism.

What do you look for in team members?

In team members I look for creativity, reliability and communication skills.

Why would a talent join your team?

Because we are open minded and have an upward trend, and I think a talent could develop together with Town Sight for a win win situation.

What was your most memorable moment so far?

The memorable moment so far was the first signed contract with a guide.

What advice would you give fellow founders for their startup?

Make a good plan before you jump head over into founding a startup.

 

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