Okay, let’s start at the beginning. I am often asked where did the concept for Sanctifly come from? Well, it’s quite simple. I had just completed a ten day coast to coast six flight relay and was in Chicago O’Hare waiting for my next flight, in four hours. ARRG airports!
I didn’t want to shop or drink, but what else was there to do? I looked out at the many hotels on the airport concourse and thought ‘I wish I could go over there and use their pool, maybe a sauna, stretch and relax for a couple of hours’ away from the din of the airport – without having to book a room. And that was it.
When I started asking hotels if they would they be interested in the revenue from auxiliary assets and increased business footfall, they repeatedly said – “sure – no brainer”
When I interviewed business executives to see if they would they be interested in joining a club which gave them access to international airport gyms and pools, they said – ‘wow, definitely!’
When I spoke with their HR department about the known negative effects of continuous travel on their team and the opportunity to offer airport gym and pool access as part of a well-being and duty of care budget – they chimed in ‘no brainer’.
So, that was the clincher. Sure, there were road blocks: insurance, pricing, scaling, but nothing major, no chasms.
So, what is my lesson learnt for fellow start-ups at the idea stage? Get out there and interview (not pitch) all the stakeholders in your vision. The customers, vendors and influencers. Be very clear who owns the budget you are targeting and how are they currently spending it.
If you start hearing ‘no brainer’ to your proposition, maybe you are on to something too…
Karl Llewellyn
CEO and Founder of Sanctifly