Coffee Chat with Inspirational Women: Featuring Tara Cappel
Welcome to a new post in my fun series called “Coffee Chat.” This series is focused on inspirational women who love their jobs and want to inspire other women to find their passions and transform their lives. Today’s coffee chat features Tara Cappel who is the brillant mind behind For the Love of Travel, a group trip company for millennial professionals, creatives and entrepreneurs. Their mission is focused around connecting – making new friends while exploring the beautiful world. Keep reading to get some great insight on her life and note worthy advice.
1. Where do you live and what is one random fact about you to break the ice with our readers?
I currently live in Los Angeles, CA and a fun fact is that my great Aunt is Amelia Earhart!
2. What is the first thing you like to do before you start your day?
I make myself an espresso and tidy up my apartment/workspace/hotel room. It’s my first accomplishment of the day and sets the stage for productivity!
3. What inspired you to go choose your career path as an entrepreneur? Is there a childhood memory that made you decide?
In high school, I studied abroad for a year in southern Italy. The process of “becoming Italian” taught me so much about empathy and cross-cultural understanding. I realized travel is more than just seeing sights and checking items off of a bucket list – it’s about observing and connecting with realities different than your own. Since then, I have always wanted to bring people together. I even went to college with the intention of becoming a diplomat until I realized how inefficient government is. I like to think that For the Love of Travel is my way of furthering grassroots diplomacy. Given that, I would say that my calling in life is connecting people and that is what brought me onto the path of an entrepreneur.
4. What was your very first step to get you where you are today as an entrepreneur?
Before I started my company, I did 100+ hours of research related to my idea. I basically presented a case to myself and then wrote a business plan based on that information.
5. What was your big challenge you had to overcome to help you move forward with growing your business with new clients/customers?
My biggest hurdle was actually launching my website and showing everyone what I had worked so hard on. I put so much of myself into my business and opening it up to public view was a huge emotional moment for me.
6. What are three habits you would recommend to someone pursuing their dream career as an entrepreneur?
Nurture relationships – Relationships are the foundation of business and they’r
Stick to the plan – Entrepreneurs have a tendency to get excited about new ideas but to avoid running out of bandwidth (or money) make sure that you have a solid idea and keep your intention set on that one course.
Take breaks – You will work a lot as an entrepreneur. But you have to take breathers to recharge. That’s when your best ideas about how to grow your company will come to you.
7. How would you describe your support network? Who is in it?
I’m lucky to have a family who is incredibly supportive of my company and me. They are my primary circle and the people I go to most often. After that, I have an amazing network of close friends from different industries, cities, and backgrounds who I have met over the years of traveling who love what I’m doing and have offered their support. And last but not least, I have all of my FTLO travelers who are the people who keep me motivated day in and day out. They’re
so amazingly supportive and bring me up even on my worst days.
8. What’s one skill you are currently working on to be an effective leader?
Right now I’m trying to be better about giving clear directions. I think if a leader’s team isn’t performing, it usually means the manager isn’t clearly expressing their expectations.
9. To balance out your work life, what’s your fitness and health regime?
I travel so much that I don’t have a set routine when it comes to working out. I’ve learned to be super in touch with my body and I adjust my diet/exercise according to how I’m feeling. In general, I make sure to stay adequately hydrated and stay away from most animal products (except fish). I also have a fitbit that I use to monitor my daily steps. And I always get at least 6 hours of sleep!
10. What is one book that helped you on your career journey that you would recommend?
So many – but my favorites are the ones that deal with branding and social psychology like The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg and Contagious: Why Things Catch On – Jonah Berger.
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