Wildpreneurs

A Practical Guide to Pursuing Your Passion as a Business

Tamara Jacobi

• Publisher: HarperCollins Leadership
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN: 9781400216338
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Infrastructure
• Index: Business

Real-life “wildpreneur” Tamara Jacobi shares her insights on what it takes to successfully make the leap from a safe yet soul-crushing day job to chasing your dreams.

This book illuminates how surf guides, ski builders, yoga and wellness instructors, environmental activists, nature lovers, podcasters, artisans, and other creatives achieve an adventurous lifestyle and financial viability. Whether you’re stuck in the nine-to-five grind, are an enterprising college grad, a dynamic retiree, or are just an out-of-the-box thinker, it’s time to embrace your free spirit and become a Wildpreneur!

Entrepreneur and author Tamara Jacobi understands the challenge and reward of turning your passion into a business. Over ten years ago, she and her family started the Tailwind Jungle Lodge, a treehouse style eco-lodge in the jungle on the Mexican Pacific coastline. Jacobi shares the lessons she’s learned, alongside stories and wisdom from other Wildpreneurs.

In Wildpreneurs, you will:

• Access a practical blueprint for starting and managing an unconventional business.
• Receive the support needed to stay on track with what can be a difficult path filled with unexpected challenges and is worth it in the end.
• Gain insights into the world of Wildpreneurship, its characters, and the lifestyle that is within anyone’s grasp.
• Discover an alternative to living on autopilot, an opportunity to move beyond fear, come alive, and tune into inspiration while also making a living.

Let Wildpreneurs help you blaze the path to your own journey of meaning, purposefulness, and adventure—and start living the life of your dreams.

CHAPTER ONE

BAJA DAYDREAMER

A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES BEGINS WITH A SINGLE STEP. —LAOZI¹

My journey as a Wildpreneur began in the Sea of Cortez on March 3, 2007, right after my graduation ceremony at Middlebury. Fierce winds gusted more than 70 miles an hour as my father, Tigre, my brother, Rhett, and I anxiously prepared to launch our fully loaded expedition kayaks. This family adventure would be a celebration of Tigre’s sixtieth birthday and my college graduation—a two-month journey through the pristine beauty of raw wilderness with dazzling white sand, azure water, and a ceiling of stars like diamonds. Our goal? To paddle more than 800 miles, from the sparse village of San Felipe to Baja’s capital city of La Paz, in search of paradise. Yet, as I pondered the flurry of angry waves and the alluring yet dauntingly wild coastline, I was frozen with trepidation. Were we embarking on an impossible journey? My inner voice trilled in alarm. What was I getting myself into? I took a deep breath, stretched my arms up to the sky in a superhero power pose, and we ventured into the unknown. Let’s do this, I resolved. If the wind howls, I will howl back. No risk, no reward.

WILDPRENEUR TRAIL MAP—CHAPTER 1

This chapter launches us into the transformative process of making a dream come to life. Be warned! Anything is possible and adventure awaits around each bend—intense challenge and deliciously profound reward awaits:

• Get a taste of wild living and an overview of the fundamental qualities and values that define Wildpreneurship.

• Learn the practical steps to get you started with the daydreamer phase of Wildpreneurship.

Plan to take time for this crucial stage. Our vision for the Tailwind Jungle Lodge germinated and sprouted in the Baja wilderness well before it blossomed in the jungle.

PAINFUL BEGINNINGS

I had barely enough time to disrobe from my Middlebury College graduation gown and ditch my ski boots before grabbing my flip flops and heading to the Baja. Miraculously, we’d managed to fit all our tropical gear and supplies into a 23-foot tandem kayak for my father and me, and a 17-foot kayak for Rhett. My freshly printed business plan was safely tucked away in my boat and my mind.

As we set out on that first morning, facing merciless winds of up to 70 miles an hour, I gripped my paddle with white knuckles. After traveling only two miles down the coastline, my muscles and mind ached with tension. Frustrated, miserable, and defeated, we precariously landed to make camp at a deserted construction zone. We had to dodge rusty nails as we desperately sought shelter from the raging wind and blowing sand that ripped at my skin. Any romantic notions I’d had of the journey were snatched away by harsh reality. Ugh . . . paradise? I think not. I definitely won’t be needing my teenie-weenie polka-dot bikini!

Our plan had been to cover at least 20 miles each day. At this pace, that would be an impossibility, yet steady progress was crucial in order for us to reach our resupply points for fresh drinking water and food. How would we survive nearly two months of this? I felt like a tiny, floundering fish in a vast, ominous sea.

After twenty-four interminable hours, the wind suddenly evaporated. Giddy with relief, we relaunched our kayaks into a sea of mercury-colored water and majestic stillness. A fishing boat cruised by us, waved, and bolstered our spirits as they congratulated us on making it through our first El Norte—an infamous Baja windstorm that typically lasts for three days—a wind that would be forever imprinted in our minds. “No mud, no lotus,” says Buddhist monk Thích Nhất Hạnh. I would soon discover that this is a key mantra for Wildpreneurs.

Yet, even on calmer waters, I struggled. My body ached from the rigorous paddling regime, and my restless monkey mind battled severe anxiety from long hours of being confined to the boat. By the time we made camp each night, I was ready to snap my paddle over my knee and burn it as kindling. But the sound of El Tigre’s happy whistle as he collected firewood and cast the fishing rod pierced my heart. His bleached blonde hair glowed golden in the dusk light, his skin bronzed and weathered handsomely, there was a joyful sparkle in his ageless green eyes. He was clearly thriving—at home in the wild, alive with the thrill of his birthday journey, and excited about whatever might await us down the coast. I resolved that there would be no quitting; I couldn’t let El Tigre down. I would overcome my weaknesses and get tough. I am whole-heartedly committed to this adventure.

You will inevitably confront challenge and discomfort as you begin blazing your trail through wild business. Things won’t always be what you expected, so be prepared. As we go boldly forward, we must believe in ourselves and get tough (emotionally and physically). Dig deep—you have what it takes. The winds will blow, but a delicious calm will follow.

MASTER OF ADVENTURE

It had come as no surprise when my father invited my brother and me to join him on the Baja. El Tigre is a man known for his sense of adventure. He’d earned the nickname “Tiger” at just six months old. My grandmother often kept him on a leash (yes, a real leash!), fearful that his relentless curiosity would tempt him into danger. My father had grown up between Manhasset, New York, and his parents’ cottage on Lake Memphremagog—a charming lake that straddles Quebec and Vermont. Post high school, my father was lured by the call of the wild and followed his heart to the mountains and the waves, from Alaska to California, inevitably drifting south to Mexico in the sixties. It wasn’t long before he was surfing the idyllic waves of the “Mexican Malibu” at Punta de Mita, just north of Puerto Vallarta, where his name became “El Tigre.” Life as a family man didn’t slow his adventurous spirit—he simply brought my mom, my brother, and me along with him into the wilderness.

STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE

The Baja had broken me. A week into our trip, I hit bottom (tears gushed . . . oh, yes), which luckily seemed to trigger a miraculous transformation—as though the natural extremes had torn me apart in order to rebuild a new, stronger, better me.

We launched our kayaks onto a rosy sea, illuminated by the radiant glow of dawn. We glided through the kaleidoscopic stillness; our paddles dipped exquisitely synchronized, arms strengthened from continual paddling. I gratefully welcomed this endurance and newfound energy. The stillness of the water that morning reflected an unusual calm in my mind; blissful presence, wonder, and awe had come to my rescue. In the days that followed, we found the paradise we had sought. From oasis islands and mysterious caves to secret hot springs. As sunlight faded to moonlight, we surrendered to the raw beauty of Mother Nature.

And then the dreaded El Norte returned. This time, we knew what to expect and smartly stayed ashore. As the wind howled, we gritted our sandy teeth, and hunkered down behind a patch of boulders. Survival instincts kicked in as we carefully rationed our fresh water in fear that we wouldn’t make it to our next resupply point in time. Three days later, bliss returned and we gratefully paddled to a tiny fishing village. Fresh water had never tasted so sweet. There will be highs and there will be lows; it’s a wild ride. No mud, no lotus, indeed.

EL TIGRE, COFOUNDER OF THE TAILWIND JUNGLE LODGE

Builder, designer, master daydreamer.

“I’ve never been one for the status quo.”

What was your inspiration for starting a family business?

I have always wanted to do something with my family, evidenced by the way they were brought up (see family stories in chapter 8). I realized that, once my kids grew up, they would sprout wings and fly away. So, what better than a family business to keep us together?

What has allowed our family business to thrive?

Patience. And with time, everyone has pretty much figured out what their strong points are and how they can be integrated into the business. We all occasionally have disagreements, but ultimately those challenge us and make us try harder to be more understanding and therefore a stronger business. Oh, and selective hearing . . . hah!

What does your ideal day in the jungle look like?

Sunny, cloudless, no wind, and a nice ocean swell. First, a wake-up walk in the jungle with Poncho (our yellow lab), fix a few things around the lodge, then off to the ocean for either kayaking or SUP (stand-up paddleboard). Then some yoga and stretching, followed by a cold beer in the shade of a palm tree. Siesta, sunset, fresh tuna on the grill, and a cold margarita in hand, hanging with my family, friends, or guests at the lodge. Perfect day!

What advice would you give to someone considering starting a wild business?

To go as slowly as you can afford to. Become involved in the community so you can gain people’s trust. Be friendly and engaging with all your guests/clients/customers, no matter how hard it might be at times.

What is your favorite aspect of being a Wildpreneur?

The freedom of waking up every day and knowing that it is my day to do whatever I wish. No schedule (at least, not many). I also love interacting with all of the wonderful people we have hosted at the lodge over the years...

Table of contents

• Contents
• Foreword
• Introduction
• 1. Baja Daydreamer
• 2. Get Dirty & Create
• 3. Financial Roller Coaster
• 4. Wildpreneurship 101—Nuts & Bolts
• 5. Mother Nature’s Wisdom & Biomimicry
• 6. Simplification & Adaptation—Is It Mañana Yet?
• 7. Invest in Yourself
• 8. Family Business: Mission Impossible Possible!
• 9. Where’s Tarzan? Dating & Relationships
• 10. Jungle Drama Meets Aloha
• 11. Chasing Inspiration
• Acknowledgments
• Directory of Interviewees
• Endnotes
• Index
• Final Thoughts: Get Wild & Live the Good Life