Adventure tour operators have to be experts in their activity. There’s no room for error when you’re guiding a raft down class IV rapids or hooking a customer up to the zipline. But marketing strategy and data analytics? That’s where many of these businesses need help. And it happens to be just the specialized knowledge LaunchPad alum Evan Tipton offers through TOMIS, which he is building to become “the Hubspot of Travel.”
Founding Story
From a young age, Evan was involved in the tourism industry, first working as a river rafting guide at Whitewater Express in the southern Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee. So when it came time for college, a bachelor’s and eventual master’s degree from the University of Montana in Recreation Management was a natural fit. During his senior year of undergrad, a connection to Xola, an industry startup in Silicon Valley, provided a job opportunity he could not pass up.
For three years, Evan helped build the reservation management software, including going through StartX, Stanford’s business incubator program. However, as a “mountains and rivers kind of person,” he eventually returned to Missoula to complete a Masters in International Conservation and Development at UM. The tour operator client relationships Evan had built in San Francisco, however, continued. Before long, he was helping several of these companies with digital marketing support. But there was a problem - Evan needed a software solution to scale his services.
“I tried to find some industry-specific software to do that, but between enterprise pricing and functionality, nothing was the right fit,” said Evan. Without luck, he decided to create a solution. “I emptied the bank account, connected with some developers, and founded TOMIS, Tour Operator Marketing Intelligence Software.”
Impact of the LaunchPad Network
Though Evan was a sole founder, he was not without assistance. He slowly surrounded himself with experienced advisors who could help advise on all aspects of the business. And while many of these mentor relationships began as coincidental, Paul Gladen, LaunchPad Director at the University of Montana, also helped strategically connect Evan to the local community.
“To me, Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars at the University of Montana is an invaluable set of resources made up of individuals,” said Evan. “In addition to introductions, Paul [Gladden] helped me with investment coaching and just sitting at a whiteboard unpacking the business model and going through iterations together.”
TOMIS also was introduced by Paul to other first time, peer founders, and some strategic local community opportunities. One of these was the 2017 Montana SBDC Shark Tank live competition (which Evan and his company won!) With early and rapid success, Paul even helped Evan evaluate an initial acquisition offer for TOMIS weighing out the pros and cons.
Recent Accomplishments and Outlook for TOMIS
Achieving critical profitability and cash flow milestones during this past year, Evan is happy with growth made during 2019 - in spite of year three storms. Navigating some early employee turnover, handling the fickle reality of external investment, and facing strategic decisions around business development were all part of the recent startup journey for him. Evan was also proud of launching a new software product for his clients - the AI chatbot - and maintaining minimal customer churn. In 2020, Evan believes TOMIS is set up for significant scaling and organic growth, in part through critical partnerships.
“We’re also in a pretty unique position in that we have close technology relationships in this industry,” said Evan. “We’re very complementary to the other players in this industry space. These companies often refer us to opportunities, so it’s rewarding to continue collaborating with those existing relationships, while also building new ones.”
Evan’s Advice for Other Student Entrepreneurs:
“Process, precision, and profit.” Evan believes young entrepreneurs in almost any business can benefit from this motto (which is painted on the wall of TOMIS). The strategy is threefold:
- Document everything and consider scalability from day one.
- Focus on one niche, which makes hitting a growth target much more likely. “Aim small, miss small.”
- If not raising funds from VC’s, get to a state of cash-flow positivity as early as possible. (That might even mean offering a product or delivering service before you have complete and unwavering confidence.
