Adam Schwab grew Luxury Escapes from a bootstrapped Groupon clone into a billion-dollar travel empire without raising capital until COVID. Here's exactly how he did it.

In this deep dive, Adam breaks down the contrarian moves that built one of Australia's most successful travel businesses. From accidentally discovering the travel arbitrage that competitors missed, to building competitive moats through switching costs and AI-powered personalisation. He reveals why focus beats diversification, how they turned hotel partnerships into a cornered resource, and the metrics that actually matter when building enterprise value.

Join my exclusive Mentored+ community: https://mentored.com.au/become-a-member/  

Subscribe to the Mentored newsletter here: https://mentored.com.au/newsletter 

Adam Schwab grew Luxury Escapes from a bootstrapped Groupon clone into a billion-dollar travel empire without raising capital until COVID. Here's exactly how he did it.
In this deep dive, Adam breaks down the contrarian moves that built one of Australia's most successful travel businesses. From accidentally discovering the travel arbitrage that competitors missed, to building competitive moats through switching costs and AI-powered personalisation. He reveals why focus beats diversification, how they turned hotel partnerships into a cornered resource, and the metrics that actually matter when building enterprise value.
Join my exclusive Mentored+ community: <a href="https://mentored.com.au/become-a-member/">https://mentored.com.au/become-a-member/</a> &nbsp;
Subscribe to the Mentored newsletter here: <a href="https://mentored.com.au/newsletter">https://mentored.com.au/newsletter</a>&nbsp;

Mark Bouris speaks to business owners and entrepreneurs, finding out what makes them tick and their plans for growth. Some business owners are on the way up and enjoying new success, others are at a turning point. Mark digs into their stories and finds out why they set out to create their own path, their challenges and where they go from here. Based on his own personal experiences and learnings, he also passes on his own guidance on how to take their business to the next level.

Mark Bouris speaks to business owners and entrepreneurs, finding out what makes them tick and their plans for growth. Some business owners are on the way up and enjoying new success, others are at a turning point. Mark digs into their stories and finds out why they set out to create their own path, their challenges and where they go from here. Based on his own personal experiences and learnings, he also passes on his own guidance on how to take their business to the next level.

Mark Bouris speaks to business owners and entrepreneurs, finding out what makes them tick and their plans for growth.  Some business owners are on the way up and enjoying new success, others are at a turning point.  Mark digs into...

The Mentor with Mark Bouris

Luxury Escapes Co-Founder: Creating a Billion-Dollar Travel Empire.

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/bff1ed02-32e5-471c-96b1-b439000c22d5/transcript

Liam Bell turned a COVID lockdown into a seven-piece band phenomenon called Play Lunch. Now he's taking his "bogan funk" sound to America.

This episode dives deep into the business of music, from building a seven-person creative team to mastering social media without losing authenticity. Liam breaks down how Play Lunch cracked the code on modern music marketing, built a devoted fanbase through deliberately imperfect branding, and turned merchandise into their financial lifeline. Plus, how they're preparing to export Australian culture to US audiences.

• Building a seven-piece band during the COVID lockdown
• Creating the "bogan funk" genre and Australian identity in music  
• Managing personalities and delegation in creative businesses
• Social media strategy that prioritises authenticity over polish
• Revenue models: why merch outsells streaming in modern music
• Preparing Australian acts for international markets

Join my exclusive Mentored+ community: https://mentored.com.au/become-a-member/
Subscribe to the Mentored newsletter here: https://mentored.com.au/newsletter

 

Liam Bell turned a COVID lockdown into a seven-piece band phenomenon called Play Lunch. Now he's taking his "bogan funk" sound to America.
This episode dives deep into the business of music, from building a seven-person creative team to mastering social media without losing authenticity. Liam breaks down how Play Lunch cracked the code on modern music marketing, built a devoted fanbase through deliberately imperfect branding, and turned merchandise into their financial lifeline. Plus, how they're preparing to export Australian culture to US audiences.
&bull; Building a seven-piece band during the COVID lockdown &bull; Creating the "bogan funk" genre and Australian identity in music &nbsp; &bull; Managing personalities and delegation in creative businesses &bull; Social media strategy that prioritises authenticity over polish &bull; Revenue models: why merch outsells streaming in modern music &bull; Preparing Australian acts for international markets
Join my exclusive Mentored+ community: https://mentored.com.au/become-a-member/ Subscribe to the Mentored newsletter here: https://mentored.com.au/newsletter
&nbsp;

How Playlunch, the Band Behind “Keith”, Built Success Through Authenticity

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/4a252c8e-3900-4f5a-9fb4-b443005d7e1a/transcript

Jack Say and Isaac Gibbons turned COVID boredom into TikTok gold, then built SmartAss toilet paper from their viral comedy empire.

Jack and Isaac reveal how they went from filming empty supermarket shelves during Melbourne's lockdown to creating a data-driven content machine with 15 success pillars.

They break down their "orb" philosophy for protecting business partnerships, landing their product in every Coles store, and building authentic brands that audiences actually want to buy from. 
The 15-pillar algorithm they use to predict viral content
How they turned their first TikTok video into a sustainable business
Why 85% of Australian toilet paper cuts down virgin trees (and how they're disrupting this) • The "orb" concept that protects their 20-year friendship in business
Their data-driven approach to brand building and audience analysis • How they got into Coles just 6 weeks after launching
Why they choose recycled, Australian-made over quick cash partnerships

Join my exclusive Mentored+ community: https://mentored.com.au/become-a-member/

Subscribe to the Mentored newsletter here: https://mentored.com.au/newsletter

Jack Say and Isaac Gibbons turned COVID boredom into TikTok gold, then built SmartAss toilet paper from their viral comedy empire.
Jack and Isaac reveal how they went from filming empty supermarket shelves during Melbourne's lockdown to creating a data-driven content machine with 15 success pillars.
They break down their "orb" philosophy for protecting business partnerships, landing their product in every Coles store, and building authentic brands that audiences actually want to buy from.&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>The 15-pillar algorithm they use to predict viral content</li>
<li>How they turned their first TikTok video into a sustainable business</li>
<li>Why 85% of Australian toilet paper cuts down virgin trees (and how they're disrupting this) &bull; The "orb" concept that protects their 20-year friendship in business</li>
<li>Their data-driven approach to brand building and audience analysis &bull; How they got into Coles just 6 weeks after launching</li>
<li>Why they choose recycled, Australian-made over quick cash partnerships</li>
</ul>
Join my exclusive Mentored+ community: <a href="https://mentored.com.au/become-a-member/">https://mentored.com.au/become-a-member/</a>
Subscribe to the Mentored newsletter here: https://mentored.com.au/newsletter

Creating a 3M+ Audience with Swag On The Beat

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/8719770a-1c44-4ce6-8d90-b43900817117/transcript

Jeremy Cabral built Finder to $100 million in revenue and 600 employees across 23 countries.

Now he's using AI to revolutionise business growth at lightning speed. Jeremy walks through exactly how AI is transforming everything from customer acquisition to operational efficiency.

He reveals how companies can implement AI agents to automate complex workflows, shares his framework for extracting institutional knowledge from top performers, and explains why the next 12-18 months will separate winners from losers. 

Join my exclusive Mentored+ community: https://mentored.com.au/become-a-member/

Subscribe to the Mentored newsletter here: https://mentored.com.au/newsletter 

Follow Me on Instagram, LinkedIn & YouTube

Jeremy Cabral built Finder to $100 million in revenue and 600 employees across 23 countries.
Now he's using AI to revolutionise business growth at lightning speed. Jeremy walks through exactly how AI is transforming everything from customer acquisition to operational efficiency.
He reveals how companies can implement AI agents to automate complex workflows, shares his framework for extracting institutional knowledge from top performers, and explains why the next 12-18 months will separate winners from losers.&nbsp;
Join my exclusive Mentored+ community: <a href="https://mentored.com.au/become-a-member/">https://mentored.com.au/become-a-member/</a>
Subscribe to the Mentored newsletter here: <a href="https://mentored.com.au/newsletter">https://mentored.com.au/newsletter</a>&nbsp;
Follow Me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mark_bouris/">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://au.linkedin.com/in/markbouris">LinkedIn</a>&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPX01K1JgNS5pyzUtwtCtsQ">YouTube</a>

#518: $100M+ Founder on how to implement AI in your business. (Finder)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/2882dc2f-157a-433a-a65b-b42d0063bffa/transcript

Luxury Escapes Co-Founder: Creating a Billion-Dollar Travel Empire.

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