When building a business from scratch, founders have an opportunity to consider the environmental impact of all their activities, including work travel. According to Statista research, 81% of global travellers believe sustainable travel is important, however, 43% of respondents to a Booking.com survey said they “never, rarely or sometimes” manage to travel in a sustainable way. 

In this episode, I speak with Rafael Museri and Daniel Rudasevski: the co-founders of Selina: the travel company combining beautifully designed accommodation with coworking, recreation, wellness and local experiences. Having founded their business in 2014, Rafael and Daniel aim to make more sustainable travel easier, particularly for founders, and support the local communities living and working near their properties. 

As a big fan of remote working and slow travel, I am determined to reduce my own environmental impact when travelling, so I was keen to hear from Rafael and Daniel on how founders can reduce the environmental impact of their travel as well as how companies can give back to the local communities in which they operate in.

Rafael’s advice: 

• When you set up your business, be conscious of ESG from the outset
• Profitability will come from this ESG awareness as customers will look out for it
• Be authentic and credible - customers require reassurance
• Be realistic about what you can achieve as you may not be able to tick every box straight away
• Build a long-term plan; measure your achievements regularly; communicate them to your team
• Take advice from impartial shareholders; small shareholders who have been with you from the start will have no conflict of interest (unlike bigger shareholders who may be looking for quicker profits)
• Always try to be prepared for dramatic shifts in the economy
• Love what you do; if you are 100% engaged it will show and be infectious

If you’d like to contact Rafael or Selina please drop them a line at: 

FF&M enables you to own your own PR. We also offer podcast production services.

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2023 MD & Founder of PR & Communications consultancy for startups Fallow, Field & Mason.  Email us at [email protected] or DM us on instagram @fallowfieldmason. 

FF&M recommends: 

• LastPass the password-keeping site that syncs between devices.
• Google Workspace is brilliant for small businesses
• Buzzsprout podcast 'how to' & hosting directory
• Canva has proved invaluable for creating all the social media assets and audio bites.
• For contracts check out Law Depot.

MUSIC CREDIT Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.  Link & Licence

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