Top Leadership Lessons in Corporate Travel | Steve Reynolds

Boardsi Leadership Talks

Summary

In this episode of Leadership Talks, Martin Ravinsky interviews Steve Reynolds, the Chief Strategy Officer at Embers and former CEO and founder of TripBam. Steve shares key lessons he has learned throughout his career in the travel and technology industries, including the importance of holding onto equity when raising capital and not going public until the company is ready. He also discusses the challenges and opportunities in the corporate travel space and how Embers is working to provide an end-to-end travel and expense solution. Steve emphasizes the value of taking risks, learning from failures, and staying agile as an entrepreneur. The conversation concludes with a discussion on leisure travel and Steve's favorite destinations.

Keywords: leadership, strategy, travel industry, technology, entrepreneurship, corporate travel, travel and expense solution, lessons learned, capital raising, failure, pivot, leisure travel

Takeaways

• Hold onto as much equity as possible when raising capital
• Don't go public until the company is significantly larger
• Take risks, learn from failures, and stay agile as an entrepreneur
• Corporate travel is evolving, and there is a need for a more seamless and user-friendly experience
• Embers aims to provide an end-to-end travel and expense solution
• Leisure travel allows for exploration and relaxation

Sound Bites

• "Companies, when they get afraid to make mistakes, they just get stuck."
• "Failure is just a stepping stone to success."
• "Wait until you're cashflow positive before raising capital."

Chapters

00:00
Introduction and Background

01:37
Lessons in Leadership and Strategy

08:18
Challenges and Opportunities in Corporate Travel

16:49
Building an End-to-End Travel and Expense Solution

19:29
Entrepreneurship and Lessons Learned

21:48
Leisure Travel and Favorite Destinations

23:43
Conclusion

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