Inspirato’s Brad Handler on Revamping a Thousand-Year-Old Industry

Subscription Stories: True Tales from the Trenches

“Life is too short to play vacation roulette”. Brad Handler and his brother Brent are vacation entrepreneurs who incorporate membership and subscription into their luxury travel service, Inspirato. Brad joins Robbie to discuss the importance of “celebrating failure” when innovating, how a strategic approach to real estate and data give Inspirato a unique advantage, and the power of a “people-as-a-service” structure to create strong member relationships.

Highlights from this episode:

2:08 – Brad introduces Inspirato’s affordable business model

5: 49 – Brad explains the two travel products and services offered: Inspirato Membership, and Inspirato Pass

10:04 – Hospitality vs. real estate in the vacation business, why Brad chose to focus on hospitality, and the importance of specialization in a company

11:03 – Brad and Robbie discuss subscription vs membership business models

12:25 – Inspirato’s forever promise, and why a membership mindset is so important

14:03 – Brad highlights the importance of planning for success in the entrepreneurial world

16:07 – How Inspirato uses technology to pull ahead of its competitors

16:65 – Brad and Robbie get into the “nitty-gritty” of Inspirato’s business model, and talk about Robbie’s 7 steps for optimizing subscription business models

18:45 – Brad introduces his philosophy of “celebrating failure” to promote innovation

21:03 – Inspirato’s most important metrics, and how data collection can transform and improve customer experience

26:30 – Brad and Robbie discuss Inspirato’s key to lasting members: a personalized onboarding process

31:08 – Why Inspirato has decided not to make any services “free”

32:31 – How Inspirato is structured for profitability

34:12 – Brad and Robbie talk about the importance of customer satisfaction and success

37:01 – Brad and Robbie discuss how human relationships are a part of Inspirato’s success

37:55 – Brad offers advice to aspiring entrepreneurs and explains why passion is an indispensable asset

39:40 – Brad shares his tips for working alongside family, and how he and his brother have grown to be so successful together

41:58 – Robbie puts Brad through a round of rapid-fire questions

Brad’s Bio:

Brad Handler is an entrepreneur redefining the luxury travel industry. Brad began his career first as an engineer at Apple, then as an attorney at a top Silicon Valley law firm, and then at eBay as their first in-house counsel from 1997 to 2001. But he is best known for his innovation in the world of destination travel clubs. In 2002 Brad founded Exclusive Resorts with his brother Brent and served as the company’s CEO and chairman. They have since gone on to create Inspirato, a vacation service providing personalized, high-end travel experiences. Brad earned a bachelor’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, and a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Links:

• Brad’s LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-handler-8757a/
• Inspirato’s website : https://www.inspirato.com/
• Brad’s first company, Exclusive Resorts : https://www.linkedin.com/company/exclusive-resorts/
• Robbie’s Book THE FOREVER TRANSACTION : https://robbiekellmanbaxter.com/the-forever-transaction/
• Podcast Website: https://robbiekellmanbaxter.com/podcast