Last week I attended the launch party for See Jane Fly, the ultimate online travel planning guide for today’s on-the-go woman. With the launch of See Jane Fly, founder Erica Dublin is addressing an opportunity in the marketplace for a travel website that provides fast, customized, in-the-know destination guides with just a few clicks of the mouse. I think of See Jane Fly as a customizable mix of Daily Candy + Weekend Sherpa + CitySearch for the discerning female traveler.
The user experience is simple — after selecting a destination, you are prompted to answer a few questions about your trip. What type of trip is it – business, pleasure, solo, girl’s weekend? What’s your budget range, and what type of food, accommodations, workout style, nightlife, and activities are you into? Presto! The site creates a tailored 2-3 page list of recommendations that you can print out for your trip.
When I sat down with Erica, she shared with me the key lessons she learned from the experience of launching her first startup.
1. Stick to what you know best; delegate what you don’t know to others.
2. Start talking about your idea and people will help you.
3. Don’t worry about funding. Start building, be resourceful, scrap and bootleg it.
4. Make your startup an area or topic that you are personally passionate about.
See Jane Fly is launching six additional destinations in the next two months and will work with local writers in each city. Experience the See Jane Fly personalized travel guide experience for yourself here.
