Radha Vyas: From £20m revenues to bankruptcy & rebuilding Flash Pack 2.0

“They say all the best businesses in the world have nearly died three times. It’s an inevitable journey you go on when you're creating a high growth business.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Radha Vyas, Co-Founder and CEO of adventure travel startup, Flash Pack. Flash Pack is on a mission to create 1 million friendships through connecting solo travellers in their 30s and 40s to go on adventure trips they'll never forget. Since inception, Flash Pack has been on an incredible journey - reaching £20m turnover with a team of 60. However, with Covid hitting the travel industry the hardest, and with countless refunds from their customers, Flash Pack’s revenue quickly dropped down to zero. Fast forward to today, Radha and the Flash Pack team are quickly exceeding pre-Covid goals, have raised £5m for their expansion in the US and now have a team of 70, spread across the globe. In today’s episode, we’ll dive into every part of Radha’s journey to date and the crucial lessons she’s learned from rebuilding Flash Pack. Episode Chapters: ➡️ Radha’s entrepreneurial aspirations from an early age [4:45] ➡️ Starting Flash Pack off the back of a first date [10:08] ➡️ From idea to early-stage startup - the lessons learned [16:15] ➡️ How a selfie in Brazil became an accelerator for Flash Pack [20:43] ➡️ From flying high to an abrupt stop with Covid [27:07] ➡️ Navigating Founder life & being married to your Co-Founder [34:04] ➡️ Rebuilding after Covid - Flash Pack 2.0 [37:21] ➡️ An honest reflection on building a diverse team [39:20] ➡️ Hiring for values fit vs culture fit [42:14] ➡️ Audience question: Where is next on your travel list? [45:33] ⛳ Helpful links: ➡️ Connect with Radha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/radha-vyas-flashpack/ ➡️ Book your next trip with Flash Pack: https://www.flashpack.com/ ⭐Enjoyed this episode?⭐️ Keep up to date with all our latest episodes, by hitting the subscribe button on your favourite podcast platform. And for any feedback on what you enjoy the most and ideas on what we can do to make 40 Minute Mentor even better, please leave us a review on https://ratethispodcast.com/40mm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices