93 - Martin Flanagan (Founder & General Manager - Canadian Rail Vacations)

Today I met up with Martin Flanagan, Founder and General Manager of Canadian Rail Vacations on The Kondrat Podcast.  Martin knew from a young age that he wanted to be self-employed and founded Canada Rail Vacations while still attending University.  He is proud to reflect on the fact that the company just celebrated their company’s 25th anniversary!  Not wanting to let a pandemic go to waste, Martin made some big changes in his life and business in 2020 that he talks about on the podcast.

The purpose of Canada Rail Vacations has always been to create magical travel memories - “We can literally create the most unique holiday available. Having travelled throughout our country, I have a lot of really amazing connections that I can call upon to make the most of every tour.”

As a result of the ongoing pandemic, Martin and his team have faced many challenges.  “With the onset of the pandemic, customers were all demanding their money be returned and we were refunding over $60,000 per day and we quickly saw our bank account drained.”

Martin is determined to come out of the pandemic stronger than ever, “We didn’t want to let a good pandemic go to waste so we used the time to rebuild the company infrastructure. I also stepped down as CEO and brought in a younger, smarter, more driven individual to take us to a higher level.”

Martin has an amazing story that will inspire anyone who listens.  I hope you enjoy our surprisingly interesting conversation.  

—

The Kondrat Podcast:  website | twitter | instagram | facebook

Canadian Sport Institute : website | twitter | instagram | facebook