We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Concannon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily, how do you think about risk?
We take risks with everything we do. Going to work, driving cars, and even walking to the mailbox poses its own set of “threats.” But, without risk, there’s really no value in doing something. Similar to the idea that if you could get anything you wanted just by wishing, nothing would really be worth anything if you didn’t have to work for it (or in this case, take a risk or two!) Why? Because the journey is part of the adventure.

I’ve been taking risks throughout my career, and while nerve-wracking in the moment, they only made my times of success that much more epic. Choosing to turn down a massive job promotion and instead quit my job to pursue a blogging career was a risk. Deciding to pick my life up and drive cross-country to Alaska where I hoped to get amazing content for a second blog was a risk. Creating a custom itinerary service to provide me a source of income while my blogs barely saw a penny was a risk.

Had I not taken all of these risks, I never would have shaped my blog into a successful company that supports my and my husband’s adventurous lifestyle. Without risk, there is no reward. With no reward, there wouldn’t be much motivation to try.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Emily Embarks began as a blog with less than 5,000 monthly readers and zero income back in 2021 when I decided to leave my full-time job that had great pay and benefits. According to most, “I threw it all away” for something that provided zero promise of success.

Averaging 50-60 hours per week, the time spent on this new blog quickly became immense. Particularly when six months in, I still hadn’t earned a single penny from my efforts. The journey was far from easy, but I continued to ask myself “why”. Why did I decide to start blogging? Why did I quit my job? What was it that I was after?

I wanted to be my own boss. I wanted to own my own company. And most of all, I wanted to travel whenever I wanted, wherever I wanted, without having to ask permission from somebody else. The answers to these questions, along with support from friends and family, were my motivation to keep going even when it seemed like nothing I was doing was working.

Pivoting in troublesome times, I decided to offer custom itinerary services to my small number of readers seeking travel expertise to help with my lack of income. I started with one package, later developing into twelve, where I assisted people from all over the world in traveling to the places they had always dreamed of going. I planned honeymoons, family reunions, and solo backpacking trips among many others.

Fast forward 18 months to when my blog became a six-figure business and transformed into Emily Embarks LLC, I’m now launching the start of my Travel Planning 101 course where I help travelers and travel planners of all levels plan trips from start to finish!

Throughout this journey, one thing became clear: starting a new business, regardless of what it’s about, is going to rise and fall time and time again. Month-to-month and year-over-year, your level of success is going to change. The trick is putting your head down and moving forward even when you receive pushback, and learning when to pivot your tactics when something isn’t working.

Nobody knows exactly what they’re doing. If we did, we’d all be rich! I’ve learned that the sooner I allow myself to fail, the sooner I will see success. Instead of fearing setbacks, I anticipate them and continue coming up with new ideas for the future. This mindset continues to allow Emily Embarks LLC to grow and is the #1 most important business strategy I’ve stuck with over the years.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Originally from the South Shore of Massachusetts, Boston quickly became one of my favorite cities growing up and still is to this day. If I had a friend visiting me for a week or more, preferably during the summer months, we’d start our week down on Martha’s Vineyard where we would enjoy lobster bisque in Menemsha and swimming on State Beach.

After a couple of days on the island, we’d make our way up to the city and hit the House of Blues for a local band and TD Garden for a sports game or epic concert. We’d get an Airbnb in the North End where I’d take them to Mike’s Pastry for cannolis and Al Dente for the best Italian food in the state.

We’d then make our way over to Southie (South Boston) for a visit to the iconic scene in Good Will Hunting for a pint at L Street Tavern before making our way over to The Broadway for pizza and brews. A quick walk through Quincy Market and a boat ride on the Schooner Adirondack III around the city at night would end our time in the city.

From there, if there’s time, we’d hit Jamaica Plain for the Sam Adams Brewery and Castle Island for a good walk and a hot dog. Boston is the heart and soul of New England, recognized worldwide as the (once) home of champions. Its people never fail to show their love and passion for this city and it’s a great place to learn about the true spirit of those living in the Northeast!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Before blogging became my full-time career, it started as just a hobby to connect with like-minded travelers who shared the same passion for exploring abroad. Fast forward a few years to when I learned that people were able to earn an income from travel blogging, I began researching what I needed to do to make it my reality too! SEO became a part of my daily vocabulary, and I stumbled upon a successful travel blogger who not only was on a mission to see the most beautiful islands on every continent, but also had a course called Scale Your Travel Blog to Six Figures explaining how she lived her dream life.

Naturally, I signed up as a new student and spent every spare second I had watching her lessons and studying the techniques she discussed in her course. Her name was Laura Peters Abalos, and she’s now a dear friend and travel buddy!

In addition to the person who taught me everything I needed to know to get started on my blogging journey, my husband supported me through the foreseen rollercoaster that comes with starting a new business from the ground up. He told me to stick with it when times got hard and I doubted that I’d ever see a single penny from my blog, and he has only celebrated with me in times of success. Both of these people have been true supporters in my career and absolutely deserve some recognition as being a part of my story.

Website: https://emilyembarks.com/, https://seatosummitalaska.com/

Other: Travel Planning 101 Course: Launching May 1st, 2024 https://emilyembarks.thrivecart.com/travel-planning-101/

Image Credits
All photos by Emily & Sean Concannon

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutMiami is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.