Jeff Joslin is the Founder and Owner of JJ’s Just 1 More Northern Michigan Tour, a tour operator and transportation services company. After receiving his degree is Business Marketing and Management from the University of Tennessee at Martin, Jeff spent seven years in the supply chain industry working for Plastech Engineering and Johnson Controls. In 2010, Jeff returned north to Michigan and worked in the oil and gas industry until 2018.
Jeff joins us today to discuss what it takes to run a tour company during the COVID-19 pandemic. He shared his background and discusses the value of being a jack of all trades. He describes his favorite part of owning a business and the financial challenges he faced when he launched his company. Jeff also highlights the power of perspective and explains how being an employee has helped him grow as a person and as a business owner.
“Sometimes, you need to give up a positive asset to move forward and take care of your business.” – Jeff Joslin
This week on Traversing Entrepreneurship
- Jeff’s background and what led him to start JJ’s
- The value of diversity and flexibility
- How Jeff learned business by doing
- How feedback and support from the local community inspires Jeff to work and grow JJ’s
- What separated JJ’s from other rideshare services and tour companies
- The tourism landscape in Northern Michigan and Jeff’s favorite part of owning a tour company
- How JJ’s supports other local and small businesses
- Financial challenges Jeff met when he launched his business
- How banks currently see small businesses
- How COVID-19 impacted the tourism arm of JJ’s and how Jeff navigated through the pandemic
- Why Jeff diversified his business into transportation and tours and how the tourism industry is coming out of the pandemic
- The differences between running an independent business and working for a corporation
Our Favorite Quotes
“Being a jack of all trades is common among many business owners.” – Derek Dall’Olmo
“Once you put your head down and get to work, people respect you and understand your message and what you’re trying to do.” – Jeff Joslin
“Ambition gets you to many places, but accessing funds is a different story.” – Derek Dall’Olmo
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About TreMonte Tax Solutions and Traversing Entrepreneurship Podcast
Traversing Entrepreneurship is a show for and about business owners in Traverse City, Michigan and beyond. In each episode, host Derek Dall’Olmo sits down with local business owners and the professionals who serve them to talk about business building, life, money, taxes, family — and all the ups and downs that come with doing something different. Join us to hear their stories and lessons learned — and to get inspired about what might be possible in your own business.
Derek Dall’Olmo is the founder of TreMonte Tax Solutions, a tax planning firm that serves business owners and entrepreneurs. This show is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon for investment decisions.
Email Derek Dall’Olmo at derek@tremontefinancial.com with questions, comments, and to schedule a one-on-one conversation, and follow him on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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