Windspeaker Radio speaks with Kylik Kisoun Taylor of Tundra North Tours of Inuvik
Call 1-800-420-9652
Email: info@tundranorthtours.com
Location: 185 MacKenzie Rd. Box 2785, Inuvik, NT
A move north and being re-immersed into his culture changed the outlook of Kylik Kisoun Taylor in a transformative way, he said.
He wanted to create a job that honoured his culture and being out on the land, and tourism was the best fit for that. Thus began Tundra North Tours.
Starting a tourism business wasn’t hard, but staying open is a lot of work, he said. A lot of that challenge has to do with financing. “Trying to find money to help pay for staff and insurance.” And being so far away from the business market presented hurdles.
His family in the south are entrepreneurial, but tourism, particularly, tourism in the north was something new. So it was hard to find mentors that he could bounce his ideas off of. About four years ago though, he found CESO, a capacity-building organization.
Teaming up with CESO was the most beneficial thing that Tundra North Tours has done, said Taylor.
And he’s learned a few lessons that he would like to share with those wanting to venture into the business world:
a.) Take time to really plan.
b.) Look for the supports that are available.
c.) Find a mentor, and learn from their experiences.
“Once you get in it, you’re in it and it starts to move pretty quick and you don’t have time to think strategically.” Business is about more than just providing the service. There’s a lot of back-end things that can really sink the ship, and he’s learn that the hard way.