درباره این اپیزود
A live virtual travel company went from a single Zoom walk for one lonely mom to nearly 3 million participants worldwide—powered by just three full-time humans and a stack of AI tools. In this episode, you’ll hear how a lean team, authentic experiences, and smart automation turned a COVID catalyst into a thriving global community.
In this episode, Nick and Wowzitude Founder Susan Black discuss:
- Origin story of the virtual travel platform
- COVID as a catalyst for tour guides and audiences
- Building authentic, interactive live travel experiences at scale
- Using AI to personalize onboarding, support, and engagement
- Running a lean team and constantly experimenting with AI tools
Key Takeaways:
- A deeply personal problem, like helping an isolated parent during lockdown, can become the spark for a scalable business model that serves millions.
- Live experiences with real human guides can create a powerful community.
- Strategic use of AI for onboarding, conversational support, and content workflows can enable a very small team to operate at a massive scale.
- Treating AI as a true collaborator unlocks more value than treating it like a simple search engine.
“I didn't do it because I saw that there was a market need or a niche. I did it because during Covid, my mother was in lockdown and was going a little crazy as an older adult…” - Susan Black
About the guest, Susan Black and her company, Wowzitude:
Susan Black is the visionary behind Wowzitude, where she’s transforming how we experience travel. With over 40 years of leadership in the travel industry, Susan has fused her passion for exploration with cutting-edge technology to create live, interactive tours that connect people to the world in extraordinary ways.
Under Susan’s leadership, Wowzitude has grown into a global platform reaching 1.2 million subscribers through partnerships with museums, alumni associations, travel agents, and more. Her innovative approach not only inspires travel but also fosters community and cultural connection, proving that virtual experiences can lead to real-world journeys.
Connect with Susan and Wowzitude:
Website: https://wowzitude.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanblackassociates/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susansocial/?hl=en
Connect with Nick Trueman:
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/winning-with-shopify/id1373351568
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/winningwithshopifypodcast/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@winningwithshopify
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@winningwithshopify
Join our newsletter: https://wwspodcast.com/
SubSummit will be at Nashville City Center from June 21- 23, 2027. Join the waitlist HERE: https://subsummit.com/#waitlist
Book your meeting with Christopher George from SubSummit here: https://meetings.hubspot.com/chris3306/linkedin-profile?uuid=0c103e97-4adc-4c16-bbe6-794c92ab9c61
About SubSummit:
SubSummit brings together thousands of executives and operators from established enterprises, direct-to-consumer, fast-growing startups, innovative tech companies, active investors, and more. These pioneers come from across a broad range of industries, including e-commerce, media, publishing, retail, streaming, SaaS, digital, automotive, and beyond.
From FabFitFun to Walmart+ to MasterClass, the world’s leading brands leverage SubSummit to remain catalysts in consumer engagement and product experiences.
Simply put, if you’re in subscription, membership, or recurring revenue, you’re at SubSummit.
Website: https://subsummit.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/subsummit/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sub_summit/
Show notes by Podcastologist: Hanz Jimuel Alvarez
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.