Meet Jane Turner | Entrepreneur and Adventurer

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

Hi Jane, how do you think about risk?

Risk to me is about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable in order to learn, grow and move forward. 

I’m adventurous by nature; risk tasking seems part of my DNA. Having said that I never go into things blindly. Of course, with any risk you must believe it’s possible and can yield a positive result. To mitigate risk, I do my best to understand all of the risk factors involved. Like goal settings, I visualize the result and work back. Along with that I follow my intuition, if it feels right, I commit 100% and try not to second guess my decision.

Risk taking doesn’t not always pay off in a tangible way. Learning from your failures is key. Then refocusing and moving on. Within this often lies much character building and valuable life lessons, in the best way. I feel the learning curve is much greater for those who get outside their comfort level and try something new.

What role has taking risks played in your life / career?

Taking risks has played an enormous role in my life and career. Whether intentionally or not I seek out challenges which often involve risk. I feel risk taking is an important and necessary part of personal growth. It can be exciting and forces you to be fully present. Everyone’s threshold for risk is different, I feel mine is reasonably high.

In my personal life risk has always played a big role from leaving New Zealand to travel and live abroad: to starting a business in another country: to my passion for the outdoors and rock climbing.

From an early age I wanted to see the world. However, to do this my parents said I would have to earn my own money to fund my travels. This eventually saw me living and working in Sydney, Japan, London and New York, finally settling in San Diego. I believe living so far away without a safety net made me hungry to figure things out and make life work.

I’ve now owned three businesses. I started my first with little money, zero background in business, let alone doing business in the USA. What I did have was the confidence and belief I could do it (thanks to parents who told me I could accomplish anything I put my mind to). With no formal education some would say a huge risk for me to start a business. In my eyes I believed I had worldly smarts (from traveling alone and working in different places), confidence (instilled in me by my parents), and the belief I would figure it out along the way (as I had done due to no hand-outs from family). I also had a good amount of naivety – which is hindsight benefited me greatly.

Rock climbing has taught me an incredible amount about evaluating risk and dealing with fear. It’s a sport which involves a high degree of focus, trust and commitment, without any of these it can have potentially fatal consequences.

Our day-to-day life is full of to-do lists and multi-tasking – its hard to feel like you’re really focused on any one thing. What I love about climbing is that everything stops when you’re climbing and you’re completely present. Each move requires unwavering focus to navigate your way up the rock as you search for tiny indentations or holds on the rock that will provide enough friction to stand on, if only for a few seconds allowing you to move upward while continually put hundreds of feet between yourself and the ground.

It requires the ability to ignore the sweaty palms, the doubting voice inside your head, to shut out the discomfort of being too hot or cold or the Elvis like shake in your leg of nervous energy and adrenalin – in general there can be a lot of discomfort in climbing, which you must learn to deal with.

Leading a climb (which is new for me) turns the intensity of risk up even more. With only the rope between yourself and partner and some gear to protect you in case of a fall can be intimidating and comes with added risk. Learning to keep a cool head and mental game is key. Learning to deal with fear is incredibly powerful and translates into all areas of life.

Being an entrepreneur also comes with risk, albeit different to rock climbing. As an example, I started my second business, Active Downunder (specializing in travel to New Zealand & Australia) in 2002. It enjoyed great success and attracted clients from all over the US. When Covid hit I watched my business come to a screeching halt within a matter of days. 20 months on and we’re still waiting for borders to re-open. It’s taken a lot to deal with this blow. Fortunately, the entrepreneur in me decided to pivot and start a new business.
In August 2021 I launched Vida Vie Concierge and Lifestyle Services.

I currently own two businesses. 

Active Downunder, a boutique travel company specializing in travel to New Zealand and Australia is currently in hibernation until borders re-open.

My newest business, Vida Vie Concierge & Lifestyle Services offers on-demand personal, travel, corporate and lifestyle concierge services to busy professionals designed to give clients back precious hours in their day. With just one call clients can access a wide array of services from gift shopping, house-sitting, bill paying to arranging a weekend getaway or once if a lifetime trip. We also have a growing business referral list of lifestyle specialists, such as Personal Wardrobe Stylists, Plant Based Nutritionists, Sustainability coaches along with home and office services. 

On the travel side of the business, I have also formed affiliations with two of the most respected luxury travel organizations in the world, Virtuoso and ProTravel International. This means we can also offer travel services ranging from advice on new travel protocols, travel insurance and global repatriation, rush passport service, VIP access, upgrades and much more to our clients in San Diego and across the US. In today’s new world of travel a trusted and experienced travel advisor is more important than ever.

Vida Vie is like hiring a personal assistant who is extremely well connected and has an in-house full-service travel department. We’re a one-stop-shop for busy professionals and luxury travelers.

We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about.

Sets us apart

Our wide array of concierge services which includes a full-service travel service.

Our affiliation with two of the largest and most prestigious luxury travel companies in the US (ProTravel International & Virtuoso) brings great benefits to our clients and truly sets our concierge service apart. 

I’m thrilled to now be well positioned to serve the luxury/VIP traveler both locally and to any destination in the world.

Supporting local small businesses. Everyone has suffered during Covid, particularly small businesses so it’s great to support local. 

Proud of or excited about
I’m proud of being in business 18 years and building a reputation within the travel industry (specifically in the New Zealand & Australia space).

Creating a new business during Covid, which complements my existing business and continues to be in-line with my own values of maintaining a healthy and balanced life. 

Making the cut after a vetting process to become a member of prestigious Virtuoso (leading agencies specializing in luxury & experiential travel).

I’m always excited to climb more mountains!

How did you get to where you are today business-wise.

A lot of hard work! Listening to our clients, outstanding customer service, being agile, only working with clients who are the right fit, building strong relationships, being disciplined and the support of friends and family.

Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges?

Being a small business is never easy. It’s your business, your reputation and your responsibility. You have to allocate your time wisely and efficiently.

I decided early on that I didn’t want to be a big business; however, this meant becoming a jack of all trades. Unlike big companies I am my IT, HR and Legal department! A small business owner does it all, whether you enjoy it or not. It does mean every day is different and full of variety.

Understanding your job is never done – there is ALWAYS something to do but working endless hours is not healthy or productive. You must be disciplined and schedule time off. I’ve seen the impacts on your health too much work can have and decided I did not want that to be my journey.

Putting processes in place is key and never losing sight of why you’re in business help you overcome the challenges.

What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way.

Don’t try and be everything to everyone. Do what you do best and hire experts in the fields you know nothing about.

Do not be afraid to turn business away if it’s not the right fit. Stick to what you do best.

Know and understand your target market.

Ignore the naysayers. Listen to what they have to say and prove them wrong!

Business is about relationships. Nuture them – they’re super important. 

Be nice. People want to do business with people they like and enjoy working with.

Honesty is the best policy!

What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?

I started in business to create the life I wanted which included flexibility to be active and to travel. I did not graduate high school, let alone college however that didn’t stop me from becoming a business owner. (I’ve now started 3 businesses). I think my friends would tell you I’m passionate about whatever I set out to do, tenacious, resourceful, disciplined and have a never give up attitude.

I’m very proud of both my brands.

Active Downunder has been around 18 years and I am sure will continue to thrive once travel confidence returns. 

Vida Vie offers a wide array of concierge services to busy professionals. It’s like having a very well-connected Personal Assistant who is also a full-service travel advisor. 

Time is our most precious commodity. Dolly Parton said it best ‘don’t get so busy you forget to make a life’. Vida Vie gives our clients back precious hours in their day to do what they love with those they love.

Through Covid I think we’ve all had a chance to re-evaluate our lives. Many of us are re-prioritizing to live a healthier and more balanced life. This is the very reason I started in business so I’m looking forward to helping others achieve this through Vida Vie.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Day 1: Bike Mission Bay, boardwalk to PB, La Jolla
Evening: Pop up picnic at Sunset Cliffs
Dinner: Fish Tacos from Blue Water in OB and dessert from Azucar OB
Day 2: Downtown/Coronado – take ferry with bike to Coronado. Explore island by bike stopping at historic Hotel Del Coronado
Sunset drinks at Top of the Hyatt
Dinner in Gaslamp area
Day 3: Drive to Joshua Tree National Park – hike, climb, camp. The stars at night are incredible.
Day 4. Joshua Tree National Park – Palm Springs (catch the tram to top)
Overnight Palm Springs. So many cool places to eat, drink stay here.
Day 5: Visit Hillcrest Market with lunch from food trucks then spend afternoon at Balboa Park with dinner in Little Italy
Day 6: La Jolla Day – wander stores, walk the coast from Windansea to La Jolla Shores
Sunset drinks at La Valencia
Dinner: Georges at the Cove
Day 7: Beach day with drive up coast from La Jolla, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Cardiff, Encinitas. Lunch in Encinitas – so many good places!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

My parents for instilling in me from an early age that I could do anything I set my mind to.

Craig Miskimmin for employing me in my first Sales role along with an amazing Executive Team who made training a priority and all the lifetime friends I made during that time.

Debbie and Jeff for letting me live in their spare bunk room while I started my first business.

Diane Garrett for believing in my business idea and connecting me with valuable resources.

Website: www.activedownunder.com and www.vidavieconcierge.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/active_downunder/ AND https://www.instagram.com/vidavieconcierge/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/active.downunder/ AND https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100022342117263