Portia Hart | Jeff Bezos, Community Immersion & 10,000 Hours as the Customer
Portia Hart is the founder of Blue Apple Beach, The Pink Mango and Townhouse in Cartagena, Colombia, with the goal of combining excellence, authenticity and sustainability throughout.
She is a pioneer of B-Corp standards in the Caribbean, a leading voice in regenerative hospitality, and the visionary behind the Green Apple Foundation.
She is also a passionate speaker on how to profitably put sustainability into practice and was named by Condé Nast Traveller as one of the people changing the future of travel.
My conversation with Portia is up there with my favourites from the podcast.
She’s incredibly engaging, full of great stories and has a hugely wide-ranging set of experiences in travel and hospitality that anyone in the industry can learn from.
Some of my favourite parts of this conversation were:
- Portia’s insight on community immersion and how she’s integrated into the local community as an outsider and helped to create systems an structures that support it.
- How to make sustainability profitable and put it at the heart of your business.
- Awkward hospitality and how to make guests feel welcome and comfortable.
- Having Jeff Bezos as a guest and what she’s learned from working with and hosting billionaires.
- The concept of of ‘the happy toad’ and how that contributes to a great culture and an effective team.
- The mission of the business – ‘have a nice time in a nice place’. Beautifully simple and so effective!
This one went by in a flash and I thoroughly enjoyed listening back a second time to pick out my favourite bits – I hope you do too!
Podcast Timestamps
00:00 Introduction to Portia Hart
01:23 Portia’s Journey to Colombia
04:12 Transitioning to Blue Apple Beach Club
08:15 The Birth of Blue Apple
12:01 Building a Community-Centric Business
17:37 The Importance of Community in Travel
24:49 Strategies for Community Engagement
32:24 Sustainability and Profitability in Tourism
34:04 The Natural World and Business Success
39:14 The Interconnection of Business and Community
41:47 Creating a Positive Workplace Culture
49:59 Defining Good Hospitality
56:32 Rethinking Luxury in Hospitality
01:01:05 The Purpose Behind Hospitality
01:05:12 Challenges in the Hospitality Industry
01:08:51 Innovative Management Structures
01:13:34 Personal Qualities of a Leader
01:17:43 Balancing Work and Family
01:23:26 Future Aspirations and Community Impact
01:28:01 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
