Awesome woman owned Alaska tour businesses

Jennie is joined by Alaskan entrepreneurs Mandy Garcia, Stephanie Millane and Kierre Childers to talk about being a woman owner of a small Alaska tour business from how they got to Alaska to how they became entrepreneurs to a bit about their businesses!

Mandy’s company - Salmonberry Tours and Travel

Stephanie’s company - Sunny Cove Kayaking (use this link for a 5% discount)

Kierre’s company - Revel Treks and Tours (use this link and code PALMERUNCOVERED for a 10% discount)

Copper Whale Inn - small woman owned hotel where we recorded this episode in downtown Anchorage

Woman owned tourism businesses in Alaska 

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Music credits:  Largo Montebello, by Domenico Mannelli, CC.

Transcript

Jennie Flaming: 0:05

Hi everyone, before we jump into the show today, I wanted to let you know if you're listening to this episode in real time on November 20, 2024. I have a flash sale going on this week for my digital planners and my itineraries for Alaska, and also for my 30 minute planning sessions. So that only goes this week, so you've just got a couple days to get in on that. Of course, you can always get those things anytime, but if you want to get the special price, get in there right now. So the first couple links in the show notes are going to be those links that will only be good this week in real time. And I'll put the others that are always in the show notes to those things as well. So you can grab those if you want to. All right, here's the show. Welcome to the Alaska uncovered podcast with me, your host, Jennie twing flaming, my occasional co host and full time husband, Jay and I bring you accurate, helpful and entertaining information about Alaska, travel and life in Alaska. Before we start the episode, we would like to thank our Patreon members for making this podcast possible. You can join them at the link in the show notes. We are so grateful for your support of independent podcasts. Enjoy the show. music, Well, today we have a really special episode. Today, we are talking about women who own small businesses in Alaska, and before I introduce our guests, I just want to thank the copper whale Inn in downtown Anchorage for hosting us today. We're getting to do this live, not live in person. And so that's pretty cool. So thank you copper whale, which, by the way, is a small woman owned business. Woo hoo. And I also wanted to say that there are many amazing women owned businesses in Alaska. This is just a small sample with three awesome women here today, and there are lots, lots more. So maybe this will be a regular series, I'm not sure, but today I want to welcome Mandy and Kierre and Stephanie, and I'm going to ask each of you to introduce yourself and say what the name of your business is, where it is and how you got to Alaska. Mandy, let's start with you.

Mandy: 2:53

All right. Hi everybody. I'm Mandy. I'm with salmonberry tours. We have we're headquartered here in Anchorage, Alaska, and downtown Anchorage. We have guide teams in Anchorage, as well as Hatcher pass tell kitna and Aurora viewing guides up in Fairbanks. Now we're really excited to be here. Thank you. Yeah, and Mandy, how did you get to Alaska? I drove up here, like 20 years ago after college. I got in my truck, loaded it up, drove to Alaska and started a life. I thought it was only going to be here a year. And common story, right? It's common story. You'll hear it all the time. And I was working for, like a big business, a corporate company. And what drew me to Alaska tourism was definitely like this passion for glaciers. I studied business back in Wisconsin, and then, you know, my goal was to get out of this big corporate world and maybe have some passion and connection with what I was doing. Cool. I got that tourism that's awesome.

Jennie Flaming: 4:00

Great. Okay, Stephanie, How about how about you? What's your business? Where is it? How did you get to Alaska?

Stephanie: 4:07

Yes, I'm Stephanie Millane, and I own Sunny Cove kayaking. I came to Alaska by accident. I didn't really plan to come to Alaska. It was just one of the 12 jobs I applied for and got, and my first job in Alaska I didn't like, and I abruptly left in the middle of the season like a solid 20 something would Yes, and then I came back up and fell into guiding, and have been here ever since.

Jennie Flaming: 4:34

Awesome. Yeah, love it. Okay, and so here, how about you? Yeah.

Kierre: 4:40

So my name is Kierre Childers, and I own revel treks and tours based in Palmer, Alaska. So that's about an hour away from Anchorage, if you're if you're unfamiliar with where that's at. And yeah, I came up to Alaska to volunteer on a trail crew even shorter than Mandy. I plan to stay for four months. Yes. Yeah, it just kind of got sucked in. I yeah, I didn't really know what the trajectory was when I landed here, but I'm really glad to be here. So that was in 2015 so this okay? 2025, 10 years, a decade and 11, yay.

Jennie Flaming: 5:15

That's so cool. Thanks. Okay, so thanks again, all of you for being here, I would love to hear a little bit more about how you came to be a business owner. So you all talked about non business owner paths to your career. So how did you get to this point where you're now owning a small business? Let's see Stephanie. Let's start with you

Stephanie: 5:40

sure I was a bossy child. We might have that in common. I now call that assertive. And you know, I didn't if you would have told my 18 year old self I was going to be a business owner, I would have never believed you. I kind of fell into business. It turns out that assertiveness was leadership, and it was just rougher on the edges. And, you know, I fell into guiding, and had a guiding career in Alaska for a few years, and ended up in Seward with Sunny Cove kayaking. And and I was a rookie guide when I joined the company, but it was really pretty fast that I knew that Seward was going to be my home, like that's where I wanted to be. I loved Seward right away. And not long after arriving in Seward, I talked to the original owner of the company and said, you know, if you ever decide to sell the company, I would be super interested. And of course, without any means necessary to buy a company at the time. And in 2017 or 2018 he started talking about retiring, and I started slowly making plans. And in late 2018 he told me it was time to figure it out, because he was going to retire or sell it. And so I figured it out and bought the company four months before COVID. I'm here. I'm still here. It's good. It's okay,

Jennie Flaming: 7:12

Wow, amazing. Yeah, wow, yeah. And by the way, for those of you listening sunny Cove kayaking Stephanie's company is one we've talked about in a previous episode in July, when Danny and Andrew, who are also podcasters who Stephanie got them started in podcasting, which is awesome. Um, so if you want to know more about sunny Cove, specifically, go back and listen to that episode. Okay, so Kierre, let's go to you. How did you end up being a small business owner, owning a business?

Kierre: 7:48

Yeah, so I, yeah, I did not plan on owning a business. I would say definitely. I wouldn't call it an accident, but it was mostly for me, owning a business. The it was the path to combining all the things that I cared about. So I really, my background professional is in communications and public relations. I love communicating with people. I love connecting with the community. So I think that's a part of the business for me. I really love event planning, which is a component of that in tourism as well. I mean, every day it's like this mini event you get to plan for people. It's magical. And then the third part, the tourism part, I would say, was kind of the last part that it was like, Oh my gosh, Alaska is such a beautiful place to share with people. And I Yeah, so those three pieces, so my guiding background in Alaska came up to be outside on a trail crew, right? Not really guiding, but being outside that would be the fourth passion, I would say, Yeah. Then went back to kind of my PR background, working for an electric cooperative in Palmer. So fell in love with that community. Missed being outside guided in Denali for a few years, and was really feeling like I am so close to like all the things that I love and could have in a job, but I found myself really missing the Valley community I was guiding in Denali and also helping with operations, and I just felt like I feel really lucky having worked for The folks that I did because I grew my confidence a lot, and I think that they really helped build that in me, like that I was capable of doing kind of more of the operation side of things. And then I would say, after a few years in tourism, I really felt like we had, we have such a huge opportunity to connect locals to the outside places in Alaska as well. And so, like, I was writing in my journal, like, these are the things I care about. I'm like, I'm 70% committed to starting my own business. Not really sure. Yeah, it's gonna do it. And I called, I think I called my uncle. I don't remember exactly. So I'm. Anybody. And was like, What do you think? I'm like, I keep writing this, and they're like, if you're thinking about it, like you're too late. And I'm like, Oh my gosh. Like, what do you mean? I'm too late. So that's a long, rambling story, but basically that was like, I just needed a nudge. You know that something was like, you could do this. Like, yeah, and just go for it. What do you have to lose? So, yeah,

Jennie Flaming: 10:22

cool. Thanks. Kierre, okay, Mandy, how about you?

Mandy: 10:26

So SalmonBerry was founded by Candace, and she is an amazing entrepreneur. And I do, I do have some entrepreneur skills, not as many as she does. So I we have a really great we have a really great yin and yang relationship, because she's an amazing entrepreneur. She dreamed up salmonberry as a small group and private day tour company when the majority of the businesses that were operating 19 years ago were big bus like, how many people could you fit in the vehicle, and we're gonna link you from the cruise ship to an attraction or to the lodging, and a lot of that packaging was being done in a grander scale. Yeah, so she really had this vision of small group and private. And really, when I met her, we were friends, and I had, like, a part time guiding gig, because I love Alaska history and glaciers, and I love sharing that information. And then on my ride along, I was like, Oh, this is what you need to do, this different and this and this, and why aren't you taking money ahead of time? And so weirdly, I I'm less of a entrepreneur, more of like an execute. I execute the plan, yeah. And so my practice in entrepreneurship is really developing and doing product development, yeah. And so that's that creative side of it, and how I fell into it was just simply that, yeah, I went from a part time tour guide to saying all the things we needed to change to be more efficient. I did mention I was a business degree major, but it was an operations, yeah. So I really like a lean ship, lean lean team, and very purposeful with what we're doing the people that we have hired, they're all Alaskans, and so I became an owner the year she got pregnant with twins. I made a joke, and I said, if it's twins, I'm out, yes, and it was just a joke because she's my best friend, right? So she says, she calls me up, and she says, It's twins, I want you to become an owner, yes, and so I took it. It's been an awesome ride. So we're celebrating our 20th year in May. Oh yeah, yeah,

Jennie Flaming: 12:57

that is really cool. Okay, so I want to talk next a little bit about some of the unique things about being a woman and a business owner, specifically in the Alaska tourism industry. I think it's really fascinating that what I heard with what you were sharing is that none of you were like 17 and in high school, and like my dream is to start a business, at least. What I heard is like you found what you wanted to do, and you were good at it, and then you just kept going, and then it kind of made sense. And I feel that way for my journey as a business owner also. So that's really interesting, but I'd love to hear a little bit about, you know, and we can talk. It can be conversational, too. It doesn't have to be me just asking directly, but what are some of the things that are unique about that, or good about that, challenging, about that. Kierre, do you want to start us off?

Kierre: 13:49

Yeah. So from my perspective, you know, I'm, I'm a a newer, yes, newer business owner to the scene. I feel really lucky to be sitting at the table with these like pro women, right? Yeah. And so what has been amazing for me, this is rebels, third year of business is just getting exposed to the tribe of women. In tourism in Alaska, yeah, in outdoor rec, it is, I can't even begin to describe how amazing it is, yeah. And just to feel like you are so welcomed from day one, and you know everybody is in your corner. They want to see you succeed. I felt that from the beginning of starting the business, and I don't think it was always like that. And so to have that tribe is just, I feel really, really lucky to be a woman business owner in Alaska, cool that that tribe is, it's spread out, right? Alaska is a big state, so, you know, like, I see Mandy two or three times a year, and every time I see her, I'm stoked, yes, yeah, like, like, it was yesterday, and that's great. So that community definitely exists, and that's a great part about Alaska. And when we you know there's currently an event going on in Anchorage in the travel industry. And when you go to these events, it's incredible. When you start looking around the room, how many women are in Yeah, and it's a lot more than it used to be. Yeah, that's awesome. It's amazing. So can I ask a question related to that? Do? Well, yeah, you've been in it longer than I have, so what has changed? But there's more. Because I, I feel really lucky to be in it now. But like, what? Like, what did it look like 10 years ago, and why is it different now? You

Stephanie: 15:36

You know, I'm trying to put my finger on that, because it's not just at this level, at an ownership level, or at a, you know, upper end level. It's my staff. It used to be really hard to find female guides, and I'd have two or three female guides, and last year, I had two or three male guides. And that's how it's been the last few years. And I think women are just being given a better avenue to get out and explore and be outdoors, and to do be in leadership roles in general. I know, growing up, you know, I graduated in the early 90s. I don't like that, dating myself, but anyway, I grew up early 90s. And in the early 90s, you know, I literally left high school with a plan to get married and have kids like and that was my route out of high school and to work a job I hated, just to make, you know, to survive. And I didn't feel like there was a strong path in front of me. I accidentally got into guiding. And when I got into guiding, it was astounded. It was a thing that existed, that I could do, and I think that that, you know, outdoor rec programs and just in general, like, it's a lot easier. I don't want to say it's a lot easier to be a young woman, but there's more doors that are wide open than there used to be. A lot easier to walk through. I think too, that mentorship.

Mandy: 16:55

I think this all you know, all, what is it? High tides, right? As all the boats raise all the boats. Yeah, whatever that phrase is, you can scratch that. But it was close. It was close. I tried. You got what I was trying to say. I think, I think that's a really big difference when I think about 10 years ago versus today. But even even with that, there's been women mentors in our life that have any you know, maybe they were in a mentor in a different way. Like, it's just so much easier to call Stephanie to be. Like, how the heck did you do this? Right? Like, because, and I guess Alaska tourism, it's less cutthroat than other industries, right? So we're all trying to get people to Alaska, and what they do, we hope that they do one of our tours, or they take one of our travel packages, but if they don't, we know that the people that we partner with in the industry is a solid quality industry, and what we want is a solid quality industry, and I think having you know more women in leadership positions allows you to have that attention to detail and the passion. And right before we were talking, I was saying, how, you know, I'm working on not being embarrassed about my passion, but you know, if you have to cry because you're excited or sad or it sparks something in you don't you want to go with somebody that cares. Yeah, right. You want to go with it. You want to work for a person that cares. You want to go on tour with a person that cares. Yeah, those little details that you think of, you know, they might not be the best business move every single time, but that person will remember you, yeah, and they'll come back, or they'll tell somebody else, this is a people business. It's not, yeah, it's not a machine, yeah, you know. And I love the variability of day to day, don't you? Oh, yeah, like this morning, I was entering rates today, right now I'm doing a podcast. Yeah? Tomorrow, you're tomorrow. But like, even you know, you still greet the guests and take them to the boat. Like, I still answer the phone. You're still answering the phone, yeah. And I think that's the coolest part, even after all these years Kia ora, you're still gonna be doing what you're doing in a couple years, right? Like, that's the cool part about Alaska tourism in general, but again, women have shaped this industry into being collaborative, yeah, and welcoming.

Jennie Flaming: 19:31

I think that is really true. Mandy, yeah, it's really cool. And I would just add to that also for people listening. You know, nearly all tour operators in Alaska are small business businesses, even if they're not women, you know, like, even if you're booking a tour, like on a cruise ship, most of them are small local companies. And I think the fact that there are so many owned by women, right? Lead does kind of bring out that collaborative side. Not that men can't be collaborative. Okay, what other what other thoughts do you you have about that? Oh, just this whole, like the women, you know, like collaborative stuff, women, business, that kind of thing. Well,

Stephanie: 20:29

I think you know that Mandy kind of alluded to it, and the The struggle is real. Like every single one of us at this table has internally thought, I, what am I doing? Why am I here? I can't do this, you know. And we're surrounded by you who are like, well, of course you can. And so that, you know, the struggle with the imposter syndromes a thing, and that's hard to push through by yourself, you know. So knowing there's people around you who are going to look at you and be just literally say, Don't be an idiot. You're already doing it, you know, just like, You're fine, you're gonna be okay, yeah? Or they're just to listen to, you know, what your issue is, and help you work through it. And that's amazing, yeah? It's an amazing thing, yeah?

Mandy: 21:12

And it kind of makes me think about, like, you know, women also go through different stages in their life than men do. I mean, that's just the bottom line, right? And you know, at our company, we have a super great maternity leave policy. You can bring your baby. I love baby, babies and dogs. I love babies and dogs, yes, but bring your babies, they gotta be a good office baby, right, right? Everybody's had a bad office baby, but Candace was. Candace had a bad office baby. She's gonna hear this, but I had great office babies and but the thing is, is that, like, you need to provide the environment to welcome women into your company too. So if you're a company that's like, I want to attract a more diverse workplace, you need to, you may need to meet them there. You know, they also want 401, K and benefits. And it doesn't have to be a traditional benefits package like you'd get in some other giant industry in Alaska, but it can be. You can live off of you can live off of this. And I think even today, people don't realize that tourism is a year round sustainable career for many people, yep, and it's our job that sitting at this table to, you know, shout it at the rooftops and provide that space for people to come in from other industries that are boring and come on over. And you know, we welcome more more women need to join

Jennie Flaming: 22:49

Yeah, get in here, ladies. Yeah, yeah, you know, I'll have everybody's website and the show notes. So anyone out there looking for a job, you know, these are for the right people.

Stephanie: 23:09

I start very early. Wow, because the all of you out there, yeah, the ones who really want it start early. It's the ones who apply in March for April training that I'm like,

Jennie Flaming: 23:25

you know, this is actually something that I think would be really interesting to talk about, also is just hiring, right? And, and if there are anything like, tell me a little bit about the things that you're really looking for in your step, whether that's guides or people that work in your office or do reservations or meet people at the airport or the dock, what are you looking for, and do you feel like from your perspective as a woman, that changes what you're looking for. And I realized none of us can speak for men

Mandy: 24:04

women's intuition is a thing. Like, you can walk through the door and I'll be like, yes, yeah, I know that sounds crazy. No, you can walk through the door. You can be like, Yep, they're a guide. Um, but if you can't, so one of my favorite questions is, what's your favorite place in Alaska. And if that doesn't make your eyes light up, you're not hired like that just doesn't. It's a perfect question to be like, you know, do you got it? Do you got what it takes after you walk through the door, of course? So you're

Stephanie: 24:33

totally like, I trust my gut, and every time I haven't trusted my gut, I've regretted it. Yeah, I'll give you an example. Last winter, I did an interview, and the interview was fine, but at the end of it, I was like, I don't know what it is, the interview went fine, but there's something about it that's not sitting right with me. So I often have somebody else interview a second time if I can't decide, and that second person who was a man, I. I got off to the interview and was like, No, it's fine. They're fine. It's fine. Said person was hired, and then five weeks later, bailed. I was right. I was right the whole time.

Mandy: 25:15

This is tough because you already you have no, you have not received any of your investment,

Jennie Flaming: 25:20

and you probably said no to other people that, yeah, yeah. I'm sure you did,

Stephanie: 25:24

yeah, yeah. So it's, it's a it's a thing and, and I really do trust my intuition when it comes to hiring, but I think it is different. I know for me, you know, I'm hiring primarily guides, and I'm not looking for somebody who's a great kayaker. I can teach anybody to kayak. I'm looking for somebody who's empathetic, who understands people who can one of my big rules is you have to talk to everybody like you've known them your whole life. You just met them, you know, and that's how you answer to the phone. Is like your favorite answer on the phone, yeah. And you know, people who are connectors, who are curious and who want to learn and who are willing to work hard, and I'm not afraid to tell somebody no either, you know, so, yeah, but carrying people,

Jennie Flaming: 26:15

yeah, I think, and I can imagine, especially with something like kayaking, you know, you're gonna have people who panic, I'm sure, or you know, knowing that they'll be able to walk alongside someone through that, I'm sure, is huge,

Stephanie: 26:29

and also be screening that they're seeing a whale four months into the season video, and they're like, Oh my God, that's a whale. Yeah? Yelling

Mandy: 26:43

need somebody with that, with that level of enthusiasm, for sure, yeah, we, we have kind of a fun little hiring thing. We need great drivers, right? Yeah. So we, you, we all have CDLs at sanburi. So we have a CDL training program and all that. And so we can train someone to drive for a certain extent, right? Like, if you got bad habits, you got bad habits, but sometimes the best drivers are actually not the best tour guides. And so we have to weed that we have to weed that out too, in the guide interviews, even, because we are year round. You know, do you stop fast? Do you start fast? That doesn't work in the winter, right? So that's like, there might be a summer only, yeah,

Jennie Flaming: 27:38

yeah, but yeah,

Kierre: 27:39

we, I'm we're much smaller, I think, than both of you and like, this is like the second summer where we've had other guides besides me, right? So we're small and growing. But I really love asking people what they're passionate about, yeah, because also knowing that it's like that, that becomes a training opportunity for the rest of the team, yeah, and it also, since we're all like, small group and private, it's then if I get a call from somebody that's like, I really want to know about plants, and I know, like, okay, UTA needs to guide this trip, because Utah is the, she is the, yeah, passionate about plants. And so I feel like that goes a really long way, and it's cool to share within the team, and you

Mandy: 28:23

don't want to lose that. Yeah, so we also do a level of that as well. But as you grow, you know, I mean, there's definitely some times where I was like, that's not the best guide for that trip. But you know, the operations you need to, like, Whatever you know about that you need to be able to teach your operations team and your scheduling and all that, that way you don't lose that piece, which makes you special. Yeah,

Jennie Flaming: 28:49

I think that, I think that's a huge benefit of being any type of small business, is that you can hold on to that core, you know, and you don't have to worry about, like, what your stockholders are doing or whatever, yeah, or people who live nine states away, and, yeah, that's cool. Um, so yeah, I think that's really interesting. Like that. None of you said, like, oh, well, I need them to be, like, a super fast hiker. Like, here you were, like, yeah, that doesn't really matter. It matters a little. It's probably good, super fast hikers.

Kierre: 29:24

We are the putsiest hikers. It's just, you just need to manage time. That's all from the guiding perspective. I mean, there's some safety things too, but sure, speed is not, not a requirement at all. Yeah?

Stephanie: 29:36

Guides, barely paddle.

Jennie Flaming: 29:41

I believe that. Yeah, cool. Okay. So what advice do you have for travelers, or what would you want people to think about if they're like, hey, maybe actually, let's start with people who are on a cruise, because I have a lot of clients. It's or when I'm working as a tour director, which is for somebody else, guests who, like, they're really looking for local experiences, even if they booked a cruise with, like, a big publicly traded cruise line. So I'm curious what, what all of you would say for people who, however, they booked their trip, but maybe especially in those situations. How can people support local businesses, women owned businesses when they're traveling in Alaska?

Mandy: 30:31

Well, the travel Alaska actually has a women owned businesses blog. So if that's a great resource, travel, put whatever yours is, yeah, so you can use those women owned resources, like on on Jennie site and but I would say, for anyone taking a cruise up to Alaska, if you do a cross golf cruise, you end up in our neighborhood, right? So being able to book a cross golf cruise will allow you to see more of the parts of Alaska. So, you know, you can stay two, three, plus more days and really get another look at a totally different side. Yeah, and there's, you know, we could even pick you up from the ship. So I think it's really cool. And you know what, when my first thought of the question, it didn't have anything to do with cruises, my real, my real, like number one is like, don't just bust in and bust out. Oh yeah, like that, slow down. Totally. It's not about the places that you're going. So I, I really, you know, Alaska is so large that a lot of the searches that you're gonna get, it's very regional specific. But you how, when you travel, you don't travel. You're like, I'm going to this place. Really. You're like, I want to go somewhere and I want to go kayaking. So if I were getting that phone call, I'd be like, Okay, get into Anchorage. Overnight in Anchorage, get on down to Seward. Spend some nights in Seward. Be able to do the full kayak cruise. You don't have to, you know, you don't want to, like, you don't have to, like, rush off the kayaking, get on a train, or rush off kayaking, get on a shuttle. So, like, slow down. You know, a one night stay everywhere is not going to give you anything. It won't, it won't allow you to go to those small businesses. You'll be too tired, yeah, so just slow down, or

Jennie Flaming: 32:31

you'll be getting moved or moving yourself all the time, and you just don't have time to do things, correct?

Mandy: 32:38

Yeah? A lot of the, you know, a lot of the package transfers that are out there that you can see those packaged land tours. They're like, one night, one night, one night, yeah. They want everybody to, like, enjoy the cruise, and then see the little bit of it, yeah, in the land. And when we get those repeat visitors, the visitors that have already done this, like cruise, and then a quick land tour, four day land tour, in Alaska, they're able to really take advantage of, you know, staying in a local boutique hotel, stay in it who doesn't want to stay in a cabin in the woods, right? So being able to give back to those communities, too, if you think about it, you know you can feel better about your trip if you know that that money is staying in that area.

Jennie Flaming: 33:27

Yeah, absolutely.

Stephanie: 33:29

But a lot of those some not just tooting my own horn. I'm not the only one who does this, but a lot of those smaller owned companies contribute money directly back into the community, and not through just their tax base, but through programs that they've, you know, incorporated into their businesses that put cash back into local organizations. Yep, yep.

Jennie Flaming: 33:50

Yeah. Karen, do you want to add anything about that? From,

Kierre: 33:53

I love what Mandy said about the kind of slow down the pace that you need to think you should go to try and see all the things, because you'll never see all the things. Yes, yeah. But I would also add, don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call Yes. Kind of goes back to the amazing tribe of women in Alaska tourism, because if you call me and you're not a good fit for what we offer, you know, I'm going to connect you to the business that is like, yeah, if you're like, I want to do this, this and this, and I want to have this type of trip, and maybe it's a salmon berry trip, yep, and I'm going to give you salmon berries number and, and I think that we love sharing, yeah, you know the resources that we know about, and that you don't always get that from visiting a website, but yeah, call and pick up the phone. I feel like you really get to know Yeah, and you

Mandy: 34:40

don't, the websites are tough, right? Like, they all are shiny and pretty. Like, do you want to go with a company that, when they answer the phone, they have a smile on their face? Like, you want to listen to they want to listen to you. They don't just want to give you package 101, because that's not the company, you know, that's not, that's not the companies that are at this table. Well, you don't have package one on ones. Yeah, so yeah.

Jennie Flaming: 35:06

Hey everyone. Jennie, here. I hope you are enjoying this really fun episode with awesome women who are running businesses in Alaska. And I, if you want to support my women owned business. Then I just wanted to let you know that this week, so if you're listening in real time, you got to take advantage of this right away to get the special price. I've got a flash sale going on my planning sessions and also in my digital shop. So those links this week in the show notes will be to that discount. Okay, back to the show. You know, it's funny because I, I always tell people, if they're in a new place and they're looking for, like, a food recommendation or something, I'm like, ask your whoever your guide is. Like, just ask them. Or ask the your your vacation rental host or the person working in the lobby of your hotel. And I think sometimes people think they're gonna have some kind of company line, but like, that's not no the way it is. That's not really the way restaurants are here for one thing, but I think that as an another benefit of that is you can say like, Hey, what's your favorite place to go? Or, you know, for somebody who really, is really into beer or seafood or tea or coffee or dessert or whatever, it's like, people who live there are gonna promote other small, perhaps, off the beaten track, you know, suggestions of just places to eat or buy things. I mean, I have people ask me all the time, like, where's a good place to buy this or that or whatever. And I think with, especially with small businesses, guides are, like, more likely to be invested in that community, even if they're there seasonally, to, like, say, you know, Oh, yeah. Like, this is a great food truck. And, you know, Seward or whatever, yeah, is, is there anything else any of you would like to share, either about, like, advice for visitors in this way, or anything else we should talk about? And I have a couple wrap up questions for you too.

Mandy: 37:23

I don't know. I mean, definitely slow down if you can stay one more day. Yeah, the I don't know. I plan ahead. I mean, if there's something that's on your I must do, like, think of the picture that you think of in Alaska in your head. So I say Alaska. You think of this like, if you have to do that, which, that's our goal is to show you what you have in your head, then you need to plan ahead. Yeah, and generally, we'll start booking for summer, year out, and then peak Aurora viewing is also a year out. Yep. So the Aurora season is August, 21 to April 21 that's a very great takeaway. And don't, yeah, don't discount Alaska Aurora season because it's amazing.

Jennie Flaming: 38:17

I definitely do not Yeah,

Kierre: 38:19

or just winter tourism, yeah, just count winter because, yeah, that's a totally different experience coming this summer and coming Yes, absolutely,

Jennie Flaming: 38:28

I totally agree that's

Stephanie: 38:29

the problem, right? The first time you come to Alaska is the first time you realize you have to come back to Alaska. Yes.

Jennie Flaming: 38:35

I love that Stephanie. That's awesome.

Unknown: 38:40

Yeah, keep that one. Don't scratch that.

Jennie Flaming: 38:42

Yeah. Cool. Okay, so I always ask people when they come on the podcast for their favorite restaurant in wherever it is that they live, and I know that's really tough, but I think especially since we've been talking about small businesses, I would love to ask all of you that question, I think, before we wrap up. And actually, I also really like your question, Mandy, about your favorite place in Alaska. I think for all of us, that's pretty tough, but maybe we could try to answer it. I could try to answer that one too.

Mandy: 39:24

Yeah, I'd say my favorite place is talking now, right now. Okay, I say right now, because it's changed.

Kierre: 39:31

Can I ask? Well, Cooper Landing, so,

Mandy: 39:34

so I found my picture of Alaska and on the banks of of the Kenai River in Cooper Landing. Just beautiful, yeah? But as we go into this fall and Aurora season, tell kitna just like, steals my heart, yeah, that's real bright yellow leaves and the gorgeous birch trees. And, you know, the lights dance, and I just, I just love talking to this time of year. That's such a. Hard question. I know, shoot, I've had magical experiences also in Seward when, you know it was raining and it was rain on the tent, it was, you know, I'm not one to Love Rain of sidebar, but that day was just like the Misty Mountains. It was gorgeous, and it sounded so cool and was cozy. And anyway, I have lots of favorite places in Alaska. Yeah, if I ever ask you that question, you should always answer in threes, yes. Okay, my favorite restaurant in Alaska is really tough.

Kierre: 40:37

Are we doing in Alaska or in your where you live?

Jennie Flaming: 40:39

Well, I'm gonna either okay, it could be where you live or where we live, then they could get us home, or it could be somewhere you don't live to answer

Mandy: 40:49

that. Okay, um, my favorite restaurant in Anchorage right now, I'm so curious. Me too. Oh my gosh. I Okay. I've got three Fire Island. I just, yeah, freaking love that family owned business. It's so cool. It is and they just built this really cool company. I just love it. It's delicious too. I also love this diner in South Anchorage that serves breakfast. It's off Huffman. Oh my god, what it's called, I don't know what it's called right now. Just a second, I'm getting a Okay, here. I'm gonna look it up, because when you want to guess, but I'm not going, when you walk in, she goes, Hey Mama, I love it. She's Greek. She's a Greek woman. She's amazing. It's

Jennie Flaming: 41:38

not what I was okay. Okay, just wait so well, even though it's my favorite and cool, yeah, and you could probably drive us there, but that doesn't drive you there. Remember the name of it? I totally get that. Yeah, that's very relatable. Okay, well, you are figuring that out here. Stephanie, do you want to answer? You want to go favorite place or restaurant?

Stephanie: 41:58

Sure. Seward is always my favorite place. Yeah, it's it has everything. It has mountains, it has ocean, it has glaciers, it has wildlife. And I am lucky enough to live at the end of the end of the road, and so my community the grocery store, might include seeing sea lions or whales. True, it's seward. It's just a really special place. And it's, you know, people often say Seward is dead in the winter, but that is not correct. Seward is crazy in the summer, and it's just a beautiful small town in the winter time. Yeah, it's so nice and it deserves to be visited in a season other than summer. It does take a little more creativity, but fun note, the best restaurants stay open year round, and so picking a best restaurant in Seward is difficult for me, It depends on the season. In the summer, it can be difficult to get into the restaurants because they're busy. The good, really good restaurants, but the cookery brunch in the winter time is stupidly good, and they do not do it in the summer. It's so good, but it's a little bit of a day under because it's so good you have to nap.

Jennie Flaming: 43:23

Yes, it's a day. It's a commitment to

Mandy: 43:28

the whole day. It's how you know you're truly with the homemade tortillas, yeah, oh yeah,

Unknown: 43:34

we can go after this, right? You guys, Yeah, amazing, really good Thai food,

Mandy: 43:42

you know? The part I like about Woody is, too, is like, they have, we've done this for our fall, our trainings before, is like, the team will come in and they do family style. Oh yeah, oh yeah, I love that. So, yeah, it's great, nice, warm atmosphere.

Stephanie: 43:57

Then yeah, and there's several, and all of those restaurants are locally owned, you know? And so, yeah, they show a commitment to year round, a year round community. And the Flamingo is really good. The Flamingo is a surprise because it feels like it should be in the 1970s or downtown New York, because it's a tour.

Jennie Flaming: 44:18

The name, I think, contributes to

Stephanie: 44:20

the 70s. Yeah. Okay,

Jennie Flaming: 44:26

here. Oh, Mandy, did you find the name of that? I

Mandy: 44:28

did. It's called South Side grill, so I love it's a little hole in the wall diner, and it's family owned, and, you know, it's, it's not in downtown, but because, normally I'd probably say snow City Cafe, because I love snow city and they're just a great company, yeah, but if I'm at home and me and the girls are gonna go get a quick bite. I just love their I love their atmosphere. I love them. But, yeah, okay,

Kierre: 44:55

I'm up here. You're up. This is so I'll start with. Place. My favorite place is Palmer. Of course, I love sharing Palmer, but yes, I'll also say why I love Palmer, because I've lived in different places in Alaska, but I love Palmer because of the outdoor access and the fact that it's not and there's no national parks. So it's like, and maybe I talked about this before, I don't remember, but you've got the Chugach Mountains to the south, you've got the talka Mountains to the north, and Palmer sits in this beautiful valley, and I just love it, like, as someone who likes to be outside, it has all the things that I love to do with this cute downtown area. I would say my second favorite place is Seward. So I spent a winter in Seward. I did AB techs construction program. Winter is magical. It's so magical. Favorite restaurants in Palmer I'm gonna go, since we did restaurants on the podcast before, I'll say, I will say that my, I'll say my favorite brewery. Okay, and then I will also say something you should buy when you come so sounds great. Favorite brewery is bleeding heart. I just it's they, when they started, they were on a farm on the Springer system, and like you would go drink beer, and it would smell like cow poop. And I grew up in the Midwest, and it just felt like home.

Jennie Flaming: 46:44

What? Indiana? Okay. I mean, I'm from Seattle, so not the Midwest, for sure.

Kierre: 46:49

Ever want to drink beer and smell cow poop, though, just go to the Midwest. I

Jennie Flaming: 46:53

would say, Okay, I'm really glad to know that if I ever need that in my life more than you think you do, yeah, yeah, I

Kierre: 47:01

think so, bleeding heart, move there in downtown Palmer now, which makes it great for another reason. But yeah, I just really like it. Though my plug would be for the coffee Porter. And then what you should buy when you come to Palmer, please buy a carrot. They are

Jennie Flaming: 47:19

carrots. They taste like carrot and not like water. Yeah, it's

Kierre: 47:25

so they're delicious. Do

Mandy: 47:26

you get those in sewer at the grocery store? You need to stock up before, yeah? A Game changer.

Jennie Flaming: 47:32

Yeah.

Stephanie: 47:33

I need I do anytime I hear about somebody going up Palmer in the fall, I ask them to bring back beets. Oh, yeah.

Kierre: 47:43

There's something really special about that carrot.

Jennie Flaming: 47:47

It's the actual carrot taste. Yeah, um, I, so I, for me, I would say my favorite place in Alaska is, like, usually the last place I went to, you know, because it's, like, top of mind. But that's a stupid answer, dodging the question. It would also matter what month it was. No, yeah, which I'm sure all of us agree. If it was June versus November versus March, we'd all give different answers. I was sure

Stephanie: 48:14

we all agree to leave in October, right? October? Breakup season? Yeah, I

Jennie Flaming: 48:19

don't know, April, April April and November.

Mandy: 48:23

You all to take October cruise with lazy otter charters and Whittier. Kelly does an amazing job. Kelly kept a mic. It is a beautiful, serene place in October,

Jennie Flaming: 48:38

okay, yeah, pro tip, throw me into Alaska in October. Lazy otter. Lazy otter. Cool. This is the longest wrap up ever. I know I love it, though it's fine. It's totally fine to like, take pieces. Oh no, I'm not taking anything out. It's all staying in. But I think I would say overall, Glacier Bay National Park. Oh, yeah,

Kierre: 49:02

I've never been there,

Unknown: 49:03

it looks like Kenai Fjords National Park. Yeah, it does, especially

Jennie Flaming: 49:09

if you go on your own. So it is a really cool place to go on a cruise. I mean, of course, it's cool no matter what, but it was a really special place. If you visit on your own, it's kind of sneaky, because it never makes those lists of like the least visited national parks and blah, blah, blah, but if you go there on your own, you know like 96% of people are on a cruise ship, which means you can't, you can't leave a cruise ship in Glacier Bay, except for a few small ships that have permits to dock in Bartlett Cove for like an hour. But yeah, it's, it's pretty magical,

Kierre: 49:49

good to know.

Mandy: 49:50

Yeah, check that out.

Jennie Flaming: 49:51

Yeah.

Stephanie: 49:52

Did you do a kayaking trip?

Jennie Flaming: 49:55

I did, like, a short, like half day kayaking trip. There.

Stephanie: 49:59

I did. A four or five day trip there, 22 years ago, in the Beardsley islands. No, yeah, I can't claim any expertise. We didn't know what we were doing. This is pre kayaking guide. We had more booze than water. Oh, my God, and we probably should have died, but

Jennie Flaming: 50:21

you, I'm glad you didn't.

Stephanie: 50:22

I mean, too, yeah,

Jennie Flaming: 50:24

I would love to do that. That is one, like, kind of my one regret from the time living in Skagway is that lots of people went over because it's very close to Glacier Bay, and did that's like a multi were you in Skagway for six years?

Stephanie: 50:38

What? Yeah, okay,

Jennie Flaming: 50:39

we'll talk more about that later anyway, and so I just kind of always done that, I know, right? Oh, yes. Okay, we'll talk about that more later. Okay, anything else anybody wants to add before we wrap up here? No, okay, well, thank you so much to all of you for being here. And for those of you listening, I'm gonna put each person's like, name and their website for their company in the show notes. Along with that, the travel Alaska, the travel Alaska site that has women owned businesses. It's travel Alaska, right? Yeah, I'll put that in there too. Okay, so thank you everyone for joining us.

Kierre: 51:18

Thank you so much. Jennie, thanks. Applause.