Don't leave your guests behind!

This is a 5 minute read.
Sections: The problem, Why it is a problem, It’s a big problem, Conclusion.

“I can’t believe he said that!” You’re in the front of your group, having an incredible convo with one of your guests, when someone suddenly asks, “Where’s the rest of the group?”

As the group leader (aka host), you heard the question, Meh. You turn around and shrug, partly expecting they’ll catch up, partly irritated that you may have to cut your awesome conversation short to go find slow pokes.

But, whatever. You don’t worry. So your other guests who are keeping up also don’t worry either.

Uh-oh…

But now your slower guests know that if they don’t keep up with you, you may also abandon them, too.

And for any guest going through something you may have missed (medical issue, slower pace, etc) and thinking about falling behind, now they’re fearful of being left behind on your trip, too.

I get it. You’re human and have favorites. Also, you can’t possibly give all your guests all your attention. Especially if it’s a bigger group (which begs the question, why didn’t you limit your group size?)

Or maybe you didn’t collect the right medical info the right way or did not review it before your trip (did you know you can do that, in case of emergencies?)

Or maybe, patience is something you’re still working on (did you realize that the moment you invite others, you’re in the customer service business?)

Whatever your reasons - and I can’t believe I have to say this but - don’t leave your guests behind.

But why, tho?

When you ignore and abandon them (because you’re fitter, faster, complacent, selfish about your own self-care or didn’t manage expectations about the pace you were going to set) you devalue your guests’ investment in you.

And as a result, you make it that much harder for yourself to earn a sustainable income from being an outdoor host because guests won’t trust you with their time or money.

Even if you’re hosting a free hike on Meetup or Facebook Groups and you include in your description who your trip is intended for (“experienced hikers only”) and absolve yourself of any responsibility for slower guests (“at your own risk”), you’re not actually absolving yourself of managing your guests’ experience.

Guests will join you thinking they can do your trip until they realize they can’t and fall behind. And since you covered your bases with descriptions and disclaimers, you leave them behind.

But that guest will never forget how poorly managed your experience was. They won’t ever return and never tell you why, using the old “scheduling conflict” excuse (assuming you even bother to ask).

They won’t speak poorly about you publicly. But the moment they encounter another host who does a better job than you, they will vent to them about you. Loudly. How do you think I found out?

It’s kind of a big deal

This isn’t a small matter. Being an outdoor host or group leader can be extremely rewarding for anyone who intends to truly welcome their guests. But it can also lead to bad outcomes for you and your guests if you make them feel like you don’t care.

Welcoming guests doesn’t mean welcoming only the guests you want. It means welcoming all guests, including the ones who annoy you, who can’t keep up or don’t vibe with you.

Welcoming means managing safety, not absolving yourself of it. It means you don’t go home until everyone’s accounted for.

And welcoming means you’re accountable for everyone’s experience, not just your own - whether or not they paid you. Because even if they don’t pay with their money, they’re paying with their time.

Time is money.

And right. About that. Just because you’re not charging them to go on your trips doesn’t mean they’re not investing in you and your outdoor brand. And that, I would argue, is more valuable than their money.

Because after delivering a great experience, where you make everyone feel like they belong and won’t get left behind, you can leverage their investment and enthusiasm to get them to invite their friends on your other (hopefully paid) trips.

If you feel strongly that this is too much pressure or work, or that you’re just a Meetup host and never set out to turn your meetups into a job, then you should go on your trips solo. Don’t invite others. What you’re doing is not charity or a business. You’re posing a danger to your guests, even if you include a disclaimer.

Yeah. I said what I said. Go ahead and unsubscribe if you want. This newsletter isn’t for you anyway.

Hi everyone, Al here. Thank you for reading 🙏 If you enjoyed this article, please leave a like or comment online and share it with your friends.

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