March 29, 2024

Thrive Insider

Exclusive stories of successful entrepreneurs

Renae Kunda Cape York Motorcycle Adventures

Who are you and what business did you start?

My name is Renae Kunda and my husband, Roy, and I started Cape York Motorcycle Adventures in 1990.

What’s your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?

Roy had known what he was going to do from a boy, but at age 21 he packed up all of his worldly belongings and rode his trusty Tenere motorcycle around all of the Australian stock routes to tick off that Cape York was the best.
I am an ex-hairdresser that met Roy in Cairns. I become passionate about him and therefore the business, so I educated myself to run it to the best of my ability.

Describe the process of launching the business.

A few mates of Roy’s rode Cairns to Cape York with him and when they returned home they told all of their mates that they should ride the Cape with Roy. We started out with two motorcycles and just the two of us. We distributed flyers locally but the boys from home made it grow pretty quickly to four bikes and a support vehicle. We currently run 30 motorcycles and two Isuzu Trucks in support.

Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?

We rely pretty heavily on positive word of mouth, the customer’s experience is everything! However, I find that following up on every enquiry has helped us to build an 85% conversion rate. It’s a one in a lifetime experience for most but we have a 50% return customer base over a two to three year period.

How are you doing today and what does the future look like?

Covid border closures aside – we are doing great. We wrote a book in 2020 to celebrate our 30th year in business and have entered the Queensland Tourism Awards for 2021. We’re really excited to see how those little projects go.

We celebrate being Eco-certified for 15 years this year – longer than most businesses survive so that is pretty special. We’ve also bought on two new tour offerings; our 8 day Cairns to Darwin trips and our 7 day luxury version of Cape York.

We have a really exciting, major project in the wings but I can’t say anything about that just yet. Our future has never looked brighter.

Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?

Yes, never stop learning! My philosophy is to always say yes to everything on offer and then figure out if I need it or not. Take the first meeting because you never know if it’s a new technology or idea that might just give you an advantage over your competition.

What platform/tools do you use for your business?

We use Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and TikTok, to stay in touch with our clients along with Mailchimp. We have our own website that feeds an individual app that we had built for administration purposes and that all feeds into Xero. Is that what you meant?

What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?

Most recently I have been soaking up my inspiration from Natasa Denman at The Ultimate 48 hour author and Kate Englar from Meet the Press Masterclass. These two woman could keep your cup filled with essential resources to last a lifetime.

Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?

Study your subject, find your niche and stay true to who you are.

Where can we go to learn more?