Julie Danziger: where culture, ownership and kindness meet
Who would have imagined that quitting their jobs and launching a new luxury travel advisory business in 2019 – just months before Covid-19 struck – would end up paying off handsomely for a group of intrepid individuals with a passion for curating extraordinary travel experiences?
But that’s what happened with Julie Danziger, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at EMBARK Beyond. Julie, a member of the WPO’s Zenith II Chapter, was ranked fifth on the 2024 WPO Women2Watch list, and EMBARK Beyond was placed 22nd on the WPO’s 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned or Led Companies list for the same year.
This is a phenomenal achievement for a company that is barely out of diapers. How did a fledgling business with the odds stacked against it survive the sudden implosion of the travel industry – and reach its current level of success?
Julie relates that while Covid caught everyone off guard, EMBARK Beyond was so new, it hadn’t yet had time to build up much debt. The founding partners’ giant leap into the unknown paid off – thanks to common sense, creativity and the fact that the business was small enough to adapt and be agile.
Having spent 14 years at her previous company, growing its leisure travel offering, Julie decided to strike out on her own in 2019. She and her co-founders wanted to respond to clients’ evolving needs, but also sought a sense of ownership in what they were building – resulting in a model whereby every stakeholder in the organization has the opportunity, much like a law firm, to make partner and own a piece of the company.
“We wanted to create something that was giving the next generation of travel sellers – at the time, the millennial generation – a clear career path in this industry,” she says.
Culture was important from the get-go, including compiling a “credo card” with 10 company standards – such as “loyalty is won from the heart, not the pocket” and “people do business with people, not products”. Listening to colleagues’ needs was also prioritized. For example, everyone wanted a window seat with fresh air and natural light – “not a cubicle where you feel like you’re in a casino” – so they scouted around for an office space with floor-to-ceiling windows.
As a tenacious newcomer on the travel scene, EMBARK Beyond was able to pivot when Covid hit. “When everything shut down, we didn’t stop. We rolled up our sleeves. My partners and I elected to not take a salary, but instead reinvest it into the future of the company – while the kids were in the background, running around, and dogs were barking all over the place. But we sat in front of our computers at home and came up with what we felt were creative ideas on how to sustain the company and stay afloat, and set ourselves up for when things started to open up again.”
This included building a “killer” intranet and their own booking engine. They created a passport program to advise on visa requirements and dual citizenship, as well as a training and mentorship program for the next generation of travel advisors. They collaborated with journalists, giving them story-driven content.
And the word started getting out about this boutique advisory curating high-level itineraries for discerning travelers. “We were like, let’s find the positive in this negative; the little nugget of amazingness.”
The business survived the pandemic and has grown steadily. “One thing I’m very proud of is that the same people who were with us pre-pandemic are still with the company. Every single one of them,” Julie says. “People stuck with us, and we stuck with them. They’re all still around, selling travel.”
About a year ago, Julie joined the WPO “and honestly, it’s been one of the best decisions of my life and my professional career,” she enthuses.
“I felt at home and inspired when I joined the WPO. It opens up doors and opportunities in a different way than my normal everyday life within my own field does. It gives me exposure to other industries, so I can understand the world of business – and not just the business of travel.”
Julie says her interactions with WPO members have helped her realize that “work-life balance” is not necessarily about separating those two worlds. “It’s about how can I merge the two so that they can both be part of my everyday routine, working hand in hand. My WPO group gives me that sort of inspiration: that you can have your cake and eat it, too. You can be a mom and have a career. I find that uplifting and encouraging.”
Of her Zenith II chapter, she says, “These women are amazing. I’ve developed a new crew of friends who are at different stages of their professional lives, and it’s really cool to be around other women who are open-minded, non-judgemental and kind. Everyone genuinely wants each other to succeed. It’s like, check your ego at the door.”
She is not a fan of the cut-throat way of doing business, opting for a more humane approach.
“I believe kindness is the way to go, and I know it doesn’t always translate into success in the world of business. Sometimes you have to do the wrong thing to do the right thing, but it would eat me alive to do the wrong thing. I stick to my principles and my gut, and what I feel is the right thing to do, in the hope that things will eventually come to me. And I’m finally starting to see the fruits of my labors.”