Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott O’Con.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I moved to Cleveland almost five years ago for my husband’s job. My background is in Human Resources. I found a job downtown and on my lunch break would go for a walk to explore my new home. I fell in love with the city but not so much the job. I left the job and decided to branch out and start my own business giving walking tours of downtown Cleveland. When we travel, a walking tour is our favorite way to explore the city. Even though history was not my field of study, it is something that really interests me.
The business has progressed steadily over the past three and a half years. Covid was initially a setback but because our tours are mostly outside, people are a little more comfortable during. I have expanded offerings, creating several new tours, with our Tales of Terror tour in October being one of our most popular.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The business was much slower when I first began. This was the first time I started my own company and I was a little naïve. To be honest, I thought oh, once the website is up, I will get bookings immediately. It did not happen that way but through getting out there and networking and building a great social media platform the company has grown.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Tours of Cleveland offers exciting and educational walking tours of beautiful and historic downtown Cleveland. We offer a variety of year-round and seasonal tours as well as the private tour experience. Some of the best compliments I get about the tours come from visitors who say “You really changed my perception of Cleveland” and from locals who say “Wow, I lived here my whole life and I learned so much”!
I try to talk about the history of our city, the buildings and its residents but also talk about what Cleveland is today. There is so much to do here; it is an amazing but sometimes underrated city. My favorite tour is our year-round Downtown Highlights walking tour – Public Square to Playhouse Square and everything in between. It is the best tour to see and learn a lot about Cleveland in a two-hour time period. It is a great way to start your visit to Cleveland and get your bearings. I like to share about a lot of the other attractions in town too, so people can maximize their time here.
What does success mean to you?
If I have changed someone’s perception about Cleveland, then I think I have done my job. As I mentioned, Cleveland is an underrated city and if I can shed some light on all it has to offer then I am doing what I set out to do. I want to share my love for this city and its history.
Pricing:
- Tickets for our walking tours range from $20 – $24 a ticket
Contact Info:
- Email: toursofcleveland@gmail.com
- Website: https://toursofcleveland.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toursofcleveland/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toursofcleveland/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/toursofcle
Image Credits
Scott O’Con
