Today we’d like to introduce you to Mathew O’Neill.
Hi Mathew, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
We originally had no plans of starting a business at first. My now wife (and business partner) Trevi O’Neill used to plan all of these fun adventures and vacations for all of us, and as my way of showing thanks, I would put together a short slideshow or video documenting our trips together as a keepsake. After running out of iPhone storage space, I decided to start posting and storing these videos and photos on Instagram and YouTube. From there, we started building traction through engaged followers who were asking for our advice for how to travel as much as we do and or who are looking for us for inspiration on creating their own family adventures.
From there, we started to get more serious about turning this into an actual business. We formed an LLC, we upgraded our equipment, we took courses, and then we started reaching out and working with brands relevant to our newly formed business, with the purpose of inspiring and educating others on how to travel and how to make life one; heck of an adventure!
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?
In building The Adventure Buddies, the road has not always been smooth, but it has always been an enjoyable experience. Just like any new business, we have had plenty of turndowns or rejects from brands, hotels, or other collaborations; we’ve had people doubt our business model and call The Adventure Buddies a hobby and not a business. And as these struggles were difficult to deal with at times, they haven’t stopped us (and in some cases even helped motivate) from continuing to press forward.
We have learned so much in such a short time, and one of the biggest learnings is that it is very difficult and or rare to become an overnight success story, and so time, effort, and hard work is something that will have to be consistent in order to grow the company. And that is something that we are continuing to do here at The Adventure Buddies.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
We are The Adventure Buddies, a family travel influencer company that is focused on sharing travel best practices through tips and reviews, as well as providing hope and inspiration to others to get out and explore this beautiful world that we live in.
What is unique about us is our story. We feel that we are a true modern family. A family that has overcome a painful divorce found love again and created a new family that is stronger than ever and one that is passionate about exploring the world together.
Our adventures that we typically embark on is another area that sets us apart from other family travelers, as we typically do adventures that are a bit outside of the norm. We pride ourselves on having adventures wherever we are, whether that be searching for the rare platypus in the Australian outback, jumping off waterfalls in Costa Rica, or making family trips back to Akron, Ohio a blast!
We feel that everyone should be able to have an adventure, as having adventures is not based solely on your current circumstances but mostly based on your perspective in life, and so we aim to inspire and to give help and information wherever we can, to help encourage others to get out and have adventures of their own!
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in Akron, OH and eventually played soccer for the University of Akron, where we won a D1 National Championship in 2010 (my prior name was Mathew Dagilis). I was always into sports, and soccer was the only avenue that led me to any sort of traveling.
After my collegiate career at the University of Akron, I went right into the business world and dove deep into the long hours, hard work, and taking no vacation times, i.e., never traveling.
Then I moved out to Los Angeles in 2016 and met my now beautiful wife Trevi O’Neill, and her two children, Jake and Gianna. And from then on out, my world has been turned upside down, and Trevi introduced me to the whole world of traveling and converted myself from an introverted, nervous traveler to a self-proclaimed expert. Where I now try and travel as much as possible to continue to work on our family business, The Adventure Buddies, while we both maintain full jobs at home.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theadventurebuddies.com
- Instagram: instgram.com/theadventurebuddies
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theadventurebuddiesfb
- Twitter: twitter.com/theadventbuds
- Youtube: youtube.com/theadventurebuddies
