Yonder

I recall that ‘ah-ha’ moment in October 2017. We had just completed our second year of agri-tourism offerings on the farm and discovered that revenue stream surpassed all others. Farming is a labor of love, and seldom results in monetary success, but what if I enjoyed the many heartfelt messages left by visiting families who spent time on the farm and witnessed the natural world, which in turn offered them a chance to appreciate their special bond. Could there be a way to couple both farmer and family together while harnessing the bonding potential of nature to improve the lives of everyone? This is the question that I set out to answer.

In 2018, along with my co-founder Bill Lee, we set out to understand the opportunity and decide if, in an underserved market, could we provide an authentic experience to realize a better, healthier tomorrow by connecting people to nature? We decided the answer was yes and in late 2018, Yonder was born from our passion for the natural world and everything it offers.

I’m pleased to announce that starting today, Yonder is taking flight. Under Bill's leadership, and a team with a shared passion for the natural world and the healing powers it bestows, we built and created a truly authentic platform experience. 

A Booking Platform Connecting People To Nature 

Nature is the antidote to today’s busy and stressful world, and Yonder is the conduit that puts people back in touch with it. We’re a travel booking site with a singular passion: to connect people to the authentic, healing experiences that only the natural world can provide. Each of our carefully chosen properties not only inspire a deeper appreciation for nature but also a greater sense of responsibility to protect it. Our mission is to champion a healthier and better tomorrow.

Our Approach

It starts with a high quality platform and related native apps, offering a great user experience with all the hallmarks of advanced, intuitive design and functionality. Then we added robust search and discovery features, curated collections, and more. Lastly, we populated the platform with high quality curated host listings that open up to countless worlds for opportunities for discovery of nature experiences, a chance to #findyouryonder.

How We Make Money 

By becoming the leader of nature tourism in the world, offering countless opportunities for discovery of nature connections in various categories, Yonder becomes the gravity force attracting nature seeking travelers. We have been working hard to identify the various host communities globally, we have built network of organizational support and integration partnership to accelerate our acquisition of ever greater number of hosts. Through these efforts, increasing numbers of guests will see Yonder as the go to source for nature tourism. On a more mathematical level; Yonder makes money on every booking. Yonder receives 16% revenue in booking fees from the value of each booking. On a $ 100 booking, Yonder's fee income is $16. It divides between host fees of 4% and guest fees of 12%, and is consistent with industry averages.

Market Demographics

Yonder has identified four core groups relatively evenly split between Families, Millennials, Seniors and Single Professionals. With 33% of Yonder listings exclusive to the Yonder platform, and 80% of the listings within four hour drive of major metropolitan areas, Yonder offers access to nature rich destination across all demographics and geography. Our survey of focus groups shows significant preference for nature rich destinations. Among millennials, the number is the highest, with over 67% calling nature tourism out as first choice. They also agree with the problem of identifying a reliable source for booking nature destinations online.

Consolidating a Global Market

In the years we spent researching and understanding the market, we’ve concluded that the Agri-Tourism market as a whole is unsophisticated and very fragmented. No one player has more than a 5% market share and 89% of the market is currently unconsolidated. Yet agri and eco-tourism hosts exist everywhere. And they are frustrated over the lack of focused attention and invisibility on other platforms. What we found is they are all looking for a home, a devoted platform, a market leader.

Competitive Advantage

Yonder offers a triple bottom line benefit to the economic condition of the host community, the mental and physical wellness of their guests, and the improvement in human relations with our planet. Through it all, Yonder's business will thrive. 

Reasons for Being

These days, we seem to be plugged into everything, always. Handheld mobile wifi platforms allow us to connect everywhere we go. Social media and texting have become the preferred method for connect with others. But, as much as we’ve gained, we’ve lost something. The more plugged into things we get, the more disconnected we become from something fundamental. The natural world.

This isn’t just a philosophical point. Our increasingly simulated reality negatively affects our own health and well-being, as well as that of the natural world. For example, the rapid rate of biodiversity loss is one measure of how much we’re disturbing the living world upon which our health depends. There’s a clear link between the spread of viruses and the relationship between humans and the natural world. 

Restore Ecological Balance 

So, what must we do? Can we live in such a way that we begin to reverse the damage? Good intentions alone are not enough. We must act in ways that allow abundance and balance to return. When we restore nature, we also restore ourselves.

Nature is the Antidote

Study after study demonstrates the psychological and physical benefits of connecting with nature. People who are more connected with nature are happier, feel more vital and have more meaning in their lives. It’s hard to overstate how much good nature does for our well-being, and how much of what we’ve been missing we get back.

The fact is that our own health and happiness are inseparable from the well-being of the natural world. We need it, and it needs our protection and care. The relationship is reciprocal. So, if we can help people connect with nature, that’s not just beneficial to them, it’s great news for nature itself. This is Yonder's calling.

Yonder is the Gateway

Sure, we’re connecting more people to amazing locations and experiences. But, even more importantly, we’re demonstrating the positive impact nature can have on their lives. We figure that the more they experience this, the more they’ll want to protect and preserve the natural world that we all ultimately depend on.

Please join us in caring for and protecting nature and wild places. It’s good for people everywhere, it’s good for you and it's good for our children's future.

Join Us!

We believe, with unwavering optimism, that Yonder, with everything it has to offer, will come out of the current global condition, leading the way towards healing, and pointing to a better tomorrow. We collectively offer a healthier path for society as a whole. And as we grow, we must consider our options for capital, as well as ownership. We feel strongly about diversifying resources, sharing the benefits, and growing our community of like minded people. As a result, we don't think it is such a novel idea that the community we serve should have the opportunity to become shareholders, and benefit from the growth of Yonder in more ways than one. In light of this, It seems in-authentic for us to exclusively seek capital from corporate investors. We certainly check a lot of their boxes, a large under-served market, a scaleable business model managed by a top notch team, and a triple bottom line model that offer the promise of profitability, improving people’s livelihoods as well as healing the planet. It is therefore only consistent with our community oriented brand to reach out to you, and invite you to join us in building Yonder. 

(All forecasts presented above are future targets that cannot be guaranteed.)