Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Te Poel
Hi Kyle, 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 backstory with our readers?
I’ve always loved birds and wildlife–it’s been an interest of mine since I was 5 years old. Eventually, that turned into work as a naturalist, environmental educator, and researcher with positions in local parks and nature centers, all the way up to being a National Park Ranger. The problem with those jobs was that they were either seasonal (a few months or so), temporary, part-time, very low-paying, or sometimes all of the above. I got into this line of work a little later than most, and being married as well, I needed to aim for something with more stability. It was frustrating to find that, despite my many years of experience and my education (I have a Masters of Education in Outdoor Recreation), most opportunities were paying at or near minimum wage with no benefits and limited hours. Well into my 30’s, I was working up to 5 jobs at once, which was just not sustainable.
I spent 7 years in California and Maine. In that time, I gained valuable experience working at some of my more memorable jobs. Among them, in Ventura, CA, I worked for the city’s Interpretive Education program, as well as serving as a volunteer and, later, Park Guide at Channel Islands National Park. In Maine, I worked for the Audubon Society’s Project Puffin Center. We returned to California for a second time, before a combination of factors ranging from job opportunities, cost of living, and missing our friends and family, led us to return home to Minnesota, where we both are from originally.
So, in 2016, we found ourselves back home, but without much of a plan. While working a few temporary positions, including another stint as a National Park Ranger at Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, I found that this was as good a time as any to try make my own thing happen. I’d gained enough experience doing nature-based programming and guided hikes and other outings to know that I was interested (and good) at that. But in the past, those had always fallen under the direction of the place I worked for; I had to go to a specific place for a set amount of time and had to cover this subject and meet these standards, etc…what I wanted to do was offer tours of my choosing, as well as making them customizable to any client’s interests, and utilize the skills I have as a naturalist to cover a wide variety of subjects, with birds being the central focus. That fall, I decided to make it official and formally launch my business, which I named Next Bend Birding Tours & Photography–the inspiration for the name being my curiosity, and belief that there’s always something worth exploring, be it the next bend in the trail, next road you turn down, whatever it may be. The photography side has taken a backseat over the last couple years; I had displayed at a variety of locations, and had a long-standing gallery spot in my hometown, but now I mostly limit it to website sales only. I still enjoy sharing my photos, but guiding and sharing nature in person with my guests is really where my passion lies.
My business has grown slow and steady over the past 8 years; I started out offering my services for free (or for a few bucks at most) at local bird festivals, to help get my name out there locally. I started offering tours in the Sax-Zim Bog, which is a world-famous (to birders and photographers, anyway!) location in northern Minnesota, which helped me reach a wider audience of travelers to this area. And in the last few years, I’ve been a guide at the largest bird festival in the country, if not the world (The Biggest Week in American Birding), and have created several bigger tours (3-5 day all-inclusive trips out of state) that have helped expand my offerings in exciting ways. At the same time, I’ve also been able to focus on growing more locally in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, where I live, to not rely so much on going other places all the time. I’ve been contacted for the occasional interview by some pretty big publications (locally, the Star-Tribune, which is Minnesota’s biggest newspaper; and nationally, by the New York Times), and even by a national TV show, though that never ended up getting filmed. Regardless, people are finding me one way or another, and it always shocks me! I never take success for granted, or assume that it will continue without my persistent hard work.
Somehow, a guy like me–who is absolutely NOT a businessman in any way, and with very little social media presence or following–has managed to create what is now a successful business. I do believe I’ve done it mostly on the strength of doing an excellent job as a guide, providing clear and thorough communication, great customer service, and giving people a good time regardless of how many birds or other wildlife we see. That wildlife are, of course, out of my control, so the “people skills” side of the job is absolutely essential. And, if I’m being honest, as a very introverted person, I wasn’t sure how well that would work out for me, but I’ve found that I come out of my shell doing what I love with like-minded people.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not! As I mentioned, the bulk of my career has been filled with jobs that, in one way or another, were sort of “dead ends” in terms of pay, longevity, or an overall career path. And my wife and I have moved a LOT, for schooling, work, and family reasons. So I was not able to really get established anywhere until much later in my career than most people would probably prefer.
For several years, growing my business meant operating at a loss, then barely breaking even, and getting the questions from my tax preparer…is this a job or a hobby? Operating at a loss for too many years in a row isn’t such a good thing, apparently!
Then, just as I was starting to see my first real signs of growth in the winter of 2019-2020, COVID affected my business just like it did everyone else. As a tour guide, this basically shut things down for me for most of a year. People weren’t traveling, and even if they were, there was enough risk and spread of illness for a while that I wasn’t willing to accept for myself or my guests. I was able to do a very small number of local tours where we met outside and kept some space amongst ourselves, but for longer tours, there was no way to have any social distancing while having them sit in a car with me for extended periods of time as we travelled from place to place on a long tour day. So, more or less, I stopped guiding for most of 2020 and had no idea what to expect for the future.
Eventually, I was able to get back to it, and I learned very quickly that people had gotten the itch to get out and explore after a tough 2020. In fact, by virtue of it being an outdoor activity, tons of people started birding during the pandemic! So, 2021 provided a big burst of business, and helped turn things around and show me that there still was a path forward with this business despite the setback the year before. With hard work, I’ve been able to grow more each year since.
One of the biggest challenges now is simply finding balance. I want to stay busy enough to keep this going strong, but not at the expense of missing too much time at home. I also teach music lessons a couple night a week–music is my other big passion, and my lessons have grown at the same time as my tours–and balancing two busy jobs can be just as challenging as the days where I was trying to work 4-5 smaller jobs at once. But as long as I am enjoying what I’m doing, I’ll do my best to keep it going. And if anything becomes too much, I’ll evaluate what’s best for me as I always have.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a professional naturalist provided guided birding tours. Based in Minnesota, but offering tours in many other parts of the country as well, I provide customized outings to help folks explore, enjoy, and learn about birds, other wildlife, and nature as a whole. These trips range from an hour or two at a local park to multi-day road trips! Anything is up for consideration to suit my clients’ goals and interests. Aside from my typical tours, I do offer a lot of other services, such as: outings with neighborhood groups, programs for home schoolers, limited mobility tours, birthday parties, bachelor/bachelorette parties, evaluations of habitat and wildlife surveys on private properties, and speaking appearances/presentations.
People should know that my main focus is on small group tours (usually one to five guests, though I do work with larger groups at times too). Whenever possible, we all ride in the same vehicle (if driving is required), get the same experience, participate in the same conversations, and see the same stuff. There will never be any big van or bus on my tours–let alone multiple buses that some tours do. Rather, I strive to provide a more personal, peaceful, and intimate experience where you and yours are the focus of my attention.
That flexibility is very unique in the world of nature-based tour guides, and I do feel it sets me apart. I’ve even found competitors’ websites claiming, more or less, that “if you see someone claiming they offer customized tours, they’re probably lying.” Well, I invite anyone to ask any of my guests from all the years I’ve been doing this. In my first contacts with them, I will always ask what THEY want to see or do. I don’t have a short list of options from which to select; I let the customer drive the conversation, ranging from what we try to see to where we go, and for how long we are out in the field. I offer input where necessary to help shape the plans, but I don’t sell a pre-packaged tour. Every outing is different.
I also firmly believe–and in fact, I’ve often been told as much by my guests–that my communication and customer service are tops in the industry. Before, during, and after a tour, I pride myself on taking care of my guests and providing the best experience I can. Customers often become friends, and I think that’s a huge testament of success. In addition to that, I’m not too proud to say that I am a good and kind person. You will be treated well, you will be part of the day even if you’re “not a bird person” (I get a lot of tag-along spouses, friends, kids, etc.), and you will come away with knowledge, inspiration, memories, and (most of the time!) some good wildlife encounters on top of it all.
Brand-wise, I take pride in not just getting people out to look at wildlife, but for actually prioritizing CARING for the environment. I donate a minimum of 10% of my tour fees directly to wildlife conservation and habitat preservation. These funds support local areas here in Minnesota as well as other projects nationally and internationally. I don’t care what business you’re in, but aside from non-profits, I can’t think of many companies that donate 10% or more of their gross income to charity. A lot of places brag if they donate 1 or 2%, and a lot of that even comes with an “up to” amount. I have no limit; the more business I get, the more dollars go to protecting the Earth. I’m also the only guide certified as a Green Business in Minnesota (and, as far as I can find, the only one in the country). I absolutely believe in walking the walk when it comes to protecting the environment, and am proud to say I live my personal and professional life in as “green” a way as I can. I am honored to not only have been Green-certified, but to have been given the highest designation for green business practices.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I always knew that starting a business would take a lot of one’s personal time–it might have been nice to know exactly how much! Then again, it may have turned me off to the idea of starting a business altogether! So much time and energy is spent to build things from scratch, and of course you don’t get paid for that and can only hope it proves worthwhile in the long run. But you never really know just how much that is going to be until you’re cramming in one more email when you should be in bed, or triple checking that spreadsheet to make sure your numbers are all accurate, or taking the 10th call from that customer who has never-ending questions. It’s all just part of the deal, but takes some getting used to.
In some ways, I wish I would have started earlier. But life happens the way it happens, and in some ways I probably would not have been prepared to really go for it, or to be as successful, had I done so other than the time and the way that I did. So, ultimately, my advice is to just be open to what opportunities are in front of you as well as to those you may have to create for yourself.
Pricing:
- Local tours start at $40/hour.
- Most pricing is custom based on the tour I design with my client.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kyletepoel.crevado.com/
- Instagram: @nextbendbirding
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NextBendBirding
