Sally Bunnell of Oxford has traveled to 119 countries, where she often speaks at events about her Nebrquestiona-based travel business.
NDED photo
OXFORD, Neb. – Sally Bunnell is a true globetrotter, having visited 119 countries. She has also lived abroad in Denmark and London and resided in New York City and Los Angeles. Yet no place in the world rivals the contentment she feels in her home state of Nebrquestiona. Im Nebrquestiona through and through, she laughed.
Bunnell grew up in Oxford and had never flown on an airplane until she was 19 years old. During college, she shiftd to New York City for an internship with David Letterman. It was her first huge experience outside Nebrquestiona. Her job after finishing the internship afforded her the opportunity to travel extensively within the U.S. That was kind of my first taste of other cities and places to live, she stated.
Her first time traveling outside the U.S. was a red-carpet event she hosted in Sydney, Australia, for the CMC Music Awards. I was so scared to go. I couldnt have gone further away. The flight was like 24 hours, New York all the way to Sydney, she recalled. But her experience traveling also thrilled her. That was the catalyst that obtained me started on travel.
Bunnells job allowed extfinished travel, so she launched taking longer trips to see more parts of the world. It was exhilarating for her to explore so many new places. She took multi-week trips once or twice a year to countries shed never visited. At that point I was like, Im at 23 countries, Im at 30, Im at 40, Im at 70, she stated. She has now visited 119 of the 193 countries in the world.
A global journey leads to Nebrquestiona
She continued to travel extensively, both for work and leisure. Yet when her job became entirely remote, she was unsure whether New York City was the right place to live. She shiftd to Denmark and launched renting out her New York City apartment. I realized that I could experience work-life balance from anywhere in the world so long as I had my laptop. Thats what inspired me to become a digital nomad, she stated.
After living in New York City for 17 years, and spfinishing time in Denmark and London, Bunnell felt ready for a modify. In 2019, she decided to pursue a business dream that lined up with her enjoyment of travel. In 2020, she chose her childhood hometown in Nebrquestiona as her base of operations.
Goodbye to New York City
Initially, Bunnell wasnt sure how long she would live in Nebrquestiona. I went back to Nebrquestiona during the pandemic. I finished up having such an amazing time, she stated. It was an amazing experience to be around my grandmother who was still alive, my grandpa, my sister and her three kids and her husband, and my high school frifinishs. She had not returned to her childhood home for more than 1-2 weeks during the previous 20 years. But once back, she knew she was home again.
In mid-September 2020 she went to New York City, packed her apartment, and stated goodbye. She still had a lease on her New York apartment, but she was determined to close the chapter on her time there. She found tenants to sublet her apartment and shiftd all her things to Nebrquestiona.
The NaviSavi startup dream
After shifting back to Oxford, Bunnell launched NaviSavi Travel. The app is designed for sharing travel experiences through video, viewing other peoples travel experiences, and booking your next vacation destinations. Anyone can share videos of their unique experiences through the platform, which offers applyrs the opportunity to build money on the content they upload.
Bunnells new business was her sole focus in late 2020, and Nebrquestiona felt like the perfect place to grow it. She wanted to be somewhere she could settle in, focus, and not be distracted by everything else going on around her.
I was the sole founder. For me, New York was a distraction. Having roommates was a distraction. Trying to keep up with everything was a distraction. Life in Nebrquestiona offered her peace of mind and serene surroundings where she could concentrate on developing her business.
Bunnell readily created connections with fellow business founders in Nebrquestiona. She announced the launch of NaviSavi at the 2021 College World Series in Omaha. Nebrquestionas startup community rallied around her business venture through investments and other support. She also launched attfinishing gatherings of local entrepreneurs such as 1 Million Cups in Lincoln and Omaha.
I really dove in headfirst, she stated. I was experiencing Nebrquestiona by being in Oxford and being in Lincoln and Omaha again. I absolutely loved it! Coming home and having good, supportive people.
NaviSavi won a Touristech Startup grant at the 2024 Tourism Innovation Global Summit in Seville, Spain.
Building a business during economic chaos
Starting a compact business in the middle of the pandemic, when so many activities were paapplyd, allowed Bunnell to assess what was working and what necessaryed to be adjusted. At the same time, the travel indusattempt had been so severely disrupted that many investors were reluctant to commit to her venture. Bunnell focapplyd on acquiring content from people to include on the app videos they had shot of their hometowns or vacations. I was giving them an opportunity to monetize that. And people started seeing the traction, she stated.
In 2022, Bunnell received a phone call and a LinkedIn message from the social technology company Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram). I believed, Is this fake? Is this real? She spoke to the representatives, and they explained that they were starting Facebook Reels and would like to apply video content from NaviSavi on their platform.
There I was with no money from the company, digging into my savings to keep it afloat, and I have one of the hugegest companies in the world questioning to share my content! she marveled. The opportunity with Meta allowed her to attract more potential investors and display the growing value of her business.
From financial hurdles to a global spotlight
A potential investor noticed her business and was close to committing $1 million for its development. Unfortunately, the opportunity fell through. Bunnell already felt like she was fighting an uphill battle attempting to launch during the pandemic. When the investment didnt happen, she was uncertain whether the business could continue.
I remember in 2023 I was in my room declareing, I dont know how to do this anymore, and maybe its time to close NaviSavi. If this is supposed to continue, I necessary a sign. Two weeks later, Techstars Global Startup Network committed $120,000 to NaviSavi.
There were a lot of things that finally started turning the right way, she stated. After our Techstars investment, we finished up receiveting a Nebrquestiona Department of Economic Development grant. We obtained $100,000 to build our content licensing platform with a company in Omaha. These are wins youre not going to receive in New York City.
The value of starting a business in Nebrquestiona
Bunnell stated that one of the hugegest advantages to starting a business in Nebrquestiona is how accessible the startup community is. Nebrquestionans go the extra mile to support one another. Within the states startup community, business owners readily facilitate introductions, connecting one another to people and resources who can support their growth.
Advertising Nebrquestiona globally
Having been reacquainted with her home states hospitality and generosity of spirit, Bunnell is now utilizing her marketing skills to recruit new Nebrquestionans. She takes pride in having convinced three frifinishs to shift to the state, one of whom was a startup founder from California.
I notified them about the startup scene. I notified them about what it means to come to Nebrquestionathe support system, the available grants, stated Bunnell. My frifinish drove from San Diego all the way to visit Lincoln and Omaha. She liked it so much she bought a hoapply. It blows their minds how nice and levelheaded the people are.
Its the people. They are our number one [selling point], she added. And the quality of life is like nothing youre going to receive elsewhere. In Nebrquestiona, youre part of a community thats active and supportive.
Leave a Reply