Selling Cities with Mike McAfee

Scratch Entrepreneur

All of us have aspirations. From Elan Musk, who wants to dig tunnels and colonize Mars, to a homeless kid sitting in school and trying to look normal. We all have aspirations. The cool thing about being human is that there are as many visions of a better future as there are people. Everyone’s is different. And even though there are around 7 Billion different sets of aspirations, none of them are wrong. Different than what your parents wanted, maybe. Misguided, at least 40% of the time for sure. But 100% yours and only yours, well, if you stick to your guns then difinetely.

Aspirations are the fabric of being human. From wanting to win your next fantasy football game to trying to create balance between your work and your home life. But when we become entrepreneurs we test the very fabric of those aspirations. Suddenly they’re not just hopes and dreams but rather bread, butter, and the mortgage payment. The aspirations of entrepreneurs are often referred to by another name >> your business plan. That plan is the ultimate test of your aspirations.

Our guest today has tested lots of his aspirations. But he’s not a business owner, Like a few Scratch Entrepreneur guests before him, he’s the director of a non profit. For the last 30 years, Mike McAfee has been selling cities. Actually, over those years he’s sold counties and even states too. Now in his role as the director of Visit Bloomington he sells one specific city, Bloomington, IN. On this episode, he shares exactly how he does it.

We’re glad you joined us.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• When you were a kid, what did you want to grow up to be? (3:00)
• So then bring us forward in time to your adult life. What was going on in your life when you had the opportunity to become the director of Visit Bloomington? (12:30)
• How does Bloomington compare to other cities with a thriving tourism economy? (16:50)
• The role of Visit Bloomington (20:30)
• What are the weaknesses Bloomington has when it comes to tourism? (31:10)
• Where are our strengths? (32:50)
• Paint a picture of the future of tourism in Bloomington or beyond (34:40)
• What kind of non-profit is Visit Bloomington and why does it matter? (36:40)
• Hiring the right people for the right seats (38:00)
• Where do you see your entrepreneurial world in 5 years: (46:20)

Catch the after show on Patreon!

Mentioned in the episode:

Special thanks to Mike Mcafee for taking the time to share the Visit Bloomington story with us

Contributors to this episode include:

• Host - Jeremy Goodrich
• Music - Mark Vinten
• Editing - Christopher Lang

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