Travel & Experiences · Small business · France–Brazil
How to turn a reference brand into a business that no longer depends on one person, one channel or one product
Mel Rolan Travel Designer creates tailor-made trips for Brazilians in Paris, with 650+ clients served and an NPS of 9.97. The reputation was strong, but operations were hand-built and concentrated in the founder, and almost all leads came from a single channel. The engagement was cross-functional: strategy, finance, operations, brand, product, channels, AI and web.
Ongoing engagement since May 2024 · Real data
- clients served
- 650+
- NPS
- 9.97
- revenue lines: tailor-made trips, digital guides, tours and B2B partnerships
- 4
- of leads came from Instagram: dependence tackled with an owned acquisition site
- ~90%
Key diagnostic findings
- What we found
- ~90% of leads came from Instagram, which worked as a newsletter for existing followers rather than as an acquisition channel.
- Recommendation
- Reduce reliance on social media with a website that qualifies each inquiry and routes it to the right offer, keeping Instagram as a complementary entry point.
- Expected impact
- More diversified lead sources, with a new lead-generation website now live.
- What we found
- ~45% of annual demand concentrated in July, with no seasonality model in place.
- Recommendation
- Use low-season months for planning, products and content, and peak months for execution.
- Expected impact
- Capacity and cash planned across the whole year.
- What we found
- −42.7% drop in median engagement over 24 months, as promotional content grew and performed worst (audit based on Meta API data).
- Recommendation
- Bring back Reels and educational content, with a clear goal and metric for each piece.
- Expected impact
- Recovery of reach and follower growth.
The process: from strategy to systems
-
01
Strategic foundation (Jan–Feb)
- Seasonality research on Brazilian tourism in Paris
- 2026 Strategic Plan with scenarios and review triggers
- One-way offer ladder
- Rewritten contracts and a first financial model
-
02
Product and channels (Mar–Jul)
- "Paris com Crianças" guide and update of the "Essencial" guide
- Tour catalogue expanded with new itineraries
- B2B partnerships with agencies and marketplaces (Viator, Airbnb Experiences, Just Travel)
- Content management handed over to an agency
-
03
Brand and reputation (Aug)
- Design system and editorial rules
- Three-act press relations plan
- LinkedIn strategy
- Tour vouchers
-
04
Systems and data (Sep)
- Monthly P&L rebuilt from primary sources
- Notion CRM with funnel and pre-qualification form
- New lead-generation website, now live
- Paid media with tracking fixed before any spend
What was worked on and delivered
Strategy & Finance
- Plan with persona diagnosis and value proposition
- P&L model, budget by revenue line and a live monthly P&L
- Accrual rules applied consistently
- Pricing tested rather than assumed
Operations & CRM
- Contracts with clear boundaries between services
- Funnel and conversion measurable for the first time
- Conversion dashboards
- Playbook of rules for AI agents
Brand & Content
- 24-month Instagram audit
- Brief and critical review of the agency's plan
- Core concept: "Curation isn't something you download. It's something you live."
- Press release on AI versus human judgment in travel, picked up by the press
Product
- 157-page guide with 60+ verified attractions
- Map with 142 points across 7 layers
- Rotating seasonal bonuses
- Travel budget planning spreadsheet
New lead-generation website (live)
- Strategy to reduce dependence on social media
- 5-question diagnostic that records each lead
- GA4 tracking plan and CNIL compliance
- Competitor benchmark and trust factors
Applied AI
- Fact-checking and editorial review (6 to 75 errors caught per round)
- Instagram data analysis and a live P&L in a spreadsheet
- CRM with agents and a site built with Claude Code
- Tools: Claude, Perplexity, Notion, Metricool and Google Sheets
Result: diversified revenue sources, with new digital guides, a tour catalogue and B2B distribution through Viator, Airbnb Experiences and Just Travel. Lead generation is moving away from its dependence on Instagram, with an owned acquisition website now live. And operations already run on a CRM, a monthly P&L and a playbook, without everything going through the founder.
* Financial figures withheld for confidentiality.
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