Peter Slowe Interview – Running the World’s Largest Gap Year Organization
Could you describe what you do and how you earn your living Peter?
I run the company I founded, Projects Abroad. We are the world’s largest gap year and volunteering organization, sending around 5,000 young people a year from developed countries to work for between a week and six months in developing countries. We have offices in over 30 countries, 350 staff worldwide and a turnover of about $18,000,000.
You are currently living what I call the Internet Lifestyle, what does the Internet Lifestyle mean to you?
I’m lucky to have a job which enables me to travel to do interesting and worthwhile work in exciting countries. I’m not sure that my lifestyle is really an Internet Lifestyle. The Internet is an important working tool for me as for most of us nowadays, but that’s about it. We have an IT Department though and they’re developing new things all the time.
Ever year your business allows you to travel to dozens of countries around the world, what is it like working on the road?
I usually try and get through several good books when I’m travelling, especially at airports and on long journeys; you go mad if you try to work all the time. Also, you need to sleep a lot because otherwise the jet-lag gets to you. Of course, I do work on the road as well – I’m answering you from India after all, and nowadays in business we just expect to be able to communicate with everyone from everywhere – it’s the single big business change of the last two decades.
The Internet Lifestyle allows you to work any hours you like, what’s the biggest benefit of this for you?
I’m not sure about this. You still have to work basically when other people work, and I’m not one for working lots of evenings and weekends unless there’s something major happening.
The great thing about your business model is that you make money by helping people, what’s been the best result of the influence of your company in these gap year countries?
It’s desperately difficult to choose one thing. I suppose you’d have to generalize and say something about brining people and cultures together which I think is massively important in the 21st century. But I’ll also pick our wildlife reserve in the Amazon rainforest, our clinic in a South Indian village, and our housing project for villagers in rural Ghana.
What would you say is the biggest single reason for your success?
We respect our customers, the young people who pay us to work to help others and for their own self-development; they’re brilliant, exciting and interesting people, and we try to meet their requirements for work, try to fit in with the time they have available, and so on . And we respect our partners in the developing world. We really spend our time trying to match the skills, aims and interests of our volunteers to the needs of our partners. We care about what we do and we believe in its value.
You are known as the authority website in the Gap Year niche. What advice would you give a new webmasters to dominating their niche?
Think about your customers all the time. Empathise with them!
I understand that you have been offered a large amount of money for your company, how come you turned it down and retired early?
What am I going to do? Play golf all day? I think I can double or treble what we’re doing in the next few years.
What advice would you give to people just starting out with an online business?
Know your customers. Concentrate on work that you enjoy doing. Make sure you leave enough time to do non-work activity – sport, reading, drinking …
If you could go back in a time machine to the time when you were just getting started, what advice would you give yourself regarding making money online?
Remember that you’ll make mistakes which will cost time and money. It’s a racing certainty! So charge enough money to make sure you have enough reserves to carry on regardless.
What is the best advice you have ever been given?
One fundamental one:
Always remember your mission. Believe!
And one other:
When you start to do well, don’t relax. Innovate!
Thanks very much for the interview, Have you any plans (personal or business) that you can share with us about your future plans / goals / lifetime goals?
Sure. We are always doing a lot of new things. This year, we’re starting in Japan, Israel and Sweden for recruiting volunteers and in Tanzania and Fiji as destinations. We’ve opened a community centre in Sri Lanka, a mobile clinic in Mongolia, a human rights centre in Cape Town – and lots of other things. We keep innovating. This afternoon, we’re working on our new online magazine here in India..
My lifetime goal is to have done some things that have improved people’s lives and which I have enjoyed doing. I don’t want to sound sanctimonious but I’ve got enough money. If we make some profit in a good year, that’s great and we’ll re-invest most of it and keep a little back as a reserve. I like living comfortably but I have absolutely no ambition to own a Ferrari or to swathe my wife in diamonds – though she looks nice in one or two small diamonds …
About Michael Dunlop
I'm Michael, I created this site back in 2009 and since then it's received over a million visitors from all around the world. We offer tutorials and inspiration for online entrepreneurs wanting to achieve more.
17 comments so far… Leave a reply
Wayne Liew
March 20, 2009 8:58 AM
Peter shows everyone it is not just about squeezing out every drop of money from the society to become a successful entrepreneur. It is about adding values to people's life and I sincerely admire Peter's effort in helping citizens of third world countries. Kudos to him. ;)
Michael Dunlop
March 20, 2009 10:07 AM
Exactly Wayne! Peter sure has the best of both worlds.
Scott :: IrnMedia.net
March 20, 2009 9:02 AM
Wow, amazing, good luck to you sir!
Kevin Pritchard
March 20, 2009 9:18 AM
This guy is amazing, he deserves to have this kind of success.
Andy
March 20, 2009 11:21 AM
He is right, believe is your mission :)
Harish
March 20, 2009 1:45 PM
Huh ! I don't know how these great successful people come up with awesome Ideas of Making Money, We must appreciate all those who have been successful in life my coming up with great ideas. Great Interview Michael.
WPDONE
March 20, 2009 1:55 PM
What an example! Great Interview.
Shane Hudson
March 20, 2009 2:13 PM
That sounds like a very unique job!
Michael Dunlop
March 20, 2009 4:11 PM
A dream job if you ask me ;-) making money doing what you enjoy! Wow, thats the Internet lifestyle right there!
Charlie Dean
March 20, 2009 3:46 PM
Wow great interview! Thanks.
Agent 001
March 20, 2009 8:22 PM
Peter you are doing a great job. Its nice to know that you are India now. Helping others succeed is a great job and needs a great mind and big heart. You have made me your fan. I hope I can meet you some day.
Marshall
March 20, 2009 9:47 PM
I really admire his gap program. Great Interview
Monon Eggers
March 22, 2009 4:08 PM
Wow Michael, you are living my dream. I was recently laid off from the grind of PM in construction and I don't want to go back! I want to make more money and I want to help people instead of engage in daily conflict, which is all construction has become.
Michael Dunlop
March 22, 2009 4:20 PM
Thanks Monon :) I wish you the best of luck - I am sure we can teach you a lot here on IncomeDiary.com
Ari Lestariono
April 5, 2009 8:43 AM
Exactly the lifestyle i want to choose, but hard work require to, before succeeding
Muzi Mohale
April 11, 2009 9:15 PM
Hi Peter, am interested at exploring possible Soweto volunteer opportunities, how do I get in contact with you?
emmanuel alabraba
June 20, 2009 9:50 AM
Hello peter,i am a Nigerian from the oil producing part,(the Niger delta) .We are grossly abandoned and under-developed, our education system is in shambles among every other thing.I want to volunteer to make my region a better place.How do i go about it?
The comments are closed.