The Curiosity Advantage: Hidden Desires and Marketing Magic (Part 2)

This post is part of "The Entrepreneur's Safari" – a series of candid reflections exploring the entrepreneurial journey building a safari business with a Kenyan business partner alongside lessons learned from leadership and business development.  

This is the second part of a two-part series on how curiosity reveals unexpected marketing opportunities. If you haven't read Part 1, I recommend starting there.

Just when I thought I'd learned my lesson about marketing assumptions from the "animals only" revelation, a casual conversation with a friend delivered another perspective-shifting insight.

The Conversation That Changed Everything

Over happy hour recently I was chatting with a friend, mother to a 15-year-old, about Complete Safaris and our marketing approach. She mentioned something that completely surprised me: that she would want to travel solo to Kenya.  Not with spouse, friends, or children, completely alone.

This concept felt so foreign to my own travel preferences that I instinctively pushed back. "Don't you want someone to sit down with at the end of the day and say 'OMG, do you remember when we saw that elephant charging?'" I asked. "Don't you want to share those moments?"

"No!" she replied emphatically. "I don't need to talk to someone at the end of the day. I have my memories for myself."

She went on to describe how liberating it would feel to experience travel entirely on her own terms.  No compromising on activities, no managing others' moods or preferences, no obligation to make conversation when she'd rather quietly reflect. Yet she admitted she'd never tell her husband she wanted a solo trip because he might feel hurt or excluded.

"It's not about being alone at home when your husband or kids leave," she explained. "That's not a vacation. It's about a vacation just for you. It's not about making do.  It's about being worth it."

She added that what appealed to her about Complete Safaris was the personal guide connection. "Anthony is the kind of person you feel safe with and trust from the moment you meet him," she noted. "Having a personal guide means having someone who has your back while still respecting your independence."

The Psychological Elements I'd Been Missing

This conversation was a perfect example of what Rory Sutherland discusses in "Alchemy", the hidden psychological factors that truly drive decisions are often invisible until we get curious enough to discover them.

I'd been focusing on the wrong elements entirely. The rational benefits of a safari (seeing amazing animals, staying in nice accommodations) matter, but these unexpected psychological benefits might drive decisions for an entirely different market segment:

• The feeling of independence and self-discovery that comes from solo travel

• Freedom from the emotional labor of managing others' experiences

• The empowerment of navigating unfamiliar experiences successfully

• The permission to focus entirely on personal desires and interests

These psychological benefits aren't irrational, they're simply harder to measure and articulate than "you'll see lions." Yet for many women, they might create more compelling reasons to book a safari than any feature I'd been emphasizing.

From Insight to Implementation

This conversation opened my eyes to an entirely new market segment I'd never considered, women seeking permission and pathways to travel alone. It suggests several potential marketing approaches:

• Solo safari experiences designed specifically for women seeking independence

• Content that validates this desire for personal adventure

• Resources that help women navigate conversations with partners about wanting solo travel

• Messaging that emphasizes the safety and personal support our guides provide

• Testimonials from women who have traveled alone to Kenya

What fascinates me is how this approach would would address entirely different motivations, speak to different objections, and highlight different aspects of the safari experience.

My Current Impatience and Future Direction

The real opportunity here isn't a fundamental business model change. It's a language shift.

Complete Safaris was designed from the beginning to deliver what this solo-traveling woman is seeking.

Anthony's personal guide approach, the flexibility to spend time entirely on your terms, the freedom to experience Kenya without managing anyone else's needs or emotions.  We already offer all of this. What we haven't done is speak directly to women who are quietly craving this experience.

I'm not reinventing our offerings or rebuilding our website. I'm translating what we already do into language that reaches women who feel they need permission to take this trip. This is the gap between our current messaging and our market potential.

The challenge now is resisting the urge to overcomplicate this. It would be easy to build entirely new packages, create separate marketing funnels, develop new content streams. Instead, the smarter move is to let this insight shape how we describe what we're already doing. When we explain the personal guide approach, we emphasize independence and safety. When we talk about customization, we frame it as freedom from compromise. When we discuss the pace of the safari, we highlight solitude and reflection.

It's the same offering with different mirrors held up to it.

The Compounding Power of Curiosity

Curiosity isn't just about asking questions.  It's about asking the right questions, genuinely listening to answers that contradict your assumptions, and remaining humble enough to recognize when your own preferences aren't universal. When we practice this kind of curiosity consistently, insights don't just accumulate; they compound and unlock entirely new possibilities we never would have discovered alone.

For entrepreneurs and leaders, Dr. Jes DeShields emphasizes that curiosity is foundational to leadership effectiveness. In "9 Leader Touchstones," she identifies curiosity alongside emotional intelligence, courage, integrity, authenticity, empathy, inclusivity, gratitude, and resilience as the standards of quality leadership.  This curiosity extends beyond surface-level questioning. It's about creating conditions for genuine understanding of the people you serve and lead. As we continue developing Complete Safaris' approach, I'm committing to this kind of curiosity, regularly seeking perspectives different from my own, especially from those who might view a Kenya safari through an entirely different lens than I do.

Your Turn: The Curiosity Challenge

I'm curious: What surprising customer insights have you discovered through casual conversations? How did they change your approach to your business or work?

And specifically for potential safari travelers: Does the idea of solo travel appeal to you? What aspects of the experience would matter most if you were traveling alone? What psychological benefits would you seek from a Kenya adventure?

If you've ever felt that quiet pull toward solo travel, toward a trip that's entirely yours, toward freedom to move at your own pace and spend time exactly as you choose: this is for you. Kenya is waiting for you on your terms. Anthony is the kind of guide who has your back while respecting your independence completely.

Let's talk about what your perfect solo safari looks like. Schedule a conversation and tell us how you want to feel at the end of each day.