Meet Bill Bradshaw

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bill Bradshaw.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Bill. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was in sales and customer service, for the majority of my life. I started Best Tours of Denver while earning my master’s degree, from Regis University. It actually started, as a side project. It was a simple way to make additional income, and the flexibility of the tour business was perfect for completing my education. It was very much a part-time venture.

After graduating, with my degree in Organizational Leadership, I set out to pursue my dream corporate job. It is funny how dreams work, reality sets in very quickly, and you find out that your “Dream job” is just another job. With that being said, the tour business continued as a side project, but I really loved it. I especially enjoyed the people from all walks of life. I found it to be intriguing, meeting people from all over the world. I have always had a passion for history, and I love people.

While spending my days at my corporate job, I found myself being drawn back into my tour business. I kept thinking of all the possibilities, in order to make the business grow. After many months of wrestling with the potential of Best Tours of Denver, I decided to take a leap of faith, and devote all my energy into the tour business. This was partially due to fate, and my love of giving tours, and partially because Best Tours of Denver began to really take flight. It becomes evident that the tour business deserved my full dedication.

Three seasons later, the tour business is doing very well, our customers seem to really love the tours that we offer. We are getting glowing 5-star reviews, on Trip Advisor, Yelp. Facebook and Google.

It seems that if you listen to your heart while using a small amount of business savvy, the outcome can be very positive.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has been rough, at times. We started out with only myself doing all the tours while managing the operational end of the business. In the beginning, we had tours that did not book, and many tours with two to four people. We now have six people doing tours, and we are selling out almost every tour. It has been a labor of love, but it was not always easy.

Please tell us about your business.
Best Tours of Denver is known for its quality over quantity. In other words, we limit the number of guests on each tour, in order to maximize the tour experience. Our tours are unique and original, and our mission is to educate, entertain, and engage with each guest. We believe that tours should be personal. We specialize in a cultural immersion experience; meaning that we offer a mosaic blend of sensory exposure. Our tours include history, haunts, food tasting, wine tasting, scandals from the past, fun facts of Denver, famous residents, etc.

We offer four tour options: The Best of Denver Tour, the Twilight Ghost Tour, the Denver History and Ghost Adventure, and the Capitol Hill History and Ghost Tour. The private, group and corporate tours are our specialties. Gift cards are also available.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me means doing the best job that we can, while keeping our feet on the ground. This can be achieved by being honest, treating people with respect, giving the best customer service possible, while ensuring the tour guides are well taken care of. In my opinion, the only way to achieve true success is to make sure the people that helped you get there, are treated fairly and having a sense of pride.

Pricing:

• Public tours are $22 per person
• Private tours are $30 per person

Contact Info:

• Website: www.besttoursofdenver.com
• Phone: 720-635-0987
• Email: info@besttoursofdenver.com
• Twitter: https://www.yelp.com/biz/best-tours-of-denver-denver
• Yelp: https://www.facebook.com/besttoursofdenver/
• Other: https://www.denver.org/listing/best-tours-of-denver-llc/21071/
  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g33388-d12443197-Reviews-Best_Tours_of_Denver-Denver_Colorado.html

Image Credit:
Krista Bradshaw

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