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Meet Jamie and Andrew Brandess of Fly Friend Service in Golden

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Brandess and Andrew Brandess.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We started Fly Friend Service out of a love for travel, a desire for making travel possible for anyone and everyone, and a passion for assisting those with anxiety. Getting on an airplane can be stressful and sometimes having someone there with you to help you through it can make traveling a lot easier. Fear of flying is a common form of anxiety and it can be helpful to have someone “hold your hand” literally or figuratively to get you where you need to go. There are times it’s necessary to fly – getting to a wedding, funeral, family reunion or dream vacation. We help get you there. Andrew’s mother was unable to fly by herself to go on a once-in-a-lifetime sailing vacation to Croatia, so we went with her to help make her dream a reality. We enjoyed the fulfillment of seeing her joy during the trip and realized this was a great way to help others too. Who wants to miss a wedding because they’re too scared to get on an airplane or they have difficulty getting through an airport? We believe life’s most precious moments shouldn’t be missed because of those reasons and want to do whatever we can to help.

Has it been a smooth road?
Our business is still very new, so we are learning along the way what works and what doesn’t. Traveling itself is expensive so our service is not affordable to a lot of people. We do what we can to reduce costs to our clients, but it’s still not always feasible for them even though we truly want to help. Also, since this service is not offered by many others (only one other company that we’ve found!), getting the word out about it takes time and patience.

Because of some of the affordability issues we’ve encountered, we are now launching a new budget optimization platform to help people enjoy their trips as cheaply as they want while also experiencing their must-do’s on their travels. We are hopeful that this new offering can help budget-conscious customers go on vacation.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
We offer travel companionship to people who are afraid to fly or need a little extra assistance getting through airports and getting to their destination. We will physically travel with people on the airplane to get them through the experience. Due to airline expertise, Andrew is able to explain the nuts and bolts of flying and due to Jamie’s mental health expertise, she is able to help calm people’s nerves.

We are proud to be able to help make travel possible for others since we have been fortunate to have traveled a lot during our lives.

Only one other company we are aware of offers the type of service we do, so we love having a unique concept.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
We believe the Denver area is a great place for businesses to start. For our business in particular, Denver’s airport has the most domestic destinations in the country (more than Atlanta, Chicago or New York!)

Colorado has some great resources for businesses such as the Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) throughout the state. Jamie worked for the one in Boulder for several years and loved the experience of helping businesses start and grow. Boulder’s SBDC won the award for the top SBDC in the country last year.

Networking in the Denver area is also great. Business owners are very supportive of each other and seem to genuinely try to help others succeed. We would certainly recommend others start their businesses here!

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