Mike Moore shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Mike, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day in my life is spent teaching kids in the public school systems from 8am-4pm each day. After getting home after a full day spent with 7 and 8 year olds, I am coming home to my own children and learning about their day in middle school and high school and trying not to show them and my wife that I am extremely exhausted and need to decompress from all of that stimulation. I enjoy it though. I’ve been a teacher for longer than I’ve done anything else and it’s so completely rewarding.
But now with Go Explore Gift Cards I have a 2nd job that is becoming bigger and more time-consuming each day. I enjoy sitting down and spending an hour or so each day checking in on things, replying to business partners, and reviewing customer feedback. I am also needing to post something to various social media channels to keep up with the algorithm that seems to rule everything. But really, when it comes down to it, I just need time to call businesses and try to make connections with owners who might be looking for a new way to market the great things they’re doing for kids and families in Colorado.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a father of two who hates to spend time indoors shopping – especially for other people. I am going to be honest here. It’s hard enough to shop for myself because I would rather spend time outdoors. But when you add the stress of wondering if someone else would like something – it’s just not for me.
When my kids would come home with birthday party invitations we would often get stressed-out at the last minute and run to the closest store to try to find something to bring to the party, with really no clue what our kids friends were into and what they would want.
The idea to gift experiences was born out of this – why not just let them decide? Instead of giving a gift you buy, give them an experience they’ll remember. Something THEY want to do.
We started this idea with a handful of businesses on board, and now we’re getting close to 50 partnerships with local businesses. We are trying a different approach to traditional advertising – we charge our businesses nothing to advertise their offers. When you use our gift cards at a local business they are getting reimbursed for the majority of that amount and we are collecting only a small portion on each redemption. We want businesses to see us as a “no-risk” situation where they don’t have to cough up a chunk of their advertising budget just to see if this new platform works for them. That kind of advertising is very costly and intimidating for new businesses and most places don’t have a large budget to throw away on traditional means of advertising. Their partnership brings value to what we do and so we want to help bring customers to them in return.
We are hoping to create a “family” of businesses that our customers come to know and trust and we hope they use our website and social media channels as a means to find out about new and fun offers for classes, tours, and family-fun in their area. We are a family-run Colorado small business trying our best to help other Colorado small businesses.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
I think my parents taught me the most about work and how working hard for what you want brings fulfillment. When I was a kid, growing up in the 1980s, my parents both worked very hard and were successful in their professions. They treated us to nights out at the movies, trips to the beach, and weekends watching professional baseball games from good seats at the stadium. Those experiences are the things that stuck with me.
They worked hard, and they played hard. And they still had to drive long distances for soccer tournament and wrestling matches and whatever else was going on. They spoiled me rotten as well, but that part didn’t stick with me. I didn’t see as much excitement from buying something as I would spending a day out with my friends running around the woods or riding our bikes. It was the thrill of the experience that ultimately shaped who I became as an adult. When I get a moment to share similar experiences with my own kids, I try to harness those opportunities as much as possible. Go Explore Gift Cards is just an extension of those interests and seeing kids get excited about things and finding their own passions in life.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
I think most people will say that the fear of rejection is a major roadblock for them. I grew up being very shy and it never sat well with me to ask for something for myself. The idea of going into something involving public speaking or sales would not be where I saw myself. But teaching is mostly public speaking, and while I don’t consider Go Explore a sales position – it’s more of a marketing space – I still have to get in touch with what drives people’s needs and desires when thinking of what move to make next. Plus, I need to make cold calls to business owners and introduce myself and the platform. I never figured I’d get used to that.
Another fear is probably “regret”. I have always been a late adopter of whatever is current and “trending”. I find it better to sit back and watch things develop and not jump in too early until something feels proven. I didn’t have a smart phone until the Covid pandemic. You read that correctly. But now that our world has changed so much in the past 5 years and social media is so important to small business, it’s time to sink or swim – and I’m not the type to just sit around and sink if I can help it. It can be an incredible tool if you know how to use it and as of right now I’m still learning the lay of the land. But at least I’m not fearful to try anymore.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
I believe that our childhood is shaped by quality time and experiences with friends and family and no toy or “thing” will shape your character as much as the sum of those experiences. When we are old and we look back we can only hold on to our memories and our health and those experiences we’ve chosen and who we’ve chosen to share them with.
I believe that if we harness the energy of kids and channel it into creative, active, and inspired experiences that they will have a foundation to carry forward and build upon those experiences in their own lives and create more good in the world for others.
Again, none of this is proven. But it certainly seems like a good path to head towards if you can.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
10 years? In all honesty I believe I would probably stop working.
My wife and I travelled the world for one full year when we were married and it was one of the best ideas we ever had. If I only had 10 years and could make the trip, I would start with another full year living out of a backpack and just see how long I could keep up that lifestyle.
There’s something so rewarding about immersing yourself in other cultures. I am constantly thinking about ways I can get back to living that life again and showing my own kids how rewarding those experiences can be.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.goexploregiftcards.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goexploregiftcards/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/go-explore-8501402a7/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555021378776
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoExploreGiftCards
