Meet Megan Grant | Founder & Memory Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Megan Grant and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Megan, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I think I approached starting my own business in a different way than most entrepreneurs. What I’ve been made familiar with in the entrepreneurial world is that most entrepreneurs start with a big idea first. This big idea leads them to start a business centered around the idea and go to work for themselves.

For me, my big idea didn’t come first. I had been working on my exit strategy from my corporate career planning city-wide conferences for months. I finally hired a business coach to help me figure out the next step in my career and put together a proper exit strategy. Then a worldwide pandemic happened. COVID gave me the swift kick out the door that I had been searching for, for months. That’s one thing I do thank COVID for. I was furloughed in June 2020 and then officially let go in September 2020. During that whole time, I still did not know that I wanted to be an entrepreneur and have my own business.

I was still working with my business coach on what my next career should be. I was applying for new jobs, networking like crazy, and doing a lot of interpersonal work. It took stirring up the conflict in my head and tearing apart the road map for life that I had been given for me to realize I could create my own path. When I finally had this realization, then I had to work on building my confidence. Could I actually be an entrepreneur? The answer ended up being yes and then I had to figure out what my big idea was going to be.

In October 2020, I was having a conversation with a woman in one of my networking groups who is in her 60s. I said to her during this conversation “if I could do anything I would be planning trips for women while supporting women all over the world”. She paused for a moment and said “Megan, you just said your big idea out loud. Make sure you write that down.” I still have that notebook page where I wrote “travel for women that supports women”. And now that’s exactly what I do.

Cherish Tours was born out of a love for travel and a desire to make an impact in the world. I like to look at it as a journey, I wouldn’t have ever thought to start this business without the path that I had already taken in my life. Every lesson lead me here, and I’m still learning new lessons every day to make Cherish the best it can be. To create a safe place for women to let their most authentic selves shine while expanding their consciousness by traveling the world.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Cherish Tours is a travel experience company that hosts small group trips around the world exclusively for women while supporting women in business. I founded Cherish on the belief that women should have access to joyous experiences throughout their lives. Travel is transformative and every woman should experience traveling in a way that allows them to blossom and learn about what brings them joy. We believe in a ripple effect of kindness that happens when women tune inwards, listen to their needs, and take opportunities to add joyous experiences to their lives.

We are different because of the interpersonal relationships we create through travel. Each of our travelers has the opportunity to grow a personal relationship with their truest selves, the badass women on each trip, local women in the destinations we travel to, and the place they are traveling to. Cherish has personal relationships around the world that help us plan immersive experiences where travelers are able to connect on a deeper level with fellow travelers, locals, our world, and more. Not only are our hosted travel experiences immersive, but they are also socially conscious. We keep sustainable travel in mind in the planning phase of each trip.

I get fired up in planning each new trip that Cherish offers. Finding women around the world to support through travel is incredible. It hasn’t been easy but I like the challenge. It’s like a treasure hunt to find local women in business and even more fun to visit them and see the passion they have for their home state/country shine through.

If I could leave an audience with one takeaway, it would be that ethical travel is possible. And to a deeper level, travel is accessible and the world should be explored.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love living in Atlanta. I’ve been in Atlanta for just over 3 years now and I’m finding new gems all the time. With owning a travel company, the airport is my best friend. I feel so fortunate to not only live only 20 minutes from the airport but also have such a large international airport at my finger tips to jump on a plane and travel the world.

But when people visit me here in Atlanta, my must visit places to show them are…
-El Tesoro
-Bob & Harriets (family owned)
-Emerald City Bagels (woman owned)
-Delbar (woman owned)
-Banshee (woman ran bar program)
-Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft (woman owned)
-Folk Art (woman owned)
-Julianna’s Crepes (woman owned)
-Eventide Brewery (co-owned by a woman)

My new favorite neighbor spot around the corner from me is Vin ATL.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The business coach who gave me the confidence to launch Cherish, Rich Tafel The woman who sparked my passion for travel, my mom, Sheri Reid Grant
and the woman who helped me find my idea, Debra Jackson

Website: https://www.gocherishtours.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gocherishtours/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cherish-tours-llc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gocherishtours

Image Credits
Some of the images are from a photographer that has traveled with me named Kate Lynn Imagery