In 2018 I launched Resanda, an online hiking guide for the Midwest. It’s been about a year since I started and I wanted to share why I started it and what my long term goals are with it.
Homepage view of Resanda
How Resanda got started
I frequently visit incredible places in Wisconsin and upper Michigan. When people travel in the area, they tend to ask me, “hey do you know any cool spots to check out when I visit?”
Creating an online hiking guide for people to use has been on my mind for three years now. I was working on a similar idea that focused on families and hiking in Door County, Wisconsin, but it naturally faded away. My heart wasn’t set on just Door County. I felt more connected to other parts of the state.
I saw an opportunity to showcase the beauty of Wisconsin and upper Michigan together.
Some say find a small niche and focus on that. That only becomes successful if you actually care enough about that niche though. I grew up in upper Michigan and now call Wisconsin home. There is untapped potential across Wisconsin and Door County already has a lot of attention.
And I like a good challenge. Even if that data is not in my favor.
There’s the whole scratching your own itch thing too.
While I appreciate organizations like Discover Wisconsin and local visitor bureau’s doing their part, they don’t offer the type of informative experiences I would like to see.
I think there is opportunity for improvement.
I am not saying that what I’m building is going to be better right away, but the idea is to build it, test it, and see how people react. What do readers find valuable about Resanda? What are the gaps when it comes to sharing hiking and outdoor tips?
Taking advantage of my strengths
Image section from Resanda homepage.
Photography
This was the main reason most people ended up asking me about where to hike. I would share lots of landscape photos from trips I would take either on Instagram, Twitter, or when I was on Facebook (over 6 years ago). People appreciate my visual skills and I know that should be a part of Resanda’s core.
It’s a no brainer and something I already do.
Writing
This may seem obvious for a website and guide, but it’s something I know I am also skilled at. Not that I think I am great at it, but other people seem to enjoy what I write and that’s what matters.
I have an incredibly easy time coming up with writing ideas and can cast a perspective onto anything I care about.
Perspective
Rolling off of that last though, this is also something I think will differentiate Resanda. It is my unique perspective on these places. What did I like. What’s worth hiking down? What is each time of year like? I think about that stuff all the time.
Sure, every place can be beautiful, but when people have limited time or money, what should they do?
Video
This skill set is something I wrestle with on a personal level. I know I can make great video content for Resanda, but I also know that video can be a larger investment in time and money because I have such high standards for myself. I want to add video content to Resanda, but I also need to do one thing at a time. Get the base content up, like photos and information. Then improve the experience with video.
Will people actually find it valuable though? Or is text and photos enough to relay the information people actually want?
Or would they rather watch a video that recaps the entire page?
You don’t know until you try. Right?
The goals I have for Resanda
Create awareness
This is pretty straight forward. How can I share this information with more people? Right now I am focusing on creating great content that is already seeing results. Organic search is in my favor because of my marketing experience with SEO.
Social is still a territory I need to improve on. I need to make a priority at some point. Scheduling tools will help reduce the amount of time it takes to do that.
Change the perspective of the local population
It never ceases to surprise me to hear that people think that Wisconsin is boring and there is nothing to do. I want to show the people of Wisconsin that there are crazy beautiful landscapes, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and trail systems to explore. You don’t have to leave the state to see extraordinary scenery.
Change the perspective of the remote population
When people think of Wisconsin they usually think Green Bay Packers, beer, cheese, etc. I want to open the eyes of people that come to visit us. If they are visiting Madison or in town for a Packer game, they may be unaware of what they can explore. I want to encourage people to stay and connect with nature.
Get people outside
The benefits of spending time in nature, walking, hiking, swimming in your own pool, using a hayward pool pump to keep it clean, contractors like Worldwide Pools can make your swimming activities possible. Beyond physical health, mental health is also an important aspect of spending time in nature. Away from our computers, off our phones (hopefully), and taking time to reflect on who we are, where we are going, and what we are grateful for. The more we become connected, the more we need to disconnect.
Connect people to organizations making an impact
There are some great organizations that are working hard to improve our planet and the well being of others. Creating awareness of important topics like pollution and mental health will be a secondary focus as content gets created.
Key characteristics of Resanda’s content
Brand guidelines have not formally been created, because I don’t think that is important yet. Resanda is a minimum viable product at this point. In the startup world, they call that an MVP. So before I get ahead of myself I want to test the idea by getting the content in front of people, and then iterate.
Hikes available so far.
High quality and unique imagery
I don’t want to be using stock imagery for this. I or a trusted partner will be creating the photography and any video content for Resanda. It will have a modern style to help portray the locations in new and unique ways.
Images will be curated to achieve two goals:
Comprehension – Does the image help people understand the location so they will be prepared for it?
Inspiration – Does the image get people excited about traveling to that location?
Thoughtful and thorough information
While photos can be a great way to explain what a location is like, sometimes they create unanswered questions.
- How safe is it to get to that location?
- How long does it take to get to that view?
- Are there bathrooms nearby?
- Can you camp there?
- Are dogs allowed?
These are questions that people ask and need answers too. I don’t want to just inspire people to go places. I want to be able to educate and prepare them for the destination. The more people know about a location and have the confidence to go, the less they will worry about.
5 year plan or something like that
My long term plan for Resanda is to keep adding to it over time. Originally my goal was one location per month, but here we are at one year and I have four.
And I’m ok with that.
Ideas bigger than me
I don’t have much money invested into it. Just web hosting and my time. But long term it could turn into something cool. Whether that’s building a business out of it somehow or creating great new relationships. There are lots of possibilities.
As Resanda grows and gains attention, I am considering ways to add more people to the cause, building a business out of it, or even turning it into a nonprofit organization.
There are a lot of misconceptions around what a nonprofit is and how they function. And they are a business just a like any other business. They generate revenue in different ways and generally have a mission of impact over revenue. But revenue is necessary for impact to happen.
So I am open to that idea with Resanda. Could be environmentally focused, mental health focused, etc.
There is much to explore still.
Always something to learn
No matter what happens with this project I’ll be learning something new. Whether it’s understanding more about the tourism of the Midwest, growing a brand or community from scratch, or learning what people actually value when it comes to travel I look forward to every part of the process.
Here’s to keeping things moving forward!
