Part 7: It's real now.

Well, a lot has happened since my post one month ago.

I really wish I had stuck to my original idea of creating an update of my progress every week or so, but I have needed to focus all of my attention on setting up Baja Good for success. I feel like I am forgetting so many little details, but such is life.

I’m currently in snowy Chicago visiting family for Thanksgiving (and being forced to stay a little longer). How did I get here? Let’s get into it… one step at a time.

After receiving tons of sign-ups but virtually no responses to any of my emails (and only one vehicle signed up), I decided to investigate further.

I noticed people were filling out the form on the website two, three, even four times… surely these people would respond to my emails if they were that interested, right?

Long story short, I discovered that almost all of my emails were not being delivered. No, they weren’t just ending up in spam or junk folders—they weren’t being delivered at all. From my end, everything looked normal.

Months ago, I had fixed the spam issue that my custom business email (hola@bajagood.com) had. Apparently, this is normal for new emails, depending on the provider/server you use.

So why were my emails not being delivered at all?

My current client acquisition setup consists of sending automated emails to people after they sign up on the website. I send an email using software called Zapier. Through Zapier, I connect to Gmail through my regular business email (bajagoodco@gmail.com). In Gmail, I have also separately connected the custom business email of hola@bajagood.com.

It turned out that when you receive an email from one sender (Zapier) saying it’s from another sender (Gmail) that is then saying it’s actually from another sender (Private Email - where hola@bajagood.com is registered), that’s a first-class ticket to spam.

Or even worse… nothing being delivered at all.

I decided to redo everything and use trusty Gmail from there on out. Less professional, but my priority was and still is getting in contact with potential clients as soon as possible.

At the time, I had around 40 people signed up, so I got to sending new emails, making phone calls, sending texts, and messaging people on WhatsApp.

Over the next three days, I was glued to my computer and phone. Most people thought I was ignoring them or that Baja Good was a scam and not a real company.

I had to apologize for the error in communication and rebuild trust.

4 weeks and hundreds of messages later, I am now up to 12 confirmed vehicles. One expedition is completely sold out with a waiting list.

When the first deposit came in, I remember feeling sad, as I wrote about in the last update. I was debating whether or not I should have written that because, deep down, I knew those emotions were going to change.

I think it’s important to document all the ups and downs, as fleeting as they may be.

I’ve had a lot of ups and downs this month—and a whole lot of stress—but I am learning so much. Anxiety and excitement share turns bouncing around my body, and sometimes they even co-exist. After all, they are pretty much cousins in the emotional world.

I was pretty nervous before my first phone call with a potential client. I’ve never liked selling things. Luckily, the people who have found Baja Good have all resonated with the offer before asking for more information and for me to contact them. I haven’t needed to sell anyone on anything… only to have an honest conversation about me, my experience, what Baja Good is going to be, and what they can expect.

I’ve now talked with four people over the phone, some multiple times, and it feels great.

I remember being a kid and always seeing my Dad answer his phone for business calls. He was a great entrepreneur who created a company called Capri Jewelers. He could (and would) talk with anyone. He exuded confidence and trust.

I could feel myself channeling his energy for these calls. This has been an unforeseen side benefit of creating this business: feeling a deeper connection to my Dad. I’m understanding a lot more of what he must have gone through to have provided as well as he did for my sisters and me. I’ve developed a much bigger appreciation for everything he created and maintained. Even though I can’t have a conversation with him in the traditional sense, he continues to teach me a lot.

Of the 16 people currently signed up among 12 vehicles, I believe all of them are in their 50s and 60s, with one person in their 70s.

The trip seems to be resonating most with people who are retired, who are currently living full-time in their vans or taking months-long trips, and who have the time (and money) for a guided experience like this.

I’ve caravanned with quite a few couples in this age range, and every time it’s been a blast.

While I wasn’t thinking this would be my target demographic, I’m excited that the sign-ups have unfolded as they have.

As I had told my family I’d be visiting for Thanksgiving, I needed to get to San Diego to leave the van stateside while flying to Chicago.

I had only a couple of weeks to make my way north.

I thought I had a stellar 21-day itinerary created for the expedition, but I knew I’d need to personally go to each spot before taking a group there. It’s been 3 years since I was in Baja, after all.

Physically being in these spots proved to be insanely important.

I connected with members of the community: owners of the coffee shops, campgrounds, and tour companies I plan to visit. They put me in touch with more people in the area. It reminded me how excited people generally are to help others. I felt a major boost in energy after these conversations!

I went to some spots and didn’t love the areas anymore, so I nixed them from the itinerary. Others were added. I was able to time how long it actually takes to get from one town to the next. Google Maps isn’t the most accurate in this part of the world.

I drove to Guerrero Negro, which is the famous spot for whale tours, and I couldn’t find a great place for camping overnight. I then came across a different area of the peninsula that is less well-known for gray whales, but that offers a much cooler and more unique experience. I had to rework my itinerary to change to this location, adjusting the driving days and stops.

I visited 3-4 campgrounds and wild camping spots in each town, just to make sure I was picking the best possible spot for the caravans.

I scouted out restaurants and lunch spots on the highways during the longer driving days.

I figured out which campgrounds could offer laundry, filtered water, dump stations for those with black water tanks, etc.

I eventually made it across the border of Tecate and ended up in San Diego.

Now that I was in the States, I had a lot of items to check off my to-do list.

T-shirts. I want quality t-shirts to give to every person coming on an expedition. I reached out to my super artistic cousin, Ava, who lives in San Diego, to see if she had any recommendations. She sent me to a local screen printing business and pointed out the best shirts to go with for a heavyweight tee with more of a vintage feeling, exactly the vibe I was going for.

I researched and ordered new gear for the expeditions, including walkie-talkies, a backup solar generator, and a plethora of random little things that have broken over the three years the van has been outside of the country.

The van also got a 50,000-mile oil change. During this routine maintenance, I had the technicians check out a clunk noise somewhere in the front suspension that I’ve been driving with ever since Chile/Argentina.

They agreed to keep the van for the 10 days I was to visit Chicago. One day before my flight back, they told me they still hadn’t figured out 100% what the issue was, but they think that it’s the axle.

This would require two more weeks. The van is my home. Without it, I would have nowhere to stay in San Diego for this long. Airbnb is out of the question.

While I was planning to do another scouting mission in Baja to visit all of the spots in the itinerary a second time before the expeditions started (probably overkill), the smarter and safer decision is to get this thing fixed before the caravans. Plus, with being under 60,000 miles, this service is covered by warranty. If I were to lead three expeditions and come back to San Diego afterward, the van would be out of warranty.

So, I am here in Chicago until December 19th. Luckily, I had already cancelled the Holiday Caravan, as everyone had been signing up for the other three, and it was getting to be too last-minute to reserve campgrounds without knowing how many people—if any—would be on the trip.

Hopefully, the van gets fixed by the time the dealership told me so that I can get into Mexico and do a second round of scouting before the first expedition leaves on January 13th. I’ll just be a little crammed for time.

Thankfully, my lovely aunt and uncle have no problem hosting Ana, Paquito, and me for another two weeks. I’m feeling extra thankful for them and the time spent with family.

Since I’ve doubled down on Meta ads, I’ve been receiving lots more comments on my videos and posts. Most are from people genuinely curious about the trip, either asking questions about their vehicles or asking for more information.

However, several are extremely negative.

Unlike before, they don’t bother me as much now. I’m actually having a lot of fun responding in a respectful way that still puts these people in their place—a polite slam, if you will.

To be completely honest, I can’t imagine being 50+ and deciding to publicly comment like this, regardless of how much I disagreed with something. If anything, it shows how unhappy and angry these people are… nothing to do with me.

I have continued to pay $8-10 per day for Meta ads. I made a new ad specifically for the Fiesta Caravan that starts in January, testing some new techniques and trying to sell out this caravan ASAP. I have four responses from that in just a few days… let’s see if I can get some of these interested people to sign up!

I’d like to turn off the ads I have running and not have to focus on selling more spots. Ideally, all three caravans will sell out before I start leading the first one.

I’m sure I left some major things out, but it’s time to publish this update.

Honestly, my brain’s been all over the place this month. I’ve had only a few proper nights of sleep… but I’m learning every day, and things are getting easier and falling into place. Slowly but surely.

Thanks again for reading.

I’ll be over here working to get things done while enjoying time with family in 10+ inches of snow.

Talk soon,
Alex