Bruce Poon Tip is the founder of G Adventures and the Planeterra Foundation, which harnesses the power of the tourism supply chain to channel travellers’ dollars into underserved communities around the world.

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Let’s start with your background. Can you share with us your career journey and what you’re currently up to?

I always knew I’d be an entrepreneur before I even knew what the world was – always wanting to create new and exciting things for people. Before starting G Adventures at the age of 22, I had started three businesses before I turned 16.

After 33 years, it almost feels like we are starting all over again following the pandemic. I think we’re one of the most powerful startups in the world right now, because we get to rebuild everything in a better, cleaner, faster, more nimble way.

I thought I’d be slowing down in my old age. However I’ve been pulled right back into some of the hardest work I’ve ever done, but also some of the best work we will ever do as a business.

We’d love to know what a typical day is like for you. Could you describe a recent workday?

Well, it is very different now, because we’ve only just brought people back to the office after three years of being remote.

Previously, I would be on Zoom with meetings after meetings, and I learnt to adjust and adapt to that. But now it’s a bit more of a hybrid. I’m travelling again for the first time in two and a half years!

On a typical day I do something physical and active. I attend most of my group meetings before catching up with different leaders around the business and usually have media interviews in the evening. 

Can you define work-life balance for yourself and share with us your approach in maintaining it?

It seems easier for me in terms of work-life balance these days, because a lot of my work is done at home, which I don’t think my wife expected to happen. She got used to me being away for a lot of the time and isn’t used to me being around so much. It’s actually altered all aspects of my life.

With building an international company or an international brand, you do have to work on a 24 hour schedule, however when I say that, I don’t feel like I work more than anyone else – I just have to be available at unusual hours.

Working from home has served me better. I can do some work at 10 or 11 at night. But I can also do yoga or hit the gym in the middle of the afternoon or go for a run or surf during the day. I think it’s been even better for my health.

Pre-COVID I was constantly travelling and on the road, but I won’t return to that. Now being smarter about how I travel and utilise technology has benefited my personal and mental health.

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Change is constant, and it’s essential for growth. Have you made any lifestyle changes in the past year to improve your work-life balance?

I used to travel a lot very quickly – going to Europe for meetings, or Australia for 48 hours. We’re building back stronger and catering to a new kind of audience, so changing habits so we can stay in regions longer and not make trips so fleeting has been beneficial.

I’ve also been able to work remotely in different places, while still maintaining a connection to the world. Learning how to lead in a very different way has been essential to our current global environment and adoption to new ways of working.

We’re always on the lookout for new resources! Can you recommend any books, podcasts, or newsletters that have helped you in your journey towards balance?

I’m a big fan of The 4-Hour Workweek. A lot of books that I’m into are based on how you can discipline yourself to make time for meaningful, intense thinking work, without the expectation for that to be consistent 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. I need to do heavy thinking every day.

Before we wrap up, do you have any final words of wisdom or insights on work, life, or balance that you’d like to share with our readers?

One of the famous things that I always say to my team is: “Love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” I know that sounds really trite, but I really believe that.

No matter what it is that you do, you have to find purpose in it, and it doesn’t mean that everyone has to be an entrepreneur. People that build the best teams and the best groups of people that come together are people that are all purpose-driven with a unified vision of what a collective group can accomplish. And that’s a really powerful thing to be a part of.

This whole mindset of separating personal and work is tragic if you have to constantly have this wall between your work and your life. You’re part of something greater than yourself, no matter what it is – whether you’re just programming, in sales or marketing or collecting data, you’re contributing to a greater kind of purpose and finding happiness in that.

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