PHOTO: Me, literally rubbing elbows with Prince William, surrounded by the Invisible Cities team and investee Zakia Moulaoui Gueryakia on the far right.
My day-to-day work with UnTours and the UnTours Foundation usually takes place while sitting at a computer in my home office (in my freezing cold basement) – writing emails, reading reports, talking on video calls, and with occasional interruptions from the cutest kids (my kids) this side of the Mississippi. Thankfully, the regular drudgery of a work-from-home office job is, from time to time, punctuated by unique experiences that also constitute my “work.” Sometimes, to fulfill my job, I have to travel to a Caribbean island to seek out new impactful businesses to support through our Reset Tourism Fund; I must head to Asia to speak at an event in the iconic Marina Bay Sands building; I’m required to explore the streets and cafes (and maybe even a few pubs) of a European city with our UnTours UnGuides.
A few weeks ago, I received my most interesting work assignment yet: to join one of our recent foundation investees as they hosted an event with His Royal Highness, Prince William. Invisible Cities, the UK-based social enterprise and the real star of the show, trains local people who have experienced homelessness to become city tour guides, then hires them to lead tourists around their home cities – providing both good jobs for the guides and unique experiences for the travelers…a perfect combination. So perfect, in fact, that the staff of The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales heard about it and brought it to the attention of the royal couple. A few short months later, the Royal Foundation is now an official partner of Invisible Cities, helping them to expand throughout the UK. And UnTours Foundation is right there alongside, providing a low interest loan from our Reset Tourism Fund to finance that expansion.
So what was it like to meet the future king? To begin, the staff of the Royal Foundation and the royal family were amazing in their organization. Every small detail was thought of, and every second of the prince’s time maximized. A level of organization and intentionality with someone’s time that I had not encountered previously. The prince himself was, along with being much taller than I realized, incredibly humble and gracious with those of us gathered in the room to meet him. He shook everyone’s hand (no bows or curtsies required) and engaged intently as he learned how each of us is involved in the amazing work of Invisible Cities. For my part, I was privileged with a few minutes to explain how the UnTours Foundation works and why we use investments and loans to businesses to create positive impact. Prince William also took a tour in Aberdeen with one of the Invisible Cities guides, strolling along the sidewalks mostly unrecognized. The security and photographers were there, but hidden so as not to draw attention.
Watch our conversation here:
While the meeting with the prince was nice – an interesting life memory and a story to tell the grandkids someday – my biggest takeaway was the reminder that we’re on to something special at the UnTours Foundation. Our approach is unique and uniquely impactful. We don’t directly work to solve homelessness in the UK, but we have a system that helped us identify a business that does and a model to support the growth of that business so that more lives are impacted. Invisible Cities will repay their loan, and then we’ll move on to the next high-impact business. Over the years, we’ve made about 400 investments, most of which won’t involve a date with the royal family. Still, they all share the same focus of using business as a force for good in the world and a desire to grow their impact, tapping into the UnTours Foundation to help make that happen.
