Meet Dirk Laifoo

Dirk was born and raised on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. He is the founder of Zenadth Kes Tours, a bus tour company that takes visitors around Thursday Island. Dirk has been operating the business for about 10 years. While his main focus is bus tours, he also sometimes runs walking tours of the township.

“The coaching from Rob has been the most useful. I tend to want to move too fast with the business, but Rob has helped me slow down and take things step by step. He’s kept me focused on the right procedures and the right order to grow the business. I’m very glad I met him as he’s been a great coach and also a good working friend”. – Dirk Laifoo

Read more about Dirk’s business journey so far:

Dirk’s Business 

Before starting my tour business, I worked as a taxi driver on Thursday Island and I still drive taxis in between tours. Driving taxis gave me a lot of knowledge about the roads and the area, which has been really helpful for running tours.

I first connected with Rob from Many Rivers at an event on Thursday Island, where I  learned about the support they could provide.

I wanted to start my own business to be my own boss and enjoy the freedom of working on my own time. Running your own business is a nice challenge as you wear a lot of hats and have to multitask, and I like that side of it.

Working with Many Rivers

Many Rivers, and particularly my business coach Rob, has helped me a lot with marketing and advertising. That support has been really valuable in growing the business.

The coaching from Rob has been the most useful. I tend to want to move too fast with the business, but Rob has helped me slow down and take things step by step. He’s kept me focused on the right procedures and the right order to grow the business. I’m very glad I met him because he’s been a great coach and also a good working friend.

I haven’t taken out a loan. I’ve just been working hard and using the assets I already have.

I don’t have permanent employees. From time to time, if I can’t run a tour myself, I hire another taxi driver to cover. He’s self-employed, so it’s not a formal arrangement, just casual help when needed.

Biggest Challenge

The biggest challenge has been social media. I’m not very good at keeping up with posting, but Rob has been helping me. I’m trying to get into the rhythm of taking photos and keeping the page active.

It might sound funny because I’m in tourism, but I’m actually quite shy. Still, my tours are special to me as they allow me to share generations of history and local knowledge during my bus and walking tours.

Biggest Success

One success has been seeing passenger numbers grow, especially during the peak tourist season in June, July, August, and September. This past year was particularly busy during the school holidays, which was great to see.

But more than numbers, my biggest success is seeing the smiles on people’s faces after a tour. When they’re happy, that’s success to me. Word-of-mouth advertising from satisfied customers is the best kind of promotion.

Biggest Change

The biggest positive change has been work–life balance. Before tours, I worked long hours driving taxis. Now, with the tours, I can work fewer hours but still earn a higher income.

It also makes me proud to show my kids the business. They see me running tours, and it connects them to our culture and home. I want them to be proud of who they are and where they come from.

Future Goals

I’d like to expand. At the moment, I have a 10-seater bus, but in the future I’d like to upgrade to a bigger 20-seater bus. Longer term, I want to keep improving the quality of the tours and eventually invest in brand-new equipment.

Thank you Dirk for sharing your business journey with us. We wish you the best of luck with future endeavours and business success.

If you would like to stay updated with Dirk’s small business, follow “Zenadth Kes Tours” on Trip Advisor through the following QR code:

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