Jeremy Lea (left) and Jonathan Rodgers, Co-Founders and Directors of Apex Expeditions.
Published: November 10, 2020 | Updated: 11th November 2020
By common consent life will never be the same after the pandemic.
Whether it’s more home working or fulfilling a desire for a better work/life balance, 2020 is set to go down as the year real change took hold.
And could that create new opportunities for forward-looking businesses?
Jonathan Rodgers and Jeremy Lea certainly think so.
Like many they’re pivoting their business to meet the new reality.
The self-confessed adventure lovers launched Apex Expeditions last year.
It had three key aims:
The professionally led expeditions across the world ranged from hiking in Dorset to paddleboarding through South Africa.
Included in the expeditions was the DofE award from Bronze through to Gold.
Its Dorset full adventure weekends included wine tasting, paddleboarding, short hiking trips to local pubs and breakfast with a view.
Jonathan, 31, came to the UK from South Africa four years ago and promptly fell in love with Dorset.
He said: “We felt there was a real gap in the market for a business which believed in giving back to the environment at its core.
“We see all the issues that are happening to the planet at the moment and wanted to make a difference.
“It could be giving a percentage of each product sold to either running river and ocean clean ups to, perhaps, helping kids in South Africa that can’t afford higher education to get their tour guide qualification.
“On our journey, Jeremy and I have experienced a need to help the environments we work so closely in – from the oceans to the mountains we help support local charities with conservation and global clean-up projects.
“We believe it’s important to protect what we have now for future generations to come.
“2019 went very well after our launch.
“We had a lot of interest, got into schools and built up some good connections,” he said.
And all looked promising for this year.
Then Covid-19 struck with the tourism sector one of the worst affected.
Jonathan said: “It hit us very hard.
“We had to try and take a different headset.”
That’s when they decided – in one of the favourite words of the moment – to pivot their business.
Jonathan said: “We think there’s a real opportunity to create days of amazing activities for either people living and working in Dorset or coming here as tourists.
“Covid has really opened minds to working together, supporting each other and boosting the economy.
“We want to work together with others to create amazing experiences.
“It could be a day of activities, building a weekend holiday or organising a week’s retreat.
“Hiking, walking, paddleboarding, swimming, horse riding, flights over Dorset, there’s just so much on offer in this part of the world.
“We think many businesses will also be looking to bring their teams together, especially if they’ve been remote working.
“We see a real opportunity to promote healthy outdoor living, working closely together with other like-minded businesses.
“For starters we’re proud to be providers of the Personal Performance Awards for paddleboarding from British Canoeing.
“The Paddle Start Award has been created for anyone who is looking at getting into paddleboarding with no previous experience required.
“The Paddle Discover Award is designed for anyone who would like to refine their decision making and practical skills whilst paddling on the water.
“We can offer both to individuals, groups and schools from 2021.”
Jonathan, who lives in Bournemouth – Jeremy, 30, is in Milborne St Andrew – said that he was looking to 2021 and beyond with confidence.
He added: “Like everyone else we’ve been through some tough times.
“But we really believe that by changing and adapting our business, the future doesn’t just look good but very exciting.”
