Outlier TV Out Of The Comfort Zone Interview with Quentin Nolan Liquid Snow Tours
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Andrew McCombe:
Hey guys, Andrew McCombe here, from Outlier TV, where we celebrate difference to make a difference. As we share inspiring stories of ordinary people, doing extraordinary things with their businesses and all their lives today, I’m going to be speaking with Quentin Nolan. He’s the owner of Liquid Snow Tours, and he’s also the co-owner of the Hakuba Hotel Group.
I’m going to put him out of his comfort zone so that you can meet him a little better. Okay, let’s go and meet Quentin. Quentin, it’s customary on Outlier that we put you out of your comfort zone for the viewers’ sake. So they get to know you before your main interview in the next few days. The premise is I’m going to ask you some rapid-fire questions. You give me the first thing that comes to mind, and hopefully they get to know you a bit better. (Beautiful. Let’s do it.) You’re happy? (Yeah.) Okay. So you own one of the world’s premier snow tour companies, and many hotels, do you prefer being a tour guide or a hotelier?
Quentin Nolan:
Tour guide. (Why?) More kind of experience with the customers out on the snow.
Andrew McCombe:
Yeah. So you get to go out there as well. Okay. Have you ever been a tour guide in a country you’d never been to before?
Quentin Nolan:
I did do that in Japan, in Hakuba. (And how’d it go?) It went great. We had a good time. Everyone enjoyed themselves, and it led to me being here now, 15 years later.
Andrew McCombe:
So, you don’t actually have to know the place to be a great tour guide.
Quentin Nolan:
You got to wing it a fair bit, if you don’t know it.
Andrew McCombe:
And what are your other talents? So do you prefer skiing or snowboarding?
Quentin Nolan:
Snowboarding. (Why?) I’ve just done more snowboarding. I like skiing as well. I’m a better snowboarder, so I naturally go to something I’m better at. It feels easier.
Andrew McCombe:
What inspires you?
Quentin Nolan:
That’s a good one. I mean, I’m inspired just to kind of continually grow and just to continually move forward. Whether that’s in business or in personal relationships or in other things I’m doing, it is just that natural, consistent progression.
Andrew McCombe:
What happens if you’re not growing? How do you feel?
Quentin Nolan:
Then I don’t feel good; I need to start growing again.
Andrew McCombe:
Sounds familiar. Okay. Mate, word association. Coat hanger, ice cube, eyebrow?
Quentin Nolan:
15 year old me thought it would be a good idea to pierce my own eyebrow. Got some ice, ice it up a bit, and then literally got like the edge of a coat hanger and jammed it through there to give myself an eyebrow ring.
And it was, yeah. Luckily that healed and grew back over. But, certainly not something that I would be doing again. (Oh, how was the infection?) Infection wasn’t great.
Andrew McCombe:
Okay. Favorite thing about Japan?
Quentin Nolan:
Favorite thing about Japan would be the people over here. They’re just a beautiful culture and a great group of people.
Andrew McCombe:
You got lost in a town you’ve lived in for eight years.
Quentin Nolan:
So, apparently one night after a couple of beers, I couldn’t find my way back to the place that I was staying. And two hours later, I called one of my staff in another resort, two hours away to come and pick me up. But yeah, we eventually found our way back there, and then had a good laugh about it.
Andrew McCombe:
Okay. Speaking of ‘lose yourself’. What’s your favorite karaoke song?
Quentin Nolan:
Yeah, so down in Jack’s bar, every Tuesday night, we’ve got trivia and karaoke. It started with Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.” I haven’t done that for a few years. It might be due for another performance. (You relate to Eminem in some way?) Kind of, yeah.
Andrew McCombe:
Okay. Ever not been able to talk properly because of a swollen tongue?
Quentin Nolan:
So a number of years ago, when I was probably 18, 19, I also thought it’d be a good idea to get a tongue ring. Another piercing. That wasn’t a good idea. And it’s not something that I’d be doing again or recommending to my children. (So you couldn’t talk.) No.
Andrew McCombe:
Okay. Favorite thing about business?
Quentin Nolan:
Perfect thing about business is the relationships with staff, customers and suppliers, for sure. And building those relationships.
Andrew McCombe:
Best business lesson you’ve ever learned?
Quentin Nolan:
It’s probably not to take yourself too seriously and to deal with problems and deal with mistakes and move on and don’t get too upset about the small stuff.
Andrew McCombe:
You got any tattoos?
Quentin Nolan:
So I actually started my business with a mate of mine. And the first day that we started out, we thought it’d be a good idea to go out and get liquid tattoos. (So literally the logo on the side, is it?) The logo on the side, yeah.
(That’s commitment.)
It is a commitment. I think it’s something that I would need to get lasered off before my son’s too old. (Yeah. Before he learned some bad habits.) I know exactly.
Andrew McCombe:
Definition of success?
Quentin Nolan:
I think the definition of success is that constant growth and progression. if you start at one point and you improve from there, then that to me is success.
Andrew McCombe:
Very good. How would your staff describe you?
Quentin Nolan:
They’d describe me as pretty easygoing. I also like to have a good time and make the most of the situation.
Andrew McCombe:
You think you’re very organized?
Quentin Nolan:
I think I’m very disorganized. But luckily my staff were very organized for me. I’m definitely a bit more about the bigger picture and not great with the small details. But we try and counteract that with who we hire.
Andrew McCombe:
Very good. How would you describe you?
Quentin Nolan:
I think I’m very passionate about what I do, and I put a big emphasis on building those relationships.
Andrew McCombe:
How would you like to be remembered?
Quentin Nolan:
I’d like to be remembered as a good bloke who had a crack.
Andrew McCombe:
And why should the viewers out there watch your Outlier interview in the next few days? What are they going to learn?
Quentin Nolan:
I think they’ll learn, if nothing else, about staying on your journey of following your passion and going from doing something at a very small scale to then being one of the main kind of tour operators and bringing in a lot of people over to share the snow and that experience.
Andrew McCombe:
Sounds exciting, man. I’m looking forward to it. (I’m looking forward to it as well, mate.)
Wow. There it is guys. We’ve now learned a little bit more about Quentin Nolan before our full Outlier TV episode is released in the next few days.
Quentin Nolan:
Liquid Snow Tours is Japan’s leading ski and snowboard tour operator. We bring over about 8,000 people each year to Japan and own a bunch of properties here. And we look after people’s ski and snowboard holidays. It started by bringing one initial group over here, and that was 14 years ago.
So that was in 2006. And we’ve grown considerably since then.
So people are booking a ski holiday over here in Japan, through us. They’re going to come over and experience an amazing culture, some of the best snow in the world, and awesome food and people as well. So that’s what Japan has to offer. The point of difference for Liquid Snow Tours is the level of customer service that we offer, by being here on the ground.
We’re able to look after people’s trips and offer them a bunch of extra bonuses, like mountain guiding and Meet & Greet nights and that sort of thing, and just being in the resort.
If somebody wants to make any amendments, change their trip, or help them out in any way. So we offer fully customized ski holidays. We’ve got options, from budget options to super luxurious options, and can organize trips to make whatever length of time you want to come over. And that may include your flight transfers, ski passes, accommodation, day tours, or some combination of that. it might be a small amount of that, or the whole thing.
We have a pretty diverse range of customers. I’d say family holidays are our main group of customers, but then we also offer a lot of trips for younger crew. We’ve got tours that are for more experienced people out in the backcountry and whatnot. And we’ve got a range of luxury holidays. So it is the full option.
The number one benefit customers will get by dealing with Liquid Snow Tours is the level of expertise. We have all the staff come over here, spend the winters here. They know the properties inside out. They know the resorts, and they share their passion for skiing and snowboarding.
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