How a Retreat in Exuma Sparked a Whole New Business
Updated: 11 hours ago
From Exuma to SolCay™: The Creative Process
So, I went to Exuma for a fitness retreat and came home with a whole new business idea!
If you read my last post, you know how much I LOVED my time in Exuma, Bahamas. The beautiful water, amazing people, and unforgettable experiences left me FULLY inspired!
And here's a fun fact. I had blue nails and wore blue for most of the trip because I wanted to look like the water! 😂🩵 One of the locals even told me I was dressed like his country's flag!
So you KNOW that turquoise water blue had to become part of my new brand!
The Idea
Between staying at a vacation property, meeting other property owners and entrepreneurs, and experiencing the island through a beautifully organized retreat, my creative wheels were turning!
I've always loved branding and experience design, but hospitality presented an opportunity to bring together so many aspects of the creative work I enjoy.
Through PYNE Creative, I develop brands, marketing strategies, and experiences. And through Oasis Soul Scent Co., I've spent years developing scents, creating products, and sourcing custom gifts and packaging.
Now imagine bringing all of that together for a vacation property! A distinctive brand identity, beautiful marketing materials, custom room scents, branded robes, thoughtfully curated welcome gifts, and memorable experiences that make guests feel like they've arrived somewhere special. The possibilities!!!
I was also inspired by the collaboration behind our fitness retreat and conversations about bringing property owners together with wellness leaders, retreat hosts, and other creative professionals to develop destination experiences.
And that's how SolCay™ came to life! A hospitality branding and experience development venture under PYNE Creative, with opportunities to collaborate with talented people across different creative and wellness disciplines.
The Name & Creative Direction
I wanted a name that immediately felt like sunshine, islands, and getting away.
The name combines Sol (for the sun) and Cay (for the islands), while also giving a nod to the soul and the sense of renewal and transformation that travel, water, island living, and retreats can inspire. SolCay™ is pretty fitting, don't you think?
(Fun fact: The Bahamas consists of 700 islands and 2,400 cays! Source: Government of The Bahamas)
And for the website and Instagram handle, I went with SolCayAway. A little play on words that captures the whole idea of getting away!
I pulled together inspiration from Exuma, developed the mood boards and creative direction, and worked with my designer at PYNE Creative to bring the visual identity to life.
The goal was something fresh, vibrant, inviting, and a little playful, with that incredible turquoise blue front and center!
We explored different ways to capture the spirit of the islands before bringing the final visual identity together.
Bringing It to Life
Next came the website!
I wanted something visually driven that introduced both sides of SOLCAY: helping vacation property owners create distinctive destinations through branding, design, and guest experiences, while connecting them with retreat hosts and creative talent to develop extraordinary destination experiences.
Distinctive Destinations. Extraordinary Experiences.
And Just Like That...
Within a week of returning from Exuma, I had a business concept, name, logo, website, and FOUR prospective client meetings lined up!
Of course, there's still plenty to develop and explore. But that's one of the things I love most about creative entrepreneurship. Seeing an opportunity, imagining what's possible, and bringing an idea to life!
And in this case, creating opportunities to collaborate with other talented people along the way.
That's what makes it even more exciting!
Explore what we're building at solcayaway.com.
