Meet Sara Bacon, the Founder of Opulist
I recently had the privilege of interviewing Sara Bacon, the visionary founder of Opulist, a platform that is reshaping the way we discover and connect with our travel destinations.
Opulist delivers an “impeccably curated database” and acts as your personal ‘vibe concierge’, spotlighting the most uniquely designed, aesthetically pleasing eateries, hotels, coffee shops, and more in various cities.
From Charleston, to Nashville, to Dallas, Opulist has built quite the vault of charming, beautiful places. The platform is built for those who seek more than just a place to visit—they chase the alluring blend of good aesthetics and enticing vibes that transform a simple journey into a delightful adventure. Think of it as your go-to bestie for all things pretty, glam, and photogenic!
It’s safe to say that Opulist reached their target audience, as I find myself using it for when I’m looking for aesthetically pleasing places to dine in and lounge at in San Francisco. I’m grateful to have come across it and was always curious as to who was behind the magic of Opulist.
Innovation is Key to the Evolution of Travel
Innovation breathes in fresh air into our world, serving as the driving force for progress. This is especially true in the travel industry, where change and evolution is the foundation of its growth.
From our adaptation to contactless technologies from living in a post-pandemic world, to the expansion of sustainable travel options, and, of course, the surge of AI taking over the world, the ways we plan, experience, and reflect on our travels is vastly different from how we used to do it in the past. These innovations don’t just make travel more convenient—they infuse it with excitement and efficiency, opening up new horizons for us adventurers around the globe.
In light of these latest trends and innovations reshaping the travel industry, it’s always so delightful to be able to connect with individuals, like Sara, who are at the forefront of this evolution—those who are not just adapting, but creating fresh avenues for the travelers of today and tomorrow.
Let’s dive right into our interview with Sara!
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The Birth of Opulist: Blending Passion with Innovative Vision
What was the initial spark or moment of inspiration that led you to create Opulist.co?
Was there a particular problem you wanted to solve or an opportunity you saw in the market?
The idea for Opulist came to me both through a series of events over time and also in an instant. For years leading up to the idea landing in my brain, I have always been someone who seeks out the most beautifully designed restaurants, bars, and hotels wherever I’m going, and found it difficult to do that in a simple, aesthetic way.
I always wished there was an app that just had the prettiest pictures of all the best places in every city, sorted by category I could quickly scan through, but I had resigned myself to using Google, Instagram, and multiple websites to find the spots that spoke to me in each city I visited.
The night the idea for turning this desire into a website + app popped into my brain, I was in the middle of my Artist’s Way journey for anyone familiar with that book, and on one of my solo artists dates at Disneyland when everything finally crystallized into my brain. This was in November of 2022 and then I got to work creating it!
The Entrepreneurial Journey: Navigating the Waters of Startup Life
Building a startup often comes with its set of challenges and learning curves. Could you share some of the significant hurdles you faced in the early stages of Opulist and how you navigated through them?
The biggest hurdle was learning how to do all of it from scratch! I had never created a business like this before, and the steps ahead of me felt daunting at times, but I luckily got to tap into the gifts of people close to me to fill in the gaps and provide me with wisdom when it came to building a new business, and just took each step a day at a time, always trying to remain grounded in the excitement and enjoyment of what I was building.
The Philosophy of Opulist: Enriching Lives Through Design
Every founder has a unique vision for their company. What is the core philosophy behind Opulist, and how do you see it influencing the future of your industry?
There are two parts to this answer for me.
The very personal core of this business to me is how it’s the manifestation of my belief that we are here to create and live out lives that we wildly love – meaning, doing exactly what it is we want to do and getting abundantly paid for it, and waking up every day excited for what we’re creating. Opulist is that for me – an offering that not only allows me to visit all the places that light me up and inspire me, but then also share these places with others to hopefully add more beauty, joy, and inspiration to their lives as well.
The second philosophy behind building Opulist is the celebration and encouragement of creating beautiful things in this world. As humans I believe we are hard-wired to be drawn to beauty – unique, thoughtful, consciously-created places and products that add to our earthly experience. Mass consumerism and beige, cookie-cutter buildings do little to aid in the expansion of our souls.
So when there is beauty to be found, in the form of architecture, design, nearness to nature, food, drinks, and experiences; I hope to bring attention to that and encourage the growth and appreciation of it for everyone’s sake.
Visionary Roadmap: Opulist’s Ambitious Future Goals
Looking ahead, what are your ambitious goals for Opulist in the next few years? Are there any particular milestones or achievements you’re aiming for?
Yes I’d love for everyone who cares about good aesthetics and visiting pretty places to know this site exists and gets to use it frequently!
I want Opulist to be as big of a household name as Yelp or Architectural Digest and for it to be the first place people want to visit on their phone or computer when deciding which places to add to their list in each city they travel to.
For now our biggest goals lie in growing our awareness and getting more followers on Instagram and visitors to the site, as well as building out our picks for each city and eventually moving to international locations. In the next few years, my hope is that we’ll have a beautiful app that I can finally use myself in every city I go to.
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Innovations on the Horizon: Exciting Developments at Opulist
Are there any exciting projects or features currently in the pipeline for Opulist that you can share with us?
How do they align with the overall mission of Opulist?
The next biggest milestone on the horizon for us is adding a map feature to the site so users can quickly see where each of the Opulist locations exist in relation to where they are or where they’re going.
We also are working on and hope to provide curated Aesthetic City Guides for sale that will offer insider tips and perks for traveling to all the best cities to make planning your bachelorette trips, romantic getaways, solo adventures, etc. much more efficient, fun, and beautiful.
Everything we create will always have the goal of helping people experience more beauty, ease, and enjoyment in their lives so every feature and offering will seek to do just that.
And there you have it, the mastermind behind Opulist
I genuinely hope this interview with Sara Bacon sparked as much inspiration in you as it did pure excitement for me. It’s one thing to hear about the innovation driving Opulist, but quite another to see its potential impact on our future getaways. This interview wasn’t just about getting the inside scoop on a trendy travel platform; it was about catching a glimpse into a future where our travel experiences are meticulously curated, leaving room for those jaw-dropping moments we all live for.
Let this conversation be the kickstart to considering Opulist as your go-to for elevating your next travel plans. We’re talking about turning a simple trip into an unforgettable journey, one that’s as beautifully designed as it is meaningful. In a world where every experience counts more than ever, opting for something that promises not only to enhance but to transform how we travel, feels like a no-brainer.
