Ionatan Galeano – An Experienced Business Leader With A Demonstrated Performance Booming In The Private Aviation Industry
Top 05 Most Promising Aviation Service providers, 2022
The achievement of desired results is usually considered
a success. “The Jewish Talmud asks an interesting question: “Who is rich?”
and provides a beautiful answer which is for me the basis of what and how I
tend to measure success: ‘He who rejoices in his portion’,” says Ionatan
Galeano, Co-Founder & CEO of FLAPZ. Ionatan defines success as that
variable dependent on your dreams, plans, or expectations, which is only
reached when you can enjoy to the fullest and work the hardest throughout every
stage, milestone, and challenge of life. As a leader, the greatest success for
him is enabling the people with whom he works to thrive, by creating an
innovative space for engagement and growth.
Leading A Company To Success Is Not
An Easy Road To Take
Opportunity and bad experiences are what
inspired Ionatan to take the step of faith in aviation. Aviation is an industry
in desperate need of an overhaul and there is a massive opportunity to provide
a good overall, seamless and digital experience in Latin America. Travel
experience, coped by underutilized aircraft across the region, was the perfect
mix to start the dream of elevating the standards of private aviation in the
region; the timing was perfect. Their business model and disruptive technology
came next, as the building blocks of what defines Flapz today.
Challenges Make You Stronger
Going back again to the Jewish Talmud, the
following question to “Who is rich?” asks “Who is the wise?” and
provides an equally inspiring answer: He who learns from everyone. Building a
startup company is not an easy task at all, especially when it’s the first time
you try to do so: budgets are low, manpower is scarce as a result and
particularly in an industry like aviation, there are few to no references on
how to achieve success. But along the challenges come, one way or another,
different sources of help and growth (friends, accelerators, investors,
clients, etc) which give you an excellent opportunity to overcome your
challenge by learning and adapting fast.
Appropriately delegating functions and
managing internal (personnel) and external expectations (shareholders) is
paramount, as it allows you to navigate at your own speed and capabilities.
“Make mistakes but also making sure that you don’t fall for them twice, will
definitely make you stronger and increase the chances of success,” states
Ionatan.
FLAPZ And Its Services While
Redefining The Aviation Industry
FLAPZ is Latin America’s fastest-growing
private aviation marketplace. They connect passengers with dozens of regional
certified aviation operators. Thanks to an in-house disruptive technology that
enables near-live bookings, subscribers can search, compare, and book flights
on more than 350 aircraft (from helicopters to business jets), as well as empty
legs/seats and curated Getaways, thus enabling access to Latin America’s quickly growing-base of passengers rushing to experience private
flying.
FLAPZ has the fascinating challenge of
digitalizing the business aviation industry in Latin America, an ambitious plan
since most operators do not have their internal processes automated, to begin
with. They already work closely with more than 20 operators directly
aggregating in their Marketplace over 350 certified aircraft for charter,
leaving in the hands of each client the possibility of booking a flight quickly
and safely from multiple digital sources.
Innovation in every industry is instrumental.
Especially in this market, where innovations are expected from stakeholders and
early adopters, you must be a leader in the technology/innovation realm for
swift bookings or eco-friendly measures. Investing in innovative ideas in their
company means that you can walk the talk, or, in other words, that your actions
will define your real purpose. “We think of innovation as a constant state,
open for any process and improvement,” says Ionatan.
The idea of integrating technology at the
center of the strategy emerged as a response to the needs of the sector. The
days when private aviation only served large corporations and billionaires, who
only booked by phone or via email, are long gone. Today, with the rise of the
millennial generation and the need for more reliable and safe transportation,
business aviation is experiencing a real shift in demand. FLAPZ’s commitment to
boost the entire industry in the region to new heights is adapting quickly and
boldly to this new behavior, new customers, and trends. That’s their contribution to
the aviation industry.
Vision And Future Plans
For The Company
Ionatan says that his vision is being the
most complete and transparent marketplace in Latin America, allowing operators
in the region to reach new heights regarding several operations, keeping
the key players informed about data and trends (integrations and open data is
key towards this goal) and educating end-users, both natural and corporate on
everything related to private aviation. “Change doesn’t happen overnight,
although the sum of purpose-led actions will increase your chances of achieving
your vision,” he explains.
Maintaining sustained and coherent growth
while taking care of their fast-growing workforce, therefore, becoming Latin
America’s private travelers’ first choice of travel booking are Ionatan’s plans
for the future. “My personal goals as a business leader are to continue
learning and engaging with worldwide disruptors, learning from past and recent
experiences in the industry in order to achieve our ambitious goals,” he
states.
The Beginning Of Ionatan’s Career
Learning from great leaders marked the
first steps in his career. From his father to his business mentors, they all
taught Ionatan how important it is to treat people with respect and maintain an
engaging mind in every conversation. “I was lucky because we owe everything we are today to our
workforce, committed professionals that will go the extra mile to achieve their
goals,” he exclaims. Motivation is the secret sauce that keeps startups like
FLAPZ relevant. There is no single recognition that can be highlighted among
others. Ionatan tries to see every one of them as essential in his constant growth
as a leader, regardless of the source or size.
Responsibilities As The Co-Founder
& CEO Of FLAPZ
Ionatan, who defines himself as a
respectful person, says that his responsibilities are to engage with
shareholders on a weekly basis, reporting their results and future plans while
being very active in day-to-day activities. He has great trust in his managers,
although he is a great believer in the fact that over-communicating, as pilots
do during a flight, is a key ingredient for a safe and proficient journey. A
regular day at work is connecting with his teams across Latin America
(Colombia, Chile, Peru, Uruguay), understanding the main challenges, and
cooperating to achieve their goals.
Maintain Balance In Personal And Professional Life
Motivation is paramount for your personal
and professional life. Ionatan believes that keeping a
balance is key and acknowledging that
personal life, by all means, is what will always come first. “My main
motivation is my family, therefore for me work and family are sometimes tied
together, like a shared purpose. That’s my motivation and, I think, at least
from recent feedback from my personnel, that is their main motivation as well.
Caring, listening, and understanding my team’s first and foremost humane needs
are great drivers for motivation within a company,” he explains.
His message to aspiring business
leaders is to enjoy the ride, listen to your gut feeling, and always leave some
time for open discussions with your entire workforce. You will be surprised to
know just how many brilliant people you have working in your company if you
provide the perfect working environment for them to voice their ideas and
concerns.