🌟 The Solopreneur Spotlight Series: A Chat with Alexandra Zigrang
From orchestrating high-profile art events to crafting bespoke travel adventures for Formula 1 fans
It’s time for a new Solopreneur Spotlight! Today, I’m excited to introduce you to someone I recently met through our shared passion for Formula 1.
A couple of months ago, I was scrolling through Instagram, catching up on the latest in the F1 world, when an ad caught my eye: “Are you a content creator based in Barcelona who loves F1?” I couldn’t resist responding. Alexandra replied on the other end, and a few days later, we met at Soho House to chat about her project and get to know each other. Both being F1 fans and solopreneurs, we hit it off instantly.
Although she ended up hiring someone else for the project who better matched her needs, we stayed in touch to enjoy our fandom and the Spanish Grand Prix together this weekend, where she’ll carry out the first iteration of the OTTR experience (you’ll know what I mean by reading her interview below!).
I hope you find Alexandra’s journey as inspiring as I do. If you do, let me know with a LIKE or a COMMENT below!
Let’s dive into it.
Meet Alexandra Zigrang: From orchestrating high-profile art events to crafting bespoke travel adventures for Formula 1 fans
Introducing Alexandra Zigrang, an innovative entrepreneur whose journey has spanned the dynamic cities of Los Angeles, New York City, and now, the vibrant streets of Barcelona. With a rich career in the international art world, Alexandra has masterfully navigated roles in audience engagement and VIP strategy at prestigious museums, auction houses, and art fairs. This impressive trajectory also includes a stint in experiential marketing and a chief of staff position at a startup.
Seeing a gap in the market and driven by a fusion of professional expertise and personal passion, she took the entrepreneurial plunge early last year. The result? Off to the Races—a groundbreaking travel provider that curates unforgettable Formula 1 weekend experiences specifically tailored for female fans.
From orchestrating high-profile art events to crafting bespoke travel adventures, Alexandra's story is one of seizing opportunities and carving out a niche that perfectly aligns with her interests. Her journey reflects the essence of a modern solopreneur: adaptive, visionary, and endlessly passionate about creating meaningful experiences.
The Interview
💼 What do you currently do, and what is the core mission of your company? How does your business reflect your personal passions and goals?
I recently founded Off to the Races (OTTR), a new travel provider that organizes travel around Formula 1 weekends targeted towards female fans.
When speaking to other fans, they mentioned that one of the major pain points was organizing their travel but also wanting to experience the city they were visiting beyond the track. I founded this company to provide an all-inclusive weekend experience where fans can show up and turn off, allowing them to fully enjoy all aspects of the race weekend without the stress of logistics.
We aim to provide a program that highlights the host city through local gastronomy, cultural excursions, and wellness activities. Furthermore, all of our activities are group-oriented which addresses another pain point of solo travelers wanting to join a larger group to attend the race with and connect with other fans.
OTTR was directly born out of my passion for travel and Formula 1. When I travel to a new city I always want to try every restaurant, dip into a museum, stay at a chic hotel, and maybe get a spa treatment. As Formula 1 is a global sport, with over 20 race cities on the calendar, there is no shortage of interesting places to seek out to combine both experiences.
Throughout my career, I have always enjoyed creating special moments for patrons and VIPs and I am excited to combine all these passion points to create unforgettable itineraries for Formula 1 fans.
💡 Can you share the moment you decided to become a solopreneur, and what was the driving force behind that decision?
It was a little bit both out of necessity and opportunity - I recently moved to Barcelona and my language skills are very much in the ‘needs improvement stage’. There were not as many opportunities for me to work in the same way I did in the United States so I was a little bit lost without a clear goal.
It was last summer at the Spanish Grand Prix that I inspired my idea for OTTR - looking around at the crowd I felt something was missing and that a powerful audience segment was being underserved by current players in the space.
🚧 As a solopreneur, what has been your biggest hurdle, and how did you overcome it? Are there any resources or strategies you found particularly helpful? And your most positive outcome?
In year one, I would say my biggest hurdle is funding - Formula 1 is an expensive sport, from tickets to hotels. Some tickets go on sale almost a year in advance so I had to put up a significant amount of investment to secure the tickets ahead of time for my packages. As someone who is personally funding their company and bootstrapping, it is one of the largest pain points I have faced starting OTTR.
Another hurdle is transitioning to a new industry - in my previous roles, the audience was more or less already aware of the product and bought in. Starting from zero and engaging an audience exclusively through digital and social media has been a learning curve for me.
I have been lucky enough to join several networking groups that have been a wonderful resource these past few months. It has been great to connect with other founders and veterans of the travel & hospitality space to exchange ideas, support each other's wins, and work through the pain points.
Through this network, I have learned about different opportunities, one of them being the Veuve Cliquot Bold Women’s initiative. I joined their network and was so excited to be highlighted as one of Bold Women entrepreneurs at their annual award ceremony in Paris.
🤔 Reflecting on your journey, what has been the most unexpected lesson you’ve learned about running your own business?
Everything is going to take twice as long and be twice as hard. In my previous career, the names of the companies I worked for helped open doors a bit faster, whereas now I am back to being an unknown.
It is a humbling experience, in a way that I am almost relearning to walk. That being said, I need to remind myself that I have put in those years and I have the skills to be a marathon runner again.
🧘♀️ How do you manage the blend of personal and professional life, especially when your home might also be your office?
What I love about living in Europe is that you are not defined by your job in the way you might be in the United States, so when socializing on the weekends with friends it is so nice to not engage in ‘work chat’.
I try to set standard hours to be present at my desk, I call these ‘big screen activities’ where I have my dual monitor. At home I try to make time to cook dinner and find other activities that don’t involve holding a phone - I recently took up needlepoint!
My general screen time needs improvement but every week is a new opportunity to improve!
🔄 If you could travel back in time to when you were just starting, what advice would you give yourself?
Don’t try to do everything at once, really focus on mastering a few specific things.
Also, trust your instincts - you are generally right.
Final thoughts
I love how Alexandra took her learnings from the art world and channeled them into her passion for F1. It shows how you can repurpose your experience and skills to thrive in a new industry and career path.
I also appreciated how she closed the interview by emphasizing the importance of trusting your instincts. This advice is often overlooked but is crucial in the entrepreneurial journey. I couldn't agree more with her.
It was a pleasure to learn more about Alexandra, and I hope her story inspires you on your journey. If any part of it resonated with you, please give us a like and share your thoughts in the comments below!
Don’t forget to connect with Alexandra to follow her solopreneurial adventures!
Until next time, I wish you a wonderful start to the new month.
-Sabrina
🙋♀️ Before you go!!
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⚡️About Sabrina Bonini
Sabrina Bonini is a content specialist, writer, and educator who thrives as a multi-passionate solopreneur. She’s currently creating content about Web3, new technologies, and Formula 1.
On a personal level, Sabrina writes the weekly publication ✍️ Diary of a Modern Solopreneur, bringing readers along on her solopreneur journey and sharing insights and lessons in hopes of empowering others on the same path.
When she’s not busy typing away, she’s picking up new hobbies, indulging her curiosity, or playing hide-and-seek with her fluffy cat. Discover more about her work and connect with her on LinkedIn.
I love hearing about niches like this!
> new travel provider that organizes travel around Formula 1 weekends targeted towards female fans