HEY — I’M MARY ALICE DUFF

RECOVERING GIRLBOSS. FORMER FOOD RUNNER, CHIEF OF STAFF AND FOUNDER. NOW I RUN THE BACK OF HOUSE SO YOU CAN LEAD FROM THE FRONT.

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You built the front of house: the tables, the trips, the reason people book with you and then book again. What nobody told you is that a back of house came with it. Pricing, booking flows, marketing, contractors, cash flow, and an inbox that somehow needs you at 11pm on a Sunday.

That's where I come in. I own it, run it, and make sure everybody gets paid (you included). So you can get back out on the floor.

I've spent 15 years in strategy and operations leadership, and the last 10 working exclusively in the business of small businesses, including my own. I know how to build something from nothing. I know how to run a marketing campaign on a $0 budget, and how to run lean and scrappy without running yourself into the ground. (I learned that last one the hard way, so you don't have to.)

Today I'm the strategic right hand and fractional COO for a small number of founders running culinary retreats, food tours, wine experiences and small-group travel. I'm not your VA, and I'm not a consultant who drops off a strategy deck and vanishes. I set the strategy AND I build it with you.

My clients have doubled their revenue, hit their first million-dollar years, grown their profits and cut their reliance on debt. But the best part is what they get back. They step out of the day-to-day and into the work they started the business for: dreaming up the next trip, hosting, creating, leading. They take real time off. They're home for dinner. And the business keeps running without them glued to their phone.

The experience didn't change. The back of house did.

I live and work in Montpellier, France, where I moved sight unseen with my family about five years ago. These days I tend our French mini-farm, bake an epic carrot cake, read fiction voraciously and plan entire trips around where we're going to eat.

Fancy a chat? Book a call below.

WORK WITH ME

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    THE BLUEPRINT | BUSINESS ASSESSMENT

    A 30-day deep dive into how your travel business actually runs: pricing, marketing, operations and finance. You walk away knowing exactly what's working, what's quietly costing you, and what to fix first + a detailed 12 month financial forecast.

    Best for travel founders who know something's off but can't pinpoint what and are ready to stop guessing and start taking action.
    Starting at €3,000

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    BACK OF HOUSE OPERATOR | FRACTIONAL COO

    I step in as the operator your business has been missing, leading marketing, finance and operations strategy in focused 90-day implementation sprints. You stay in the founder/ CEO seat while I run the back of house.

    Best for founders of travel businesses earning $500k-$2M in revenue with a small team ready to hand off the back of house for good.
    Starting at €7,000/month

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    FULL HOUSE | MARKETING STRATEGY

    A 120-day marketing build for founders launching a new slate of fixed-date retreats or group trips. We build your brand, sales page and email engine, launch to your list, then hand you the keys.

    Best for travel founders with a new season of retreats they’d like to launch, proof of concept and a season to sell out.
    Starting at €24,000/ 120 days

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TRUSTED BY FOUNDERS OF

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