10 Years of Muy'Ono

Last week, we celebrated the tenth anniversary of Muy’Ono Resorts. This story started on a whim with the idea of possibly buying an island in Belize. Cortney Lebens was working with me at Kalypso at the time. She furrowed her brow and cocked her head at the question, silently hoping that I was joking. It wasn’t like our lives were uncomplicated. Why would we want to do something crazy?

Fast-forward ten years, and Cortney is the seasoned CEO of a thriving business, overseeing an incredible team in Belize and the United States. Muy’Ono currently manages and markets a portfolio of nine resorts. In addition, there is a marketing agency, a tour business, a retreat program, an organic farm, a charter boat, a SCUBA operation, and a marina.  Life is a little more complicated.

We’ve made our share of mistakes along the way. We overestimated demand for some offerings, underestimated the challenges of doing business in the developing world, and learned that you can’t cage snakes (a.k.a. seemingly every developer in the country.) There are also the very real problems that come from owning a whole bunch of boats.

But man, have we had some fun! This organization's core values were on full display at the annual SMASH celebration last week. The team of 40 or so managers that make this business go is an impressive bunch. I could not help but feel immense pride at what that once-crazy idea has become. Cortney leads with values and principles that guide decision-making at every level.

It has been a tremendous honor to watch the members of this team grow into polished pros. Several of the resort and tour business general managers started as housekeepers, servers, or groundskeepers. They now manage motivated teams, deliver WOW! experiences for guests, and are fiscally literate operators. The slide show below brought tears to my eyes as I was reminded of the amazing people that populate the pages of this story. I can’t wait to see what the future brings.