Safari Founder Course · 12 Weeks · Not just see. Experience.

From Zero to
Safari Business

The journey of your life — in 12 stages

By Christian Scholze — Founder of Dusty Foot Tours, Namibia

🦁 Start Your Expedition — from €199
Scroll
12
Stages
12
Weeks
1
Expedition Journal
1
Graduation Safari
The Story

Why This Course Exists

Windhoek, 2016. One suitcase. No Plan B.

I moved to Namibia with one suitcase. No network, no startup capital, no master plan. Just a vision: show people the wild beauty of Africa.

I founded Dusty Foot Tours — and learned everything the hard way. Government offices in a foreign bureaucracy. Negotiations with lodge owners. A Toyota Prado with 320,000 km that taught me everything about car mechanics.

By 2018, I had built a working safari business with international clients, partners in China and the US, and a reputation that spoke for itself.

I built this course so you can get there in 12 weeks instead of years.

Christian Scholze in Namibia
Everything is possible — let's dare to try!
— Christian Scholze, Founder of Dusty Foot Tours & SCHOLZE | Strategic Projects
Not a Normal Course

Three Layers. One Expedition.

Each stage has three layers — because a great business starts with a strong person.

🌍

Outer Journey

The business lessons and assignments that build your safari company step by step. Market, numbers, partners, operations.

🔥

Inner Journey

Reflection questions in your Expedition Journal that strengthen you as a person. Identity, courage, beliefs, clarity.

✨

Inspiration

Stories, books, and videos from founders who dared. Simon Sinek, Phil Knight, Jiro. And your own path.

Take a Look

What Awaits You

🎬 Video placeholder: Christian's welcome video (3 min, smartphone)
Target Audience

Who Is This Expedition For?

If you recognize yourself in one of these descriptions, you're in the right place.

🌍

The Africa Dreamer

You've been there, it grabbed you, and now you want more than a holiday — you want to build a life and business around it.

🔄

The Career Changer

You come from a different industry but bring structure, grit, and willingness to learn. You just need the roadmap.

🏨

The Tourism Pro

You know hospitality, but African safari is new territory. You need specific insights: licenses, partners, logistics, culture.

💼

The Local Founder

You already live in Africa and want to build your own tourism business professionally — with international reach.

Safari vehicle under acacia tree in the African savanna
Your Expedition

12 Stages. 12 Weeks.

One stage per week. Each begins with a real logbook entry from my time in Africa — and has three layers: business, reflection, inspiration.

🔥 Phase 1: IGNITE — Lay the FoundationWeeks 1–3 · Vision, Research & Business Model

01
IgniteArrival — Vision & Mindset
Week 1

You land in Windhoek. One suitcase, one idea, no Plan B. In this stage you define your personal Safari Why, take an honest strengths inventory, and build the mindset that carries you through the next 12 weeks. Based on 10 academically grounded observations from the Namibian market.

📚 Lessons
  • Your personal Safari Why (3 levels)
  • Strengths inventory — be honest
  • The 10 rules of the marketplace (Aalborg University)
  • Founder mindset — The 5 Shifts
  • Write your Vision Statement
🎯 Assignments
  • Write your Vision Statement (1 page, 3 levels)
  • Complete the competency matrix (8 areas)
  • Identify your top 3 weaknesses + compensation plan
🔥 Inner Journey
  • "What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?"
  • Expedition Journal: Campfire reflection
🏆 Milestone
  • Your Vision Statement is done. You know who you are and why. CELEBRATE!
🦁

Insider from Christian: Identity comes before competence. In Kenya, I stumbled into a renovation project — completely out of my depth. But the team looked at me wanting direction. The moment I stopped playing tourist and started BEING the project leader — that's when things worked.

02
IgniteExploration — Market Research
Week 2

You're in a shared taxi between Mombasa and Kilifi. Nine people, a car built for five. In this moment you learn: the key to Africa is relationships. This stage gives you the tools to find your country, your niche, and your target audience.

📚 Lessons
  • Country comparison — where to start?
  • Target audience — the 4 guest archetypes
  • Competitor analysis — the 5-point method
  • Seasonality and timing
  • Your niche focus (luxury to impact)
🎯 Assignments
  • Create your country scorecard (min. 3 countries)
  • Define your guest persona (with dream & fear)
  • Analyze 5 competitors (strength + weakness)
🔥 Inner Journey
  • "When did you last step into something completely unknown?"
🏆 Milestone
  • You know EXACTLY: which country, which niche, which audience. CELEBRATE!
🦁

Insider from Christian: Namibia was perfect: politically stable, German community as a bridge. But the difference between "where you want to go" and "where the market is" determines success or failure.

03
IgniteCampfire — Business Model
Week 3

Two bottles of Windhoek Lager. A notepad. Tomorrow the first guests arrive. Now the dream becomes numbers — and the numbers make the dream real. The beer coaster is your best friend.

📚 Lessons
  • Safari business models (Operator, Agent, Lodge, Hybrid)
  • Pricing — the building block method
  • Cost structure — what it really costs
  • Break-even analysis with real numbers
  • The 2-page business plan
🎯 Assignments
  • Create your Business Model Canvas
  • Calculate 3 tour packages (budget to premium)
  • Write your 2-page business plan
🔥 Inner Journey
  • "Write a letter to your future self — 12 weeks from now."
🏆 Milestone
  • Business plan done. YOU'RE FURTHER AHEAD THAN 90% OF ALL DREAMERS! CELEBRATE BIG!
🦁

Insider from Christian: Our first pricing: €1,800 for a tour worth €2,750. Fewer inquiries, not more. Because a low price creates suspicion, not trust.

🏗️ Phase 2: BUILD — Build It UpWeeks 4–6 · Legal, Partners & Product

04
BuildBorder Crossing — Legal & Licenses
Week 4

The toughest stage — but you're ready. Business structures, tourism licenses, visas, insurance, taxes. Focus: Namibia, transferable to Botswana, Tanzania, Kenya.

🦁

Insider: Go in person. Every time. Learn the names. Bring patience — and coffee. The system runs on relationships, not emails.

05
BuildWatering Hole — Partners & Network
Week 5

The lodge bar in Etosha where everything changed. One beer at the bar brought me more than 50 emails. At the watering hole, everyone meets — this is where you build your network.

🦁

Insider: My best partners came through personal encounters, not Google. Relationship first, business second. Always.

06
BuildTracking — Product Design
Week 6

The tour where the Prado needed a new head gasket — and the guests loved it anyway. Design for EMOTIONS, not sightseeing. Experience architecture with emotional contrasts.

🦁

Insider: The secret of an unforgettable safari? It's not the Big Five. It's the moment at the campfire under the stars when your guest says: "This is the best evening of my life."

📈 Phase 3: GROW — Scale ItWeeks 7–9 · Marketing, Sales & First Booking

07
GrowSignal Fire — Marketing & Brand
Week 7

The first social media post that brought a booking. Your brand name doesn't need to be clever — it needs to be real. "Dusty Foot Tours" — the name came because our feet were dusty after every tour.

08
GrowPicking Up the Trail — Digital Sales
Week 8

The email from China. A fellow traveler becomes our agent. Suddenly, regular bookings from the other side of the world. Plus an American university booking annually.

09
GrowFirst Catch — First Booking
Week 9

The tip I received despite not being perfectly prepared. Because I communicated well, wrote down questions, googled answers in the evening, and came back proactively. Service beats perfection.

🚀 Phase 4: LAUNCH — Go LiveWeeks 10–12 · Operations, Scaling & Your Empire

10
LaunchOn Safari — Operations
Week 10

The flat tire in the middle of nowhere. The forgotten lunch. And the guests who said: "Best trip ever." Because you stayed calm. Because the energy was right.

11
LaunchForming the Pride — Scaling
Week 11

"Because of you, my kids can go to school." The day you understand: your business is bigger than yourself. Team building, diversification, community impact.

12
LaunchSunrise — Your Safari Empire
Week 12

The last evening at the campfire. Stars over the savanna. Looking back on 12 weeks that changed everything. You're no longer the person who stepped off the plane in Windhoek. You're a safari entrepreneur.

Campfire under the African starry sky
Everything Included

What You Get

Not just knowledge — a complete system for your transformation.

📚

12 Deep Stages

Each stage packed with valuable lessons and hands-on assignments from my founding journey — from vision to safari empire.

📓

Expedition Journal

Your personal travel journal with reflection questions that strengthen you as a person, not just a founder.

🎯

Pure Practice

No theory without action. Each stage has concrete tasks that actually move your business forward.

🦁

Insider Knowledge

Real experiences, real mistakes, real learnings. From Namibia, not from a textbook.

🔥

Inner Journey

Reflections that strengthen you — because a great business starts with a strong person.

🌍

Graduation Safari 2027

At the end, the wild awaits. A real expedition with your cohort — in Namibia. Theory becomes reality.

🌟 The Promise

This course doesn't just give you knowledge. It gives you a proven roadmap, real insider experience, and the tools to turn your dream into reality. If you put in the work, in 12 weeks you'll stand where most only dream. I believe in you — just as I believed in myself when I started with dusty feet in Windhoek.

Invest in Your Dream

Three Paths to Your Safari Business

Every package gets you there. The question is how much personal guidance you want.

★ Best Value

Explorer

Your safari journey with community. For bold explorers.

€199

One-time · incl. VAT

  • 12 Stages packed with Lessons & Assignments
  • Expedition Journal
  • Templates & Tools
  • Community Chat
  • Email Support by Christian
  • Lifetime Access
Start Your Expedition
Group Power

Ranger

Course + group sparring. Stronger together.

€349

One-time · incl. VAT

  • Everything in Explorer
  • 4× Group Sparring (90 min) — after each course block
  • Business Plan Review by Christian
  • Recordings of All Sessions
Upgrade to Ranger
Premium Guidance

Sherpa

Course + personal 1:1 guidance. By application only.

€2,497

One-time · incl. VAT

  • Everything in Ranger
  • 12× Personal 1:1 Sessions (90 min) — one per stage
  • Individual Feedback on All Tasks
  • Direct Line via Voice Messages
  • Access to Christian's Namibia Network
  • Only 1–2 spots per half-year
Apply for a Spot

All prices final incl. VAT where applicable · Payment plans available · 14-day money-back guarantee