Episode #214: Leigh Rowan — Building a premium service business without ads

How to grow a premium service business through trust, referrals, and client retention.
For founders and operators building high-touch services and trying to scale without paid acquisition.

Leigh Rowan, founder and CEO of Savanti Travel, joins Jason Shafton to break down how he built a luxury travel management company serving ultra high net worth individuals, family offices, VC firms, and Hollywood entertainers without ever advertising. He explains how Savanti evolved from helping entrepreneurs unlock value from points and miles into a full-service travel business built around 24-7 support, personalization, and relationships. The conversation covers how his team uses CRM workflows, SOPs, and regular standups to deliver consistent service across five continents, how they ask for referrals after delivering concrete wins, and why they have fired clients worth as much as 25% of revenue to protect the team and the business. Leigh also shares that Savanti has saved clients more than $10 million by using points and miles more strategically.

WHAT YOU’LL HEAR
– Why Savanti chose word of mouth over paid advertising and how that shaped client selection
– How the team uses monday.com, SOPs, standups, and shared context to deliver high-touch service at scale
– Why most people leave points and miles value unused and how Savanti turns those assets into real savings and better experiences
– How Leigh thinks about referrals, client feedback, hiring for judgment, and protecting culture even when revenue is at stake