Hunter Threadgill, Professor of Points
Meet Hunter — in addition to being a Senior Insights Manager here at Simply Business, he’s one of the many small business owners we’ll feature in Simply Genius, a new series that celebrates the scrappy, brilliant, and often-overlooked entrepreneurs redefining what it means to run your own show.
As the founder of Professor of Points, Hunter helps clients turn everyday spending into unforgettable travel experiences through smart rewards strategies. In this Q&A, Hunter shares how he built his business, the risks he took along the way, and the lessons he’s learned about turning passion into a thriving points-powered venture.
When did travel become a big part of your life?
I didn’t grow up traveling. And between the time I graduated from high school and graduate school, I never stepped on a plane. When I finally got the opportunity to travel overseas, it was awesome! I suddenly wanted to see the world, but I was in graduate school and making minimum wage. I remember thinking, I’ve got to figure out a way to make this happen.
Then I had a major life change — I met my wife. And on our first date, she says, I’m moving 8 hours away. But flights were $400 round trip and I was a poor graduate student. I started reading everything I could about how to generate lots of points so I could travel to see her on weekends.
What inspired Professor of Points?
I had just completed my PhD in psychology. But when I was going through graduate school, I thought maybe I don’t want to go the traditional professor route. I started wondering, how can I combine my passion for travel and my newly minted Phd? And that’s how Professor of Points was born.
What was your big breakthrough moment?
When I first started my business, it was faltering but I promised myself I wouldn’t give up.
About six months in, I wrote an article that got press coverage by some major travel industry players. That exposure suddenly got my work in front of hundreds of thousands of people, which really set things in motion. You know, I was putting out lots and lots of work — experimenting, seeing what worked, and what didn’t.
There were times I wrote an article, and no one saw it. But it was that one big break that really got my name out there and people started to say, Okay, this guy’s a player — he’s going to contribute to this space and make it better.
What advice would you give solopreneurs just starting out?
If you see a potential opportunity, reach out and take it! For example, in the early days of starting my business, I noticed a travel conference needed speakers, so I emailed them and said I’d pay my way.
Due to a mishap on their end, I got elevated to the main stage at prime time and spoke to 200 people. I was supposed to be in a terrible time slot in a terrible room, and got upgraded randomly. By looking for those opportunities and taking advantage of them, I was able to elevate my brand even more.
How do you know when a risk is worth it?
I honestly never knew if something was going to work out. But what’s the worst that can happen? And if it does work out, it could pay off exponentially. I’ve already got another speaking engagement booked up for September because I took that one conference risk and it’s snowballed into more opportunities.
If you’re going to build something sustainable, you’ve got to take risks. And sometimes those risks don’t pan out. But, if you can do it in a way that controls risk — not betting the entire company, for example — then you should at least try.
What’s surprised you most about running a small business?
How many things I have to think about beyond the actual content. It’s easy for me to write good web content, but to actually monetize it, that’s really, really hard. I’ve got to think about marketing, logistics, finances, accounting, and taxes. Registering my company took a week! It’s been trial and error but I’m learning more every day.
Doing business in the modern world is incredibly complicated. And what really worked for me is developing relationships with colleagues who can help me learn how to optimize my work. But also, so we can build off each other’s success.
What are some of your favorite ways to optimize travel points?
A lot of people think, if I use my credit card points to buy a flight, I’m getting a free flight. True, but what some people don’t realize is that you can use your points in other ways that can get you that same flight or cheaper hotel room by transferring it to other partners. So, for example, one of my favorite hotel stay hacks is to transfer my credit card points to a hotel program.
I can get a hotel room for $350 a night using 35,000 credit card points, or I could transfer them to the hotel program and pay 15,000 points for that same night, so I can then get two nights out of those 35,000 points versus one.
What’s the most exciting trip you’ve been on where you really leveraged points?
I was able to fly to the Maldives all in business class, paid for our entire hotel stay — a hut over crystal clear water — with 5 star dining, all on points. It was a really special trip for me and my wife.
If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice about starting Professor of Points, what would it be?
Invest more time on the front end. Yes, it’s important to jump in and break stuff but start with a business plan. Don’t just get up and say, I’m gonna dive in without a plan. That’s what I did.
And while I’ve had some success, I’m now going back and fixing stuff. Things like, make sure your website is optimized for a good customer experience. Set up systems to create content efficiently so you’re not spending dozens of hours fixing things that could be done in 10 minutes.
What are your 5 keys to success?
- Develop a business plan.
- Set up systems to scale and monetize content.
- Don’t try to do it all — contract out work for things that you’re not an expert in.
- Make sure you have quality assurance checks for everything that you do. If something isn’t up to your standards, fix it immediately.
- Never lose your joy for the work.
Why is passion so important?
If you don’t love what you’re doing, then it’s not worth turning it into a business. Yes, there are businesses that are just about money. But then there are businesses like mine which are done because I have a passion for it.My passion for travel is so great that I just really want to share it with the world. I want people to experience the amazing things that I’ve gotten to experience. And when you have that passion and that enthusiasm for the work, people appreciate that, and they’ll want to support your businesses.
Small business owners like Hunter are reshaping what success looks like. Simply Genius celebrates their vision — and Simply Business is here to support them every step of the way, with the tools to grow, manage risk, and stay protected.