About Kanko Metrics

I’m Jim Austin, the founder of Kanko Metrics and the financial analyst behind its hidden‑profits approach to tour pricing and performance. I draw on a Fortune 500 corporate finance background and years working directly with tour and activity operators to give small tour businesses the same level of financial clarity that big companies pay consultants thousands of dollars for—specifically, by helping them uncover hidden profits in the tours they already run.

I now run Kanko Metrics from Japan, where my wife Akiko and I live permanently. Being based in Japan while working with Japan-based expat tour operators and North American tour operators has given me an "inside and outside" view of the industry.

My Fortune 500 background with a U.S. subsidiary of BP combines corporate financial experience with hands-on business building. Over the course of my career, I've helped companies and small operators understand what their numbers are really saying, so they can make decisions with confidence instead of guesswork.

These days I'm semi-retired, but I still have the entrepreneurial mindset and curiosity that keep me building and improving the profit analytics system behind Kanko Metrics.

Working with tour operators, I saw how often owners were working incredibly hard yet still unsure which tours, products, or channels truly made them money. That gap is what led me to create Kanko Metrics.

Why I Built Kanko Metrics

Kanko Metrics exists to help tour operators run stronger, more profitable businesses by making their numbers easier to understand and act on.

Tour and activity operators juggle a lot: guests, staff, vehicles, suppliers, weather, seasonality, and marketing channels that are always changing. Under that pressure, it's easy for finances to become a blur.

Again and again, I saw the same pain points:

• Tours that were popular but not truly profitable
• Costs and commissions that quietly eroded margins
• Owners relying on gut feel instead of clear, organized data

I built Kanko Metrics to give operators a clearer view of what is happening inside their business, so they can focus on the tours, pricing, and processes that actually move the needle.

What Kanko Metrics Does

Kanko Metrics is a focused analytics platform for tour operators that turns raw numbers into practical insights. Rather than trying to be "everything for everyone," the platform focuses on the specific questions tour operators struggle with when they look at their own data.

• Make it easier to see how your tours are really performing
• Highlight where profit is being created—or lost
• Support better decisions about pricing, product design, and operations

How I Work With Operators

Behind the software, there is a real person paying attention. I design Kanko Metrics based on real conversations with tour owners and managers. I listen for the places where the numbers feel confusing or overwhelming, then build a profit analytics system and guidance to make those areas clearer and easier to act on.

My goal is to translate financial and operational complexity into straightforward, usable answers that help you protect your time, protect your margins, and grow with less guesswork.

Who Kanko Metrics Is For

Kanko Metrics is created for tour and activity operators who:

• Already have guests and bookings >Want to understand their numbers more clearly
• Are ready to use data to improve profit and operations

If you recognize yourself in that description, you are exactly the kind of operator I had in mind when building this analytics platform.

Your Next Step

I know it takes courage to look directly at what is and isn't working inside your business. My promise is that Kanko Metrics will respect that effort by giving you straight, usable answers.

If you'd like to see what's really happening inside your tours—and where the hidden profit is waiting—you're in the right place.