Ep 192 The power of mentorship in building a successful travel advisor business

This week on the podcast, we're covering a favorite topic at Masters in Travel – mentorship! Mentor and mentee Margaret Haas and Brittany Pigorini join Brianna to talk about their experiences on both sides of the mentorship relationship. But if you think that mentorship is just one travel advisor teling another how to build a business, think again. Margaret and Brittany shed light on the intricacies of a mentorship that helps a newer travel advisor build a business vs. copy one. Tune in to hear more about each of these advisors' personal journeys to career success and how walking alongside a colleague made all the difference.

"If you aren't working hard, you're hardly working." Heard this before? On today's episode, Brianna is joined by Marcie Muensterman, a seasoned travel advisor, to talk about why this old adage doesn't have to be true for travel advisors. Hear about how Marcie shifted from a hustle-driven career to a balanced, profitable business model. She shares her strategic insights on the math behind business decisions, how to work fewer hours and still deliver top-notch results, and maintaining boundaries. So, if you're craving some reclaimed time and less hustle, tune in!

Join us to hear a special airing of a special event hosted by The Hive, featuring a conversation about the intricacies of curating personalized cruise itineraries for clients. Cruise experts Carol and Korrine walked us through various strategies to up-level your cruise planning. They share about knowing client psychographics, leveraging various tools for efficient search and organization, how to educate yourself about various cruise lines, and a nitty gritty comparison of various cruise experiences. This episode encapsulates everything you need to know to better serve your clients in the world of cruising.

We're back with another episode of Shop Talk, the conversations where we don't hold anything back and share transparently what is going on right now in our travel businesses. Whitney shares about her ambitious goal to double her business in the next two years and the uncertainties she is facing right now. And Brianna updates us on her ongoing website refresh and reflects on her successful sabbatical in Portugal, sharing insights on managing business operations remotely. Finally, we talk about the importance of understanding the "why" behind various business goals and how to retain the excitement during each stage in business.

Building a book of business from scratch, regardless of how you do it, is a big feat. Most commonly, travel advisors start off by diving into their personal network to find their first clients. On this episode, Kim and Haleigh share their unique stories of networking as a launching pad in building their travel businesses. Learn about the journey from accepting any business to setting boundaries, how to tap into a corporate background, and building trust no matter who your clients are.

When a new inquiry comes in, how do you approach it? In today's episode, Jeremy Sulek of Jetset World Travel shares his less conventional approach to handling every inquiry and effectively booking clients. If you cautiously vet potential clients when inquiries come in, expecting them to prove that they are worth your time and energy, Jeremy will challenge your mindset. Learn how to maintain a positive outward posture, even with potentially unsuitable clients. Plus, learn strategies for restructuring qualification processes and approaching your travel business with a business mindset.

We're all in this industry for the travel, but achieving financial freedom is an (attainable) goal that many travel advisors have! Join Brianna as she chats with Stephanie Cannon, a licensed CPA and small business accountant who specializes in helping travel advisors achieve higher profits without needing a finance or accounting degree. Dive into financial planning, expense management, profitability misconceptions, and strategic decision-making to foster business growth in the travel industry.

How can you utilize the world's most powerful search engine to spread word about your business and attract ideal clients? Join us for this informative conversation with Lee Friedman and Denise Kubica, who both share their unconventional strategies for building their travel businesses by leveraging Google reviews, blogging, and SEO. Tune in for fresh ideas from these seasoned advisors!

Personalization is the key to success when it comes to your client experience. So, how do you curate a personalized selection of hotels to share with your clients when planning a new trip? Tune in to learn from three top travel advisors (Whitney Shindelar, Julia Matheson and Kate Sullivan), all self-proclaimed hotel lovers, on how they select hotels to include in proposals and how they present them to clients. This episode was a free webinar hosted by The Hive – if you want to learn more about how to transfer these skills to The Hive, visit thehive.travel/eventdemos to see a free demonstration!

Peel back the curtain on a Master Hour member call inside the Advisor Accelerator! Join us as Victoria of BrandWell Designs leads us in a session about brand differentiation and how to leverage your brand to stand out in a saturated market. Victoria and her team have designed more than a thousand brands and websites over the last several years, so you'll definitely want to tune in to learn from her extensive expertise!