Travel Biz CEO

In this episode Ashley Metesh-McCoy uses the example of Dr. Bronner's Soap and how they use their platform to communicate their beliefs and values to explain that you as a Travel Advisor can also express your values and beliefs. At the same time this might help you attract a client base that aligns with your values. For More on this episode visit: https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/?p=501&preview=true (https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/travel-biz-ceo-d…-your-mouth-shut/)

Do you hear the words SEO and think "NOPE - that doesn't apply to me!" or "That sounds like it's way to complicated to worry about." Think again! Krystal Eicher visits with Michele Schwartz regarding SEO - search engine optimization - and why it is so important to the success of your business and building your client base. Basically, if you have a website and you want to drive organic traffic to it - listen up! For more on this episode visit https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/travel-biz-ceo-seo-what-it-is-and-why-you-should-care/ (https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/travel-biz-ceo-s…-you-should-care/)

On this week's episode Krystal Eicher has a conversation with Dana Zificsak. They talk about the 3 steps it an agent needs to focus on to take their client from Quote to Close. In her 8 years as a travel agent, Dana has booked thousands of vacations for clients and developed and delivered training programs for travel professionals. A teacher at heart, prior to joining the travel industry, she taught Spanish for 10 years. Just like how she used to break down the Spanish language for her students, she breaks down the language of sales and marketing so agents can close more bookings.  She teaches a step-by-step quoting and closing process to help you close more sales.  Every Monday, she sends out 3 post ideas to get your social media content going for the week. Sign up here: https://bit.ly/3b83MCz (https://bit.ly/3b83MCz)  To learn more about what Dana and Krystal have been collaborating on visit https://travelagentbusinessbundle.com (https://travelagentbusinessbundle.com) For show notes and transcripts visit https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com (https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com)

Welcome to Season 3 of Travel Biz CEO. Starting this season off with Wendy Guth's talk on how to cultivate and develop Grit and employing that in managing your business. As a travel advisor, you have to be tough. It's important to develop grit in your personality so that when things get tough, you can handle them with ease. In this episode Wendy shares some tips on how to cultivate grit as a travel advisor and how it will make your life easier in the long run! This talk originally aired as the opening for our Grow Your Travel Business Summit. You can register for this free online event and catch the replays at https://kinshiptravelacademy.com/grow-your-travel-business

On this weeks episode Krystal, Wendy and Ashley conduct a round table conversation focused on discussing and presenting the various aspects of your business and your business plan with those people in your life who make an investment in your company; whether that be yourself, family members or outside investors. You can learn more about KTA and this episode by visiting our https://wp.me/pcWNB2-7o (blog).

In this episode Krystal Eicher encourages agents to really assess and understand who their clients are and how doing that will help you serve them better. For more on this episode visit https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/?p=452&preview=true (https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/who-is-your-person/)

In this episode Krytsal Eicher and Wendy Livingston-Guth discuss a purpose driven life and how that can help you with purpose driven profits in your travel business. For more on this episode and to learn more about Kinship Travel Academy visit https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/?p=448&preview=true (https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/travel-biz-ceo-purpose-driven-profits/)

In this episode Krystal Eicher talks through the thought process agents should consider before they decide to place a Facebook Ad. For more information on this episode and more visit https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com Meet your podcast hosts: Ashley, Krystal, and Wendy are the founders of Kinship Travel Academy and hosts of Travel Biz CEO. What started as a little bit of fun to help educate fellow colleagues in the travel industry, quickly morphed into a passion. Through their educaiton community of Kinship Travel Academy, Ashley, Krystal, and Wendy encourage entrepreneurs to embrace the role of CEO in their business by learning to balance their marketing, business systems, and mindset. You can learn more about them and their program at http://www.kinshiptravelacademy.com (www.kinshiptravelacademy.com). As always you can continue the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/TATMwKinship

Join us today as Krystal talks about what Travel Advisors can learn and incorporate into your business from the beloved Fred Rogers. This Podcast was inspired by the podcast, Finding Fred, released last year. For more about this podcast including show notes and transcript visit: https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com

In 2019 Ashley Metesh-McCoy submitted her application for ASTA (American Society of Travel Entrepreneurs) Entrepreneur of the Year. The application was submitted on behalf of the program that she developed for her new independent contractors at her host agency Kinship Vacations. We hope you enjoy this episode. For more on Ashley visit https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/part-3-bringing-on-ics/ To learn more about the Travel Joy Templates she created for Kinship Vacations visit https://kinshiptravelacademy.com/traveljoytemplates To learn more about Kinship Travel Academy and its membership program visit https://kinshiptravelacademy.com/ktamembership

This week is Part 2 of our 3 part series on bringing on IC's into your travel business.  Last week we were joined by Denise Lorentzen of Dreams Consulting, where we dug into the the path that led Denise to bringing on IC's. We got into who this is a good business model for, who it isn't for and what makes people like Denise thrive in this role.  Same questions, same topic, but very different business model and approach, this week we are joined by Michele Schwartz of Making Memories Travel. Also a KTA member, Michele has a unique style of bringing on IC's to her team. So enjoy this part 2 episode of bringing on IC's to your travel business.  For more information about Michele check out the blog post for this episode here: https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/?p=407&preview=true (https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/travel-biz-ceo-p…michele-schwartz/)

Bringing on independent contractors, or IC's into your travel business and adopting the Queen Bee model is not for the faint of heart. Many see it as an easy way to make money in the travel industry. Those that take this on will tell you, that nothing could be further from the truth. In this 3 part series, we speak to three very different travel business owners, including our very own Ashley Metesh-McCoy about their decision to bring on independent contractors and the strategies they employ that make them successful.  In Part 1 we are joined by Denise Lorentzen, owner of Dreams Travel Consulting. For more about Denise and this episode visit https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/?p=395&preview=true (https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/travel-biz-ceo-p…denise-lorentzen/)

Do you understand your business finances? This week on the Travel Biz CEO Podcast we are excited to welcome Stephanie Cannon. Stephanie is a former CPA turned successful travel advisor and a member of Kinship CEO Membership. When it comes to numbers and data, too many travel advisors stick their head in the sand and outright ignore their numbers. Stephanie helps other travel advisors and entrepreneurs lean into their discomfort and fear of numbers and demystifies the process once and for all. So we asked Stephanie: what are the most common obstacles or problems that she recommends travel advisors focus on? Check out https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/travel-biz-ceo-do-you-know-your-finances/ to read more

This week we are excited to welcome special guest Glenda Beagle. You may remember Glenda from her guest appearance in our Virtual Travel Career Summit last fall. Today she's back for the Travel Biz CEO podcast and we could not be more thrilled. Early in her career Glenda learned how to leverage her competitive nature to hit her sales goals. Now she teaches travel agency owners how to do the same. She knows that it's not about selling for the sake of selling. Sales was about listening so closely and intently that the client always got what they needed. You can learn more about Glenda and about her 12 week group coaching program, Travel Sales Authority, by visiting her website at https://artofsellingtravel.com.

The magic bean. The one thing that you need to do to have instant success in your travel business. Yep, we are going there. What is the silver bullet, the one thing that will make ALL the difference and give you overnight success? It's the tactics that are constantly sold. If you JUST did this ONE thing, you will be successful.  Well, we hate to break it to you. That ONE thing doesn't exist.  To join our FREE Travel Agent Training and Mentorship Facebook group click here. To learn more about how Kinship CEO Membership can help you and your travel business click here. For our FREE resources for Travel Agents click here

What does it take to have a successful travel business? If you are small, are you still successful? This week we are tackling these questions. As a continuation from our Season 1 Episode: What Defines Success, we wanted to tackle the idea that you can still be considered successful if you don't make six figures in this business.

We are back! Welcome back to Season 2 of the Travel Biz CEO Podcast. We are so excited to kick off our second season of Travel Biz CEO with a topic that is near and dear to all of us: group travel planning.  The Group business model has a lot of appeal for travel advisors. For many it can mean fewer trips to plan, and larger commission checks. It also can lead to individual travel from your group members.  In the travel industry the current teachings focus on the Joint Venture model: Find a pied piper or group leader and have them promote and fill the group in exchange for a share of the commission or a TC - tour conductor credit.  However, more and more travel advisors are expressing their desire to lead group trips. And it sounds wonderful on the onset!  The travel advisor works intently behind the scenes. They pick the right supplier. They curate an incredible itinerary.  They go to announce, and then....crickets. The group doesn't fill. What went wrong? For more information and show notes visit https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/?p=335&preview=true (https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/get-your-group-on/) For more information about KTA Adventures visit https://kinshiptravelacademy.com/ktaadventures

Hey there! In this BONUS episode, Krystal popped in on the podcast to share with you some of the things we learned in launching our Travel Biz CEO Podcast. First of all, launching anything is tough. You are smack dab in an https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/how-to-navigate-uncertainty-in-your-travel-business/ (FFT). You have no idea what you are doing. And the feelings of overwhelm are real. Here are our tips. For more on this check out our blog article for this podcast: https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/?p=299&preview=true (https://blog.kinshiptravelacademy.com/bonus-what-we-learned-launching-a-podcast/)

Is now a good time to become a travel agent? It’s a question we get asked by prospective agents all of the time - is now really a good time to join the travel industry? The answer?  It depends. This week we dive into our thoughts on whether or now - or anytime really - is a good time to join the travel industry and become a travel advisor.  You can read more on our blog: www.kinshiptravelacdemy.com/blog/is-now-a-good-time

This week’s episode of Travel Biz CEO is a special spotlight on standout KTA CEO Member and all around badass travel advisor Courtnie Nichols, CEO of Travel Bash.   When Courtnie joined KTA we were immediately blown away by her brilliance. She truly embraced the role of CEO from day one and moved quickly to outsource the mechanics of her business so she can fully execute the long term vision of her company. We immediately knew she needed to be a guest on the podcast.  In this episode, Courtnie walks us through how she got started in the industry, breaks down the business model that she operates and the divisions of travel that fall under her corporate umbrella.   For more on this episode and Courtnie visit www.kinshiptravelacademy.com/blog/spotlight-courtnie-nichols

It’s hard as an Entrepreneur to encourage the “What if?” Game. Because so much of how we learn and how we grow is by making mistakes.  AND There are still things we wish we had done differently when we started.  In this weeks episode we dive into those things.  From taking more time to reflect on course purchases, to moving into action faster, to following our own intuition.   For more information and show notes visit https://www.kinshiptravelacademy.com/blog/what-i-wish-i-knew

This week Travel Biz CEO was thrilled to welcome Glinnesa Gaillard to the podcast.  Glinnesa brings her wisdom as a Travel Business Owner and a licensed attorney, where she combines her passions for both and teaches other travel entrepreneurs how to set themselves up as business owners so they can enjoy long term success.  In this episode we cover: What you need to get started in the travel industry. Who is on your squad? Contracts - why are they important? How did COVID change the way we do business. What if you can’t afford a lawyer? What are the top mistakes Travel Business Owners make when it comes to their legal foundations.  For more show notes, you can read more about this weeks episode and more about Glinnesa at www.kinshiptravelacademy.com/blog/glinnesa-gaillard *This episode contains legal tips and observations from Glinnesa and Krystal and is not to be construed as legal advice. Always, always, ALWAYS consult with YOUR squad and YOUR attorney.

To espouse your politics as a business owner, or not. That is the question.  With all of the events in 2020 from the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and so much more that led to the marches and riots in the summer of 2020 with Black Lives Matter, many businesses started to speak up and join the anti-racist movement (finally!).  But with that, also came a hot and heavy debate in the travel advisor community as to whether or not you should speak out on social media as a business owner. Several industry leaders were called out to "shut up" and be careful as a business owner because you don't know who your base is. So we waded into the conversation. For more show notes, or to read more on this topic visit www.kinshiptravelacademy.com/blog/political

Have you considered dipping your toes into the water and run Facebook Ads? Not sure where to start? In this week's episode, Krystal talks to Tammy Periera, or Tammy P as she is more affectionately known in the online space. We are talking Facebook Groups as an effective strategy, where do you get started, what basics should we have set up to get started, and what questions we should be asking as we ease into this marketing strategy. You can find more information for this week's episode at https://www.kinshiptravelacademy.com/blog/facebookads-tammyp

How do you define success? Oftentimes when we hear “success” stories in the travel industry it is referencing a qualitative number - high sales, high number of IC’s, etc.  We argue that the only person that can really define what success is for you, is you! It is easy to compare your numbers to someone else and feel unsuccessful. In this episode we walk through some strategies to help you determine what success means to you.  The first question would be: How do you determine what success means to you? First - it’s time to start daydreaming, baby. Pull out that vision board and go to town. What do you want for your life? Is it a bungalow? Maid service? Fancy car? More time for yourself and family? Enough money to travel? What does that travel look like?  Another way to look at it is to define your perfect day. What does that look like? Bottom line: There are a number of factors at play when it comes to defining success.  For more information about KTA Membership click here. To Join our Travel Agent Training and Mentorship Facebook Group click here. To learn more about Annual Strategic Planning click https://www.kinshiptravelacademy.com/blog/strategic-annual-planning-why-do-it (here)

A Wartime CEO - what the heck are you talking about? When Krystal first pitched this idea, Wendy was a little skeptical. What the heck was she even talking about? Krystal argues that, currently, travel advisors are operating in wartime conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic requires that we approach our businesses differently than we did in normal/peace times. And while Ashley, a former military intelligence officer, quickly was able to get on board with this idea - what does it mean to operate your business in wartime versus peacetime? And do you have what it takes to make the transition? https://kinshiptravelacademy.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/Wartime+CEO+Transcript.pdf (For a copy of the transcript click here.) Meet your podcast hosts: Ashley, Krystal, and Wendy are the founders of Kinship Travel Academy and hosts of Travel Biz CEO. What started as a little bit of fun to help educate fellow colleagues in the travel industry, quickly morphed into a passion. Through their educaiton community of Kinship Travel Academy, Ashley, Krystal, and Wendy encourage entrepreneurs to embrace the role of CEO in their business by learning to balance their marketing, business systems, and mindset. You can learn more about them and their program at http://www.kinshiptravelacademy.com (www.kinshiptravelacademy.com). As always you can continue the conversation at www.facebook.com/groups/TATMwKinship

Are you a travel influencer? When you hear the word “influencer” what is your immediate reaction? Over the years it’s gotten a bad reputation. Our take? Let go of the negative connotations and imagery that comes with “influencer” and embrace the model of the influencer in your marketing strategy.  An influencer is someone who influences others and that can be done in a lot of different ways with travel. It’s more than a title (in fact, please don’t change your title to Travel Influencer). It’s a mindset shift we encourage you to embrace. If you are looking to build an online community, lead group trips, or want to connect more with an ideal client, you don't want to miss this episode. For transcripts visit www.kinshiptravelacademy.com/blog/travel-influencer Meet your podcast hosts: Ashley, Krystal, and Wendy are the founders of Kinship Travel Academy and hosts of Travel Biz CEO. What started as a little bit of fun to help educate fellow colleagues in the travel industry, quickly morphed into a passion. Through their educaiton community of Kinship Travel Academy, Ashley, Krystal, and Wendy encourage entrepreneurs to embrace the role of CEO in their business by learning to balance their marketing, business systems, and mindset. You can learn more about them and their program at www.kinshiptravelacademy.com

When it comes to niching and specialization, many are quick to claim “I’m a cruise specialist! I’m a luxury specialist!” Well what the heck does that even mean? In this episode, Ashley, Wendy, and Krystal argue that you should specialize in an ideal client and lean into your ICA’s problems, pain points, and what you solve for them as a specialization. It’s time to get away from the generic specialities and go narrow and deep in your marketing plan. For more on this check out this blog: https://www.kinshiptravelacademy.com/blog/style-of-travel-vs-traveler-the-ultimate-niching-showdown (https://www.kinshiptravelacademy.com/blog/style-of-travel-vs-traveler-the-ultimate-niching-showdown) To grab the transcript for this show click https://travelbizceo.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/Ideal+Client+Specialization+Transcript.pdf (here): Meet your podcast hosts: Ashley, Krystal, and Wendy are the founders of Kinship Travel Academy and hosts of Travel Biz CEO. What started as a little bit of fun to help educate fellow colleagues in the travel industry, quickly morphed into a passion. Through their educaiton community of Kinship Travel Academy, Ashley, Krystal, and Wendy encourage entrepreneurs to embrace the role of CEO in their business by learning to balance their marketing, business systems, and mindset. You can learn more about them and their program http://www.kinshiptravelacademy.com/about (here). 

Today we are taking you behind the scenes to get to know Ashley, Wendy and Krystal - your hosts of the Travel Biz CEO Podcast.  Ashley, Wendy and Krystal came together after hosting Virtual Travel Career Summit’s - online education events for travel entrepreneurs and those looking to enter the industry. Their common background as military spouses brought them together. Their desire to create better education opportunities in the travel industry is what helped them make the leap into a partnership to found Kinship Travel Academy.  In this episode we learn how Ashley got her start in the travel industry when she decided to enter entrepreneurship after working for Carnival Corporation. Seeing that there was more long term potential as a military spouse with a more portable career, she decided to launch Kinship Travel Academy.  After being stationed in Guantanamo Bay (Yep - that Gitmo!) Wendy knew that she really needed to lean into learning digital marketing to get Rebel on the Go off the ground. It was during that experience that she developed a soft spot for military spouses and was drawn to Ashley and Kinship Vacation’s mission to help military spouses find a portable career.  Krystal entered the travel industry partially out of love of travel and partially out of necessity of needing a work from home opportunity. After living in Germany for six years, her love of travel and knowledge of planning travel was cemented. Her oldest daughter was born with a rare brain deformity, which limited traditional working opportunities.  Frustrated by the limited education around digital entrepreneurship in the travel industry, Ashley, Wendy, and Krystal sought after education outside the industry. Launching Kinship Travel Academy was a way to encourage travel entrepreneurs to step out of their comfort zones and modernize their businesses to keep up with the current marketplace.  Special shoutout to Host Agency Reviews for being a comprehensive and transparent website for those looking to enter the industry.  Meet your podcast hosts: Ashley, Krystal, and Wendy are the founders of Kinship Travel Academy and hosts of Travel Biz CEO. What started as a little bit of fun to help educate fellow colleagues in the travel industry, quickly morphed into a passion. Through their educaiton community of Kinship Travel Academy, Ashley, Krystal, and Wendy encourage entrepreneurs to embrace the role of CEO in their business by learning to balance their marketing, business systems, and mindset. You can learn more about them and their program http://www.kinshiptravelacademy.com/about (here). 

Are you the hero of your travel business? Oftentimes we hear that you should make the client the hero of your business. We would argue that you need both. Learning to tell your story in such a way that shows off your special sauce and how you can be the hero to your client is a powerful tool.  Too often we see travel advisors operate as “secret travel agents.” Or we see travel agents use anecdotes that profess their love for travel, but, really so what? Being able to tell your story in such a way that shows off your special sauce and shows that you are the solution to a problem that your ideal client is facing is a powerful marketing tool, and one that is not used enough.  For more on this topic check out this https://www.kinshiptravelacademy.com/blog/who-is-the-main-character-in-your-travel-business-story (blog) by Krystal from last fall.  Join our collaborative community of amazing travel entrepreneurs at http://www.facebook.com/groups/TATMwKinship (Travel Agent Training and Mentorship on Facebook). We would love to connect with you and continue the conversation over there.  Meet your podcast hosts: Ashley, Krystal, and Wendy are the founders of Kinship Travel Academy and hosts of Travel Biz CEO. What started as a little bit of fun to help educate fellow colleagues in the travel industry, quickly morphed into a passion. Through their educaiton community of Kinship Travel Academy, Ashley, Krystal, and Wendy encourage entrepreneurs to embrace the role of CEO in their business by learning to balance their marketing, business systems, and mindset. You can learn more about them and their program http://www.kinshiptravelacademy.com/about (here). 

Hey there Travel Advisors!  Welcome to the brand new Travel Biz CEO Podcast! Look we get it, because we are travel advisors too! It’s hard to try to navigate all the things you have to do when you are an entrepreneur.  This is a show about juggling all those things, but with a slight twist: It’s about leveraging marketing, business systems, and mindset to build a business that is high in PROFIT, low in STRESS, and one that gives you the ability to have the greatest IMPACT in the world. It is about finding the balance in your business so you are running your business and not letting your business run you.  To be successful it’s not enough to just love travel. You need to be the CEO of your business and have a handle on your marketing, business operations, and cultivate a healthy mindset all at once. That’s where we come in.  We are three travel advisors that saw a glaring need in the travel industry - the need to look at the whole advisor. Through our own travel entrepreneur journeys we all joined communities and signed up for courses and masterminds to help push us to the next level. And all of them ended up falling short of our expectations.That's why we started Kinship Travel Academy where we focus on the Mind, Body, and Soul - or the Marketing, Business Operations, and Mindset - of an advisor.  One thing we have really recognized over the years is that there are a lot of programs for travel advisors that are usually singularly focused: only mindset, only marketing, very little about business. And most stay at a 101 level. So we wanted to do something a little different. A little more radical.  I’m Ashley in addition to being a co-founder and Business Ops nerd of Kinship Travel Academy and one of the hosts of this podcast, I am the founder of Kinship Vacations, a host agency that helps IC’s start their own travel business through education and coaching. In 2019, the American Society of Travel Agents named me Travel Entrepreneur of the Year for my work educating travel agents through Kinship Vacations. And I’m Wendy, another co-founder and Mindset Mentor of KTA and one of the hosts of this podcast, as well as the founder of Rebel on the Go, a travel agency that helps women create real, radical, life-changing travel experiences for kick-ass women. I am also a Certified Life Coach and I combine coaching into my transformational travel business. And I’m Krystal, the final co-founder and Marketing Guru of KTA and the final host of this podcast. I am the founder of Serendipitous Traveler where I am the Girlfriend Getaway Guru that specializes in retreats and getaways and the Marketing Strategist for Kinship Vacations Each week we release episodes to help you navigate the travel entrepreneurial space. From real talk on marketing strategies for your business, to systemizing your business and having a command on the back end so things run more efficiently, , to cultivating the mindset and building your values into your business -  we’ve got your back. Whatever the topic, we want to break it down into exactly how to make actionable decisions in your business that serve you. It’s a show for modern travel advisors, created by modern travel advisors. If you're a travel advisor who wants to achieve balance in your life and work as the CEO of your business with a healthy marketing plan, control over your business systems, and the mindset to execute all of it, you are in the right place.  This show is made for you.  Is building a business easy? No, but our hope is that this show will make it a little bit easier. Let’s do this! Join our collaborative community of amazing travel entrepreneurs at http://www.facebook.com/groups/TATMwKinship (Travel Agent Training and Mentorship on Facebook). We would love to connect with you and continue the conversation over there.  Meet your podcast hosts: Ashley,