Send Rita a text with your thoughts!Tale as old as time....there's been a few thoughts I hear travel advisors say over and over again since I first started in the industry in 2010. I wanted to address some of these thoughts and how you can reframe them to be more productive for your travel business.In this episode, I share:· My initial thoughts on this year's Canva Create· Embracing confidence as a business owner· Focusing on inte...

Send Rita a text with your thoughts!Hootsuite came out with a Social Media Consumer Report and I'm sharing the findings with you and how you can apply them to your travel business :)In this episode, I share:· What consumers want to see on social media· What you can do to build a high-value following· What you can do to gain more exposure on social media· and so much more!Enjoy (and take action)!Join the Cruise Content...

Send Rita a text with your thoughts!My mom changed Mother's Day plans on me and I got a lesson in the synergy between a web search and social media--which of course means, I've got to share it with you :) Take a peek into how my brain works when it comes to searching for things, which is probably how many of your travel clients are also thinking.In this episode, I share:· Why you need to have both a web and social media presence· Making it easy for ...

Send Rita a text with your thoughts!The 2nd Annual Travel Tech Audio Summit went live on Global Travel Advisor Day, 5/1/2024. Listen in to hear incredible stories of entrepreneurship and learn about some of the amazing tech you as travel advisors, or even suppliers, can take advantage of.Special thank you to our Summit Featured Speakers:David Shulll, CEO at TernLiana Rowan and Chanell Facey, Co-Founders at GroupedDan Green, Co-Founder and CTO at Faye Whitney Shindelar, Founder at The Hi...

Ready to make your travel business profitable? I'm so stinking excited to welcome travel industry powerhouse, Jenn Lee, to the podcast! Join us as we share what we feel are the five keys to profitability for your travel agency.In this episode, we share:· Some of the differences between the IC and Franchise models of business· The shift you need to make within to step into your CEO role· Prioritizing paying yourself as an age...

We lost a very dear friend in the industry this week, Edouard Jean.  He was the owner of Massive Travels and was very active with ASTA having served as Chapter President, and was getting ready to start a campaign for the Board. He was a champion for minorities in the industry, as well, having served as a Board Member of the Association of Black Travel Professionals, and many other organizations. This episode is a tribute to him and his legacy of service.  I'm sharing his full interview from...

We just wrapped up a 4-Week Series on where to find leads according to various travel agency niches.  Now it's time to take action and align your goals with a personalized plan! In this episode, I share: ·     The importance of focus and confidence to take help you take action ·     Targeting a specific niche rather than a broader audience ·     Using Q2 to really challenge yourself to take action and experiment to see what works ·     and so much more! Enjoy (and take action)! Schedule...

If you don't have leads in your business, you don't have a business.  So let's find you those leads! In this 4-Part Series, I'm going to share how to find leads in 4 of the top travel niches: family, romance, food and wine, and luxury. Join me as I dive in today to the Luxury Travel Niche for part 4. In this episode, I share: ·     Understanding the mindset of luxury travelers at every stage ·     Where you can find them based on this information ·     Real-world Google research for events...

If you don't have leads in your business, you don't have a business.  So let's find you those leads! In this 4-Part Series, I'm going to share how to find leads in 4 of the top travel niches: family, romance, food and wine, and luxury. Join me as I dive in today to the Food and Wine Travel Niche for part 3. In this episode, I share: ·     Understanding the mindset of foodie travelers at every stage ·     Where you can find them based on this information ·     Real-world Google research for...

In this 4-Part Series, I'm going to share how to find leads in 4 of the top travel niches: family, romance, food and wine, and luxury. Join me as I dive in today to the Romance Travel Niche for part 2. In this episode, I share: ·     Understanding the mindset of romance travelers at every stage ·     Where you can find them based on this information ·     Real-world Google research for events the potential romance travel clients may be hanging out at ·     and so much more! Enjoy (and...

If you don't have leads in your business, you don't have a business.  So let's find you those leads! In this 4-Part Series, I'm going to share how to find leads in 4 of the top travel niches: family, romance, food and wine, and luxury. I'm also going to share via a Google search of 4 locations around the country, on local networking events to look for, as well as events where you're ideal client may be hanging out at. Join me as I dive in today to the Family Travel Niche. PS- Even if you...

Inspired by some recent chatter, I'm tackling the challenge of consistent content creation, by sharing some of my top tips on maintaining a positive mindset, finding your content creation groove, and setting achievable goals.  I'm also diving into my personal journey with podcasting, blogging, and repurposing content for different platforms, as well as spilling the beans on handy hacks for email marketing, social media, and leveraging your travel experiences for content creation.  If you're...

We're officially/unofficially celebrating the 3rd Birthday of the Podcast--wootttt!!! Thank you so much for tuning in every-ish week, sharing the podcast with your peers, and leaving ratings and reviews that allow other business owners to find this goodness. I sincerely could not do this without your support, and I'm ever so grateful for it--THANK YOU! Remembering this podcast birthday got me thinking why I started this podcast and that was to support the business-side of...

This past week has been a deeply personal week for me, so I wanted to share a personal episode about where I'm at and what I'm doing to thrive this year in business. In this episode, I share: ·     Prioritizing health and backup plans ·     Leaning into my passions ·     Changing my mindset ·     and so much more! Enjoy (and take action)! Nina Clapperton's 6 Months to 50k Sessions Course *affiliate link*: https://ritaventures--ninaclapperton.thrivecart.com/6-months-to-50k/ The Wealthy...

This week's episode was sparked by a conversation that transported me back to my years at Disney, where impeccable customer service wasn't just an expectation—it was a cornerstone of the magic.  As I reminisce about those early days, I'm inspired to share the remarkable strategies that elevate our travel services from good to great. In this episode, I share: ·     Understanding and Meeting Clients' Specific Needs ·     The Art of Personalization in Travel ·     The PATH Standards of...

One of my passions and purposes for creating this podcast is to help travel agents like you avoid some of the red flags that sometimes pop up in the industry and this can sometimes mean host agencies. Now I'm not saying all host agencies have red flags, but you should listen if you're questioning your current host situation. In this episode, I share: ·     The difference between being an employee and an independent contractor ·     A personal rant I have about professional fees and...

I've been doing a lot pondering and comparisons recently on how/why other industries are taken more seriously than the travel advisor industry is.  I decided to break down some of the ways you can grow into to be taken seriously in your travel business by family, friends, and peers. In this episode, I share: ·     The importance of projecting confidence, even if you don't feel it ·     Recent experiences I've had that have helped others see me as a professional ·     Why you should also be...

It's Wave Season, and it's very likely, that you may be feeling overwhelmed.  Let's help reduce that overwhelm by identifying the five systems you need in your travel business, and what you can do to implement repeatable processes to help make life a little easier as a travel agency owner. In this episode, I share: ·     How mining for gemstones is like the systems in your business ·     Ideas for finding clients, even if you haven't niched down yet ·     Ideas for keeping current clients in...

There's some big changes coming to email this February 1st--and you need to be aware of them, or your emails to your clients may not get sent! In this episode, I share: ·     The importance of scrubbing your email list ·     The immediate reason why you should get an email address with your domain name ·     High level information on authenticating your email domain ·      and so much more! Enjoy (and take action)! Watch Cheryl Rerick's FREE Email Deliverability Webinar *affiliate...

We start this week's episodes with a few updates and opportunities for your travel business, and then glide right on in to some common mistakes that held me back, and are probably holding you back, too, for making meaningful income in your travel agency. In this episode, I discuss: ·     Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable ·     The power of your voice ·     Being in business for yourself, but not by yourself ·      and so much more! Enjoy (and take action)! Ascending in your...

Something I'm super proud of from 2023 is the way I was able to grow my email list :)  I'm spilling in the beans on what I did to be successful, why I think they worked, and how you can utilize these tactics for your travel business. In this episode, I discuss: ·     The type of lead magnet I used for email list building ·     Why I think some worked and some didn't ·     Insights into how I'll adjust for 2024 ·      and so much more! Enjoy (and take action)! Download the Lead Generation...

If you've ever want the juicy on my business, I'm spilling tons in this episode :)  The good, the bad, the ugly, and the lessons of 2023 are right here in this episode---let's jump in! In this episode, I discuss: ·     The audio series that completely flopped ·     How collaborations significantly increased my email list this year ·     The shifts and new directions I've been seeing in my work ·      and so much more! Enjoy (and take action)! Sign Up for the Lead Magnet Workshop:...

As we head into the biggest holiday week, kick back, relax, and start dreaming again, as you listen to some industry greats share their insights on superb holiday destinations and experiences from across the globe! In this episode, we discuss: ·     River and expedition sailings ·     The differences between the North and South Poles ·     Why you should consider the South Pacific for your warm weather holiday clients ·      and so much more! Enjoy (and take action)! Register for the...

I don't do new year's resolutions.  I pick words to focus on for the year.  The words that I choose really drive the business decisions I make throughout the year.  Listen in on my personal thoughts, as well as insights from conversations I've had from fellow travel advisors on planning and selecting their words of the year. In this episode, I discuss: ·      Aligning words of the year with big business goals ·      The intentionality in the context of your word of the year ·     How my 2023...

One of the thing that I hate people try to sell you about social media, is that it is the solution to all your business problems...and that's a flat out lie.  You don't need to do more social media to make more sales, and some people don't even do social media and make great sales.  (Some people also do a shoddy job at social media, and still get sales.) The point is--the problem isn't social media.  It's something else, and we're going to dive into those something else's in this...