From $2 Paycheck to Profitability: Strategies for growing your business during difficult times

Then she got too big. Too much was going on for her. So I brought on somebody else and I was like, okay, what part of the job do you need help with? And she's like, well, booking the travel, that takes the most time, that's the most intense. Managing the agency is something that's more routine. So booking the travel is where I need help. So I brought in a full time travel advisor. I said, let's, you're going to come in to sell travel and nothing else. And then my, my assistant agency manager could then decide how much of that she wanted to do. Once she gave up the selling the travel, she wasn't happy. So we brought that back on and I brought on an admin to help with the administrative side of things.

So, yeah, so you have not only cloned yourself, which is about multiplying your time, your impact and your money, but you've also enabled your team to clone themselves to. Yeah, they're multiplying their effort, which multiplies the organizational effort. This is music to my ears. Hello. Hello. I am so glad to be here with you today. We have something exciting happening. It is not very often on the Right on Time podcast for some reason that we have a client of mine. This is incredible. This conversation is so beautiful. In fact, what prompted this specific conversation was a moment on a strategic consulting call inside an experience that I host for my clients called the Modern CEO. And we were in one of these strategic coaching calls and Elizabeth, our guest today, was reflecting on her journey and where she is now. And she made a comment about the spirit space she has because of the way that she is running her business different. And I have had the opportunity to work and walk alongside Elizabeth as she has grown her business strategically as she has built her team, and it is such a cool thing to experience and witness. And she went through some really challenging times, of course, through Covid. Being a travel agency and a travel consulting partner, when Covid hit, their business came to a screeching halt. And the way that she navigated that and then came out of that and then had rapid growth is a great example of how you can go through something hard and then you thrive after that. And Elizabeth is going to share this journey with us. Very specific, tangible things that you may want to think about and do. And her experience in going from a $2 paycheck to where she is today, running an award winning travel consulting firm. Ever since she was a little girl, Elizabeth wanted to own a travel agency. Sure. She also went through phases of wanting to be a vet A teacher, a Broadway actress, but after 20 years of being a librarian, another one of her dream careers, she took a leap of faith and founded Outlander Travel llc, which you might want to find to book your next trip@outlandertravel.com I added that little bit there. Going on 12 years now, she's been helping people make their travel dreams come true while also mentoring and nurturing a team of 15 people do the same outside of work. She has a very supportive family and her husband and two almost grown sons. As a family, they also care for a bearded dragon, two dogs, and there is a cat that lives in their house as well who sometimes acknowledges their existence. I cannot wait to hear what you take away from this conversation. Whether it's a nugget about navigating a challenging season, whether it is something about how to clone yourself and multiply your impact, your time and your money, or whether it has to do with stepping into the modern CEO role and getting more strategic. Elizabeth is living it and this is an incredible conversation. Thanks for being here. Introducing Elizabeth. Elizabeth, thank you so much for being here. This is always so much fun to connect with you.

Thank you for having me.

Oh my gosh, it is awesome. You know, and this came about this conversation because of a comment you made on in one of the calls we were in together inside the modern CEO and you were reflecting on the the growth of the business, your business, and how your role as a business owner has changed. So I want to get to that in just a second, but first, let's tell people about what your business is.

All right, So I own Outlander Travel llc, official name and we are a full service travel agency covering mostly leisure travel. We have a few corporate clients just to help pay the bills, but leisure is where our heart is. We really started with and I say we because I have a wonderful team now and I really feel like we're all on the same page and we all share this sort of vision. But we really love bringing people together through travel, whether they're people who already know each other, who are traveling together and get to share that experience together, or whether it's people who've never met each other and meet each other because they're traveling with just that connection between people is sort of what drives us. And so we really started with a focus on family travel because I also feel very passionately about exposing young children to the world around them, the bigger world around them, not just the small world. And some people say I don't want to travel with kids because they're too little. They won't remember it. They won't appreciate it. But it's not always about, you know, do you remember seeing the Eiffel Tower? It's more about, do you remember the experience of being in a place that was different, where people spoke a different language and had a different culture and did things differently?

Oh, my gosh. I'm goosebumps just hearing you share that. Because we took our kids on safari for the first time. We've been on a couple of safari trips, and we took them on safari for the first time when they were. My oldest was in college, but the younger two were in second grade and K4 or first grade in K4. Somewhere in there, it was K4 and second grade. And we were just reflecting with them on what's been your favorite trip ever. And they're like, oh, safari, of course. And they were, I'm in the K4. She was obviously young, and we've got stories that we tell her back, like, you know, no, put your head in. Like, don't stick your head out of the jeep with the lions going by. But we laugh, and there's so much that comes out of it. And I completely agree. The stories are incredible.

Yeah. My kids, we took them to Costa Rica when they were, I think, 6 and 8, if I remember correctly. And as we were leaving, I. I will try not to tear up when I tell this. As we were leaving, we were in the airport, and they just burst into tears. And my husband and I were like, what is happening? And they were. They were like, we just don't want this vacation to end. This has been the best thing. And. And I was just blown away by that and. And having that time together. But then my oldest said something. I did not program this in any way, shape or form. He looked at me, said, mom, you know, I just. I don't understand how we can go back because we're so different now. We've seen that the world is different and that there's so much more to learn about the world. And I'm not saying it nearly as well as he did at 8. And I just, like, I thought, well, this is exactly what I was trying to do. But I never said that to them, you know, and it. That just. I had already started my agency by then, but. But at that point, I was like, this is. This is what I'm supposed to be doing, that I am on the path that I meant was meant to be on.

Oh, my gosh. I know you said that you were gonna cry, but you Made me cry, too.

It just means so much to me because it's literally, it's that moment where your kid gets it and you don't even know how. You know, you just did the thing that you thought would help, and in the end, they get it completely. So, yeah.

Oh, I love that. And they get it. You're just living a life and you set an intention. You're like, man, I think this is what it's all about. This is my purpose. This is what we're driving towards. And then you get that affirmation.

Yes.

That's pretty gosh darn cool.

Yeah, yeah.

So you have grown. Been growing your business for 11 years, right? Yes. What has that journey been like for you?

Well, and I had that special moment in my journey too, of the pandemic, and that obviously affected my business hugely. So I think that, you know, there I. I felt all the things, and it's so wonderful to, you know, I. I definitely tell anyone who has a small business of any sort that they need a network of people to talk to to realize that the. All those things are things that we all feel, the imposter syndrome. From time to time, the wondering where. If the next client, wondering if we can handle all the clients who are calling. The, you know, sort of. Those ebbs and flows are so, so normal. And when you first step into it, you don't really know if that's the case. And so for me, we had a gradual growth. Where I started, I thought it was just going to be me for a while. And then I decided to take on some independent contractors, or rather they sort of decided to take on me. I was aggressively pursued by some very talented people to join me. And I was like, okay, I'd be so stupid not to, you know, not to build this. So I sort of started building the business. I always joke I'm building the plane as I fly it. And it started as a very small plane, and it's getting bigger and it's still flying. And every now and then we refuel in the air. We just don't really come down very much. Yeah, but the pandemic then brought us down and we were literally on the ground and that. So I was able to take that time. We were about, I guess about 8 years old at that point, and I was able to take that moment and rebuild the plane on the ground, like do the things that you just cannot not do when you're in the air. So rather than sort of sit back, I said, I just have to keep moving forward. And That's, I had actually started working with you and your program like a year before, not knowing what was going to happen, anticipating growth, anticipating wanting to move more into a CEO role and a little less into a day to day, you know, operations kind of role. And then this happened and I, and I just came crashing down. And so fortunately I had just put myself in a place position to take advantage of the resources of a business, of a coaching program to figure out what to do next. And I literally made a list and said, these are all the things that I said I would do if the phone would just stop ringing for, you know, we joke, oh, I would clean the house if I had time. And then the pandemic taught me, no, no, I'll never clean the house. That's not the reason. And I didn't want that to be the case for my business. I was like, I need to update the CRM. I need to create more automation. I need to be ready. Because we also knew that is sort of in today's world and even in old world travel is inevitable. You know, we were traveling because we had to, because that was the only way to trade to get the things that we needed. And so as we've evolved as a civilization, we travel for different reasons, but it's still in us. And the human need to travel and to explore is still there. So we knew it was going to come back and it did. And so the last two years have been like riding a tsunami wave, trying to surf it that there's sharks in. But it's been great, but scary and exhilarating and, and so that sort of, that propel, it was almost like a slingshot. We were on the ground and then we got pulled back and shot back into the air really fast. And now that growth has been exponential and I've been able to, I was ready to start hiring. I was ready to see, okay, I need this person. Even though I can't, you know, I'm, we're not there right now. I need this person for six months from now. So I'm going to hire them now so that I'll be ready in six months. And that is so different from the little person 11 years ago, the little me that was like, maybe I'll start a travel agency. It's so different, so much growth.

You are incredible. And now like award winning, tremendous growth. Didn't you the which year there's a year, was it two years ago or a year ago? Were you like wildly exceeded that tsunami wave? Wildly exceeded, like didn't you Double, triple something gross.

Yeah. So we literally last year to this year, my earnings this year grew, my personal earnings by 50% more so 150 of what I made the year before. And we're way ahead of where we were in 2019, which at the time was a banner year, like, for the industry as a whole was a banner year, but definitely for us. And I thought, oh, can I, can I keep this up? And then, you know, when 2022 happened and what we call revenge travel, basically this sort of concept of I'm gonna go somewhere because I couldn't for so long, dang it, I'm gonna go. And because people are also booking those dream trips that they thought, I'll do that one day. And after two years of not being able to do anything, they're like, you know, that's. That's my first priority now, rather than my, my long term goal. That's my first priority. So we're also seeing a higher spend on travel in general. And I'm doing it too. I mean, for my own travel. I'm like, well, it's time for me to go to the, you know, to places that I have absolutely not been before and, and experience different things. So.

Oh, my gosh. You know, it's funny, when you were speaking about what happened during COVID it took me right back to some of those early calls because we hosted calls. I don't even remember what the schedule was. But during the season of COVID we're like, man, things are kind of awkward and screeching halt in many cases for many people. And we decided as a community to show up for each other multiple times a week. We, like, took our calls so we could be there to support and navigate. Like, okay, this came up now. This came up like change was happening so rapidly and it was so unknown. So you took me right back to being evacuated from Ethiopia and sitting in an apartment like, okay, we're going to talk more in an apartment. We rent, rented temporarily in Chicago. And it was so quiet and then. And it's interesting because as you were sharing that, I went back and then I also sort of propelled to present day because many people are feeling effects of recession, but not technically a recession, but it feels like inflation and people are pausing, spending or spending differently, and behaviors are shifting right now. So for people who are in a space of, okay, it's not Covid, but there is something happening here that we cannot exactly pinpoint, but it's, It's a struggle for us. What would you say to those people who are in a place of struggle right now.

I think the important thing is to look forward and say, is there a way out? And there always is, whether you can see what that way is or not. And to keep moving. Like, even if you're not sure you're moving in the right direction, you're probably not moving in the wrong direction. You know, you may be going left when you should go right, but you can always correct. But to me, the. The key in all of that and in any in downturn is to keep moving. If the phone stops ringing, you don't just stop working. You. You know, you keep moving. And so even when it's something large like that, the important thing for me was I couldn't do the. The main thing that I thought my business was about. Like, there was no way to do it. It was not possible to do it. So what can I do to keep moving my business forward and to prepare for that future and what that looks like? And so I. I really started practicing much more strategic planning, which I had not been. Obviously, when you're building the plane, there's not a whole lot of strategy, you know, while it's flying. So. And that's still, like, where I'm now. It almost gave me a natural progression. So in that I'd also say, and I don't want to sound cliche, but there are silver linings. There were so many silver linings to the. To the pandemic, and there were so many terrible things as well. And. And me personally, my family, we've been through all of those ups and downs too. All through the isolation, all of those things that happen, that, that's real. But as long as you keep moving forward, don't ignore it, but keep moving forward with that. You know, bringing that with you, I. I feel like that's how I got through to the other side. And there were a lot of people who do what I do who didn't make it through that. They changed careers, they went another path because it just, you know, to stop doing the thing that. That they were doing that brought them so much joy, they couldn't find another piece of it to focus on. At that time.

Did you ever consider pausing or stopping entirely? I mean, you were forced to pause, but did you?

Yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, I think that that lodge. I'm a logical person, right? It's like, well, I'm not going to be making any money for a while, so maybe I should find a job. And literally my whole body went, no, that's not what you're supposed to do. Yeah, I talked, of course, you know, I have a partner, not a business partner, a life partner. And we talked about what this would look like. And his job was he was able to continue doing what he did and make money. And so it was like, well, we're not going to be traveling. We're not going to be, you know, going last. We're not going to spend a lot on gas. So maybe we can be just on this one income for a while and you can really focus on, you know, don't spend a lot, but at least, you know, spend money very strategically on the things that will help you be ready for comes back.

Yeah, Elizabeth, you know, and I'm thinking back to some of those conversations as well. And, and very logically, like, map out that budget like you said. Look at, okay, maybe we do need a second income or maybe we don't and we can cut back on some expenses. I'm going to stay the course and I'm going to work the foundation. But I think it's so beautiful that you looked at both the logical and then you had the emotional whoosh like that feeling come in like, no, this is, this is what feels aligned. And I think it's important to look at both. I love that you did that.

Well, this is a second career for me. This is the thing that I always wanted to do, but I never allowed myself to do it. So I had a 20 year librarian career as a librarian for 20 years and I enjoyed that. I mean, that it wasn't like that was just a terrible thing to do. I could have gone back to that, but at the same time I was like, no, that's, that's. I, I did that. I, I'm. And I. Now I'm doing the thing I love and I've had all these affirmations that this is the thing I love and that this is the right thing to be doing. There wasn't a morning that I woke up and said, I don't want to do this. You know, I've never felt that way. I've definitely been like, I would like to take today off. That would be nice, you know, But I have never woken up and said, I don't want to do this anymore. So I think that that was also that pull. It's like when I, I tried it in my brain, should I get another job? And no, I mean, if at all possible, unless you absolutely have to in order to survive. No, you need to keep moving this job forward. There are things to do. There are things to be done. And you might need to do them without getting paid for them. And we've been through that. This is a. This is the sort of work that doesn't pay you right away. When I started, I had about six months of very, you know, my very first check was $1.98 for, you know, commissioner, rental car. It wasn't a fast grow, but the nice thing is, it is. It's like a garden. Once you've got it planted and ready, and as long as you keep tending it, that it will grow and grow and grow, and you get, you know, some new flowers and some new plants that you can introduce, but your base is always there, so.

Oh, my gosh. So cool. So you went from solo. What'd you say, a dollar 79? Was that.

Yeah, $1.98.

A dollar 98.

Don't tell me. Short.

It was almost $2. That's amazing. Two dollars. We'll go with two dollars for your first paycheck. Fast forward to today. You have a team. You have a strategy. You have profitability, consistent profitability. You've given yourself a significant pay increase because of that structure and strategy. What does that look like? What are some of the elements that you put in place to bring those things to life? And you mentioned, like, thinking ahead a little. I freaking love. Because we.

It's.

We gotta pace ourselves forward. But describe to us a bit more about that and the way that you saw that growth through.

I think some of it was actually in knowing how I was feeling. You know, there's a point where you realize that you can't do any more work. So there's no. No growth is possible unless you bring in help. There's just no other way. And other people would tell me that, too. They'd look at me and they're like, you really need help. And of course, I did the first thing that I think everybody must do. Maybe I'm wrong, which is. But I can't afford it. Like, how would I pay that person? How can I take responsibility for the livelihood of somebody else when I'm still not sure I know what I'm doing? And so, to start with, I brought on independent contractors who were also building their own businesses, doing the same thing. And so we're sharing a brand, we're sharing a vision, we're sharing. We're supporting each other, leaning on each other's shoulders, asking questions, you know, having that team environment that helps you grow. But they also had their individual business. So it felt like a nice step of, okay, I'm taking care of these people, but I'm not taking care of these people. They could go do this somewhere else if, if my world collapsed. And then once I felt comfortable in that structure and I naturally, it's very weird because I'm an introvert and I generally prefer to work alone, but I'm also a very good mentor and I, I'm very good. Like, if I had a superpower, I would say it's picking really talented people. And I'm sure my team loves to hear me say that. But I, you know, I'm just very good at recog when somebody is going to fit into culture and also is going to be able to do the work, even if it's not work that they've done before. So as I, you know, I started with a few independent contractors who sort of sought me out, and then, then other people would seek me out. And I decided rather than recruiting, I would just allow some organic growth so that I could feel more and more comfortable with it. Then I got to a point where I'm like, okay, here's our team. Here's what we have, and here are the things like, we don't have anyone who's ever been on the continent of Africa. We don't have anyone who's ever been to Australia. We don't have anyone who's really actively selling the domestic United States. And so we were looking for, you know, I started sort of thinking this is where I want to focus on bringing people in. It hasn't always worked. Sometimes I accidentally find somebody else who does exactly what we do. But for the most part, by putting that out into the universe and saying, I'm, I'm open to listening, then we have filled in some of those holes. We've. I've also told the team, hey, we don't have anybody who's been to the continent of Africa. And so in the last two years, several of us have gone to the continent of Africa somewhere. So at least we've touched it now. You know, at least we know that we have some on the ground knowledge. And that's just one example. I mean, Antarctica is the same way. It's hard to sell something like Antarctica if you don't really understand the ins and outs of a trip like that, that we can't do it. But obviously we need that sort of experience. Bringing in people who speak other languages would be lovely for as well. So. So looking at that growth and seeing where I needed to fill in some holes in just what we could offer our clients, then it came down to me. It was like, okay, now I, now I'm full and I can't do any more. And so I have to hire somebody. I have to bring on someone who I can make into a mini me. I need to clone myself, somebody who learns how I think, who can do all those things that I do, maybe not do everything I do, but at least do most of them. And I had a VA that had started with me, a virtual assistant. But I purposefully chose somebody who was here locally so that eventually I could transition her if, if she was working out into an, an employee role. So In January of 2020, I took the big leap and I went to a payroll service and I brought her on the payroll part time, January20, 20, 20 hours a week, with the goal of making her 40 hours a week by the end of the year. And then I cut her back down to like eight hours a week. But I kept her like all of my Eidl money, all of my PPP went into keeping her because over the years she had become another version of me. And we definitely still think differently. But she knows how I would think. There are many, many times where she can answer a question for me because. And it sounds exactly like what I would say. She knows exactly how I think. So once that grew, then she got that too big, too much was going on for her. So I brought on somebody else and I was like, okay, what part of the job do you need help with? And she's like, well, booking the travel, that takes the most time, that's the most intense. Managing the agency is something that's more routine. So booking the travel is where I need help. So I brought in a full time travel advisor. I said, let's, you're going to come in to sell travel and nothing else. And then my, my assistant agency manager could then decide how much of that she wanted to do. Once she gave up the selling the travel, she wasn't happy. So we brought that back on and I brought on an admin to help with the administrative side of things. So it's. Yeah.

So you have not only cloned yourself, which is about multiplying your time, your impact and your money, but you've also enabled your team to clone themselves. They're multiplying their effort, which multiplies the organizational effort. Effort. This is music to my ears after.

Years and years in corporate and in public libraries and in the public sphere. So I've worked both private and private sector and public. It's so nice to be able to say to someone, what would you like your job to be. Here are the things you need to do. Which part of this do you fit into? And so now that's generally what I'm doing is saying I'm going to bring you in to do, do a couple of jobs, but I anticipate that eventually those will be two full time jobs and you'll need to sort of pick your path based on what you're really, you know, enjoying doing, where your talent is. And those things are related to each other but not the same, you know, so, so this person who's an admin is also doing our marketing. She may end up just really loving the marketing side of it or she may just really end up do, you know, loving the automation and admin side of things. And then we'll figure out what to do, you know, with her. And what that means is I have very little turnover. I really haven't had very many, I haven't lost very many people. My attrition has either been. There's been a couple of people where the industry just wasn't right for them. They didn't have the right networking, they didn't have, you know, they, it just wasn't right. And they're not in the industry anymore. It's not like they went to another agency or something like that. They're literally, they've moved on to a different career or I lost a couple people during COVID who really had to, they had to have an income, single parents or you know, whatever, it's. They had to have something.

So yeah, there's something in, in corporate it was regrettable turnover and then like, this is normal. Like this is like, yeah, do we like it? No, we never like it when someone leaves. But you understand when someone's like, no, I'm changing careers or I found this other passion or you know, we're moving. Yeah, this is so dang good. You, as you look at everything that you've put in place and how does it feel now? Like what is the feeling, the mood, the tone? When you go to work and you're moving through the day and you're building the company and strategizing and fulfilling on travel.

It's, it's super. It's really exciting. I have to say. I think I just got to a point and I think that probably was the statement in, in our call recently where I was like, I think I'm now this at the CEO stage. Like I am now at that place. I'm not working toward it. I'm there. It's not, I'm not perfect. In that role yet I still have some work to do in it, but I know that that's where I'm sitting. That's where the chair is. I still doing some other things, and obviously I do have to work on sales and systems a little bit, but. But in the end, now I. My primary role is making sure that the company keeps running, and I really, really like that. And I never want to stop selling travel. I still. I would say at least 50% of every day is. Is devoted to travel, sometimes even more to booking travel. But I feel like I have space to breathe, and that's it. I feel like I can breathe. I started watching television again, Like, I never had time for that. I was like, how do people sit for an hour and watch a show? Like, how does that even happen? And now I'm like, welcome to Wrexham is coming back. I can't wait, you know? Yeah, I'm just sitting. I'm. I'm trying to enjoy more and more. I do have. Have some. You know, I. There was a lot of time where my kids were growing up where I feel like I missed some things, but at the same time, I think they're very proud of me. They're 19 and 17 now, and they're still my children. I. You know, I might have missed a few things, but they're still my children, and I've always been there for them in some way. I travel a lot. It means that I'm gone a lot, but sometimes I take them with me and they're so, so grateful for that. So. Yeah, Now. Now being able to breathe and being able to say, oh, my son is coming home from school in 15 minutes. I think I'll go downstairs and make some tea, and I'll be there when he gets home so that I can talk to him. Just having that room to do that is wonderful.

Do they. Does your family see that shift in you also?

I think so, yeah. I think so. They haven't said anything because I think they also recognize that I do feel some guilt for not being there. So they don't want to draw attention to the fact that I wasn't always there. And. And. And I don't say that in so of a I was a terrible mother kind of way. I feel like I was a very good parent. I am a very good parent. But there are times where I'm like, boy, I really wish that I could have been there, you know, and. But I told them that at that time, too. I didn't just pretend like it wasn't happening. You know, so they recognize that I've always felt that pull, and they respect that, and so they don't try to draw attention to it. But they definitely, you know, they'll still come into my room at night and sit on my bed and want to talk about their day. And, you know, One son is 6 foot 2. I'm like, there's no room, but. But come on in, you know, let's chat. So. So, yeah, it's. And it's so nice to be able to focus my attention 100 on them and not have things talking to me in the back of my brain about the things I didn't get done today. You know, I've really learned to compartmentalize that a little bit more and not feel as desperate about it because I'm not the only one with eyes on it anymore. I don't feel like I'm the only one responsible for it anymore. It's so nice. It feels good to just say that. Thank you for letting me express that.

Yeah. I'm loving all of this. It's so cool to hear you reflect on the shifts in the journey that comment on, man, I have space now that maybe I did. And when you were in it before, when you were in that build stage, did you feel like you were like, oh, okay, I got to get some space. Like, did you feel like this is what you were working toward, or did it evolve and reveal itself as you went?

A little bit of both, I think. Like, I was tired, but I knew that the work needed to get done and I didn't. I loved doing the work. So, you know, so it was sort of a. I. But I knew that I was building something, too. It wasn't like I knew that I wasn't going to do that forever and ever and ever. There's no way to sustain that. I also think the pandemic taught me what it was to breathe again. Like, I did have more space then, and that felt really good. And then I'm also getting older, and at some point you just say, say, I. I just need more time for myself than I used to need. You know, I just have to take that step back. So all of those things, you know, built up into that, I was. I am thrilled with the hard work that I did for, you know, for those 10 first 10 years, good and bad, you know, the pandemic, everything. I'm just so glad that I had that experience and that growth, and I'm so glad it's led to this. And was that purposeful? Sure. But did I always Think that I would get there? No, not always. Sometimes I worried that I wouldn't. That I would just be running on the, the hamster wheel all the time. But as I, I really look for opportunities, and I, I listened to my instinct and I listened to the advice of other people who have been through things like this. I have mentors in the industry who have different business models, and, and I've taken pieces of each one and said, you know, this is, this is what I'm comfortable with. This is what I'm comfortable with. All of our businesses are successful with the business models that we have. And seeing that and knowing that, that even if I do it differently, it's probably not going to be wrong. It'll just be different. And embracing that so was so important to me.

As you think about the way that you deliver travel, what is the differentiator that your team comes together and rallies around?

That's such a good question. Honestly, our biggest differentiator is our passion. We love, love helping people travel. There are other people out there who feel that same passion that we do, but it absolutely shows in what we do, and we make a point of letting that show. We also want to be sure that, that the experience really matches you. And this actually goes back to my librarian days and reference interviews. People will, you know, ask for things, but they won't always be specific. And it's our job to make sure that we're really understanding what they want and we're not jumping to conclusions about what they want. You know, somebody can say, I want to go to Disney World. And another person can say, I want to go to Disney World. And they want two very different experiences. And so we take great joy and pride in drilling down into what you, you know, why you want to go there, what you want to achieve while you're there, and how you want to feel when you get home. And, you know, there are people who come to us for. And that's a great example because there's some people who do it as a rite of pass passage. Well, I have to take the kids to Disney World. We're never going to go again. I don't even really want to go, but we just have to do it. It's one of those things. And we love those people just as much as we love the people who go three times a year and want to go to every special event and want to try every different type of cupcake. And, you know, there's. There's two extremes and then there's lots in between, and we love all of it. Because each one makes that trip unique. And we. We get our excitement from making sure the trip matches their needs.

It's so true. And it's one of the things that I love hearing and doing workaround is your values are coming through, your differentiators are coming through. But what does it actually look like when it comes to life? Like, because the action is what brings the value to life and gives it meaning. And I will echo that on the work that we have done with you and the most recent trip. That example is coming to mind with Morocco. I was like, I don't know. We just want to go to Morocco. I haven't spent the time to research. I know that, like, there are professionals out here who know this much better than I do. And then I checked in with my mother and father in law and they said, oh, well, Casablanca. We're going to be in Morocco. We should probably go to Rick's Cafe.

Okay.

I think that was our only ask. And then you came back with an incredible itinerary. We were like, oh, feels kind of fall. Should we cut a couple things? I think this, because we looked at it and we're like, we don't know what to cut, though.

Feel normal.

You're like, okay, because it was so good and we didn't really know. And I knew, right? I've seen on Instagram, I've heard from people how incredible Morocco was, but I didn't really know what to expect. And it moved me. Like, I was floored at how incredible Morocco was. And that came through because of.

Of.

I mean, we had that experience because of you, so. And you could just see end to end your planning. We transferred all decision making over to pretty much Elizabeth. And we're like. You're like, oh, yeah. But I'll. I'll figure it out.

That's always fun, too, because I'm like, well, you just can't just don't complain because you didn't give me any feedback, but I can plan a great trip for you. You're not allowed to complain.

It was incredible. And you recently went to Morocco as well.

I got. I just had it happen to get an opportunity a few months after you. And. And then it turns out it was a few months before this terrible tragedy that they've had recently. So I'm very glad that I got to see it. And it is. Morocco is. You know, I know that isn't the topic of this podcast, but I had no idea how peaceful Morocco is. The different people living together and the way they respect each Other. It's like everything that we try to people to understand everywhere else in the world and in Morocco is doing how we live. This is. This is what we do. You know, they will give you everything they have before they will take anything from you. I mean, it's just the most generous, wonderful people. And I. I was blown away. And. And it's a beautiful place. You know, we. We actually. We didn't send you there because it's so far, but we went to the Sahara because that was a thing for me. Me. And I couldn't believe it. You know, we. We get out of the bus after this long, long bus ride. Mark is a very big country. Long ride. And go into our hotel and we go through the lobby and there's the Sahara. And it looks just like the movies. It's amazing. Just this beauty, the sand and the colors and the sunlight on it, and just an extraordinary place. So, yeah, I think that that's the thing is. Is. Is opening up the world through. We have. Because I do this every day. I have contacts all over the world that I've accumulated through, you know, the meetings I go to and the conferences I go to. And so I actually have pe. I know people, and so I can help connect you to the experience you want, whether it's, you know, something really exclusive to something that's very normal. You know, going to the Eiffel Tower. Sure, I can do that.

That.

Making chocolate with a chocolatier with 8 million awards, yes, I can do that, too. They cost different things, but I can absolutely make both of those things happen. And you've even connected me with photographers, travel photographers who are, you know, there's a network of photographers. So if you want a photography session in the place that you're going in Morocco or wherever, there's these people who can do this, and they do it all the time. And I. I know them now. I know how reputable they are. I know that they work. I won't, you know, take your money and run. I know that we're working with quality, and so I can recommend that and feel good about it.

Elizabeth, what is your favorite trip? The most favorite trip you've ever taken?

What was like asking me to pick my favorite child?

I know. I'm sorry.

Honestly, I mean, I. For different reasons. The first time I went to Greece, it stands out. I was in my 20s, and just that sort of, the beauty of that country, the islands, being in my 20s, that was just the right time to do that sort of trip, and I really loved that trip. The Costa Rica trip with my kids is probably where I feel like we really connected. My business was a few years old, so I had been in that hamster wheel and that was the first chance I really had to step back and let somebody else take care of me. And I still, I was still basically a one woman show. So I actually ignored my phones and my emails for a week. I forced myself to do it, it and focus. So I do feel for many reasons that is. But we've also, you know, we've been to Europe with the kids a few times. It's definitely my trips with my family that are the, the ones that stand out the most. I get to go to a lot of cool places for work. Usually when I go, I'm working, I'm seeing things, I'm learning about an experience. So it's great, it's fun, but it is work. But when I've traveled with my family, that's when I get to just, just soak it in and, and be, oh.

My gosh, what is, as you think about your strategic plan and what is next for the business, whether it's one year from now or five years from now, what's top of mind for you?

I think making sure that the, that it can continue in some form. My kids haven't expressed an interest in, in the agency really and so I now have some concerns that I just want it, I don't want it to live on. I don't want to, I don't want it to go when. And I would love to be able to step a more and more away from the daily operations and enjoy the, the CEO role a little bit more, I'd love to grow it a little bit more. And so if in five or 10 years that means that I need to sell it or I need to merge with someone else or all of those things are possibilities. And that's really at the point, I'm at that point now where it's like almost thinking about what is my exit strategy. Not that I want to exit it, but what is it, how does that look when I'm gone or when I'm not doing this anymore? And I don't, I don't think I'll ever not do this. It's just, I just love it so much. But I definitely would like to, to take care of myself a little bit more and I'm enjoying being able to do that more and I want to keep that up. So that really is the plan, is, is growing it to a point where it can exist a lot More independently from me. I don't know if I will hire a CEO, you know, somebody to oversee the business or if it seems more likely that I would merge with another agency or other colleagues and we would find a way to co manage. But it's my baby too. It's a little, you know, hard to think of it in any way other than how it exists right now. So I have to shift my thinking a little bit.

But I love so much of what you were saying is like, I. I don't know there. It could, it's in this realm of direction, but it could like a lot of different things, which has worked well for you. You sort of open it up to the possibility that magic is brewing. And boy, did you create some magic along the way.

Thank you. I'm very proud of it. Yeah, I do. I like to point the ship and then see what's, you know, see if we want to stop somewhere, see if we want to bring somebody on board. It just feels right to make sure the ship is going in the right direction and then let things. Things happen. And that's how I. That's how I like to travel too. Right. It's how I like to live my life. Never be closed off to the opportunities that are there.

Elizabeth, that is the perfect place to bring us to a close today. Where do people find you all the places for all the Travel?

Yeah. So outlandertravel.com and you do have to put in Outlander travel because if you put an Outlander, you'll get pictures of some very beautiful people in Scotland. But if you put an Outlander travel, you'll get some very beautiful people in North Carolina. We are located in North Carolina, but we agents all over the country. In fact, I have one agent who lives in Germany. You can reach out to us that way. All of our bios are on the website too. So if you want to talk to an agent who specializes in one thing or another, you can find us all there on our about page. We also have a little podcast called Fly Away. You can find it on our website, but you can also find it in all the podcasty places. And we publish weekly and talk about all things travel, usually about the things that we've just experienced, but also some travel news and the goings on around the world.

Thank you so much for being here. You're incredible.

Thank you for having me. Thank you.

As we bring this conversation to a close today, I want to thank you for being here and I also want to recognize that both Morocco and Libya have recently experienced some very significant events. We are sending our love to both everyone who is navigating and rebuilding and going, going through the cleanup after the earthquake in Morocco as well as after the floods in Libya.