DEE - Mom, Secretly Slay, Chippin’ Away

Hey everyone, welcome to the No BS Travel Advisor Podcast. I'm Marcie Muensterman, your no fluff, no filter, tell it like it is coach. I'm so excited to bring you the stories, strategies, and straight up truths right from the mouths of your colleagues. So glad to have you here. Let's get to it. Hello and welcome to the No BS Travel Advisor Podcast. I am here with Dee Beck. She is with DBeck Vacations and she is celebrating 1 year as a travel advisor right now. So we're really excited for her. Congrats, girl.

Thank you.

And I am Marcie Muensterman and I am your 18-year-plus travel advisor veteran turned coach mentor, burnout survivor, all the things. And now I have a podcast and this is the 10th episode and I'm so excited to have Dee with us today. This is actually the last episode in our first ever full drop of the No BS Podcast. And honestly, what's really cool about this is I say us because I have a team, a little team who's been helping me successfully pull this off. So we are at the end and it has been really cool. I cannot wait to talk to you, Dee, and thank you so much for joining us today.

Yes, thank you. I am a podcast junkie and I'm a huge fan of you, obviously, so this is Excellent to be here. Thank you.

It's gonna be so much fun, and I am very excited to talk to you. You were actually the first one to sign up to be on the podcast and apply for the podcast. So, um, I would love to just hear more about your life. I know you are a fitness instructor as well as personal trainer as well as a travel advisor. You've been doing that for 20 years.

Yes. Yes, I have been. And I still do that and I still really love it. Um, but I'm in my 40s and my body may not love it as much.

Got it.

Um, so when I started to think about travel, becoming a travel advisor, I just saw so many parallels to what I was already doing with my fitness group. You know, you're just enhancing the quality of life and you're getting invested in people, and those are all things I love doing. And so it was really neat to see that carry over into the travel world.

I love that. I love that there is a lot of commonality too when building those kinds of businesses where, yes, you have this great product, your fitness and teaching other people, but it's also a matter of I have to sell myself. I have to put myself out there. I have to attract a certain person. But what else? I mean, let's talk about your family because we're gonna definitely dive into all of this stuff you're doing with your business, but you are a busy mama, like.

I'm a little busy. You have—

Y'all, she has 4 kiddos and they range in age from 7 to 14. So I think you said that is a lot of the reason why you have entered into this world too, is because they are getting a little bit older. So eventually they're not always going to be with us.

Yeah. Yeah. You know the, what's that saying that the days are long, but the years are short. I knew I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom when our kids were little, and I'm so grateful for having to do that. And now that our youngest has entered school, um, I said I was going to take it slow, but yeah, we're going to take it slow. Exactly. You know, as moms, I feel like we just know busy. So once, you know, she launched into kindergarten, um, I started thinking more about, uh, what else I could be doing. But yeah, the kids are a lot of fun. We've got 2 boys and 2 girls, and honestly, they are my biggest cheerleaders for my new travel adventure. And so, like just now, I'm probably gonna tear up. My daughter texted me from school and she was like, have, have so much fun on your podcast, Mom. Good luck. Which is really sweet, you know, from a teenager. Yeah. And if you're a teenager, you know how much that means.

It does. So she's your oldest?

She is my oldest. Um, the girls are the bookends and the boys are in the middle. And, um, just like another fun example was filling out your application to be on the podcast.

Mm-hmm.

You know, we were all together in the living room watching football and I was filling it out so they were aware of what I was doing. And the next day I got this awesome message from you saying that you got my application and that I was going to be on the podcast. And I played it for them and I think they were probably just as excited or maybe more than I was. So. It's so cool. You know, as a mom, you want to set that great example to your kids and just to have them encouraging me, it's so sweet.

You know? It is. I am obsessed with this. And I know that she gave you some like very sound advice when you were struggling a little bit. Remember when you told me this, I was just like, that's such a 14-year-old thing to say, but also something that we Absolutely need to do.

Yes. Oh, absolutely. And first of all, if you are a mom to a teenager out there, I just want you to know that you are doing a wonderful job and we can do this, right? If we can raise teenagers, we can do anything.

100%. I love that you said that because I needed to hear that today because I feel like sometimes raising a teen is like a total scam.

We need to tell ourselves every day we can do it.

Yeah. Why is this not getting easier? And it's like, I always tell my friends who ask me for advice, like if they have little kids. What is it about, you know, how does it get and what's going on? And I'm always like, well, you don't wanna ask me because I still haven't figured it out. And I feel like I'm always just being hazed for the next age. I feel like things are so hard right now and then it's just to prepare you for whatever is next. And I know we both have, well, my son's 15.

Okay.

The car thing is coming and the, yeah. It has. It's here for me. And it is something I was never prepared for. You're 100% right. We're all doing amazing.

We're all doing amazing. I keep learning too, 2 things can be true at the same time. We can love them to death, but oh man, it's hard. They can be so hard sometimes. But she did say to your question about what my daughter had said to me, you know, I think when they do speak those really sweet words of truth to you here and there, that's what really makes them. Resonate, right? Because I feel like we just get little glimpses between all the, the harder things. So it was really sweet. And it's something that we say to each other because we get, you know, teenage drama is a thing as well. And so when I started in February of last year, it could, it got overwhelming, right? I just, I didn't have a whole lot of direction. I hadn't found your courses yet and I was starting to just kind of get down on myself. And so my daughter, she reminded me, she was like, Mom, Just secretly slay, keep chipping away. And that's just, you know, in other words, just keep your eyes on your own paper, so to speak. We can get so distracted with social media, and I think as women we tend to compare ourselves.

Mm-hmm.

And you have no control of that. You only have control of what you can do. So just put in the work and the right people, the right friends, it'll all come into place with time. So we, we like to say that to each other, and it's been great for her to, uh, return, uh, that advice to me when I need it.

You slay.

That's right.

I, when I read that, I remember just feeling all the goodness of like, that care. That's her version of caring about you so much. Amazing. I don't know. It makes me wanna cry.

She's, she has her sweet moments for sure.

That is so fun. So. I know you spend a ton of time like chauffeuring and moving them through their activities. And then on top of everything else, you started this business. How have those challenges been the difficult part? Like when it is hard to slay and how are you managing it a year later? Because a year is not that long in this business, as we know, and it can be so difficult in those early months.

Yes.

So how are you harmonizing having 4 children, uh, you know, a busy husband with a demanding job and building this business from the ground up?

Yeah. Um, now that the kids are in, I mean, the school year is where it's at for me to really get the most of my work done. And I think I mentioned it to you before, we've got 2 in middle school and 2 in elementary. So to get them out the door, I kind of do it in 2 rounds. Now we wake up, we get ready, they leave. And then I repeat and then I teach a class and then I come home and then I get, if I'm lucky, like a 4 to 5 hour window to work. And so that's, that's where I really try to get some stuff done. But I would say I was very lucky that shortly after becoming advisor, I was pointed to your Facebook group, the Maximize group, by another travel advisor, Shannon McEvoy. And I'm so grateful to her because—

Love Shannon! She's one of my favorite travel advisors and I do have favorites. So she's awesome.

She is like, she's a girl's girl, you know, talk about empowered women empower women. Like she has been that for me. And I'm so grateful for that because let's see, I joined in February and by October I had signed up for your courses. So I'm glad I didn't waste a lot of time because especially starting a second career in my 40s, I knew that time is of the essence. You know, and I wanted to put my best foot forward. We thrive off of, we live off of good recommendations and a good reputation. So that was important to me, but I just didn't know where to begin. So, and with having 4 kids, I still want to put them first, obviously. So yeah, how do I balance all of that? So I think from the Maximize group, that really opened the door to what I needed to learn. And that's when I was like, all right, let's just, let's just do the bundle. I don't dip my toes into something. I jump into the deep end.

So I'm almost like, hey, hey, maybe take this one. I usually recommend like Facebook Groups course or Close to Home cuz they tend to be a little bit less expensive. I have freebies. Did you take any of the freebies or do any of that before, or were you just like, let's go all in? Cuz it is an investment. I mean. Yes. $1,222 for the 3-package bundle. It's paid in full. I don't do a payment plan on that. So like what really, you know, what did you do? But was it just Maximize or was it I'm Ready?

That's a great question. And I'm glad that you brought that up. Okay. Outside of what you offer, you're right. There's a million free things and I was kind of drowning in all of the options. And I, I felt like I couldn't move forward. I was just overwhelmed. So I liked the Maximize group and I did the Aligned Client Questionnaire, which is a freebie. Love that one.

Yeah.

And I think that's what's so great. You put it out there. You're so transparent. You're like, this is how I run my business, you know? And if you want a piece of that, then this is what we're doing. But the freebies are a great way to go a little deeper and understand what you do. I loved the client experience. I did that one as well.

Good. Okay. That was a good one, you guys. It's, it's really just an overview of how to care for your clients after the deposit. But then there is an advanced version of it where you get all the resources, pages and pages of exact verbiage text.

Yes. And then the, if, if you're here listening now, then you obviously love podcasts. The, uh, Commission with a Comma that you did with Masters in Travel.

Yes. Yes. So I, I love Masters in Travel. They have just been such a great support for me and I loved connecting with Bri that day. It was so much fun.

Yeah. And that was another great opportunity. You know, I think if, if you're someone that's looking into becoming a travel advisor, Maximizes is a great place to start. And then, yeah, these are great resources and think about, does this align with what I want my business to be like and how I want to run? And for me it was, yep. Yep. So after doing those things, that's when I was like, all right, let's just, let's just do it.

I like that. And so which one did you really start with and What kind of support system were you getting on the backend? I know you have your family, but how were, how was it joining a host? And then I assume you did all their trainings as well.

Yep. Yeah. I joined my host agency in February and they did offer some basic training from the get-go. And I will say they do what they call Training Tuesdays, and that's every Tuesday they offer 4 different meeting times with Different vendors, and that's something we can be a part of or not, but they always vary, which I appreciate.

You know, as far as like doing these courses, were you on your own or did you just get into the groups and decide like, I'm just gonna binge it?

Yeah, I'm a binger. And because I'm either in my kitchen or in my car, you know, thank goodness for my phone and you can pull up all of Marcie's courses and just play away. And here's my other trick I did was I would screenshot while I was listening to your courses and then I would later save them into a Trello board, which is a great app if you don't already know what that is. I highly recommend that. But yes, I think you also offer such value because it doesn't just end with the sale. So you offer these Facebook groups, right? For each course. So I, I got those courses done in 2 weeks. I was like, yep, let's go.

I'm really glad that you mentioned the Facebook groups because I spend an insane amount of time on Facebook now because of the growth of those groups. And those are exclusive to each one. And sometimes I'm like, this is probably too much, but I think if we stay focused on what's going on in there, you can really go just to that group to get that ongoing support from your colleagues who have also been through it. The course, and then obviously I try to come in and answer every single question.

Oh, I know. I'm always impressed by your responses and like how quickly, because I know that you're busy. We all are, but that's just another added value I think that you offer with, with your courses. So to go back to your question, yeah, I would, I took the courses and then I joined the groups immediately and it was so great because now we're together with people who are all like-minded and trying to achieve the same type of business. And so to have These groups full of women, mostly women, I would say, right?

Yes. I, I would say 98.9% is mostly women. And the men who are in there are also wonderful because I think there's an understanding of like, this is a really, it's not that, you know, men are not allowed or it's just that the vibe that my Align client is a really, really busy woman and Specifically, usually a mom because we are carrying the burden of the domestic load on top of trying to build this business, whether it's because of retirement or because this is our second career or our side career. And I know how much we do. I mean, men can get a lot out of the courses too, but I feel like the processes were developed For my lifestyle. So like once I've developed it, I was like, I have to share this because I know there are so many women doing this business and they're running ragged, you know?

Mm-hmm. Yeah. And that was the other thing that really resonated with me. I, I feel like that's who I also want to serve. You know, as moms, brain fatigue is so real and, uh, I, if I can take anything off of a mom's plate. while they go on vacation to actually be with their family or their friends, then, then, then I'm happy, you know, because when you're a mom and you're on vacation with your family, you're not really on vacation.

Sometimes it's just a trip for the mom. It's a trip. It's nice to have somebody in your corner that even if it's just a vent, like my husband is driving me crazy, can I, you know, can you send me some tips on what he can do today? That will keep him busy or even just, hey, um, you know, something's going wrong at the airport and my kids are losing it. You know, I'm just here to vent. 'Cause sometimes like just that little check-in with them to say, hey, are you okay? Are you doing like, how are you? How's packing going? Like I was in that, are you packing post or text? And I think it's just appreciated that somebody else is worrying about you. Mm-hmm. But nobody typically does. Right. We love But that's—

it comes down to the mom.

It does. So speaking of, that is how you decided to become a travel advisor. You planned a Disney vacation for your entire family.

Yes. You know, I don't know. I don't know how your families roll.

It's like a whole animal by itself. So tell me a little bit about that. And I know you've traveled to other places and have lots of passions.

I have always had a passion for travel. I was blessed in college. I was able to study abroad. And that was really life-changing. I loved that. And then, yeah, I became a mom, got a little busy, and now that our kids are getting a little bit older, travel's getting easier. So, uh, December of '23, we decided to, my husband and I decided to surprise our kids with a trip to Disney World, which was a great trip, but it was the first time I knew I wanted to work with a travel advisor.

Okay. So you yourself were like, I need help.

Yes.

And when did you guys go to Disney? So like, give me the whole rundown, like your decision-making on like when you decided to travel to Disney and how did you choose your advisor and all of those things?

Yeah. So I typically, how our family works is my husband has an idea and then I make it happen, right?

I, we love this.

Might resonate with you as well, right, Mom? So, but I will say he was the one that did say, There was somebody at my work that worked with a travel advisor for booking their Disney trip. Maybe we should, maybe you should talk to her. And I was like, you know what? That's a great idea. Let's do that.

Yes. All the help.

All the help. Because not only were we taking our 4 kids, but we were also joining my cousin and his wife and their daughter, which was great. But then it was a wider range of ages to make sure that we're all getting the most out of our time and money together. So. I reached out to this travel advisor and she helped me book Disney. We went in December because that's really the best time my husband can get away. And he doesn't like to sweat or be hot. So he was like, yeah, we're not going to go in the summer.

That's fair. But I have to ask, did you go over Christmas?

Oh, we did.

Oh, you did?

Yes, we did. Again, it's like, here's Disney and then here's Disney in December, right?

She has her arms like way up, like, And for those of us who, A, have ever planned a Disney vacation, whether for yourself or for your clients, we know Disney is a whole bunch of stuff. But at Christmas, it's an extra level of crazy. And I'll be honest, Dee, like, if you were my client at that time, I would've been like, this is not the best idea. Because as someone who lives an hour and a half from the mouse, I'm always like, you couldn't even pay me to get in that direction. Like, I won't even get on the road. Like towards Orlando at Christmas time. So I'm so impressed that that's when you— and then you were like, I want to do this.

And I still wanted to do travel after that. Can you imagine?

That is like the upper echelon of crazy travel. And you tackled it and decided to jump right in. I love this.

We did. And it was a great time. Christmas is my favorite. And I wanted to see all the decorations and the candlelight processional. I'm so glad we did that. And I, I did learn a lot from it, obviously. So I, I had the travel advisor, she was fantastic, but of course I also wanted to do my own research. We got back from that trip and it was a success. Everybody had a great time. And like any vacation, you know, you get home and it's depressing, right? Because there's—

Always.

There's nothing else to look forward to now. So keep those vacations booked, but there was more to it. was laying in bed one night and I just kept thinking about the travel advisor I worked with and how I was coming into this new space with my kiddos all being in school full-time. And the more I thought about it, it just started to make sense. So I got up outta bed, my husband was sleeping, and I applied for this agency that my advisor also worked with. And a week later I got a call and, you know, it was funny. I kind of told my husband, I was like, just so you know, um, I I applied to be a travel advisor and I think he was like, I didn't know we were thinking about that. I was like, you know, we'll just see where it takes us. And here we are.

We are here. I have to ask a question that I think a lot of us think about when we have clients who move over into the space of being a travel advisor. And I'm not even sure we've discussed this. It's not on the survey, but how did that conversation go with your current travel advisor? And, you know, what did that look like? I think a lot of us get like a little prickly when our clients are like, I'm gonna be a travel advisor now. And so how did that kind of go for you?

She was very sweet and I think she was very honest. She had been with the host agency for a while, so that spoke volumes to me, you know? But I would, I would say I really did not think about any other host agency and I just didn't know to. So it was great to have a conversation with her, but looking back now that I know what I know and You know, Steph Lee does a phenomenal job with Host Agency Reviews. What a great jumping point that would've been had I even known about it. But you don't know what you don't know. And that's why your Maximize group was also so eye-opening because you do learn a lot on how to navigate where you wanna land, cuz there are so many options.

There are. That is one of the reasons I talk about hosts so much. And I know, you know that now we've kind of addressed this in most of the episodes. It's not. me trying to take down Travel Advisor hosts. In fact, I really think people should join a host when they first start, but I just also know that sometimes we get so excited and we don't bother to investigate. And that's exactly what happened to me in 2006. And so I want people to understand that you have different choices and investigating gives you just more to think about. It's not that you wouldn't have ultimately chose your host, it's that it's nice to be able to say, hey, because you're choosing them as much as they're choosing you. Mm-hmm. And that's what I always like. That's what I also kind of wanna remind hosts and agency owners, like, we're 1099, so we have as much choice, especially at the very beginning. And you know, that part is where a lot of people don't love my messaging because I am aggressive about You know, doing your research and knowing what you sign. It's because I didn't know those things. And I was upset after I decided to leave and there was this non-compete in place and things like that because it like really feels limiting. Like you've done all this work and now you're not supposed to be able to be able to do your job, which we all know is there's options there too.

Yes.

So figuring all those things out and protecting yourself as an independent agent. But I'm glad you landed somewhere you really like, and I'm glad she was really honest with you. Like, what kinds of things did she share with you about the industry that— did you think about anything, or were you just like, yep, I'm still all in?

Well, she did say something. I, this has stuck to me. I actually don't remember a ton of what she said, but she, I remember her being encouraging and positive, but I remember her saying, you don't make a lot of money. And so I was like, Huh. Okay. And I knew I wasn't in it for the money, but I also want to make good use of my time. So I think that was kind of always in the back of my mind, her saying that.

Yeah.

So then it was great to land on your Facebook group and really understand, okay, well, we're here and we know what we're doing, so why not get the most out of it? You know? And so I think that I'm kind of glad she said that cuz it motivated me to figure out a way.

Yeah.

To making it more.

Yeah. And it's, it is, I think, a misconception when you're looking from the outside in. This person planned this huge trip, maybe it cost $8,000 to $12,000. You're thinking, gosh, they're getting a piece of that if you know anything about commissionable sales. But what people don't realize is that commission is a small, small percentage, whether or not it's a big trip, small trip, and it's only on certain aspects of the trip. It's not on the entire package. And obviously there are taxes that we don't get commission on, and there are fees and extras that we do that never get paid out. So I think, you know, her saying that is an opportunity for you to at least think about that.

Mm-hmm.

Because the average we make, I think Steph said last year it was like 49 or 50, which is probably the highest we've ever made. But when But I have done a lot of research that states that it's still much lower. It's much closer to like the $40,000 range. And that's if you are successfully selling anywhere from $400,000 to $600,000 a year in, in gross sales, which is hard to get to.

Yeah.

Especially in the beginning. Right? So most of us are not making $40,000 if you're in your first 3 to 4 years.

I've also heard, you know, a bit that sometimes those statistics can be skewed because what can tend to happen is people 1 or 2 years in will quit.

Yes.

And so I would, I would say if you are thinking about becoming a travel advisor to have the mindset that it's a marathon and it's not a sprint, because I do think success will build over time. So to be patient and just, you know, keep putting the work in, the secretly slay, it all goes back to that. Yeah.

And pretend to be secretly slaying when you're crying under your desk.

That's right.

Exactly.

Yeah.

Yeah. I, I mean, I think that's fair because if you are quitting in your first 2 years, you aren't filling out surveys about how much money you're making. Yeah. And I think we had talked about that in our first conversation that statistics while important, don't really paint the whole picture of the entire industry. And as someone who doesn't always take a survey, I make well over 6 figures now, and I would totally skew the— if all of us that were over 6 figures took the survey, it would definitely skew in a direction that's not entirely true either.

Yeah.

Because I would say I'm in a smaller percentage of travel advisors Making that kind of money, but I've also been doing it for 18 years.

Yeah.

And have a wide, vast network that I've built. And that's the other piece of this is your network in the early days does often determine early success. And we all say like, don't work with friends and family, but our friends and family are typically how we meet more people.

Yeah.

So we have to be open. And so there is like, you know, there are things I recommend doing, which is building the Facebook group. And I know you've just gotten started with that, like literally in the last couple of weeks. So how is that going for you?

It's been going great. I've enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I was hesitant at first. I think I got overwhelmed with the idea of how much time I would have to put into it. And you know, that's thing. I'm just trying to balance everything. But your Facebook course with the Trello board, oh my gosh, when I opened up that Trello board, I was like, yes, Marcie is my people because that was one of the first apps I found. And I was like, this is totally how my brain works. So I could organize the business so much better on the Trello board. So when you put that into the Facebook group, I was thrilled. And so that helped me have the confidence. And to push myself to start it sooner. So I'm really glad that I did it. Um, let's see. So I started it and within the first week I had over 100 people join.

Oh my goodness.

Which I was really excited about. I, I think I personally invited the few people that I had told about what I was doing and I'm just for, other than that, I just made a Facebook post on my personal page. And, you know, it said something to the effect of, I've been waiting a year to do this. I've been working away and this is what I'm doing. If you want to join me, that's great. Here's, here's where you can find me. That's really all I did. And I think people just knew that I was being genuine and it wasn't forced to join. And I had taken my time, so it wasn't just like, I'm just jumping right in. But yeah, so the first week was great. I also booked a trip and I had a consultation call booked. So, wow, it was exciting.

Gosh, from the first week of running your Facebook group?

Yes.

That is fantastic. Congratulations.

Thank you. And I will say I saw the beauty in the Facebook group. I think you had asked this in the survey, like what was one aha moment? And with my fitness business, I had done that already. I had created a private Facebook group for people who came to my classes because it is, it's such a great way to build community and rapport and check in on one another. I don't know why I didn't think about transferring that to the travel space. So I guess I could do this cuz I have already done it. And then all the resources that you provide us with on top of that. So that gave me confidence like, okay, yeah, I can do this.

Of course. And you can do it. Anyone can do it. I think the reason that we often get overwhelmed with social media is because we do have to commit. There is a level of commitment in the consistency. And something I have been thinking about, because I follow a ton of influencers and travel people, and I follow a lot of travel advisors. And the one thing I see is just this lack of consistent content that actually makes sense. So it's not so much that if you're on there every day doing something, but like how you show up and the messaging you send really does matter. It's not just posting. It is— there is a strategy. It's supposed to be a community. It's not supposed to be all business all the time. Okay, y'all, let's pause for a quick break. If you are sick of spinning your wheels on social media and want a real way to grow your travel business, the No BS Facebook Groups course is exactly what you need. I have been running my business 100% inside of my Facebook groups since 2018, selling $600,000 to $1 million in gross sales a year, working just 20 hours a week. And now I'm teaching you how to have the social media business that grows your network and brings in your most aligned clients. This self-paced course is built specifically for travel advisors, covering everything from starting your group to boosting engagement and connecting with clients using my proven 3-pillar strategy. Plus, you'll get access to my members-only Facebook group and reusable content calendar through Trello to jumpstart your business. I know you're ready to ditch the social media hustle. Grab my course now and don't forget to check the show notes for an exclusive coupon code just for my podcast listeners. Okay, now back to the show. Back to the pod. The reason I redid the course last June was because I was realizing my first round, I made a lot of assumptions about what you all know. And there is, you know, you have to baseline it because as somebody that does it naturally, like it's a very natural instinct for me to talk and build community. But like for you guys, I think you really had to be, it has to be broken down.

Yes, I appreciated that.

Yeah. And I didn't realize that until the questions started coming in the support group. Okay. That seems so normal to me, but I obviously need to explain this further. And so it has been really a learning experience for me and what you guys know and what you're willing to commit to. And I do think the more you're willing to commit to 30 to 60 days of anything minimum, choose one thing, even if it's not the Facebook group. Because that's how you get consistency in your branding.

And I, I love that you said that, you know, you had to rewrite the Facebook course, but you also had to start the Facebook course, right? To know how to refine it. And I feel that way about my Facebook group. I can be an overthinker, and so I wanted everything to be perfect, which is never gonna happen. So what's been great about the Facebook group is I'm like, you're saying, like, you learn over time, like, oh, this is what, this is what they're interested in, or this is what I really wanna speak about, or, you know, learning the different themes. for the week I can have, but I don't know how to do those things until you just start doing them.

Yeah, because you're not gonna have the insight, right? You're not gonna know what they're really responding to. And so that's why there are technically 3 pillars, but recently I had a— that I'm not gonna actually add to the course. I'm just going to talk to you guys about it in the group, but it is all about showing off your expertise. And how do you feel about calling yourself an expert?

I definitely feel more confident one year in.

Mm-hmm.

Um, and I was just thinking about that. I, I need to go out and probably just celebrate how far I've come. I think as women, we're just like, go, go, go. We keep raising the bar and pushing ourselves, which is a good thing, but I don't pause enough to celebrate the wins. So I think back, uh, when, when I first joined, okay. I have never seen as many acronyms in any space as I have in travel. I feel like, you know, it's like Greek. I'm writing all these acronyms down and then I'm Googling what, what is a CRM? What is a TIO? What is— I've decoded, I think, most of that. So that alone makes me feel a little more like an expert, but I've got a long way to go.

It is true. It is true. And sometimes even 18 years in, I'm like, what does FIT stand for? God, but I know what it is. So I'm like, I don't need to know what it stands for, but yes, it's Fully independent travel, and if I got that wrong, please correct me in the comment section. But like I, I DMC and AI now stands for lots of things in our industry. It's all inclusive.

Yes, yes.

So it's just a lot. You're right. Well, I think you should celebrate. You take yourself out to dinner. It's almost a year. Like in a couple days, you guys should totally all go out as a family and cheers to mom. Like Killing it her first year because you're right, we don't pause and say, pat on the back, I've done this thing. And as much as it seems like not a big deal, it's a huge deal to complete a year in any job, especially entrepreneurship. Go out to eat. Yes.

I like it.

We're going out. When you guys go out and celebrate, where do you go? Do you have like a place?

Okay. Well, that depends. Are we talking about the family or are we talking about adult friends?

It depends on what you want to, who you want to celebrate with. But I like to take my family out to celebrate me. I'm like, listen, we're all going We always do steak. Like my kids love filet. I never ate a filet until I was like in my 30s. We always do a nice thing with the kids, but—

That's fun. It's hard, you know, cuz everybody has their own opinion on what they like, but we need to go someplace where it's okay to be loud and we can expand. So we do have this Mexican restaurant in town called El Zarape, and you know, they're also great because immediate food on the table, right? So that's always a win. you have kids.

Yes. All the chips and salsa to get us started.

Exactly. To curb the hangry and keep everybody content. So.

Very cool. Well, I definitely think it's time for some Mexican for you and your family because it's well deserved. But thank you. I'm really excited for you. So tell me, what was your most successful client moment in the last few months?

Oh yeah. What a great question. So I would say it was for my first repeat client that I've had. And she's also my dearest friend, so it makes it even extra special. She also has been a really great cheerleader for me, and she has trusted me with her travel from the beginning. She's like, yeah, sure, book it. So now that I was able to book her second trip and learning from her first travel and learning from your courses, I really leaned into what they like, what their family enjoys. So they're actually getting ready to go to Greece in 2 months. No, so excited for them. And I knew that with her 2 young kids, you know, you're going outta country, that's like super stressful, right? So I wanted to make this as seamless as possible for her. So I did the first and best like you recommend doing with the proposal. Yes.

So Avra is first and best, my favorite.

Yeah. So it included the transfers, you know, they're going into Athens, but then they want to do Santorini. So the flights to and from there all taken care of, and then I was able to recommend excursions that I thought their family would enjoy. They're doing a walking tour, a biblical walking tour from Paul, and they're doing a, oh, in Santorini, different shots of, you know, Instagram photo, you know what I'm trying to say? What is that?

Yes. That's a lot of fun.

Yeah. So I'm excited about that and she loved it. So I, I put that out there and she was like, yep, that sounds great. Let's do that. So in all of their, all of their locations, because they are going during downtime, they are going to places that are still pretty open. They're centrally local, uh, what am I trying to say? Centrally located, right? Because with kids, you don't wanna be driving more than you have to. So—

Right.

I felt really good about that and I cannot wait for them to go. I hope it's a good time. You know, traveling with, with kids, there's always gonna be something, but I, I at least made it a little less stressful for them.

100%. And how are you preparing them? Like, let's talk a little bit about what that looks like for— you have 4 kids, you've traveled with your kids. What does that look like in preparing somebody to go international with their kiddos the very first time?

Yeah, that's a great question. Uh, I did recommend for her and I to meet, you know, maybe a month out to go over everything. And I actually created a Trello board for her. So that she could access to it. Yeah.

That's a great idea.

Yes, I've loved it. And again, it just goes back to the way my brain thinks. So when I can lay out their trip, it makes sure that I'm also thinking of everything. And it's such a, you know, if you've used the app, you can plug in links, locations. So it's all there where their, where their hotels will be, what I've actually booked. But then I'm also gonna put in recommendations for restaurants and other activities. If they want to do them, they know how to find them. And then within that is also tips for traveling with kids. And if there were to be an emergency, what do they do? That's all in the travel.

I am obsessed. This is such a great idea. And I do a similar thing. I use Google Docs, like where they can plug in and go get all their stuff, but I really love the idea of the Trello if they're comfortable using the app because it does list everything out. Like you can just like look at the list and decide, okay, I need to look at this list in deep. And you can attach PDFs, you can attach their travel documents. And so it's almost like its own little CRM for them.

Yes, exactly.

It's a fantastic idea.

Yes. I've, I've decided for a CRM, I just got onto Travel Joy. But for the itinerary building, I really have liked Trello because you can, I can import their emails that has everything. And so it's just right there. And I like it too because if I think of something last minute, I can still add it.

Yeah, you can just plug it in. You just like literally text her and say, hey, I added this to the Trello board. And if she's watching the board, she'll get a notification that you've done that. Yeah. So that is a fantastic, and you guys. Trello is free. Like, the first 10 workspaces are free. And then you can even, like, once a Trello board is done, you can close it, archive it, and then start a new one. So like, once they've traveled, you can just like close that out to her so she doesn't— I mean, it doesn't need to clog up your feed or hers. That is awesome. Yes.

And I actually— I know I'm excited for them and the Trello idea. And I would recommend this to anybody who's new to it. I did it for my own family trip and I loved it. And it was great cuz I could, I could share it with my husband, you know, cuz he'd be like, what are we doing? I'm like, it's, it's right here. You know, just the Trello tour.

Yeah.

If you open up your boards, you can shift things around too. So for your client or like when I was doing my own personal travel, I, we didn't get to everything in that one day, so I would move it over to whatever day I thought would work better.

Oh my gosh, this is so awesome. And this is outside of, I think, I don't know what your 3 things are, but I think this might be outside of your 3 pieces of advice, which I'm really excited about hearing. So this has been awesome. I've loved learning. I know it also hasn't been 100% easy. So what are kind of some of the emotions that you have gone through in the last year? Because as a new travel advisor, I think so many people can relate to this.

Yes. Okay. Any emotion you can think of, that's what I've gone through.

So pure pissed off anger. You're like, I've been there.

Yes. Yes. You know, uh, and I'm getting, I'm getting better about it. And I'll talk about this once we get to the 3 actionable items, what has helped me. But yeah, I think for one example, I saw a travel advisor in my area and I don't know why, but I was like, oh great. Well, what am I doing here then? You know? I know. And so my, my good friend that I booked the, you know, I, I expressed my, I was like, oh, I feel like, why should I even do this? And she was like, oh, you have much more to offer. Like, you know, don't even worry about it. So I don't know why, you know, we, we women don't give ourselves enough credit. And in that moment, I just let it all deflate me for no reason. I don't know anything about this woman at all and how she runs her business.

Mm-hmm.

But I let it get me down, you know? So yeah, that was one. Which emotion should we focus on?

Well, it's just, there's just so many rollercoaster emotions is how you described it. But I think that can be said for any entrepreneur. If I sit around with 5 different people from 5 different industries.

And I, yeah, I would say too, there is a lot to take in. So give yourself time if you need to walk away and just do something totally different for the day or for the weekend. Just to unplug because it's so refreshing and you kind of need that brain break to come back to it and be okay with it. For me, learning Canva, Linktree, how to set up an email signature, these were all things that were new to me. Oh, and this was the other, my other piece of advice is ask for help. You know, I reached out to a friend. I knew she knew how to do Linktree and she was so sweet. She was like, you're a travel advisor. You're not an IT person. So don't worry about the fact that you don't know, like, that's what I'm here for. Lean into other people's strengths and realize that you don't have to understand it all. But I will say YouTube videos are fantastic. If you can't find somebody, thank goodness for YouTube.

My husband always says, you are not the first person to have this exact problem. Type it into YouTube or type it into Google, like the exact problem you're having. And that has changed my life. Like realizing I can ask, I mean, you think, yes, go Google, but like, are you Googling the exact question? Like not just saying like, how do I use Trello or whatever? Or how do I like use Canva? But how do I create a signature in Canva? Like that's the question that needs to be asked. And then like 4,500 videos now come up because it's been around long enough for that. Fantastic. And, um, you're right. So those are some of your free tips because, you know, at the end of each episode we do the 3, like, action items that you could take away from this episode and go do now without an investment into anything.

I love this question because it's such a great thing. I wish I would have had this when I was starting off. My first piece of advice would be to find a mentor. You know, this is why Marcie's so great, right? But honestly, there is such a strong correlation between having a mentor and increased success. So why reinvent the wheel when there are people out there who have done the work? And this is why I really enjoy your story because you went through burnout and you were like, no one should have to go through that. So let me create this beautiful resource for advisors. So I think that is one piece of advice. Get, find a mentor. Steph Lee is great as well. You know, what you offer to the travel advisor space is so invaluable. The second actionable item I would recommend, and you really push this a lot and I'm really grateful for it, is to pick a niche to focus in on. That was something my brain needed to hear. So when I joined your Maximize group, I was like, oh, thank God.

Okay.

I don't have to know everything because you can't. There's so much out there. And so once you find what you want to focus on, then you can really hone in on it, you know, and get specific on what you're doing. I think of Lori Gould. If you want to sell Mexico, you should be in her Facebook group.

Go to MEXPERTS. Just join MEXPERTS. It's $189. It's so inexpensive to Literally the ends of the earth of, well, not the earth, Mexico, ends of Cancun, Riviera Maya. And she just rocks it and she's out there every day working for us. Like, yes.

And she lives in Mexico.

She obviously is like, we are not feeling, we are not feeling bad for you right now in your version of work, Lori. We love you, but you're at yet another beautiful property.

Yes.

Eating all their amazing vegetarian food, but Seriously, it's so nice to have somebody on the ground who's willing to visit and take pictures for us because we can't see everything. Even if you're a Mexico specialist, unless you live there and have committed a bazillion hours of your week to go do everything, you're never going to get through it. So Laurie being there and helping us and so freely as well in her regular, the Resorts of Riviera Maya group.

So great.

But invest.

Yes. And, and that's what's so great, you know, finding what you want to sell and focusing in on that, because then you can know where to look and to sharpen your skills. Like there's Lori. I, like for my friends going to Greece, I leaned into Travelive, which is a DMC, which stands for Destination Management Company. I get that right? So I know that they offer a great product and they also offer service, like they can help my clients in country. And to me, that's fantastic. So when the email pops up from Travelive, I'm gonna, I'm gonna sign up. I wanna get all in and know their product well. The opposite is also true. So when we get flooded with emails because they find us, right? Like, you know, it's just delete, delete, delete, and then I can move on with my life. So I would say pick a niche. It's great. And then my third piece of advice would be, and I know this sounds simple, but I would say Go to your library. And if you don't want to go to the library, there are 2 apps I have on my phone. One is called Hoopla and the other is Libby. And these are fantastic. They link to your local library and then you can get all the audiobooks right there. I just think we underutilize all these resources we have at our fingertips to grow either personal growth or to grow our business. And if you don't mind me sharing the 3 lately that have really helped.

No, please share everything. This is no gatekeeping all the way. Bring it on, girl. Okay.

Yes. Cause I, I love to read books and, uh, so what has really helped me lately, the first one I loved was Unreasonable Hospitality. If you're looking for how to service your clients well, this book is like sets the bar. His specific book is about his restaurant in New York becoming number one, but it's the same idea, right? It's client care starting from the ground up, and it's just really encouraging. The second one, and I know you know this, Let Them—

Let Them— Oh, I love Mel Robbins.

She's great.

And she did a great job of taking this theory to the next level because, you know, I mean, she's done a great job and It wasn't, I, I think she mentions it in the first chapter that she heard this about this theory and then she just really dove in to fully understanding it so we could also.

Yes. And she breaks it down so well. I think, and you know, I actually started the audiobook and then I was like, oh, I, I have to own this book. So I now have it. It's worth buying. But I think her book is such a great book for personal growth, or if you're on the fence and you're thinking, oh gosh, I just don't know if I could do this. You need that book. It's so great.

Yes.

So empowering.

Yes.

And the last book I've, I've really leaned into is Captivate. That's a book by, I think, Vanessa Van Edwards. And she's fun cuz it's all about your body language and how to read people. And so I, I wanna try to apply it with networking, but you could apply it to anything. I honestly want my kids to read this book.

Mm-hmm.

Before they graduate high school because Personal connection is huge and knowing how to have good conversations with somebody really helps to elevate your business. So.

Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, it doesn't just help with networking because we are in sales. And the reason why I'm obsessed with Zoom is because I love to see people's face. I love to see their body reactions. Are they crossing their arms? I've always said body language matters so much in sales. And so even your body language, are you Are you sitting far away? Are, you know, these different things. And one of the things we're, we've been talking about a little bit is with another group of agents that I chat with is trade shows and why they aren't successful for some agents. And the only thing I can think of is you must be hiding behind your table. Like, get out front, be upfront.

Yes.

Get off your phone, hyperfocus because, and make eye contact.

Yes.

And I'm sure in Captivate, I'll have to read it, but sometimes I read things, I'm like, yes. Oh my gosh, somebody did write about this because I feel like these are just things I've learned over the years. Like, this is how you become more approachable, but it's true. Like all those body language things. And then of course, yes, even interviewing for jobs and—

Exactly. Yes.

For the kids would be amazing.

Yes. And if I think of it, I'll send you the podcast that The same author of Captivate. She was on Diary of a CEO and her podcast does a good—

I'm writing it down. I, I think I, I think I had another friend send this to me actually, like when we were, it sounds very familiar.

And I'm so sorry my phone interrupted us, but I have to tell you why this is so funny. Every day I have my alarm set to 1 o'clock and it is Feeling Good as Hell by Lizzo. And in the notes it says, I have the best Podcast with Marcie. So that's been my prep. So hopefully it works.

I mean, we're right there at the, at the end of the episode. And I always tell everyone at the beginning, like, it could last 45 minutes, it could last an hour and a half, but either way, it'll be around this time because I am watching and I have my own alarm set in my phone. Like my watch vibrated at the same time.

Funny.

I just turned off my phone because I'm like, every time I get on a Zoom, My dogs bark, my kids need me, the school is called. I'm like, no, I can handle an hour disconnect. Okay, before we go, first of all, these were amazing. Thank you so much for sharing so much with us. But I, I have to ask, you've been doing this a year now. What is something you think about in travel that's an unpopular travel advisor opinion?

I would say. If you're a travel advisor getting started out there, I would take your first year just to set up. Don't rush it. There is so much to learn and we touched on this with like all the acronyms and understanding how you want the foundation of your business to be laid out. Grow slow. Take that whole first year, but then I would maybe I would also maybe add to that, have a starting point to really launch because sometimes I do this where I think, oh, I'm not ready. I can't do it. I can't do it. You'll never know everything, but you need to get started, but don't feel rushed into it. I'm really thankful the way that my business like played out the first year. I really wanted to announce it on social media, but I, I was waiting, but I would be in conversation with friends and they would say, oh, I'm thinking about going here. And that's when I said, after thinking, would I wanna work with this person? Then I would say, hey, did you know that I'm actually a travel advisor and I'd love to book this with you? And so I'm grateful for those small opportunities, not small, but those connections so that I could get a feel for what I liked to book and they knew where I was coming from. So I gave, I had a whole year of that.

Mm-hmm.

While I also figured out my business.

I really am so grateful that you gave this. We do not talk about it enough. So in that regard, it very much fits this narrative of a lot of people sign up and think, I haven't sold anything. I've been doing this a month. How do you get clients? Like, I see that every single day on Facebook and every single day on Facebook, I want to be like, Slow your fucking roll. Like we are not, even if you got a client, would you even know what to do? Are you even appropriately trained? Has, have you walked this walk with a client and do they know how new you are? When you're new, there's nothing wrong with being new. I am a huge fan of new. I think, gosh, I wish I could be new one more time. But it's like if you're taking your time, it's like you're a baby travel agent. You're, you just were born and now you wanna.

Yeah.

Run, like slow down. Like that's, or I'm gonna drive a car. It's like, no, wait, you have to wait 16 years for that. But you don't have to wait 16 years, but your advice actually builds on each other. If you're really listening to your own advice, it's get a mentor.

Yes.

Read some books, do some personal, you know, advising, listen to experts on entrepreneurship, on body language, because all of these things are going to help you be better.

Mm-hmm.

At sales and at taking care of clients. And I think these are things we don't always think about. We're just like, oh, I wanna make extra money. I wanna travel for a discount. I wanna do this. But like, you have to have a bigger why behind what you're doing, and it has to root in service in our industry. What about the clients?

Right. I didn't want to be drowning in clients. And I know that probably sounds counterintuitive, right? Because that's what our business is built off. But if I'm trying to give my all to my family and I'm drowning in clients, and I'm also trying to figure out how to build my business, then I will be burnt out and I am not going to continue.

And that is what happens a lot of the time. I would say if you are quote unquote successful very early and attracting a lot of clients to you and you've taken everything and you've said yes to everything. And then you're like, but what do I do now? And oh, by the way, I'm supposed to go on this fam next week and my kids have a soccer tournament and my husband is traveling for work. It's like, what, how does all of this work? And especially as women, we have to figure it out and we do. But in the course, we often sacrifice our own stuff.

Yes.

Or our clients pay the price because we're disorganized.

Right.

And it's interesting that you bring even up like that you didn't wanna take on a lot of clients because what I saw in your survey also said, I am thankful for the 4 trips that I'm currently working on and I have a goal of booking 5 trips in 2025. So I love these small goals that will lead to big things in the future that won't overwhelm you, you know, if you did decide, hey, I have time to take a 6th trip, that is so powerful to be able to make that decision beyond hitting that goal. And, um, I'm going to share a quick story. I don't know how quick it'll be, but yesterday, sometimes I'm like, I talk so much on this podcast.

It's your podcast. Keep talking. That's what we're here for.

But sometimes when I'm editing, like, there's so much of my voice.

Second.

Um, you know, I did get into a conversation with a man in the industry who's very successful. He's been in Forbes, he's been in this, and I didn't know who he was when we were talking, and he obviously doesn't know who I am, but he immediately went into, you're not doing this right. I can't believe that you sell courses. And I was like, hold on, dude. Like, I didn't say anything about how you're doing it. I was tagged in a post. To share, you know, how I help women grow their travel businesses. And one of the things he kept saying was, oh, well, if you have 2 hours a day, you should be selling $2 million a year. And I was like, but I don't wanna sell $2 million a year.

Right.

If I had $2 million in clients a year, I would be back to where I was in 2014 when I literally decided I had to quit.

Yeah.

So, you know, I don't want that for myself and I want, if you want that, fantastic, go do your thing. But then I thought, God, he doesn't get it because he's not a mom. He's not a woman who's a caretaker, domestic goddess. Like he's none of those things. I don't care. Like he had, he literally compared being a mother to planning a Christmas party in the same post. And then, you know, then he's like, Getting on Zoom, I would wanna kill myself. And really in my time on Zooms and with the pod especially has opened my eyes, but I get so connected and I feel like a human being.

Right.

And so the whole conversation was about more, more. He wanted you to feel like you weren't as successful because, or you weren't me because I'm not selling $2 million, but I accidentally sold a million last year. In my processes because I'm not obsessive compulsive about the sales only piece. Yeah. But also serving my clients has led to more sales.

Yeah.

And, and it's, it's because they, I care so deeply that, you know, they want more of what I'm giving them. And so I think it was just one of those things where instead of getting like all cranky, I was just like, let him. Yep.

That's right. Let him.

Also, you know, I did end up making a fun reel about it because I was like, He compared my process to horse and buggy and I was like, horse and buggy? I did not know there was Zoom in the 1800s. And, um, but then I just, I bowed out and I used to go all in on things like, you need to stop this. You need, you are being rude to me. And instead I was just like, I'm gonna bow, block. 'Cause it's like not worth trying to convince somebody that there's a more, there's different ways to do this business.

Yeah.

And it just really speaks to going slower. There is something to be said for taking your time.

Yeah. And I love that story. It's such a great reminder that this is your own business. If you want to be busy and sell the way, you know, that works for you, great. I knew that wasn't going to work for me. And I also think as moms, our seasons are always changing. So reevaluate that, you know, I think. I'll share this quick story, hopefully, too. My oldest is 14 and my youngest is 7. And what a stark difference between my 14-year-old wanting to be independent and my 7-year-old who still thinks I'm great and wants to hang out with me all the time. So I see this small window and I know that down the road it's coming to be, you know, the empty nester, you know, all those things.

So.

Yeah, maybe my business will pick up then, but for now I like this pace because I've got my priorities figured out. And I think as long as your season fits to what you're doing, then great.

Absolutely. And I think I even said like, you do you, dude, because that's actually what I want for everyone. I have no desire, like I often say, if you want what I'm having, this is how I have it, but I'm not saying everybody has to to want what I'm having exactly as I have it. And I think, you know, just making those huge assumptions, because I made all kinds of assumptions about this. So I'm not judging the assumption making. I'm just saying like, it didn't, does not make sense for every single person to go out and sell $2 million just because you can. Give yourself permission like you did to go slow, invest in yourself, take some time with it. And realize that you have a lot of time to build this business. It doesn't build itself overnight. And that foundation is what is really going to catapult you in a few years. And you're gonna look back on this and be like, whoa, I used to only do 5 trips and now I'm doing 5 trips a month. And you know, 5 trips a month is all I do. So I'm very happy with that cuz it's all I can do. But yeah, I love this. Thank you so much. Like, I am so excited that you are here and with us on our finale of season 1. And is there anything else you wanna share, or are we just gonna go slay the rest of our day?

No, just thank you for this opportunity. This has been so much fun, and I think that your podcast will be such a great resource. And I just wanna encourage anybody listening that you can do it. You can do it. The resources are there. Go for it.

Love it. Thanks, girl. That's a wrap on today's episode, friend. Thanks for hanging out with me again on the No BS Travel Advisor Podcast. I hope you're leaving this episode feeling fired up, inspired, and ready to take back control of your business. And let's be honest, your fucking life. If today's episode hit home, do me a favor and share it with your fellow travel advisors who need to hear it. Hear this and don't forget to leave a review. Your support means the world and helps me reach more badass advisors like you. And hey, if you've got a story to share or some no BS advice of your own, you've taken a course or two of mine, maybe you've been a coaching client, I want to hear from you. Head to my website to apply to be a guest. I'd love to feature you on an upcoming episode. Until then, you fucking got this. Keep Keep being bold, keep being unapologetic, and keep building the business you fucking deserve. This is Marcie Muensterman signing off with zero fluff and a whole lot of heart.