A passion project in retirement that turned into a thriving business: Two reasons why and the how:
First, a little background: After twenty years of trading risk arbitrage and equity derivatives in downtown manhattan, the time had come for chapter two, or no chapter at all; the latter option was not appealing. My dad said, "what about being a travel advisor? You love to travel, have a great client list and have been to +60 countries. We use an advisor and it makes all the difference in the world?" I love the idea, but where do you begin?
With Wall Street clientele, the appeal of Virtuoso as the luxury leader in travel helped me narrow my search for a host agency on this very site. The other requirement was a real education; only GTN had both. The year-long program was vital to my success. One could launch without the education on the back of my extensive travel and business experience, but aren't your odds of success drastically higher if you are a true expert? Doesn't that take immersion and mentorship? Would I have done more damage to my budding travel reputation with the finance clients I hoped to convert to travel clients had I not? Would I get more than one chance from those clients?
Fast forward to December 2021, I am in GTN's top producers club (top 30) in my first full year of business! I am invited to the Virtuoso ultraluxe community, attended Belmond's signature Bellini event for 10 USA advisors in Sicily and was on a top producer retreat with GTN. Without education, it would not have unfolded this way and certainly not this quickly.
The second reason is: In real estate, the most valuable metric is location, location, location, but at a host agency, it is culture, culture, culture. The collaboration and support amongst advisors in our community is the silver bullet and goes hand in hand with the educational foundation of GTN. Imagine how much the collective mindshare benefits our clients. I was not expecting instant responses to questions or requests for advice yet opening up the browser to 7 responses in thirty minutes is common. It's another level of vetting and advocacy, but it only happens if the culture is there. We are not competing like local real estate agents who might compete for a listing in town. Our clients are worldwide, an enviable difference, and it means we are not competing so let's help each other win. We share tips, insights and experiences on our internal system in discussion groups that pale in comparison to snarky online forums. We travel together, 14 GTN advisors and I are just back from 12 days in Tanzania, and as a result, we grow together. It's made all the difference in professional growth inspired by culture and education. What more can you ask for?
Gratitude is what I feel towards GTN every day when I wake up.
When I started in travel almost 25 years ago there were only brick and mortar agencies on your neighborhood street corners. If you wanted to be and Advisor you would walk in and apply and hopefully you did your homework well enough that you had a good team to work with. With GTN I know that I have a good team to partner with.
When you first meet GTN they seem too good to be true and you may find yourself scratching your head and asking yourself what are they hiding. They can’t be this good.
But let me tell you what they are really like.
GTN is simply put the most helpful, supportive and caring organization that I have ever been associated with. The level of support that I have received, the honest and caring feedback that they give truly comes from a heart of service to you and your brand. They want us, as business owners, to succeed spectacularly. They pour their hearts and souls into GTN to make us and our business the best it and we can be. This is, in my opinion, unparalleled in the industry.
If you are looking for a new home or a place to start your business you cannot do better than GTN.
I
Andi,
We look forward to seeing you grow with your new "family" here at Gifted Travel Network. It is advisors like you that make us shine so bright, so we like to return the favor!!!! Thank you for the kind words.
Gifted Travel Network! I could write about 10 paragraphs on everything amazing about this host agency. I'll try to keep it short and highlight the top 3 reasons why GTN is the absolute best host for me and so many other travel advisors.
1. My initial reasoning for joining GTN was because I knew (through my own research and vetting processes) that GTN had what I was lacking and needed. Let's face it, it's awesome working with clients and creating great travel experiences, that's the easy part! How to learn and know what it takes to put ALL the pieces in place to run a successful small business is another whole level of knowledge. Several years ago the GTN leadership team developed a thorough and extensive 12 month “TravelMBA” program for the home based travel entrepreneur. This program is multi pronged with training modules (on videos to watch over and over if needed-yes I’ve watched them multiple times to take it all in) and covering every piece of how to successfully build your travel business including your messaging, branding, marketing, work flow management systems, strong foundations for a small business and so much more. But the modules are just one piece, the mentorship program that comes along with this is what pulls the education and learning together. With weekly group coaching calls on zoom with our mentor, dedicated solely to the Travel MBA students, as well as weekly zooms from top leadership (many zooms are for all GTN advisors) on everything from Sales, Marketing, Business Development, Personal Growth and more, the learning is nonstop. And these are not just rah rah zoom calls. These calls are discussions and conversations with leadership and with multiple agents who then help each other in return as we learn for our peers and collaborate. There’s so much more to the program, but I will move on to number 2.
2.The women of this company, from the top to the bottom are brilliant, exuberant, hands on, forward thinking, genuine, positive and supportive. This in turn is exactly what all the GTN travel advisors are not only exposed to daily, but become! This is a host that encourages advisors to help other advisors and it happens! Everyday, all day long. The GTN staff and travel advisors are truly a team, with “we’re all in this together” even as we still run and own our own travel businesses. It’s truly remarkable.
3.Connections. In this industry with so many travel providers, suppliers, tour operators and such all around the world, connections are a necessity and oh does GTN have the connections and the respect of the top travel providers and suppliers in the industry. It’s good to know, if we have a problem, we are backed by a host that will help us with any supplier issue and almost always with a positive outcome for everyone.
I’m so grateful and blessed to be a part of GTN and the TravelMBA program. As Meredith Hill, one of the GTN founders states, We will find success and a life we love as a travel entrepreneur when we have freedom, fulfillment and financial satisfaction. GTN is providing the road map for me and other travel advisors to see our dreams and goals become that reality.
Wendy,
We are so grateful to have people like you as part of our community. You are engaged, collaborative and caring. That formula right there is setting you up for success. I remember when you and I spoke, and you were considering leaving your previous host as you knew there was a part missing. I am glad that you have found it with GTN. Sending lots of success your way!!!!
The last trip I took in 2020 was for the Book More Travel Workshop in February. I am so thankful that I took that trip! During the Workshop I was totally blown away buy the energy and the wealth of information that the folks at Gifted Travel Network Shared. During the vendor hour I spent a little bit of time chatting with Sandy Saburn about what GTN was all about and the training program they offered.
I had spent 6 years as a franchise owner. During that time I learned a lot about booking travel but nothing about how to actually run a business. After talking to Sandy at BMTW and on several calls and email exchanges I came to the realization that if I wanted to move my business forward I would have to move to GTN. It is a decision I am so glad and grateful that I made. The Travel MBA program is full of information that has helped me to actually know how to run a business and move my business in the right direction even during the pandemic.
If
Erika,
We are so thrilled that you are on a true path to success. Having the fundamental foundation of how to run and maintain a business in travel is what our program is all about. We are so happy to have you as part of our community of terrific advisors.
Choosing Gifted Travel Network as my host agency was the best decision I could have made for my entrepreneurial journey into the travel industry. Where GTN outshines their competition is the education and training revolve around fully supporting me and my goals as a small business owner, not theirs. Enrolling in the GTN Travel MBA program allowed me to establish the solid business foundations and processes that so many small business owners struggle with. They provide you with everything and more to set-up and succeed in the travel industry, it is up to you, the entrepreneur, to implement and lead the charge on your own path and your own time.
The way GTN stepped up in 2020 was remarkable. The leadership team is truly unique and always provided helpful insight but more importantly always stayed upbeat during even the most tumultuous of times. I could not be more lucky to have chosen GTN for my business and for me.
Katie, We couldn't be more lucky to have you in our Gifted Travel Network family, and the Travel MBA program. You are truly doing amazing job at setting up your business, Thirsty for Travel Designs. We wish you great success for you and your business.
I thank my lucky stars that I happened to sit next to Sandy Saburn, Vice-President of Sales at Gifted Travel Network, at the Virtuoso Difference event in NYC in February of 2020. Her passion for travel was clear as she told me about the Travel MBA program for those new to the industry. I have spent 25 years as an ultrasound technologist so was really looking for mentoring on how to start a successful travel business. I took the plunge in July of 2020 and have never looked back. The program is perfect for me because I can go at my own pace as I continue to work part-time. Plus I have a business partner, and she works full-time, so it takes us longer than others to move forward. The program helps you determine your message and target audience through nail your niche sessions, probably the most important step in building your business. We also get help setting up our financials, learning about suppliers, but the most emphasis is put on marketing to ensure we have a steady stream of clients. What I love most about the program is the team's positivity, drive for excellence, and innovation. Meredith, Vanessa, Jen, Lisa and Sandy put their entire hearts and souls into training us. They are individually very special and have their own niches, but together they are a force of nature! Lisa Fletcher, who runs the MBA program, has the patience of a saint, answering all our questions through scheduled mentoring calls. Just recently, GTN has designed a new program, Travel Business University, which is the next step after the Travel MBA program is completed. I am so grateful that the mentoring will continue and that I will have the GTN team helping me through all stages of my travel business. Sign up to become of member of the GTN host agency STAT. It will be one of the best decisions you ever make!
Sandy,
We, too, thank our lucky stars that we have so many wonderful advisors like yourself in our network. Your contributions and passion for success truly bring so much to the table for your fellow advisors. We feel very fortunate to cross paths with so many talented business owners, new and experienced. We look forward to what 2021 and beyond has in store for you and your business. Thank you for entrusting us with your future as we dive into this together.
I know I've written reviews for Gifted Travel Network before, but it bears repeating: Lisa Fletcher (mentor extraordinaire) and the Travel MBA Program is the reason I’m on the way to a very solid travel business today. I "graduated" from TMBA in May 2020, and despite the pandemic, I had solid sales thanks to a solid foundation despite the craziness of last year. 2021 is looking pretty solid, too! I wouldn’t be where I am today without her early guidance and continued guidance and support of the entire GTN team! ❤️ to them all!
Shannon,
We are so happy and proud to see you thrive! Lisa Fletcher, aka Momma Bear, and the whole GTN team is proud of you for sticking with it and flourishing during a challenging time. Keep it up!
I'm writing my third review in 5 years on Gifted Travel Network because I believe in them so much. From being a complete rookie back in 2015, to becoming a Top Producer in 2019 and even 2020 (despite everything), GTN have supported me every single step of the way, no matter how my needs have changed.
Perhaps more than anything, their reaction to the changes that Covid have wrought has exemplified their core strengths, building a truly collaborative network of advisors, and educating them with best in class training using programs that are relevant both to our business and personal lives.
While I believe many travel related companies have somewhat understandably shirked their responsibilities in the last year, GTN have gone in the opposite direction, embraced the enforced changes to the industry and continue to inspire us advisors every single day. I wouldn't be anywhere else.
John, Thank you so much for your review. I am so glad we were able stay so strong during such a chaotic time over this past year due to the ever changing landscape of 2020 into 2021. You truly are valued in our GTN family. Thank you for all you do as well.
As I look back over the past year, I know that one of the best things for me in 2020, was joining Gifted Travel Network's (GTN) MBA Program. Being brand new to the travel industry, I can't imagine having started my business without GTN. I had no idea that COVID was going to become what it did. Yet looking back, it allowed me to truly immerse myself into the GTN incredible community and learning journey: not only the robust, comprehensive MBA program, but also to grow from the endless encouragement, wisdom, training and support I gained from my coach Lisa, and the remarkable people who lead GTN with positive energy, brilliance and vision. From understanding my niche market, to branding and launching my business, to marketing, selling and booking travel, combined with a truly inspired mindset, I feel ready and confident for the travel comeback! What is most remarkable about GTN, is the incredibly community of professional, vibrant and positive advisors who thrive in a collaborative environment where knowledge and experience is shared, successes are celebrated and difficult times are managed together with enormous encouragement and brilliance.
Whilst my cohort peers and I were just learning the ropes, we were part of wider forums and coaching calls where I wiriness the incredible professional and unyielding support and positivity GTN showed its advisors and all its valued staff through this most challenging year. GTN not only retained all its staff, but actually gained a staff member and to me, this is always a sign of excellent leadership.
Furthermore, I have been connected to an incredible network of extraordinary partners and suppliers too, and feel immensely proud when saying I'm with GTN - and am often told by them that I have made excellent choice in my host agency, and this comes from the fact that GTN nurture and values its relationships with valued partners as much as it does its advisors within GTN. I am so looking forward to a long rewarding relationship with GTN and have already signed up to the 'Boost' program - part of GTN's 'Travel Business University', to build on my foundations of the MBA program , and can't wait for the new travel year ahead, having GTN behind me!
Soldi, We are so glad you chose GTN. You fit right in with your travel expertise and witty humor. I love the way you have fully immersed yourself into the program as you are getting so much out of it. We love what you have started and can't wait for it to fully bloom! Congrats on your website and brand.
Throughout the year of 2020 I have been enormously thankful for the team at GTN!!! All the members of the GTN team have remained steadfast in their support, camaraderie and positivity. Not only were they able to retain their entire team, they actually hired 1 additional associate AND created an amazing educational program designed to create a path to success and prosperity for all their members. The leadership team at GTN has created an environment of learning, growing and endless support for all of us. Meredith, Vanessa, Jen and the entire team have remained strong throughout the entire year providing us with an environment of hope, positive vibes and a future full of profits!!! I wake up every morning thanking my lucky stars for finding such a powerful team to bring me through this challenging year; a year that has been lined with a ton of silver.
I left my former Host Agency just before the pandemic hit and am so glad I did! GTN is so much more than a host agency. It is a community of passionate, dedicated and supportive advisors. The leadership team is incredible and inspiring. The resources and partners are top notch and they all recognize the uniqueness of GTN. In other words, I highly recommend GTN and wish I had found them when I first joined the industry. I look forward to many more years of growth with this fantastic community.