A Reflection After 10 Years

When James Shillinglaw, editor in chief of Agent@Home magazine, told me that this September would be the 10th anniversary edition of the publication, he also reminded me that this was also my anniversary. My first “Working at Home” column appeared in the inaugural issue in September 2004.

As I reflected back on the 10 years I have written for this magazine, I immediately got out my calculator. Ten years times 12 monthly editions times 750 words per article equals 90,000 words. Now mind you, that doesn’t count the hours of rewriting and editing over the past decade. That’s a lot of crossed-eyes and sore fingers.

My loyal Agent@Home readers often ask me how I’ve come up with all of the different column ideas over the years. That’s sometimes a humorous question to me when I think that never in my wildest dreams did I set out, or want to be, an author. And yet, in the past 10 years, I have written two books for home-based travel agents, issued a CD and have more than 150 published articles in various publications.

My first book, “How I Made a Small Fortune as a Home-Based Travel Agent,” came about after I spoke with agents at many different events and shared what I felt were the successful steps I took to building my home-based travel business. Soon I was getting requests to write about some of my marketing and business-building tips.

A tip sheet became chapters, and chapters became pages, and soon there was enough content to start a book. I tested the waters with a small order from the local printer to see if there was interest and, to my surprise, the book sold out quickly. Then I took a bigger gamble. The next order was delivered from the back of a cargo truck with a forklift. Talk about taking a crazy leap of faith! Six trucks later, I am proud to say that this same book is now in its seventh edition.

Deadlines loom and come quickly when you write a monthly column. Some days I struggle with the words, and even the subject, not wanting to regurgitate the same topics over and over. Most of the time I never end up with the same topic that I start with. I change titles, subjects and words, and I often hesitate hitting the send button.

And then, right about the time that I start asking myself “will the readers like this” and “am I sharing something they will benefit from?” I receive something like this email forwarded from Jill Sala of Travel Show Marketing Group:

“From Tara Slater, Lucy Pop Travel & Tours: ‘Jill, I am dying to go to a show—Las Vegas would have been perfect! Not to mention I got all excited seeing you on Facebook in pictures at a conference with ‘My Oprah of the Travel Biz,’ Anita Pagliasso! OMG I love her! I read her articles all the time—for years and years. After reading her magazine articles, I finally got sick of being nervous about my business and thought: Just do it! Ahhh…I want to be successful like her!”

“Anita is my Oprah and I cannot believe you know her and now she knows me—Eeeek!! It’s so exciting! I’m totally now going to show her picture to my sister bragging, ‘We’re going to be friends.’ I’ve read her articles for five years and I think she’s just the best!”

I keep getting even more affirmations like the following: “Agent@Home is the best! I read the hard copy and if there is a gem I find — usually in Anita’s article — I go to the electronic version and download it. Thanks for sharing your expertise and encouragement with all home-based agents for the past 10 years! Congratulations!—Lauren Liebert.”

I am truly humbled and honored by these comments. Knowing that I have touched so many people and made a difference in their journey makes it all worth it to me. Home-based travel agents have come a long way since I started in the travel industry in 1992, when I was referred to as a “Kitchen Table Mable” or “Condo Commando.”

Agent@Home was the first publication dedicated to addressing the unique needs of home-based agents, helping to advance the professional image of these entrepreneurs. Bravo Agent@Home and congratulations on being a pioneer and champion for all of us!