Name: Lynn McCormick

Agency name and location: Luna Travel, an independent agency in the Avoya Travel Network, Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Host agency: Avoya Travel

My former career: Before I got into the travel business, I worked in marketing and event production.

Why I chose a travel career: I really do love to travel, and owning my own Avoya independent agency means I can work from anywhere and fulfill my passion for traveling extensively. Experiencing new cultures, cuisines and places around the world—and helping others do the same—is one of the great joys of working in travel.

Why I chose my host/franchise network: I really value that Avoya is a family-owned business, well respected in the industry and committed to its Shared Success model. The Avoya Mastermind program, as well as business and supplier education opportunities, help us learn and grow our sales. Agent Power streamlines my agency so that all aspects of running the backend of my business are in one place, including booking engines, commission tracking and CRM resources. The Live Leads program offers new customer leads in my specialties, so I’m able to grow my business without spending time and money figuring out how to market for myself.

My biggest challenge starting out: I knew travel but I hadn’t considered how many aspects there are to the sales part of the job, which I had to learn.

How I solved it: The Avoya Mastermind Program was incredibly valuable in helping me with sales education. The business coaches worked with me to evaluate my business and suggested tactics and best practices to apply to my agency.

My greatest challenge right now: I love talking with clients about their travel plans and spending time to research and find them the best vacation options. With Live Leads I always have new customers waiting, so my challenge now is finding the right balance of how much time to spend with each customer.

What I like best about the travel business: One of the best things about working in travel is meeting new people, learning about them and developing their perfect vacation. I love when clients send me pictures of their trip and tell me how wonderful it was. I also love that I have the opportunity to learn about places in-depth.

What I hate about it: Finding the right balance between work and my personal life. I want to always be there for my clients before, during and after their trip, which means I can receive calls and requests at any time. Since I travel so frequently, [I use] Avoya backup systems like the My Colleague buddy network to help provide coverage when I’m unavailable.

How my former career has helped me run my own travel business: I worked as an event producer, [which requires] a very similar set of skills. Tending to a million details, multitasking and remaining calm in a storm are all part of my DNA.

Why I love what I do: I love the flexibility. I can work on my laptop anywhere—and I have! I’ve made bookings from cruise ships, castles in Italy and a vineyard in Saint-Emilion. There are so many opportunities for growth in this business, and I’ve just scratched the surface.