Years ago, 28 to be exact, Julie Snyder had a gig selling radio advertising. "I found that the business people would cringe when they saw me coming," said Snyder, who last year launched the adventure travel agency Ride Bike Hike Indulge Travel in La Crosse, Wis. "I hated that and I thought, what can I sell that would be a happy process for people - and travel was it. I'm living my dream."
Snyder started at the bottom and worked toward building her business step by step. "I started out ripping tickets - it was quite the chore before e-tickets - then became a frontline agent, got a management job pretty quickly, then owned two store fronts, and became an independent contractor from home 10 years ago."
Early on, she landed a large account: ProScout, a model and talent search scouting corporation. "The president, Greg Hartman, worked in the same building I did when I had a brick-and-mortar agency," said Snyder. "He had a telemarketing firm in the building and he was just launching ProScout with a partner."
Hartman approached Snyder and asked if she would be able to issue some tickets for him. "I accepted, of course, at that point not having any idea of the scope of the business it would eventually bring," she said. "At ProScout's height I did 50 tickets per week, at $35 per ticket," she said. The company, a victim of the recession, closed its doors in 2012.
"It was a blessing to have such a huge and loyal customer for so many years, and ours was a very unique relationship with a perfect fit," Snyder said. "Fostering the relationship continually was easy because I genuinely liked the people that I worked with, and had a similar working style and mindset."
Snyder, though, had other irons in the fire. "Since their absence I have learned that I am ready to say goodbye to corporate to use my skills, knowledge and experience as an expert in my active niche," she said.
[BLURB]"I thought, what can I sell that would be a happy process for people - and travel was it. I'm living my dream."[/BLURB]
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In 2009, she entered into a three-year partnership with the PBS television show Equitrekking, whose focus is global horseback riding adventures, to launch Equitrekking Travel. "I was approached by my host agency, Travel Experts, because someone there knew I was an equestrian," Snyder said. "The filmmakers who produced Equitrekking were looking for someone to start a travel agency offering the trips featured on their shows."
In addition to the recommendation that landed her the Equitrekking Travel gig, Snyder said Travel Experts helps her grow her business in a variety of other ways. "The most valuable aspect of Travel Experts is the shared knowledge of all the agents. My fellow agents continually make me look like a star to my clients," she said. "Almost immediately after I joined Travel Experts in 2006, one of the modeling agents I worked with through Proscout referred his very wealthy parents to me. With Travel Experts' help, I not only handled them well but received referral after referral from their neighbors and friends."
Snyder believes she would have struggled without the help of Travel Experts and Virtuoso, which serves as Travel Experts' consortium. "Without Travel Experts and Virtuoso, I would have been lost," she said. "I can say without a doubt I would not have been able to handle this couple."
For its part, Virtuoso has become increasingly important to Snyder's business. "As I get older and my clientele becomes more prosperous, I find it invaluable to be able to offer the Virtuoso amenities with hotels, and the special care I can offer to my clients because of the Virtuoso name," she said.
Snyder launched Ride Bike Hike Indulge in January 2013, with her Equitrekking Travel partnership ending in 2012. "When I parted ways with Equitrekking, I knew I loved selling horseback riding trips, but my interests didn't end there," Snyder said. "I have always been a very active person; I horseback ride, bike, hike, rollerblade, run, ski - you name it."
Snyder is just now putting together a promotional plan for the agency, which includes a new web site that is scheduled for completion this month. Once the site is up and running, Snyder said she will begin advertising in equestrian magazines and web sites. Locally, she took a booth at a fitness festival, as many active people live in her city.
She also generated interest in her programs from a wine tasting to promote a California wine trip bike group. "But for such a narrow niche I know I need to reach out farther for customers," Snyder said.
In the end, Snyder attributes a strong work ethic to her success. "Early on, I was very ambitious and energetic, and hated to say no," she said. "I am still a hard worker, have great contacts with vendors and suppliers, and at this point, I have seen it all in travel, so I have the confidence to take anything on."
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