Success Stories focus on veteran travel advisors and how they achieved success. Here’s a look at Lisa Wright, founder and CEO of Hola Weddings.
How did you get your start as a travel advisor?
I landed my first travel-related job with Air Transat in a call center in 1998. After that, I spent years in the travel industry, touching different areas, from airlines to a destination representative and manager, to a hotel concierge, tour promoter and more. During those years, I briefly worked for a small Canadian tour operator in their reservations call center. Putting that all together, becoming a travel advisor seemed like a logical next step. I had a good friend who has been a travel advisor for many years to mentor me and I started from there.
How did you build your business over the years?
Many, many, many hours of work – and I am fortunate to have clients who will refer me and now my team. I built an expertise in my niche and used social media/Google to grow awareness of our company, Hola Weddings. Most profit was reinvested into growth and training, which helped us reach new plateaus.
What characteristics make you a successful advisor?
I enjoy helping people and I love travel, but I think that is the base for most advisors. What adds to my success is years of living in the country that I am mostly selling – Mexico – and visiting and experiencing countless resorts firsthand. It brings a level of knowledge and expertise rarely found elsewhere.
What have been your greatest challenges been?
An unsuccessful business relationship where lack of structure was a catalyst for me leaving the relationship. Legally, I had not protected myself, so I lost my share of the business that I had shed blood, sweat and tears for for seven-plus years. That was a devastating hit. I chose to use it as fuel.
The other challenge was taking too many years to know my worth – we are our own worst enemies
What have your greatest accomplishments been?
I am proud of the fact that I have had team members working with me for eight-plus years now. I can offer jobs to amazing people in Mexico for well above average salaries with exceptional working conditions compared to the norm here.
In less than five years with our new business (with my husband/business partner), we hit over 4 million in sales in year four – and that is including the COVID years!
Another accomplishment is I am getting slightly better at balancing. Still a work in progress but there is improvement, so I’ll take that as a win.
What tips can you provide advisors new to the industry?
I have lots of tips! I would advise finding a niche within the industry to focus on. There is way too much for any one person to become an expert in. Find your expertise and then study, study, study and experience it as much as you can.
See every lost opportunity or lost sale as growth. You tried, you learned.
Trust your gut, and if you think a client is going to suck all your energy or just not treat you right, cut them loose. Your well-being is just as important as the few dollars you may make.
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