Success Stories focus on veteran travel advisors and how they achieved success. Here’s a look at Erin Johnson, owner and founder of My Live Love Travel.
How did you get your start as a travel advisor?
I have traveled the world since I was a young girl. I was a professional singer from the time I was 12 years old and fully retired in 2014. I realized how much I missed travel and the impact that it had on me. In 2016, after much thought and research, I became a travel advisor. I thought this would be something small that I did on the side of homeschooling our four daughters.
There were people in this industry that poured their time, wisdom and knowledge into me. For that I am forever grateful to them. We started growing a little quicker than anticipated and by 2019 we had other agents working alongside us, and my husband Kevin came on full time to run our groups department.
Today we have an awesome team of travel advisors! We run our agency a bit differently than others. Besides taking great care of our wonderful clients, I pour what I have learned into the advisors who work with us to raise up leaders in the travel community. It is truly rewarding for both the giver and the receiver. Travel changes you in so many amazing ways. What a remarkable industry to be a part of.
How did you build your business over the years?
I’m a relational person and love people. I realized quickly that this industry is about relationships. I dove into making relationships all over the world with people in our industry. I took a deep dive into knowing and understanding the product that was out there to sell and knowing how to match it up with the type of client that I was working with – which gave me a love for the vendors and products that we sell. I then saw how other advisors were struggling with this and decided that I wanted to be a support to their learning and success in the industry. I now train and encourage 23 advisors with our agency on a daily/weekly basis and watch their love for this industry grow along with their sails.
What characteristics make you a successful advisor?
One of the most important things for me is to remember that everyone wants to be heard and feel like what they say is valuable. I’ve sharpened my listening skills and have compassion for those around me, and really hear the client or my advisors that work alongside me. Characteristics that that have helped over the years are integrity, confidence, empathy, motivation and team building. I love working with others and seeing them with a win in life. There is so much joy in seeing people around you succeed and flourish.
With this attitude and insight, our clients feel confident and fully taken care of from the time they call in to the time they return home. They come home saying, ‘That was an unforgettable experience, thank you for your suggestions and making this possible.’ The only way we advisors can accomplish that with a client is by listening and truly caring.
What have your greatest challenges been?
Conflict between other advisors and learning how to handle this properly was the true first challenge I had, as our advisors are not employees so this has to be handled differently. Learning to build a travel agency with your husband and leaving our personal life outside of the office is a continual place to grow in, but we have both truly come so far in eight years. The greatest challenge has been learning to not take work home. Doing what we all do can be a 24/7 job at times. Learning to pause and recharge was a challenge for me.
What have your greatest accomplishments been?
Building the team that we have today in our agency and breaking into the luxury market. We have an amazing team of advisors and our agency has a family feel to it – and I don’t take that lightly. Being accepted into the Travel ALLIES Society and Female Leaders in Travel Conclave, serving on an advisory board and attending Global Travel Marketplace (GTM) for the last few years have all been great accomplishments for me personally and as an agency.
What tips can you provide advisors new to the industry
Never stop learning! We work in an industry that is ever evolving and changing. When you get frustrated, call another advisor for support and encouragement. Don’t be hard on yourself, as this is not a learn-overnight business. In the beginning it will be like drinking from a firehose, so, again, be gentle with yourself and have fun!
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
