We were lucky to catch up with Enesha Duncan recently and have shared our conversation below.
Enesha, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
The biggest risk I’m taking is the path I am on now. After the injury I’ve gotten at my previous job in 2022 everything has completely changed for me. Aside from the fact I had a broken bone in my foot, I’ve come to the realization that I wanted to be my own boss, I wanted to do and have something I can be really proud of. I want to be able to say in a year from now “Look at this businesses I’ve created”. In February of this year I saw a job posting to become a travel agent. I get to work at my own pace, I get to make my own hours, I get amazing deals and perks but the downside it’s 1. This is completely commission based 2. I have to bring/find in my own clientele. I didn’t think finding my own clients would be hard but I stand corrected. Not too long after starting my Travel Agency I also started my own Sticker Business called Sticker Dangerously on Etsy in order to sell sticker versions of my art. This is why I am on the biggest risk path of my life because I’ve started two completely different businesses, put so much time, money and effort into both and not really getting much back. Thanks to my lucky stars though I’ve gotten two customers for each business so far and the feeling is amazing. I can’t say there isn’t a voice in the back of my head saying you’re making a big mistake, just go back to some random warehouse job and be miserable but then I remember I am going to be miserable. As long as I am working hard and pushing my work on the algorithm Gods of the various websites I’m on, I know everything will pay off soon.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m someone who is very fond of the Arts and Traveling from as young as I can possibly remember. I never knew that travel agents/agencies were a thing up until my late teen years. I always thought that the job would be fun to do but never knew how to get into the position until now. It’s crazy how much fun being a travel agent can be, from picking out my business name, to the designs of the websites, finding my niche, and not only getting to meet new people, I am getting out of my comfort zone by opening up and talking to said people. It’s amazing what I am learning about the strangers I pass by everyday. I get to find out where they’re going and where they are from, I get to know what their plans are for not only their potential trip but for their own future, I even get to hear about their previous trips and any crazy moments that transpired. Building a bond with customers is literally one of the things I love about customer service. Just getting to know someone. The only downside is hearing that most people are too scared to go on their trip due to fear. They are afraid that they will not do the best research because they aren’t tech savvy, they are scared they will end up not getting the right deals or overpaying or even end up at the wrong location, so they never actually go through with their plans. When I was talking to a few people about being a travel agent and the places i’ve been, one person told me they get so much anxiety and confusion when looking up the information for a trip they completely stop and just don’t go anywhere. That honestly hurts because this world can offer so much beauty and knowledge and to not know how to see it, it’s kind of sad. This motivated me even more to talk to people, especially those who go through the same issue. I always let them know they have someone in their corner. I always make sure any clients or potential clients know they have my full truth and transparency. I never want anyone to feel like they aren’t heard or they aren’t getting the most out of their trip. I firmly believe the more people travel and get to know one another there won’t be so much hate in this world.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
So what I use to help me build my social media presence is Branch up and Meta. I post a lot on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn so I use these so I don’t have to keep switching back and forth between the apps. So far I’ve gotten 15 followers on Facebook which took a long time but I’m very proud of, 80 followers on Instagram and about seven or so followers on LinkedIn. For my sticker business on Etsy I have 15 admirers and counting. When it comes to my sticker business I use TikTok a lot and Instagram.
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
I had an idea to start a sticker business when my mom asked me if I wanted a cricket machine that started selling at her job. Ever since then I decided that’s how I was going to get my art further out in the world by selling them as cute little stickers. It only made sense since I have a stash of just random stickers in a bag, and I have some more stickers places in various spots all over my room ranging from, all over my Cricket, to being placed all over my printers, even have a few stickers next to my turtle tank of the character he was named after, etc. But deciding to start this business was not cheap. Thankfully amazon had a recurring subscription option to get some of the products I need for a bit cheaper. For example, the sticker sheet itself can cost $12 but with the recurring option I can have them sent to me at the beginning of every month and get them for 50%- $2.00 cheaper. It’s different for each product I have set up with this. The way I go through sticker sheets it’s nice knowing I can at least get some discount on them. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eneshastravelagency.com/deals
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eneshatravel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089797165498
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/enesha-duncan-5b0599204/
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/StickerDangerously?ref=condensed_trust_header_title_reviews https://www.instagram.com/dangerously_psychotic/
Image Credits
The framed photo on the wall and the metal statue of the lady – I took photos of them when I Traveled to Hawaii at the beginning of the month for my Birthday. I was able to go thanks to my travel agent perks everything else is myself and my artwork