We recently connected with Janis Bailey and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Janis, thanks for joining us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

I’ll never forget my first client that wasn’t family or friend. I met a teacher while I had a vendor table at a local event. My business was new and I wanted to get my name out there. Met a few folks and talked about travel, gave out business cards and brochures. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect as the event was small but a few days after, the teacher I had met wanted to plan a vacation to Hawaii with a few of her other teacher friends. I was super excited. As a new travel advisor, of course I wanted to make sure that it would be a truly memorable experience.

After doing my research and becoming a recent graduate of the Hawaii Destination Specialist program I was able to create an itinerary that fit their needs and travel style. The feedback I received was wonderful. I was so happy they had an amazing experience. The favorite part for me of being a travel advisor is the reviews and feedback I get from my clients. The client experience is truly important to me and in keeping that as a priority in my business, I gained a repeat client.

Janis, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started Sol Journey Travel after being laid off from a job I held for about 6 years back in 2017. Entrepreneurship always had my interest and I figured it was the perfect time to start. My love for travel is what sparked interest in becoming a travel advisor. I completed my initial training through The Travel Institute and went from there. Currently, I specialize in beach vacations and celebration travel (honeymoons, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) for the LGBTQ community. My top selling destination is Mexico.

At Sol Journey Travel, I know that my clients want a vacation where they can be free to be themselves. This is particularly important to me as a self identified queer traveler myself. My business is also a member of the IGLTA (International LGBTQ+ Travel Association) which works to promote equality and safety in tourism for LGBTQ+ travelers.

Trying to DIY your travel plans can leave you feeling overwhelmed and unsure. The problem is that while you love taking vacations and exploring the world, you may not have the planning skills, experience, time, or travel industry connections to make it easy. This is where I come in. I believe we all deserve to have a vacation that fills you with joy and relaxes you from the inside out.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn would probably be that just because you start a business, it doesn’t mean that you will immediately be successful if at all. My first year had minimal sales, and just because you may have a passion for something (in my case travel) that also does not translate to success. I am pretty much a one man band and there is so much to running a business. You are the finance person, the marketer, the social media manager, and so on. It can be very overwhelming a lot of the time. The good news is that I have had quite a few supporters along the way who have kept me motivated along with amazing repeat clients who I worked with even during the most impacted time during the pandemic. Having such support has been key in growing my business.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Can you imagine operating a travel business during a time when the world has pretty much shut down? It was a seriously tough time for my business and that of many others. Hearing about so many travel advisors and agencies making the decision to close their businesses due to the pandemic was disheartening. There were many times where I thought I would be one of them. Rescheduling bookings in 2020 was a lot especially when you didn’t know when many countries would re-open. I had to pivot and get a little creative by encouraging travel outdoors and to domestic destinations. I even managed to travel myself twice in the later part of 2020 in hopes of creating some inspiration and spark for people to get back out there in as safe a way as possible.

What also helped me during the height of the pandemic was the support of my travel industry colleagues. A few of us met every week (and still do) to discuss what’s going on in our businesses, motivating each other, and how we can continue to build and grow even through such a difficult time. Interestingly enough, I had my best sales year in 2021.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.soljourneytravel.com
• Instagram: @soljourney_travel
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/soljourneytravel
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@soljourneytravel

Image Credits
Janis Bailey