We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nicole Oliverio a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Nicole, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
I still remember being a young girl, no older than 5, sitting in my grandmother’s living by her bay window. She would be sitting on the hassock listening to me tell a story and writing it out for me. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a writer, author, storyteller. As I entered my high school and college years, I still loved writing but my focus turned to journalism. I interned at two television stations in Boston, where I grew up, and spent four years working at the Boston Herald. My major never changed, it was always communications and I always wanted to be a reporter – and I was. Out of college, I landed my first job at a television station in Meridian, Mississippi. From there, I landed jobs in Vermont, Florida, and eventually back home in Boston. I spent 20 years in Broadcast journalism, 15 of those years at two different Boston stations as an anchor and reporter. I loved telling stories. I believe everyone has a story to tell, and that the work I was doing was making a difference. But, eventually the work wasn’t as rewarding. I wasn’t telling the stories I wanted and it wasn’t bringing me as much joy as it used to. Now, I had young children and I was working long overnight hours, still working holidays and school vacation weeks, and I didn’t feel like I was excelling at work or parenting. One thing that always brought me joy and peace and offered a place to just “reset” was Disney World. I visited the parks often, and as a Type A planner, I navigated the parks well. So well, I began planning trips for co-workers to make their vacations less stressful because I knew how special a place Disney was for me, and I wanted others to experience the same joy. Eventually, I realized I could turn my passion into (what I thought would just be) a side hustle. I would plan Disney vacations for guests because that brought me so much joy and I could help create the magic for other families. Well, my ‘side hustle’ took off! Before I knew it, I had a steady flow of referrals and repeat guests, enough that I realized I could step away from broadcast television and find the flexibility I had been looking for. I would have NEVER considered this the path I would be on now. I am a creature of habit and was convinced I would be field reporting through storms and breaking news until my retirement. But, I took a chance on myself, on happiness, and it paid off. Three years after beginning my small business of Disney vacation planning, I was able to retire from news and focus on travel. I still have another full-time job, I work media relations at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, which allows me to continue telling stories. Now, I feel like I am doing work worth doing. I took a chance, took a risk, bet on myself and it paid off. I am happier than ever, I have more time with my family, and we travel A LOT!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
As I mentioned, Disney World has always been a special place for me. I fell in love with it the 1st visit as as teen and that feeling has never wavered. As a reporter, I made sure to do a lot of digging when it came time to think about applying to Travel Planning companies. I wanted to be with a reputable agency that truly focused on guest experience and had a great working relationship with Disney. That’s how I found My Mickey Vacation Travel. It was actually a pretty intense application process (you may not expect that) but I found my fit, and I believe I chose the best agency in the business!
My elevator pitch is that my job is to remove the stress and leave the fun, creating vacations that are customized for each individual family because no two families are alike, so no two trips should be either.
The biggest fear I hear from my guests is that Disney seems stressful, overwhelming and they don’t know where to start. My job is to be their guide. I listen to their wants, needs, hopes and expectations and together we create the perfect vacation package. I believe what sets me apart is the personal attention. I will not book a vacation package without first having a phone consult with a guest. I want to know everything about how they envision their Disney vacation so we can decide the right: length of stay, resort, ticket option, dining and more. Also, maybe a park visit isn’t the right option! I love planning Disney Cruise Line vacations. If you want the magic of Disney without the planning, I LOVE DCL.
I check in with my guests throughout the planning process and always make myself available to answer questions. Right now, my social media pages are the best way to learn about me, my services and the destinations I plan for. The reporter/storyteller in me really tries to make each post appeal to families so they can envision themselves on that particular vacation, attraction, experience.
What makes me proud is when a guest will message me during or after their vacation and share a special experience or interaction that really made their trip memorable. It makes my heart so happy when a guest tells me their eyes filled with tears when their little ones saw Mickey or the castle for the first time. Again, working in an industry that was so demanding and offered little time off, I know how important and special vacations are, especially when you’re trying to spend quality time with family. I treat every vacation I plan as if it were my own, as if those guests were my family. I want them to experience the same magic I feel every time I step through the gates at Walt Disney World resort.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think I had a slight advantage when I got started, transitioning from broadcast television to Disney vacation planning. Fortunately, I had already made a name for myself. However – the social media pages and channels I used for television remained solely for news. That being said, prior to joining My Mickey Vacation Travel, I often talked about our family’s vacations or would post (in general) about Disney on my social media pages, so my core followers knew I was a Disney fan. When I started with My Mickey Vacation Travel, I did start from scratch with new social channels and handles, however, it was a bit easier to gain followers to start.
But what I think really helped is that before I started as a Dream Designer with My Mickey Vacation Travel people already knew that I traveled to Disney destinations – a lot. I think it’s easier to trust someone who genuinely believes in and loves the product they’re selling.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Referrals! Right now, I lean heavily on social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) to market myself. I do get inquires from guests who stumble upon my page, or maybe met me at a town event where I was promoting my business, but my main source of new clients is from referrals. To me, a referral is the greatest thank you a guest can ever give. It means they had a positive experience and trusted me not only with their vacation, but trust I will offer a family member or friend the same level of expertise, care and commitment. My business would not be where it is today if it were not for those referrals.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mymickeyvacationtravel.com
- Instagram: @nicoleoliverioMMVT
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NicoleOliverioMMVT
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-oliverio-b807a1152
- Twitter: @nicoleoliverio