We recently connected with Ra’Jonna Mills and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ra’Jonna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you manage your own social media?

I currently manage my own social media pages, but I am looking to hire someone or get a team to assist me. When I originally got my businesses started, I started out with minimal funds, which was the reason for my decision to run my own social media pages. I have had some great results in managing my social media pages and have experienced tremendous growth, but recently, I feel like I’ve hit a standstill. As my social media channels grew, my businesses grew. I have been the person doing everything in my businesses since I’ve started, and as a result of that, you can only go but so far by yourself. Social media has become quite overwhelming, because of all the other responsibilities and day to day tasks that my businesses require. I am in a service based industry, so the client interaction/experience is important, but the marketing and staying present on social media is equally important. I believe at this point in my businesses I could benefit from having someone to take on certain tasks to alleviate me having to do everything. This way I can ensure each aspect of the businesses are getting the necessary attention, but I can also free up my time to work on the important things/strengths, resulting in increased income. I understand in the beginning we tend to take on everything, because we are just starting out. Funds are often limited and you are in the process of trying to figure stuff out. The moment that you are able to get help or realize that you need help/a team, go for it. A part of me not reaching out sooner for the help that I needed with social media also was due to me feeling like I couldn’t afford to hire help, but sometimes you have to make the sacrifice. You can only go so far by yourself; I tell my organization and those attached to me: many hands make a heavy load light. In delegating the tasks that you need help with or may not be the best at, will allow you to focus on the things that you are best at and focus on the most important places that you’re needed, which is ultimately going to generate more income!

Ra’Jonna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am originally from Allendale, SC but I moved to the Columbia area. I’ve been in Columbia, SC so long that it is home too. I never 100% knew what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew I desired freedom, flexibility, and I would like to make a lot of money in the process. That led to me trying different things and exploring various career paths, just for me to end up in the travel industry. For anyone that doesn’t know what I do, I own a full service, home-based travel business, and I help others create financial freedom by owning their own travel businesses as well. Simply put, I tell others I help increase bank accounts and upgrade lifestyles.

The funniest part about how I got into my industry is I actually stumbled across it accidentally. To educate others on how to get their business started and how the industry works, live business opportunity meetings are hosted on a weekly basis (and daily in some places). I was with one of my best friends from middle and high school, and we asked her mom to make us some banana pudding (she makes the BEST banana pudding). She told us that she would make it, if we came to one of these meetings. We had no idea what we were walking into or what the meeting would be about, we just wanted the banana pudding. Long story short, we ended up in one the business opportunity meetings. Although I didn’t really care about what the meeting was about, I ended up getting some really good information that would help me accomplish the things that I mentioned earlier (personal, time, & financial freedom). I didn’t get my business started right away, but I did end up getting started a few months after the fact. After continuing to do the same things over and over again and not getting different results, I realized something needed to change in my life to obtain those three freedoms.

One of the things that I feel like sets me apart from everyone else is I am personable, and I pride myself on showing that I am a real person. My identity is not in my businesses. I have accomplished several things in my businesses, just to name a few:

My industry experienced the greatest shift during the pandemic, but I am most proud of myself for being able to pivot and my business was still thriving in the process. During a time where so many people shut down, my business did not miss a beat.

I also donated my job back to the economy during the pandemic, and I was able to create steady and consist income in this process. This is major, because the travel industry took a huge hit during the pandemic, but for me, it was business as usual.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Social media and email marketing has been very helpful in growing my clientele, but I think the most effective has been me focusing on the interaction & experience with current clients. In focusing on my current clients in this way, it leads to word of mouth referrals, and those referrals hold more weight because of the relationships that they have with my current clients. They trust my clients when they refer me.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I pride myself on building relationships. I prioritize building relationships with my current clients, but I also try to show others that I am a person. People like to do business with people they know, like, & trust. Aside from showing that I am knowledgeable and an expert in my industry, I also try to show things that I value outside of business (family, faith, fitness, etc.). I have been able to expand my reputation and relationships in my market by also attending networking events. Attending networking events allows me to connect with potential clients and business partners.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thankyouraytravel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thankyourayyyyy_/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/thankyourayyyyy
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ra’jonna-mcmillan-4589573a