We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shyla Bryant a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shyla, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I started by contacting a popular host travel agency to become a travel agent. I’d read about how they trained you and provided all the necessary tools to become successful. As a novice, I had a choppy start because I didn’t know much about the business aspect of travel, but I still learned a lot. I dove in right away and made a few small sales. Then one day it occurred to me that the MLM (multi-level marketing) structure of this particular host agency wasn’t what I saw for myself for the long run. It seemed to be a lot of pressure to get a “downline” and increase income off others. Yes, the idea of having hundreds of agents under me and making a commission off their sales sounded good, but I wanted to have “my own”. I wanted to start a business built around my ethics and morals, and I didn’t feel this agency would provide that. So about a month later I reached out to an organization I’d heard about in college and was paired with a mentor who gave me priceless insight into what it would take to make my dream of being a business owner become a reality. I had to determine how my business would be structured, how I would handle my accounting, how I would handle marketing—and so much more. Luckily, my mentor had other contacts that joined him in mentoring me and I ended up with a total of 3 excellent mentors with proficient backgrounds in all the areas I needed support in. It was fantastic! They gave me “homework”- I executed it. Soon after I obtained my LLC license, I left my first host agency, and started with another one that was not so much MLM structured and ever since then, things have been going wonderfully. There’s no pressure to build a team, but when the time comes to do that, I can do it my way and structure it my way. I am now my own boss, and it feels amazing.

Shyla, 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 have always had a love for traveling and anyone who knows me, knows I’m always on the go! Before I became a travel agent, I used a few agencies myself that I found quirks with. So, when I started by travel agency I wanted to take the shortcomings of these agencies and turn them into my company wins. I put in the extra mile for my clients to ensure their trip is seamless and wonderful. I am most proud that my clients know they can depend on me to deliver great customer service and a great vacation. I believe that your word builds your brand. Meaning, if I say I provide quick feedback, I better offer quick feedback. I want potential clients to know that when they do business with TryShy Travel, it isn’t just another trip for me. It’s their occasion, and it needs to be enjoyed and cherished, and I’ll do everything in my power to make that happen- everytime.

How did you build your audience on social media?

With the help of my mentors, I had to first evaluate the audience I wanted to reach. Once I determined that, I created business pages on those social media outlets and posted regularly. My advise to any who are just starting their business is the same: determine your audience and the social media platforms that cater to that audience, create a lot of content so that when you share your pages, people have interesting things to look at, and then announce your brand to the world! I remember how nervous I was when I first made my business announcement, but if people don’t know about you, how can you become successful? Step out on faith and you’ll be just fine.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

My main source of new clients in the beginning was social media and Google. Now at almost 3 years into being a business owner, I am finding most of my business are return clients, client referrals, and Google.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tryshytravel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tryshytravel
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TryShyTravel
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/tryshytravel
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXhTJC-r_SOmO3fInlNS7Pw
• Other: trips.tryshytravel.com