We recently connected with Vanessa Natteal and have shared our conversation below.
Vanessa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
So, Koala Escape Travel and Notary actually started as Koala Escape Travel. I named my travel agency in memory of my mom. She loved Koalas and I wanted to do something I know would make her proud and give me the freedom to spend more time with my children. During covid just like most people in the world I was furloughed and didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was presented with the opportunity to start my own travel agency under the Archer consortium. I knew I love to travel and I wanted to be able to help others create those memories as well. Every summer my mom would plan all of these trips and they would be to some of the most amazing places and on a budget and I felt that I could do that for someone. The notary portion actually was inspired by the field I work in for my normal full time job. Documents are forever going to need to be notarized and what better way to have that done by a company that understands and is mobile. I feel like this would work because people are constantly traveling and constantly needing things notarized. Eventually, Koala Escape Travel and Notary will be doing online notarizations with our reach being all over the country without my clients having to leave the comforts of their own homes in different states and countries. I’m extremely excited for the things that are soon to come.
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
I started Koala Escape Travel because of covid. I never in my life thought I would have a business but now I have two. One is a travel agency the other is a notary service both provided under the same company. So, if you want to go on a girls trip, romantic getaway, family trip or just a solo trip Koala Escape Travel and Notary is there for you 24/7/365. Koala Escape Travel and Notary is veteran owned and I have three children so I have an expertise in booking family trips that will give your kids or even the whole family travel deja vú. I plan all of my fiancée and I’s trips and we have so many memories. So, I have a clear understanding of just getting away as a couple and taking off your parent hat. I think the beauty of the travel and notary services that Koala Escape Travel and Notary is that the notary services are mobile (eventually I will be remote so my reach can expand) and with the travel services we can do all inclusive or do add ons to any trip you book. The vendors we use are top of the line and everything is included. With our couples getaway trips we really try to see what the client REALLY wants their experience to be and then we take into account their budget. Koala Escape Travel and Notary is very budget friendly because we understand that times are extremely tough right now and getting away isn’t easy. We have convenient payment plans to pay out your trip over the course of the time until it’s time to take your trip and as far as the notary it’s the minimum price of a typical notary with us being mobile there is an increase in charge only because we come to you. If you’re willing to meet somewhere publicly then we can negotiate the price from there. The goal of my business is to help take the stress off of people when planning the vacation of their dreams or to be more available to those needing that mobile notary service. That’s the whole purpose to Koala Escape Travel and Notary to give travel deja vú and to be prepared to be mobile in case a notary is needed. We are available 24/7/365 anything you need notarized just send us a message and we will respond and set it up for you. The goal is to make life easier for you when handling the business you need to handle with the least minimal disruption to your life as the client. All we ask is you give us what your full dream vacation would be and the budget you are working with and we set it up even with some hidden gems of where you are visiting. If you’re anything like me the food of the place you are visiting is the main reason to see the many sites of the city so Koala Escape Travel actually goes in and does the research on the things to do in the different cities and with a travel quote you get those hidden gems. I believe that even if you don’t book with me, which I would prefer you use my service to have the booking of your dreams, you have an idea of what you are looking at as far as travel. Koala Escape Travel and Notary includes everything from food experiences to tour experiences if that’s something you want to do with no extra costs and our notary is the cheapest around because we are focused on being able to provide these services at affordable prices.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Along the way my struggle has been gaining the clientele. I just started promoting my notary services on all of my social media. At first, I was barely even getting any views on any of my posts on social media. They were bland and just poorly posted. When I say poorly posted they were just not posted at a good time on any of my platforms. I know you have to follow the algorithm and the algorithm is different for all social media platforms. I got a little discouraged and stopped working on my side business all together. Then after many conversations with my amazing fiancée I was able to get re-inspired and start posting again and I post all kinds of things to places I’ve been or even places I would love to go.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I had to unlearn that not everything is bad. I had to truly do work on not telling myself that there are a lot of businesses out here like mine. I had to really sit down and think about why I started Koala Escape Travel and Notary in the first place. Yes, covid came through and pushed me in a direction I never thought I would find myself in. But, the most beautiful thing of it all is that this company started from the love that I have for my mom. I wanted something that would carry on her legacy and I wanted to run my business in a way that would make her proud and keep my clientele completely happy. I had to stop getting in my own way and trust the process. I am still a work in progress and I still get discouraged but, when I start to feel like that my amazing fiancée helps me to remember what this is all for. I also had to unlearn that the money I need to make my business grow is really within staying consistent with my business. I have to constantly remind myself that Koala Escape Travel and Notary will get there and we will get there continuing to stand behind the reason for even starting this business and the reason for continuing. Which is in essence to bring travel deja vú and make notarizations easier for everyone we service.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/koalaescapetravel
- Instagram: @koala_escape_travel
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086095643747
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-natteal-7a4750155