Meet Willy: New Agent Plans No-Stress Family Vacations
by Andrew Sheivachman /For Willy Burden, starting a travel agency earlier this year was a way to use her passion for planning travel to help busy parents enjoy their family vacations.
“Being a mom, I realized there is so much involved in trying to get your children from Point A to Point B,” said Burden, the 34-year-old owner of Willy Bee’s Travel, a home-based agency in Frisco, Texas. “I enjoy doing the research, looking at destinations and immersing myself in the process.”
Burden grew up in California and moved with her husband to Texas in 2002 after serving in the U.S. Air Force for four years. She then worked in administrative and finance roles at several companies, including Country-Wide Insurance.
Identifying a niche
It was after having two kids with her husband Brandon that she discovered that planning a vacation is a hassle for busy families. Burden’s target market and marketing message is reflected in the URL of her agency’s website – nostressfamilyvacations.com.
“I decided there were some other families out there who might need help, so I planned travel for two years as a hobby,” said Burden. “About a year ago, I decided to jump into it as a business.”
She set herself the task of building a business from the ground up. “I’m not just the owner; I’m the bookkeeper, marketer and salesperson all in one,” she said. Her experience in administration and finance came in handy.
Finding what works
She currently works with three host agencies: Cruises & Tours Unlimited, Main Street Travel/Travel Leaders and You Deserve It Vacations.
“When you start your own business, you have to implement some strategies and see if they stick,” said Burden.
She reached out to friends for referrals and was able to build a small but robust clientele of young families who had never thought to use a travel agent before. Her clients are currently split between Texas and California.
Burden’s top destinations sold have been the Caribbean for her Texas clients and Hawaii for the California clients. She sold one trip to Europe this year and is looking to expand her knowledge of the continent in her second year on the job.
She also wants to develop her expertise in selling honeymoons. Right now she is accredited as a Certified Sandals Specialist.
Meeting her goals
“I know they say you don’t really make any profit the first three or four years of business, but I have been able to achieve goals I set for my business,” said Burden. “I was able to take my family on vacation for hitting a sales goal and was able to go on a couple fam trips.”
Burden said it will be a challenge to increase sales for her agency, since 90% of her business in the first year came from referrals. She is looking to develop her word-of-mouth business and improve her marketing with help from the Global Institute for Travel Entrepreneurs.
“In 2014 I would like my agency to go to the next level, which is to generate more sales,” said Burden. “There is a huge learning curve, but just having clients come back and say they had a great time is an accomplishment.”