All of our incredible travel advisors would tell you that while running your own business is a lot of fun and can be extremely rewarding, it takes a lot of work. You need to be strategic, knowledgeable, and organized in order to move the needle forward and reach your goals!
As the travel industry aims to move to pre-pandemic levels, 2023 will be a great year filled with opportunities for travel advisors. And if you’re running your travel business from home, here are some tips that will help you make the most of this opportunity while balancing other areas of your life.
Find a Routine That Works for You
A routine is one of the most important things for a business to run smoothly. Having a set schedule will help you stay on top of everything, from your Guests travel plans to admin tasks to keeping an eye on your marketing strategy, social media and mo re. If you stick to your routine, you’ll be able to find the time and energy to tackle multiple projects in your business as well.
Here are a couple of tips for finding and sticking with a routine at home:
Make it personal
Figure out what works best for your lifestyle. Try different options until you find something that fits in with how much available time you have and how much effort it takes for each task. For example, if creating social media posts doesn’t motivate or excite you, you could consider hiring a professional and delegating some of those tasks. In the case of MVP, our travel advisors can benefit from a marketing team that constantly puts together content for them to share on their own social media platforms. The point is not necessarily what or how much gets done but rather that things get done consistently.
Make sure everyone knows about it
If possible, let family members and those you live with know about your routine, so they’ll understand why mom or dad isn’t available at certain times during the day, week, or month. This way, everyone can plan accordingly when needed.
Set Boundaries and Expectations with Those in Your Household
You can’t be available for other people 24/7, or you won’t have time for yourself and your business. Here are some helpful tips when it comes to setting boundaries:
Have a schedule
Make sure you have a schedule in place that works for everyone involved. Work with everybody else, not around them.
Work in time blocks
Work in time blocks and make sure everyone’s aware. For example, start by setting aside specific times for answering emails, calls, texts, and social media posts. If someone needs to get in touch with you outside those hours (and they will), make sure they know how to reach out and what expectations exist around their communications with you at those times.
Communicate clearly
Communicate the importance of this time so that your people understand why it matters so much to you. Remember that working from home is still somewhat unconventional, even if it’s more prevalent now than ever. Not everyone might understand why they should respect this fact when communicating with you.
Lead Yourself First
In order to be the best version of yourself, it’s important that you take care of yourself. Here are some ways you can do that:
Get enough sleep
You’ve probably heard about the importance of a good night’s sleep before, but its importance can’t be stressed enough. Getting at least 7 hours of sleep every night can have a positive impact in so many areas of your life. If you’re not getting enough sleep, your body isn’t rejuvenating, and you’ll probably feel tired throughout the day.
Eat healthy foods and exercise regularly
Having a healthy diet is especially important while running your travel business from home because it’s easy to snack on junk food when working long hours. Try eating small meals throughout the day instead of three big ones—this will help keep your energy level up throughout the day! Additionally, exercising regularly will help improve both physical and mental health, so be sure to keep that daily routine intact no matter how busy things get! Just get moving. For example, consider doing your calls and meetings while taking a walk. Or set a timer to make sure you stretch and take a few steps every half hour you spend sitting in front of your computer.
Set aside time for yourself each day (and maybe even take a vacation yourself once in a while)
Everyone needs an outlet from their job now and then, whether it’s hanging out with friends or reading an interesting book. Disconnecting is helpful as it can help you stay more connected to the things that matter to you.
Be Strategic
Your day will consist of many tasks that need to be done. You will have some tasks that take less than an hour and others that take longer.
To make sure you are able to finish your tasks and keep your business moving forward, it is important that you have a plan for the day and prioritize. You should also schedule time in your calendar for administrative duties such as bookkeeping or marketing. This way, there isn’t any overlap between these activities and other work you need to get done in order for your business to run smoothly.
You Can Do It!
Running a travel business from home requires some adjustments, but it can be done successfully if you keep yourself healthy to maximize your energy, balanced to stay mentally strong and focused, and organized to maximize your productivity!
We hope you found these tips helpful and that they’ll help you run your home-based travel business with confidence. If there’s one thing we want to emphasize, it’s that you can succeed in this business—and enjoy it at the same time! You just need solid organizational skills, a willingness to be flexible and creative when needed (as well as patient), and support from those around you.
At MVP, we strive to provide our travel advisors with all the tools they need to succeed in this industry. If you’re thinking about starting your own business in travel, fill out the form to join our team and find out how you, too, can become a travel professional. No previous experience is needed. Let’s get magical!