3 Solutions to Beating Stress for the Small Business Owner

The other day, while scrolling through my Facebook feed, I saw a TPI (Travel Planners International) travel advisor stressing over her client’s trip. Nothing wrong had happened but she was still nervous about how well it was going. Other TPI agents flooded her comments section, echoing her sentiment and offering stress-relieving solutions. (According to a good majority, wine helps!) One agent’s comment really stood out to me. They wrote, “a good travel advisor knows their job doesn’t end until their client comes home.”

Stress like this can be good. It means you care and keeps you sharp. But too much stress can hurt you and eventually, your business. Between anticipating your clients’ needs, keeping with current trends within your niche and handling the administrative tasks of owning a business, your days can be overwhelming. Luckily, you’re not alone.

Small business owners and entrepreneurs face a lot of stress in their daily lives. Instead of ignoring it or pretending you’re not afflicted, it’s time to face the music! Below, I’m sharing my three stress-relieving solutions that will benefit any travel adviser – new or experienced. Trust me, they work like a charm!

Find Your Community

Most of us are an agency of one. So, when the days get too tough, a positive support system can make a world of a difference.

Facebook groups are an excellent way to connect with other travel agency owners or small business owners. The purpose isn’t always to talk business – it can be a place to vent or ask for advice.  Remember the TPI agent from earlier? She found the perfect outlet by sharing her feelings with her community of travel advisors, all through Facebook. They understood exactly what she was going through.

Joining a host agency can also help! Here at Travel Planners International, we guide and support our 3,800+ agents on the road to their own success. We host several training events and networking parties in our Central Florida HQ and across the country. Plus, we’ve also created several Facebook groups – 11 total – for our agents to network with other agents by nice, sales volume, experience, and with suppliers! We do all this to curate a positive atmosphere for our agents to thrive within their businesses.

Cover Your Bases

Limit the amount of stress you have in the future by doing your due diligence now. Hands down, you should always push for travel insurance. Unfortunate tragedies, missed flights and even job loss are just a few reasons why you should advocate for travel insurance. Plus, with the number of plans available, you can easily find something that best accommodates your clients’ budget, lifestyle, and/or

concerns. This helps you know that your clients are “covered” in the case something goes wrong.

Secondly, I always suggest you over-communicate, ask questions and never assume. Find out what they’re afraid of. Do they have allergies or are they on a special diet? Ask your client if they heavily use or post on their social media accounts. If they say yes, suggest they look into international data plans from their cellphone carrier. This alone will save you and your clients many headaches.

Accept it and Move Forward

No matter how hard we try to prepare our clients and no matter how strong your support system is, stress can get to you. Accepting it is ok. I know it’s easy to ruminate but try to move past it! The more often you remind yourself of this, the less stress and anxiety you’ll experience.

If something does go wrong on a trip, don’t take it personally. There are no guaranteed perfect vacations. If you did everything right and covered your bases, acknowledge that. If there’s room for improvement, take it as a learning opportunity and identify what you can do better next time.

Control what you can and let the rest be. No need to lose extra sleep over this - we’re already sleep deprived as it is. Now keep rockin’ it, Rockstar!

About the Author

Jenn Lee, Travel Planners International’s VP of Sales and Marketing, isn’t shy about her obsession for guiding and leading today’s entrepreneurial-minded travel advisor community. According to Lee, now’s the moment to remind the world that travel advisors aren’t just booking travel, they’re true curators of the future. She believes that those that find success are going beyond boosting their bank account; they’re building a business. Meeting and strategizing with these hustling entrepreneurs-in-the-making is what keep her going. That and her Bulletproof Coffee.