And Speaking Of... Celebrating Our Entrepreneurial Journey

When this newsletter gets published to LinkedIn, we will welcome almost 200 guests to Mooresville to celebrate Gifted Travel Network's (GTN) 10-year anniversary. Our guest list for this event includes GTN members, partners, current and past team members, industry colleagues from Virtuoso Travel and ASTA - American Society of Travel Advisors , as well as family and friends. We kicked off our celebrations in February 2023, as that was the month of our date of incorporation in NC. October marks the month we onboarded our first Independent Contractor. It's been an incredible year of celebrating, and with the support of our preferred partners, we will celebrate in style on October 11.

How did we go from zero sales to making the Travel Weekly Power List with approximately 300 members, 30 employees, 100+ preferred partners, Host Agency of the Year at ASTA, winning back-to-back Magellan awards for overall training programs and countless industry accolades and recognition in 10 years??The answer isn't linear, that is for sure. Our success story is a confluence of factors rooted in our abundance mindset, a genuine desire to serve our community of travel advisors and elevate the professionalism of our industry, as well as intentional focus and passion for travel.

Reflecting back, I can say with absolute confidence that we never wavered in our belief that we would grow into what we've become. In business, you must embrace the unknown and be able to swim in uncertainty as you navigate uncharted entrepreneurial waters. Simply put, you have to believe it before you see it, while most people need to see it to believe it.

Our success also stems from our strong commitment to personal development. Meredith, Jen, Sandy, and I are equally incredibly self-aware of our personal growth opportunities, and we lean on one another for accountability and reframes. Having people in your life who won't dance in the drama with you but instead offer an empathetic ear while gently guiding you down a productive path is essential in growing a business.

On our journey, we've been blessed with incredible partners and industry colleagues who believed in our potential ahead of growth. At our Gala, we will honor two industry colleagues and a partner for their commitment to GTN. We look forward to honoring Chris Austin of Explora Journeys and Vicki Freed of Royal Caribbean International as industry colleagues for our inaugural Visionary Award. We will also honor preferred partner AmaWaterways River Cruises as our Distinguished Partner of the Year award. We will share how Chris, Vicki, and our partners at AmaWaterways supported us unconditionally and offered sage guidance and critical opportunities that led to significant momentum and growth for our network.

The way we scaled over the last 10 years is a testament to the ecosystem we've curated at GTN. Our team, advisors, and partners work together to change lives through travel. We hope our journey has inspired others to take a similar path and to pursue opportunities in our industry. The future is bright for travel and a necessary component of the human experience. I am so grateful for my journey and honored to celebrate our continued success with so many who have supported us along the way.

Drop a comment below if you have been part of the GTN story! I want to hear from you and share your experience through my LinkedIn series!?

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