Ready to uncover the secrets of building a successful business while maintaining work-life balance? Get comfy as we welcome Wendy Gritzmacher, the founder and travel advisor of Bliss Travel, who managed to do just that! Wendy candidly shares her journey from corporate life to entrepreneurship, revealing how she launched Bliss Travel as a means to balance her career with motherhood. She talks about the crucial role that local resources like the Western Women's Business Center played in her transition, offering a great example for aspiring entrepreneurs.
In the spirit of holiday season, Wendy also shares some smart travel hacks to help you navigate the challenges of holiday travel. From the importance of extra time at airports to the genius idea of dividing belongings between two suitcases when you are traveling with a partner, Wendy's tips are bound to make your travel more stress-free. As a seasoned travel industry professional, Wendy's experience of being on both sides of the ticket counter sure comes in handy. Uncover the secret of a peaceful holiday trip and gain insights into launching a successful business in this fascinating episode.
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JPH:
Hello, this is Joanna Patrice Haggerty and I'm on location at the 2023 Holiday Pop-Up Market at the Asheville Mall, sponsored by WWBC and BizRadious. We have 50 local women-owned entrepreneurs here selling their goods and getting their name out there for folks. Joining me now is Wendy Gritzmacher, founder and travel advisor of Bliss Travel. Thanks for being out today. Thanks for having me. We're so excited. I love talking travel, but first, why don't you tell us a little bit about your business when it started, what you offer.
Wendy :
So Bliss Travel started in September of 2021. Like many people who came out of COVID, I decided to create a business for myself, and I had a daughter in kindergarten or going into kindergarten and I wanted the ability to go from a corporate structure to working from home and being able to pick my daughter up from school every day. So that's when Bliss Travel was founded, but travel is not new to me. I worked in the travel industry locally here in Asheville for the last 15 years and overall I just love everything about travel sending me people all over the world and kind of living vicariously through them and and I've also been able to travel quite extensively myself- I love that.
JPH:
Well, we'll dive a little bit more into some of your travel tips, hopefully if we get a minute. But I'd love to know a little bit about again how did you get into the business side of this, right? Because we have ideas, so turning them into a business is not always easy.
Wendy :
It's not and there are wonderful resources here locally like the Western Women's Business Center. They help together, put together a business plan for me with working with coaches and get financing and just overall kind of gave me an idea of logos and how to develop a business because I'd never done that before.
JPH:
That's amazing and we have to say, fellowbizradious host was one of those coaches you had right.
Wendy :
Yes, Laura W that people should know, Laura W.
JPH:
Mosaic Life. We love her so much. She brings so much business acumen to the table right.
Wendy :
Yes, she really was able to take my kind of crazy ideas and turn a business plan into something that was translatable to a bank, which is very different.
JPH:
Let's talk about that, right, because that business plan process feels terrifying, but when you have the right resources, it's not as difficult, right.
Wendy :
No, I think you know I was just coming out of that kind of COVID environment as a small business, so I think some of the processes took a little bit longer than normal. But yeah, every time you think that you've you've completed something and then you're like, oh, you need another form filled out or oh, you need to come up with proof of this, and so that could be kind of daunting, but having coaches like Laura from Mosaic, she really kind of just put it into easy terms for me to understand. And since then it's been two years and I've had a successful business and turned over it. My profitability and sales double every year.
JPH:
That is exciting and I just want to go back really quick and say there is no normal in business, so it doesn't really matter right, you got where you are and you're doing amazing and seeing return. Let's talk a travel tip or two for anybody who's curious. What do you recommend? How do we get the best travel advice?
Wendy :
So I think that's kind of a broad question as far as things, but I think in immediate travel, in the world of things, holiday travel is a big thing for people to be thinking about with. With Christmas and the New Year is coming very soon, and planning ahead and giving yourself extra time at the airports are gonna give you peace of mind, because if you show up late and the lines are long, you miss up a flight. Or if you have cancellations, it's best not to panic and be patient and know that you'll get on the next flight as soon as possible. Pack a carry-on if you can, because if your luggage is lost, you don't have your items with you, as if you're traveling only for a couple of days. And if you're traveling with a partner or a friend, put some of each other's things in each other's suitcases Genius. So if one thing is lost, you still have the ability to have other clothes and things to wear.
JPH:
So that is such a helpful piece of advice and now help us understand what you can offer and what you can provide for people who are curious about travel advising and things.
Wendy :
Sure. So I am a full service travel agency, so I think anything domestic or international could be cruises. It could be family vacations, weddings, honeymoons. Multi-generational family travel is quite popular when it's a grandparents 50th wedding anniversary or you're just looking for a weekend getaway, something fun and easy, maybe going to Charleston for the weekend or something like that. So there's no limit on where I can send you. It's just a matter of what you want to spend to get there.
JPH:
Well, we get that. So how can people find you and reach out when they're ready to have those conversations?
Wendy :
Sure. So you can reach me at wendy at blisstravelcocom, or my phone number is 828-579-4777 or my website is blisstravelcocom.
JPH:
Thank you so much for being here and for bringing travel to the local Western North Carolina community.
Wendy :
Thank you so much and have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
JPH:
Absolutely, and thank you guys for tuning in. Be sure to check bizradious for more great conversations around small and mid-sized businesses, leaders and innovators.