Featured Business – GottiTravel

I’d like to start off the month with a feature that I plan on being a monthly installment on this website.  There a are so many female entrepreneurs online that are working so hard at what they do that they deserved to be featured.

This month, Teresa Johnson of GottiTravel is our featured “Womenpreneur of the Month”

What is the name of your business? – Gottitravel, LLC,  Established November, 2007.

Why did you choose this particular industry/specialization? – I enjoy interacting with others and assisting them with planning the vacation of their dreams. Since I have many years of Project Management experience, I felt this skillset would come in handy with helping others plan their trips/vacations.

I obtained my Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. Once I graduated, I started out as a programmer. Being a programmer requires you to be somewhat of a detailed thinking person. This is another skill I felt would help me as a Travel Agent. When researching a trip, you need to ensure you have all the details from your client in order to plan the trip that meets their needs.

Having an on-line business was another reason I chose this industry. I wanted to give people the opportunity to purchase travel 24 hrs day / 7 days a week, without requiring assistance from a Travel Agent. This has proved to be one of the successful areas of my business. Last year, I made a pretty good profit from people planning their own travel via my on-line travel website.

How has owning your own business benefitted you? – My business has definitely helped me become more customer service oriented. I’m much more timely in following up with all customer inquiries. Being a customer myself has taught me that timely follow-up is critical to any business.

What is your biggest challenge as a business owner? – Filling most of the positions of my travel business – being the marketing rep, blog creator and publisher, lead generator, etc. is definitely a challenge. Creating a marketing and business plan has helped in how I organize my time. My goal for 4^th quarter is to outsource more of the work. This will give me the opportunity to do more of the strategic planning needed to grow my business.

What was your biggest success to date? - Having a monthly spot on The Recipe Box with Barbara Howard. This has allowed me to provide people with Travel Tips to various cities within the United States and gives me the opportunity to get the word out about my business to a larger audience. As a result, my travel requests have picked up at least 20%.

Who is your  inspiration? - My inspiration is Mr. Obama – Our first black President of the United States. Just watching him brave the storm to get where he is today. President Obama went through a lot of turmoil, but he never seemed to falter or let it discourage him from meeting his goal, which was becoming President of the United States. One must be focused and dedicated in order to achieve their goals. With President’s Obama’s win, it lets me know that anything is possible in this world. It’s what you make it.

What advice would you give a person who wanted to go into business in your same industry you’re doing? - First and foremost, understand what it will take on your part to own a Travel Agency. The one thing that I learned early on is that I cannot serve the universe. You must nail down niche(s) within the travel arena that you would like to focus. My main niche areas that I focus on for my travel business are travel contracts with companies or organizations, cruises, group cruises, group travel within the United States, Carribean and Europe. You cannot serve the universe. You will just get overwhelmed and give up if you do. Do something to market your business daily. Even if it’s sending out emails or bulletins about your business. Last but not least, never give up! Owning a business requires daily consistency. Never let others discourage you from your dreams. If owning a business is something that you truly want, work hard and the rewards will come. I’m living proof that it can be done!

If you want to get in contact with Teresa to find out more about what she does, her information is below.  I’ve worked with Teresa in the past and found her to be helpful, cooperative and professional.

Travel Site – http://www.gottitravel.com

Travel Marketing Site – http://www.ytb.com/gottitravel

Travel Blog – http://www.allaboutvegastravel.info

Business Blog – http://www.ebonywoman.info

The Recipe Box with Barbara Howard (1^st Saturday of each month) – http://www.blogtalkradio.com/TheRecipeBox

If you would like to be featured here, drop a note to me at ceecee @ womenpreneurs.info.