The road may seem long… and it is. However, these days it seems so much longer for me.
As frustrating as being a small business owner, there are so many strengths gained from believing in yourself and trusting the path you are following is the right one. As there are always detours, roadblocks, U turns and the like. However, know that you are always moving forward, right?
I keep telling myself not to quit, that's not who I am. I try to focus on this journey but it's so hard when you feel like you aren't getting your message across.
Recently, I've been receiving an overload of emails from people asking for "quick answers". Basically asking for free advice. They just need a "quick answer".
I'm about to pop all your bubbles, free advice askers.....nothing is "quick".
These types of requests take up my time and energy and I value myself too much to offer that for free. Another thing that happens quite a lot, when in the past I have answered these "quick" questions, there's always another question asked right after that without even a "thank you for helping me for free" response.
"Just can you answer this one last one...."
And that's when I delete the email.
I've been studying, living, connecting, visiting Italy for over 20 years. Last year, I finally decided to start offering trip planning on my website. Before that, I was answering random email messages out of the goodness of my heart. Why? Because I care and I truly want you to see the Italy I see.
Bottom line: Trip planning is never free. Even when you do it yourself, you pay for it with:
Your Time
Your Energy
Researching places
Contacting a travel agent
Finding the right Flight
Picking the right hotel/accommodation
Reading guide books
Commenting in Facebook groups
Deciding on the time of year
Dates
Sounds like a lot when you see it all together, right?
This is exactly why travelers hire travel consultants like myself, who specialize in offering custom trips to Tuscany for people who are willing to pay for this service.
I want to applaud all the travelers out there that do it all themselves. It's a lot of work and your family probably has no idea how stressful, time consuming, hard, frustration it can be. So BRAVO!
To circle back around to why I do what I do, I've been dedicating my life, some 20+ years ago, in finding the most unique experiences for my retreats and private clients. And this is my small business.
I'm a solopreneur, a one woman show, who doesn't have a virtual assistant, social media manager, copywriter or marketing manager. I do it all by myself.
My time is precious. I value my content, my advice, and myself. I have a lot of experience, expertise and wisdom of traveling in Italy for over 20 years. Please respect that.
Are you looking for Custom Trip Planning? Please fill out this questionnaire. Serious applicants apply, please.
Our Consulting Calls are not as big of an investment. A Travel Tip Call (30 minutes) will be an upfront cost of $125. An Excursion Planning Call (60 minutes) will be an upfront cost of $275. Consulting calls are on the Trip Planning page, scroll down to find them.
If you are a podcast listener & on our email list, you can receive 10% off the cost of either consulting call.
I want to congratulate all my fellow small business owners out there for sticking to their dream and moving past roadblocks like people saying "no", clients who don't want to pay, people asking for free stuff, collaborators who are not trustworthy. Let's keep moving forward. We got this!
Now go support someone you know who is a small business owner, with sharing their business, writing a review or an email saying “I enjoy what you do keep doing it!”
Thanks to all my supporters, followers, and clients! My dream is coming true thanks to you!