Small Business Bestie
Entrepreneurship is hard, and sometimes we could use a friend to walk a mile in our shoes. Small Business Bestie is here to provide that friendship, support, and inspiration that small business owners need from time to time.
Small Business Bestie
16: Gina Parsley's Journey with Charming Travel Company
Can launching a travel agency during a global pandemic be a success story? You better believe it! Join us as we chat with Gina Parsley, the visionary behind Charming Travel Company. Despite the chaos and cancellations of COVID-19, Gina transformed these challenges into opportunities, supported by her husband and a belief in self-investment. Discover the unique services her agency offers, including Disney and Universal vacation planning, and get Gina's top tips for all-inclusive resorts and cruise lines that cater to families and adults alike.
Maintaining routines can be particularly challenging for those with ADHD or suspected neurodivergence. This episode explores strategies to find your balance when life throws you off course. Hear about the importance of exercise in clearing the mind and the profound emotional impact of a "business divorce." Gina shares her experiences, comparing the emotional toll of ending a professional relationship to that of a personal one, highlighting the intensity and weight these relationships can carry.
Navigating the end of a business partnership requires open communication, legal and financial counsel, and robust support systems. We dive into the practical steps needed during such transitions and the importance of self-care practices like therapy and acupuncture. Learn why it's crucial to allow yourself to feel every emotion rather than suppress them, with the metaphor of the sky letting weather pass serving as a powerful reminder. Join us for an emotional and insightful episode that underscores the importance of support and self-care through challenging times.
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Welcome to the Small Business Bestie podcast, where we celebrate the journey of women entrepreneurs in the heart of Central Kentucky and beyond. I'm your host, michelle, and my mission is to create a podcast and community for us. Each week, join us as we sit down with a different small business bestie to dive deep into their stories, sharing the highs, the lows and everything in between. We will meet friends who are brand new in business, veterans in business and maybe even the occasional dreamer. So grab your favorite coffee or cocktail, get cozy and let's meet this week's small business bestie, gina Parsley. Thank you so much for coming in to chat with me today. I'm very excited because I want to know all of the information about what you do. It's so interesting to me. I've always been intrigued by it. So take a minute, tell everybody who you are and what you do.
Gina:Hi, my name is Gina Parsley. I am a travel agency owner of the Charming Travel Company. Our company started back in 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic. Smart Seems like a great time, right? Yeah, no, the way that I saw it is that was rock bottom. I had nobody traveling. I had people canceling, so I was like the only way to go is up, and so it just seemed like a good idea.
Michelle:Nice, so after COVID began is when you started your business.
Gina:Yes, how brave. I love this. Yeah, so actually I had been a travel agent for probably about three, four years before that and then kind of when COVID hit and like everything canceled, it was like why not? It was rock bottom. There was nothing left on the books, so anything that I got from there on was just bonus.
Michelle:I love that so much to like take the initiative, like I can't think of a better word than just the bravery to be like. Well, here we are. Let's see what happened.
Gina:I didn't feel so brave at the time, I will be honest. No, what did you feel then? I felt just like existential dread. And I have an amazing husband and he kept reminding me yeah, you're losing when you do this, because I left another agency and there were things that I lost when I did that. But he reminded me that that was an investment in myself and he goes are you not worth that investment? That that was an investment in myself. And he goes are you not worth that investment? That was really powerful, that he saw that in me, that he would ask am I worth? Because I'm like, of course I am, and so he's like, so then you're doing the right thing. That is incredible.
Michelle:Way to go. Husband Right, he's awesome. Okay. So what does your travel agency specialize in? Do you have like a niche market where you work specifically?
Gina:Yeah, so we are a earmarked, a silver earmarked, authorized Disney vacation planner. We're a you Preferred silver universal destination planner. We also specialize in all inclusive resorts and cruises.
Michelle:Okay, so I'm so sorry, but you're going to have to school me here. What is an earmark?
Gina:Yeah, so you preferred an earmark Our designations that we earn because of our commitment to quality and service with Disney destinations and universal destinations. So these are, you know, typically like sales-based. So we have a lot of experience in those two areas sales-based.
Michelle:So we have a lot of experience in those two areas. I see. Okay, so really specializing in getting people to the most magical place in the world, absolutely.
Michelle:Does Universal have a tagline? It's kind of like where the movies come to life. Oh, that's right, okay. And then you said all inclusives and cruises, yeah. So you're speaking my language on the last two, because the first two just seems so overstimulating to me that I'm not sure I could do it. So if you had a potential client who said I don't know if that's right for me, what would you say to try to sell someone on a Disney or a Universal experience?
Gina:Well, so I would say that's why I have a job, it's that job security, because the things that I mean they really are their own destinations and their own resorts and there's so much stuff that goes on there and it's constantly changing. That's why having a travel agent on your side is really helpful and beneficial. All travel agencies kind of do their things a little bit differently, but my travel agency we do not charge any fees for working with us when you book a vacation package with us, uh-huh. So why not book with a travel advisor?
Gina:Absolutely so I don't pay any fees to work with you, no, so we get a small commission from the suppliers for booking their information, and so, because of our designations, we get opportunities to travel down there and we get to learn about everything there. So I've stayed at all but two resorts at Walt Disney World a lot of it out of my own pocket. So then the other thing is, being a travel agent is not just free trips all the time, and you know, vacations become work. So I'm always there getting content when I travel, but I love what I do and I can't imagine doing anything else.
Michelle:That is awesome. Are there particular all-inclusive resorts that you prefer for, like, say, adults only couple, and then maybe a preferred one for like a?
Gina:family resort. Yeah, so if it comes to all-inclusives and cruises for adult only Sandals and Beaches. Sandals is definitely best. Sandals is the adult only. Virgin Voyages is the only adult only cruise line in the industry. Really it's phenomenal.
Gina:I mean it's you know, virgin, so Richard Branson, all that kind of stuff, and so I love the ship. The entire ship is designed kind of like a super yacht, so it is a cruise ship, but just all the finishes there's like nooks and crannies for you to tuck away and like enjoy a cup of coffee with your significant other, like just the whole atmosphere is super fun, super. I mean it can be party, but it can also be like tea time on the high seas, like it's such a like unique product. I love that one. Sandals is one of the best all-inclusives on the market because you have the most inclusions of any other all-inclusive on the market. But you get the price tag with that one, right, right. But then for families, beaches hands down the best. And then for cruises, disney Cruise Line, especially when you have school-aged kids. It truly is unique in that aspect.
Michelle:Okay, wow, I've been to a few sandals resorts and I do love them. Are they awesome? But it doesn't really feel like something that we can do every year for where we are in our lives. But, yeah, they're really fantastic yeah.
Gina:The price point's a little high on those. So there's some other ones that we can, other suppliers that we work with, and so we can recommend other ones. Some of the destinations you go to can be a little bit more budget friendly. Yeah, a little bit more budget friendly. I like that. You know, like Mexico, always you can get really good rates there, the Dominican Republic but I mean it really just kind of depends on what you're looking for and what your budget is.
Gina:I am a big proponent of vacation every summer with the family. Yeah, I am a big proponent of vacation every summer with the family. Yeah, it's just a really good time to like unwind and reconnect and kind of get away from the day to day. For sure, and I think because we travel so much as a family, it has changed the way that my kids look at stuff and things. They realize that, you know, we don't necessarily have the fanciest house or drive the fanciest cars, because we want to invest in traveling together as a family. So even when it comes to like buying clothes or buying shoes or buying things, my kids are very frugal in that sense. I mean that's kind of what we try to do as parents, right, we try to teach them what's important in life, and it's not always things, it's memories and the people around us right, absolutely.
Michelle:I love that. That's beautiful. So okay, how did you get started in the travel business so?
Gina:my daughter was a year and a half and we were, as most, like married first young married couples. We didn't have a lot of extra funds. So my husband was going down to Orlando for a conference and we were able to tag along. So my daughter and I tagged along. She was one and a half so we didn't have to pay for her to go to Disney. We went to Disney for one day and my husband had said, like just know, this is not going to be an every year thing, like this is going to be the one time we go. We'll probably go if we have another kid, but like, don't get used to this. We went for that one day and we get back in the car and he goes. So when are we going back? So I started with that and then I started thinking you know, I really love this.
Gina:So when I went to Disney in high school it was my senior year of high school, I just graduated my parents brought us down to Florida and we had no idea what we were supposed to do at Disney World. So we didn't have any reservations. We didn't know how to use the FastPass system. Like I said, it's a whole thing to go there. Yeah, and we didn't have any of those things and so like we didn't have a bad time, but we didn't have a great time either.
Gina:So when I went with my family that very first time, I did so much research because I didn't want that same experience. And so then when I got home from that trip, I kind of confided in my husband that my dream was to help other people plan their Disney trips. That would be like my dream job. And he's like cool, so what do you need to make that happen? I'm like well, we have to go, you know, a couple more times. I need to really understand the product and then, you know, then I can look into a travel agency. And so, not even kidding you, he had this in the back of his head and so for the next three, four years, his job, his goal, was to get us to Disney World so that I could get that experience under my belt.
Michelle:Man, where is husband? I need to meet him. That's like the second time. He's almost made me cry and I've not even met him.
Gina:So it's actually really funny because you can meet him on the podcast that I do with him. So my husband and I have a podcast that we do together. It's called Officially, charming Travel. You and I actually have the same podcast producer.
Michelle:Okay, Well, anyone with you know half their weight in wits in Lexington doing a podcast probably has that person. Oh, she's amazing. So, Jennifer, thank you. We appreciate Bourbon Barrel podcasting.
Gina:Yes, for sure, for sure. We could not do it without her. But yeah, so my husband does the podcast with me. He is the most supportive person that I have, you know like, ever met in my entire life, because I did not have this experience growing up, and so it's been amazing to have somebody who believes in me so thoroughly and believes I can do all things.
Michelle:So is he?
Gina:a part of the business with you. She kind of helps me with the business, but he's more like my sounding board, so he actually works at the university and so one of the things that we love doing is he loves listening to podcasts and audio books, and so we are always exchanging ideas on like leadership books and entrepreneur books and podcasts, and so it's kind of fun to have like the super nerdy kind of HR guy with me.
Michelle:Yeah, I love that and I love that. You just called him nerdy because we were having a conversation before we started recording about you know what big dorks we both are?
Gina:Such big dorks but like kindred spirit dorks.
Michelle:Exactly, but that brought up like such a meaningful conversation for us because you know, like you were telling me, it's so powerful to like live into your dorkiness.
Gina:Yes, so talk to me about that a little bit the genuine version of myself and not being anything that anyone else has expected from me, that that is when I find my success, that is when I find my peace, that is when I find my joy in my business and my life.
Michelle:I love that so much. I am, admittedly, like a giant dork and sometimes I do try to like put on a different face because I'm afraid that, like the people in the room are, you know, they're more serious than me, they're more successful than me, they're more, more something than me, and as soon as I try to do that, of course that's what I make, the biggest fool of myself, right, because I can't maintain that Right, it's that imposter syndrome.
Gina:We always have that imposter syndrome that we're feeling. So I went in and I got diagnosed for ADHD and one of the questions they asked me is what do you do for your job? And I was like well, I am a travel agent that specializes in Disney destinations. Basically, I found a way to monetize my hyper-focus. They laughed and they were like you are not incorrect. Wow.
Michelle:So you have ADHD, uh-huh, and that helps you to hyper focus? It does, but it also it's a double edged sword, isn't it?
Gina:Is it? Tell me about that? Well, with the ADHD, I can hyper focus, right, Like I can sit down and I can build a website for three days and not eat, uh-huh, but then I burn out. I burn out really fast, and so I think one of the hardest things about being a woman with ADHD a lot of it is internal, that voice internally we want to be a perfectionist and so we're fighting that all the time. But the best way that I found to manage my ADHD so I did go down the route of medication that ended up not being a good fit for me. So in order for me to manage my ADHD, I have to take care of all the parts of myself. So I have to make sure I exercise regularly, I go to bed at a regular time, drink enough water, eat the right foods spiritually, take care of myself. Mentally, take care of myself. You know meditation. It is a full-time job. Just surviving as a human, it is.
Michelle:It absolutely is. I love that you tried the medication route. It didn't work out for you and then you went. Let's go back to the drawing board and figure out what actually does work for me, and you've found something that does help you to be able to maintain like a sense of like, peace and stability in your life.
Gina:It sounds crazy, but you know, the whole thing about having ADHD is I struggle with maintaining a routine. But that's when my brain works. The best is when I have a routine. So I have to really force myself to have a routine. Yeah, but that is when I find my groove and my peace. And how do I still fit that routine in when life is life Right?
Michelle:I think one of the things that's been hardest for me as a person. I don't have a diagnosed ADHD diagnosis, but I definitely think that I have some sort of like neurodivergence of some sort. Or maybe I'm just like so busy, I don't know.
Gina:you know, I think women that are entrepreneurs and are in business. I think we naturally all are neurodivergent. I think we just like we need it.
Michelle:Yes exactly, and I agree, though, that, like having that rhythm and routine and making sure that, like you're exercising, you're eating right, you're going to bed at the right time, you're reading the right books, you're, you know, resting because that's something that I forget Like then I get so busy doing like I'm exercising, I'm eating, I'm cleaning, I'm doing the things that I have to do, and then I'm like, oh yeah, and I also have to like take a minute or a day, right you know. But yeah, I think that, like, when things like upset the cart and you fall out of that routine, have you found any particular tools or methods to help you like pull it all back together again and get everything back in line, get back into the routine?
Gina:For me, the one thing that I have to be consistent about and the thing that I always let slide is the exercise. I have found that even just like a little bit of movement going outside and walking for five, 10 minutes will do wonders for clearing my brain and letting me kind of map out what I have to do again.
Michelle:Yeah, so just a few minutes of movement and sunshine if you can get it.
Gina:Yes, so I have this loop right around my neighborhood that I'll take when I just need a brain break, and a lot of times I don't even do it with headphones in or anything Like, I just walk and I guess it's about being present. So it's kind of meditation, yeah, at the same time taking in the sunlight or maybe the cloudy sky, whatever it is at the time, right and just centering myself again.
Michelle:Yeah, that's amazing. So let's switch gears just for a second, because, before we run out of time, I want to touch on this and just kind of see where the conversation can go.
Gina:Okay, because you have experienced something that, unfortunately, I think a lot of entrepreneurs will experience at some point, and that is, as you described it, a business divorce, yes, and I think divorce seemed like such a powerful word to use with that, but I think it is the appropriate word because it embodies all the emotions that go along with that and that's what brought my attention to it.
Michelle:You know, when you filled out the form, when you submitted that you'd like to be a guest, and I read that and I thought, man, like I've heard of a lot of people going separate ways in their businesses or, like you know, a business dissolving or whatever. But to have someone describe it as a business divorce, like really it brought me back to a time that I experienced where I didn't legally have a business partner but I had a very close, you know, friend and colleague who was in the business with me, quote unquote you know I owned the business but she was in it with me and when we had to go separate ways it really did feel like like a divorce, a friendship divorce, a business divorce, like all of these things.
Gina:And so I read that on yours and instantly was like, oh yeah, I mean so you, I remember saying when we first started working together this is a business marriage, we're going to work through things. We're going to work through things. We're going to disagree with things. The only thing that I ask is that we stay open and honest about it, and I think that maybe part of it was. I went into it with the expectation of what I have with my husband, because we can talk about things and when we have disagreements we disagree, but we always come back to let's work it out. And so maybe that was me not being ready to realize that that's not the world. This is his fault. He's giving me an unrealistic expectation.
Gina:But I mean, it's realizing that we're all people, we're all humans, we all have our strengths and our weaknesses and our failures and our you know our different traumas that we're all carrying with us. And just like it is difficult to find your spouse and it's difficult to find that person that understands you, I think it's really difficult to find that business partner that just gets you. And so, when things sour, it's hard because there's so much emotion in it. You've poured your blood, sweat and tears into this job. You are so passionate about what you do, and then to have all of that like thrown in your face is hard, right, how do you value things like that, like a monetary value on something that you were doing because you love it, right, yeah, yeah. And then just kind of all the emotions that go along with that feeling completely violated and taken advantage of and being thrown aside, and it's not a simple thing is it?
Michelle:no, and I think it's interesting because, just like relationships, like the breakup of one business doesn't look or feel like the breakup of another business. You know, and so like even knowing how to navigate, what are the legalities of what we're doing here, or, like you know, what's the actual next step in having to take those steps, while emotions are so high and people are feeling hurt or people are feeling, you know, unheard or whatever the emotions are in that moment. File that paper, and I mean well.
Gina:So, first and foremost, get a good lawyer, have an amazing accountant. Right, like, yeah, those are the two things that you need when you're going into that, because it helps to have people who are not intimately involved in the situation. Right, so a lawyer looks at it legally, your accountant looks at it from the dollar signs amount. Yeah, like, you see the assets, you see, well, this isn't actually worth anything. Right, I don't care who takes the plant?
Gina:Well, I mean, we had an instance where it was I will equate it to Starbucks rewards and SkyMiles that were thrown into the equation and was trying to be evaluated, and I spoke to both my attorney and my accountant. They're like those things actually don't have any monetary value. So what was the decision on those? We were able to take those off the table as a negotiating tool, like as a thing, because they don't actually have any monetary value. Because they don't actually have any monetary value. That's an interesting point.
Michelle:Wow, I guess I've like never come into that scenario where it's like what would?
Gina:you do with those? I guess, like just, I mean, the way that they're written is their programs, their rewards programs that can be discontinued at any time by the suppliers, so it's not actually worth anything. But yeah, when you have somebody who is coming in very emotionally, those kind of things get brought up.
Michelle:Absolutely. I think I already told you this like when I feel like hurt or, you know, if my integrity is questioned, I get very hyper emotional and my go to emotion is always anger. So that would have been me. I would have been like I need all the things and these are the things.
Gina:So I think that's the thing is like when you're negotiating, you only say certain things right, but then, like when you're talking to your attorney and you're talking to your accountants, you're talking to your people, your team. It's a different side of things that happens. Yeah, absolutely, because the anger was there.
Michelle:The anger was there, the hurt was there, the disappointment was there, the feeling of I'm going to put a word in your mouth, so tell me if I'm wrong, but the failure was there. It didn't work. What did you find that helped you get through that? How did you come out the other side of it?
Gina:When did you have so the aha moment was actually quite recent, like literally within the last week or so. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have people in your corner. I have an amazing support system and I have friends that reminded me of what I was doing and why I was doing this, what I should be looking for. I have an amazing therapist. I have an amazing acupuncturist that helps take care of my whole self, and so one of the things that my acupuncturist kind of told me was look at the sky. The sky lets the weather happen. The sky lets the rain come, lets it be sunny, lets the wind come, but at no point does the sky try to hold all those clouds in. And she's like what you have been taught since you were a child. Because I was always very emotional as a child, I was told I was too emotional, that I shouldn't be upset, especially with things that were injustices. Being Asian in Ohio, there were times that I was made fun of for speaking another language or eating different food or just the way that I looked, and 30 some years ago, that was not things that we talked about. Our teachers told us to suck it up and just deal with it, so I was taught to hold my clouds, that the sky should always be clear and blue and we should have no negative emotions, and so I'm always trying to hold on to all these clouds and at some point you can't hold on to them anymore and they start sneaking out. So, instead of trying to hold all those emotions in, I have started letting myself feel the emotions. And that sounds so simple, but when you're not brought up with that being normal, it is a huge thing to get to that point, right, yeah? And so now I'm just letting myself feel the emotions as I feel them, and this sounds crazy, but I've cried the most that I've cried in like 20, some years, like in the past week, in the past two weeks. Go of this to just, yes, oh my gosh, I mean and it's little things about just it wasn't fair. And I and you know there's a lot of that because we are perfectionists Uh-huh, how did I not see that? How did I not see the red flags? And then you start it's that anger. How did I let this happen? Yeah, not see the red flags. And then you start it's that anger. How did I let this happen? Yeah, how did I not see the red flags 10 years ago. How did I not see the red flags two years ago? Why didn't I say something?
Gina:And then there's that realization that I can't hate younger me. Like look at your kids. When you look at your kids and they're two and they're learning things and they mess up and they call Chick-fil-A Chick-a-lay. We don't get mad at them for saying that wrong, right, it's a learning opportunity for them and we let them mess up and we let them fall and we let them figure things out and then it's amazing what they become. Why do we not extend the same grace to ourselves? We're so hard on ourselves. And so it's that realization that 10 years ago me was not ready for this. I've grown so much in that time and I think really opening up the conversation about those past hurts, and you know like I'm a huge proponent of everybody needs therapy. Amen, everyone right.
Michelle:Like everyone needs therapy, probably more than you're getting. If you're getting it, it's not enough. It's not.
Gina:It's so hard to get in with a therapist these days, but the growth that I have had by finally seeing myself as a human, yeah. So it's interesting because one of the things I learned in my meditation this past week was a phrase instead of how could you, you know, how could you be so stupid Changing that to oh how human of me. So, when you make a mistake, oh how human of me.
Michelle:Oh, I love that. Isn't that an awesome phrase? Yes, it is so like, applicable to any situation, because I am definitely the world's worst. Maybe not the world's worst that's probably an exaggeration, but I'm so guilty of being so hypercritical of myself.
Gina:It's a strength. It is a strength as well, because we would not be the businesswoman we are Absolutely Without that voice in our head, absolutely, but it can also hold us back right. Our greatest strength is our greatest weakness.
Michelle:I love this conversation. I'm so glad that you're here today. I think it's really interesting that the episode that actually dropped today, ironically, was with Cheryl Wolferton, and she is a life coach and she spoke about some of the same topics. So to hear it. You know, when I listened to the episode this morning to hear it from Cheryl, and then to hear it today, like you speaking it to me again, I'm just like it's so great how God knows exactly what we need to hear and he's just like let me put it in your path.
Gina:Seriously, it happens all the time. I cannot say enough. How many times there were times that I just well, I just want to say that thing, I just want to say it, I want to get it out, but then everyone around you is like no, let it go, let it go. But then God gives me the opportunity to say it exactly as I wanted to say it, in an appropriate manner.
Michelle:I am so, so grateful that everything lined out the way that it did. What a powerful message, and I'm excited to know about your business as well. Like, I'm very excited about that because I know a certain little five-year-old that lives just two doors down from where we are right now who would be very excited about any of those trips.
Gina:Oh, yeah, for sure it's. My favorite thing is to create memories for families, because I feel like you know, we kind of touched on this before At the end of the day, what we remember is not the stuff, it's the experiences that we had together with our families Absolutely.
Michelle:Well, thank you for doing the work that you do to provide that for the families.
Gina:Well, thank you for doing the work that you do to provide that for the families and thank you for your wisdom and insight on dealing with the types of issues that can come up with business and just being a dang woman.
Michelle:Thank you for this opportunity to share. I had so much fun chatting with you. I did as well. I hope that we'll do it again soon and before we go, tell everybody how they can find you and your business.
Gina:Yeah, so you can find me on Facebook on the Charming Travel Company, and then we do have my podcast, which is officially Charming Travel, but our website is thecharmingtravelcocom. So yeah, lots of ways to find us on the internet.
Michelle:Perfect. I'll make sure to link all of those in the description of this episode and also on the social media posts that we make about it. Awesome, so, gina, thank you again so much. It's been so fun to chat with you. Thank you, see you all real soon. Bye, guys. Well, that's it, friends. Before we go, just a little reminder that I'm your host, michelle, and I'm the proud co-owner of Cultivate Accounting, where we help small businesses with accounting, and I help besties like you go from idea to launch and beyond with personalized small business coaching. No matter what phase of the journey you're in, I'm here to cheer you on every step of the way. Connect with me on Facebook at michellesmock.520. New episodes of the Small Business Bestie podcast drop each week, so hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. Do you want to be a bestie on the show? We'd love to hear from you. Just head over to smallbusinessbestiepodcom to submit your guest request. Until next time, keep dreaming, keep going and remember. Do it even when you're scared. Thanks for hanging out with us.