From law to luxury travel, how Camy Duff turned her passion into business
A ‘trip of a lifetime’ to Costa Rica was enough to make Camy Duff quit her full time job, and start a business. Her wanderlust to 15 countries around the world served as inspiration. Today, she’s the founder and owner of Luxe and Lavish Travels Concierge Service, where she creates personalized travel experiences and getaways. What’s Camy’s mantra for creating a successful business? Let’s find out.
Q1: How is Luxe and Lavish different from other travel companies?
We are a luxury travel concierge service. We research, curate, and plan customized vacations for the busy traveler who is looking for an unforgettable experience without the hassle of handling the details. We create bespoke itineraries to suit every lifestyle. Business travelers and corporates come to us to manage their travel needs. Customers always talk about our ‘attention to detail’.
Q2: You were a paralegal for many years. What made you start a travel business?
After traveling to many countries, I became the go-to person for my friends and family to plan their vacation. I started enjoying that. It was satisfying to receive their positive feedback, and to hear how helpful my recommendations were. I also wanted the flexibility and freedom to work anywhere around the world, and wanted to generate another source of income for my family. The travel industry was a great option to get into as everyone travels.
Q3: When you were making your business official, what did you tackle first?
The very first thing I tackled was to research the resources and tools that would kickstart my business. I focused on coming up with a name, and then registering it. My next priority was to create a website and establish some operational procedures to stay organized.
Q4: How did you adopt the mindset of a business owner?
I hired a mentor to assist me with starting my business, because I realized being a business owner takes a lot of work and time. We carved out a Goal Setting Plan, in which we listed my goals for the year. We broke down those goals quarterly, and identified actionable steps for each. One of my top goals was to locate a travel host agency, and partnering with one was probably my first win in this business.
Q5: What do you see as your biggest challenge in running a travel business?
My biggest challenge was understanding my niche market. I spent time learning how to market to this group and creating content consistently. Identifying who my customer is, and creating solutions for their specific needs is an ongoing learning process.
Q6: What does a day in the life of Camy Duff look like?
The first thing I do is to set my intention for the day. I go through my planner to see what I must accomplish. It’s important for me to be organized in order to remain on track. I also set realistic and attainable goals for the week. Then I follow up on emails, calls and respond to inquiries. I try to get all my calls done before noon hour to suit all time zones. I dedicate some time to educating myself about latest travel rules and trends. I also create and schedule content for my social media and blog. My day begins very early, and ends late into the evening.
Q7: What is your advice to individuals looking to enter entrepreneurship?
Running a successful business is a lot of work. Consistency and sacrifice are key, especially if you want your business to generate a certain amount of income each month. If you are starting any type of business, you better have a passion for it. Because when you get knocked down, it will be important to remember why you started.
More about Luxe and Lavish Travels
Website: www.luxeandlavishtravels.com
Instagram: @luxenlavishtravels
Facebook: Luxe and Lavish Travels
Linkedin: Luxe and Lavish Travels Concierge
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