Today we’d like to introduce you to Anberyel Gordon.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m bored and raised from Birmingham, Alabama. I am the oldest out of three siblings; I lived in a single-parent household. I was brought up in church. I was always intrigued by traveling internationally in domestic travel. My mom would also say, ” One day we will travel”. I couldn’t wait to grow up so I can travel the world. In my early twenties, I started traveling more with my spouse. My ex-in-laws went on a family trip every year; every year they went on cruises. That opens my eyes to new horizons.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have faced many challenges in business over the past five years. I have experienced cancellations from group bookings, individual bookings, defamation of character from referral clients, and government shutdowns. I have faced the 2020 pandemic. When the pandemic hit the nation in 2020, at that time frame I didn’t know whether to continue my travel agency. I didn’t know what my next step would be in business. I took a month off from my business to strategize on how I can be successful despite travel restrictions and COVID. I had to shift my mindset from booking cruises to booking more cabin rentals, vacation rentals, and all-inclusive travel. I knew travel would come back stronger than ever; travel is an 8 trillion dollar industry. Travel is here to stay. I started promoting travel packages for the years of 2021 & 2022 to all my new and old clients. I attended my first vendor event in the pandemic. I kept pushing forward despite adversity. I had clients booked on a vacation for 2021.
In the midst of COVID, I had one of my biggest bookings canceled. I receive clients from a referral, they want to cancel their vacation two months prior to departure with my all-inclusive supplier. There were going to be 35 passengers traveling. Prior to booking them on a Virgin Island vacation, They were so indecisive of the amount of people traveling with them and their destination. Most of the family in the group didn’t pay their deposit on the initial deadline due date. I had to negotiate twice with my supplier. At the time, my clients didn’t get the travel insurance when they wanted to cancel their trip. My supplier was offering a travel credit; I demanded that they get a full refund of their formal payment back to their credit or debit cards. The clients were offensive and harassing me on my social media accounts. I am learning it’s okay to turn some clients down; not everyone is good to do business with.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a certified Travel Advisor and Marketing Business Coach. I am the Owner and Founder of Fantasy Vacations LLC. My business is registered with the state of Alabama. I have been a Travel Advisor for almost six years. I was cruising every year, it just made sense to turn my passion into lucrative business opportunities. I get to do what I love daily by helping others create their dream escape at one adventure at a time. My first booking was from a coworker.
I ranked one of the top Advisors in my industry out of 59,000 agents worldwide, selling over $259,011.31 in a pandemic. I primarily sell cruises, international travel, family cabin trips, and beach rentals. I built my business on social media and offline. I have received a lot of word-of-mouth clients. I am currently working on obtaining my CLIA Cruise Counselor Certification through the cruise industry. I am focusing on growing and leveraging my business. I help the woman that are looking to add additional income from their household. No experience needed. You can work this business anywhere that has wifi access. I have woman on my team from Alabama, Maryland, South Carolina, and Arizona. My team is growing, I just added a business partner from Michigan to my team.
How do you think about happiness?
Traveling makes me happy. Traveling teaches me to appreciate & value cultural diversity, tradition, and appearances. Walking into my purpose brings me joy. Helping others brings me fulfillment. I love to share my wisdom in knowledge, of how they can tap into their superpowers. How they can live in a positive in abundance mindset. When you focus on the good, the good gets back. Change starts from within, you can’t live a great life by being negative. I love spending time with my siblings, I have been afforded to treat them to a new experience & a new way of life. That brings me happiness. Because as a child, it was a lot of things that I didn’t experience. I love to pamper myself, I like getting my hair done, lashes done, pedicures, and going shopping. I enjoy doing my own make-up, I am excellent at that.
Contact Info:
- Website: anberyelgordon.inteletravel.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/anberyel
- Facebook: www.faceboo.com/anberyel
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/anberyelgordon
- Other: www.facebook.com/fantasyvacationsllc
Image Credits
Walter Finley
