Business Innovators Radio - Interview with Lindsay Blain & Kim Downs Owners of Castle Explorers Discussing The Travel Business

Episode Date: March 20, 2025

Castle Explorers is more than just a travel agency—it’s a community built on passion, connection, and opportunity. Founded by Lindsay and Kim—two moms, business owners, and travel enthusiasts—our mission is to help families and travelers create unforgettable experiences while empowering travel agents to build successful, flexible businesses they love.With industry-leading training, mentorship, and exclusive vendor partnerships, we equip our agents with the tools, support, and confidence to thrive in the travel industry. Whether you’re booking dream vacations or growing your own business, Castle Explorers is where passion meets purpose.Lean more: http://www.castleexplorerstravel.com/Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-lindsay-blain-kim-downs-owners-of-castle-explorers-discussing-the-travel-business

Welcome to influential entrepreneurs, bringing you interviews with elite business leaders and experts, sharing tips and strategies for elevating your business to the next level. Here's your host, Mike Saunders. Hello and welcome to this episode of Influential Entrepreneurs. This is Mike Saunders, the authority positioning coach. Today we have back with this Lindsay Blaine and Kim Downs, who are owners of Castle Explorers, and we'll be talking about turning your love for travel into a business you love. Ladies, welcome back to the program.

I, Mike. You there. Hey, you know, I hear many times like you go online, you go, hey, become a travel blogger and you can make some money. But you're talking about, hey, if you love the travel, let us show you how to turn this into a business. What does that look like? You know, I didn't even know that this was a thing probably for six years ago. and I can't believe that this is a business and this is our life now. So one of the cool things is that you can absolutely be a travel agent as a business.

It can be a side hustle that turns into a full-time career. It can, if you love your day job, it can stay a side hustle and you just want to travel more. And so we have agents that have differing backgrounds and different goals. And so that's what's really cool about this career is it can be as little or as big as you want it, but it has the power and ability to be able to become a full-time career, which is what Kim and I are doing now. You know, here's a question for you. As you were saying that, it made me think of something. There are some opportunities out there that if you hear about, it's like, wow, this is super lucrative, like owning, you know, a dry cleaners or owning a, you know, self-storage.

And it's really lucrative, but I don't really have a passion for that. So talking about starting your own travel business, how do you factor in with someone? Do they need to have a full on passion for travel? Should they be traveling 10 times a year? Or is it something where it's like, hey, it's a great business and you can do well. But if you like it, fine, if not fine. How does passion factor in? Absolutely.

So when I started in the industry, I remember them asking me, are you traveling five or six times a year? And we were a young family and we didn't have the money to travel. times a year. So I totally was like, sure, we go on a weekend every once in a while. And we don't expect people to be doing that because the reason why a lot of people have the come in this industry is because they want to travel more and they're stuck in their nine to five and they're just feel like they're missing opportunities with their family. And so passion is the most important thing. If you love to travel, if you want to travel more and usually a lot of our agents come to us and they, when

we're in the interview and I do all of the interviews for our agents, but they usually tell me something to the fact of, I help families already. When people come and have questions about a trip, I'm usually who they go to because I like to research and study and figure out places and plan. So those are the people that make the best travel agents because they're there already doing the work. And so we can get paid. Exactly. And what's really great is, is being a part of an agency is great because we handle all of the big overhead negotiations and things to take care of all of that. So all of our travel agents are contractors. So they're 1099 contractors. And so we take care of all the heavy stuff and the negotiations and all that. And they get to

just come and do the part that they love and get paid for it, which is great. That's pretty cool. So when you think about, okay, Maybe I don't travel 19 times a year, but I think I could and I love traveling. And where do you start? Like, okay, you start with talking to you guys, but what are some of the things that should be put into place for someone that might be thinking about starting in the travel industry that they should be aware of even as they're getting ready to talk with someone like you guys and kind of get some details? Well, there are some things in the interview that I talk about. I need in when we're looking for prospective agents, I am looking for somebody who is determined. I'm looking for some very specific qualities because we have built such a really great brand and a really great agency that we're very protective over who we have come and join us because we want those qualities to be the same.

So we have agents that are all over the country. we have them from all walks of life. We have dads and moms and people that are in the middle of life and beginning life and all in between. But the things that we're looking for are that they have the same qualities as our agents. So are they determined? Are they a team player? Are they somebody who is responsible and can take care of clients? Because we want to make sure that our brand is synonymous with being taken care of and feeling secure in your travel as families. We're looking for someone who not only wants to learn and grow in the business because it is ever changing, but also personally and wants to set goals for themselves and work to accomplish those goals that they are working on. And they're self-motivated.

Travel, I can teach Kim and I and our training team. We can teach you all about travel. But those qualities are being determined and self-motivated. Those are the biggest things that we're looking for. You know, I think that when you then go, okay, check that box and check that box and okay, I think I can do this. Do you just send someone out with, you know, here's a, you know, computer link to our website login and good luck or what kind of support and tools are you guys bringing and maybe training to help them get onboarded and learn the ropes? Talk a little bit about that that you guys are doing to help agents succeed. Well, that's actually where Lindsay and I were at at the other agency we worked for it.

It was, okay, go figure it out, go do it. And that's why it was so important for us with building Castle Explorers to provide the tools in training and support that agents needed. Because we knew there were going to be people just like me who after one family trip, I want to do this. And I have the passion and I am motivated to do this. I just don't know where to start. So we offer an entire training program that teaches them the basics on how to build their travel agent business, how to understand who is, you know, who do they want to sell to? Who is their client? They should be marketing their travel business to.

What is their value they're providing? The problem they're solving for that person. And then really it is, here's all those tools necessary, but you're not on your own. We are here to support you. So they have direct contact to Lindsay and I to answer questions as they're trying to understand what their business is for them. But they also have our training team. And we also have our entire team of travel agents who are, you know, some have been in the business for a month. Some have been with us from the beginning almost three years ago.

Everyone is willing to provide the support and help because when one person succeeds, it helps the entire business succeed. 100%. Yeah, that's really, that's really important. And I think that one thing that it makes me as a business person when I'm hearing you say this, it is, okay, now you've got the passionate desire. You've got me set up. You get me some training. That's really, really good. But now you need to go out and get customers.

So these agents you're bringing on board, you need to get customers. How do you teach them to market themselves? Maybe to attract the right clients, have to stand out because, again, yes, you guys do some special things. but how do you teach your agents to go out and get new clients and stand out from the crowd? Yeah, we want to make sure that they are as comfortable as possible because Lindsay and I have been there. We know it is terrifying to get out and get your first client. So a part of our training right before they're fully certified as an agent with us is that we work one-on-one with them. I have a welcome call.

We go through what their niches. So this should be, you know, what is something that they have passionate? for and that they want to sell and what have they done the training and receive the certification. And so they are confident and feel like an expert. We then walk through who is that client that they're helping build that trip for? What are the problems that they're solving for them? And then we talk through, okay, here's your ideal client, but now where do we find them? Not all ideal clients are just going to be on Facebook or on Instagram. Some of them, you may need to go to local events to find them. So we walk through what their goals are in their

first year business and what their marketing plan is to hit that goal and find their ideal clients. And it's really different for every agent that we have that comes on. Some are Disney focused, some want to do everything. And then we try to hone in on one thing to start. You know, some want to do Europe and some want to do cruises. So it's really, truly what they want to do. And then finding that ideal client so that we can build out what their brand is under Castle Explorers. and continue to showcase what their value is to the client. That's awesome. That's perfect.

What do you think about personal branding when it comes to teaching your agents to kind of build that personal brand? Because once you kind of know the ropes and know the lingo and know how to do the things, now it's like, okay, they need to be, you know, more than just, you know, what they're known for currently. But they need to build that personal brand of, I am a travel agent that cares for you. Well, I think that's really important as an agent is when you're figuring out who you are and who you want to help, people will shop from people. And so much of this industry is a service. This is sales, but this is a service industry. And so they want to do business with people they feel comfortable with.

And so that's why we feel like a social media presence is really important. And we even go as far as helping them gain the confidence and the things that they need to do to be able to show up as that person and to connect with their clients as they are traveling as well. 100%. And I think sometimes that confidence that comes from working with this many clients and then more and more that then builds that authority and that brand just in the initial conversations. That trust is built and that confidence is. built between the agent and and the client. So I think that's huge. You know, I've done over 1,400 interviews with entrepreneurs.

And I know in business, there is a value in picking a specific niche. So in the travel industry, what are you seeing with working with specific niches? Should an agent come in and go, I want to be the queen of cruises. And that's all I'm going to do because that's all I want to learn about and pick that niche. or should it be just all inclusives? Talk a little bit about developing that niche in the industry. We really want them to identify what they have passion for, what have they enjoyed helping clients plan,

where do they themselves enjoy traveling with their own family, so that they can truly become the expert in it. That way they are doing as much research, any certifications with vendors. So let's say if they want to specialize in cruises, we would provide that, you know, recommendation to them or that feedback that you should try to get on as many cruise ship vendors as possible so that you can provide that direct feedback to your client when they don't know which cruise line to choose.

We also know that that's just going to help them build their rapport and expertise that when someone comes and says, I want to go on a cruise, they can say, hey, I've been on you know, five different cruise lines. And for your kids, I know that this is the perfect one. They're going to love it because the water slides in the kids club. So we know that by honing in on one niche expertise is going to help them find their ideal client, we also don't make them only choose one. If they want to sell multiple locations, that's fine. But we want them truly starting out to focus on one and become an expert in that one destination or type of trip. Yeah, and as you're in this industry, things are going to grow.

So your first year, we always tell them to start smaller because the first year is going to be hustling and trying to build that client, your clientele and your book of business. And we have all of the training you could ever possibly imagine at our fingertips that people can get certified in very specific things. So we have agents that are certified in Hawaii specialists or like families with autism. or different destinations that are specific. And so we have all of that, but to start small, start with what you know or want to do. And then that will grow as you grow in this industry.

And it's almost like your first year, you're building and hustling and getting those clients for yourself. But then something amazing happens and you start getting repeat clients and referrals and your business will continue to grow. And these families will want to go to new places. And so as that happens, someone will ask you for a different place. And as a travel agent, you can decide whether you want to pass that person on to another agent that's in the agency that specializes or if you want to do the work to do all the certification and learning. But we have all that available.

And it's great to watch our agents split things to each other. Like, hey, I am, I want to stay focused in my niche, which we encourage them to do so because it's a lot of work to branch out. So stay in your niche and pass leads to each other and it goes vice versa. and it's been it's been a really abundant mindset way of thinking i love it so let's think about some of the success stories that you have seen with agents that work with you guys because you've got a large group of agents what are some of the things that you have seen them experiencing that have been exciting that transformed their business or their personal life um working with you guys at castle explorers you know i have one that i wanted to share that came to mind very quickly and

it was an agent that came to us probably a year after we had started. And she was a part of another agency. And it was a really big agency. And she was feeling really unsupported. And no one ever reached out to her. She didn't know what to do. There was no training. And so she came over to us because she felt something when she saw our social media

posts. And so she came over. And since she has come over, she got the support that she was. needed. She has met with us several times about working through things that she was struggling with. And at the time, she wanted to meet with Kim and I. And we have these meetings open for our agents because Kim and I are very different personalities. And we have very different strengths, which is really great because we compliment each other really well. And so we love to do meetings with our agents one-on-one because it'll be Kim and I and our agent. And we bring

different strengths to the table and different experiences. While Kim has been part of corporate America, which is a whole different world that's focused on goals and all of those things that she thrives in, I have grown up in an entrepreneur family and have done that our whole married life. And so having those two perspectives, we were talking to this agent and we're working through a couple of goals. And it was almost like she just needed someone to believe in what she could be. And we set some goals with her and we challenged her to see a little bit bigger and to believe in herself. And ever since then, she just hit the ground running. And we don't take credit for what she's done because sometimes we all need somebody that is a mentor and a help.

But she has done the work and broken through those things and that we're holding her back. And she is now our top selling agent. And she's writing, I think last month, she wrote on $175,000. She's hit a million a year and her goal now is two million in sales a year. So we have just watched her blossom and bloom. And sometimes we feel like the biggest thing people need is just belief in themselves to do what they're really meant to do. That's huge. Now, everyone cannot be like that example.

And I think that sometimes when you see the opportunity and hear that and you're like, okay, I'm in, teach me, train me. I will do these things. there tends to be like doubt and fear that kind of creeps up, you know, periodically. How do you advise and guide your agents on your team to handle those moments of doubt and fear when they're kind of plowing through trying to succeed? You know, that's really funny because I actually this past year launched an entire program just myself because I saw that so many of our agents were struggling and I wanted to give one-on-one attention.

and it's called self-worth to wealth. And so this is something that I've just done separate from Castle Explores, but it was something that was missing for a lot of agents. It was almost like, how do I get from nothing or like starting this business and having all this doubt and fear to becoming successful? And we hold their hand throughout the whole process. And we are so devoted to helping them understand the little things that are keeping them back and the fear that overcomes them.

And so a lot of that is figuring out what is going on in your own head and what are those things that you're telling yourself that are stopping you from being successful. And the biggest thing is fear that takes over. And we walk them through exactly how to gain those steps of being confident and working through those things and recognizing that those things holding you back are what's in between you and success and getting rid of that person in your head that is telling you you can't do it. We all have those fears throughout our life. And working through your mindset and your confidence are some of the most big important parts.

Yep. I love it. Well, ladies, it's been really, really great chatting with you. This is an unbelievable opportunity. Are there any final thoughts that you can think of that you would like to make about turning your love for travel into a business you love? and then what is the best way that someone can reach out and connect with you to learn more? Yeah. So my biggest thing I would share is if you just even love to go on vacation with your family,

this may be something that brings a little bit of additional joy to your life and allows your family to then travel more. And did I know when I became a travel agent that I would ultimately end up quitting my corporate job and having my own travel agency, heck no. But here I am living a much more freeing life that I don't have to sit at a computer all day long. And I'm able to spend so much more time with my kids now and my husband, which is really what I wanted all along. So you never really know, you know, coming into this business, what it might offer you. It could just be traveling more or maybe it is that additional time with your family. So if you are interested in learning more about us, you can

find us on our website, which is castle explorerstravel.com or on most of the social media accounts at Castle Explorers. Excellent. Well, thank you so much for coming back on. It's just been a real pleasure chatting with you again. Thanks for having us. Thanks, Mike. You've been listening to Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saunders. To learn more about the resources mentioned on today's show or listen to past episodes, visit www.com.com. influential entrepreneursradio.com.