We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Grimes recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ashley , so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
Growing up I was the shy and quiet girl. I preferred to be at home, surrounded by familiar people and things. This was my comfort zone. I still consider myself a quiet person and my favorite place to be is still home, but I’ve learned that in order to grow you have to do things that scare you sometimes.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am an Independent Contractor with Pixie Vacations. I help families just like my own plan vacations to places like Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando. I absolutely love what I do! If you’ve never been on a Disney or Universal vacation, or even if you have, having someone like me in your corner is invaluable. I have first-hand experience and expert knowledge in the destinations I advise on, so I know what recommendations to make and what will suit my clients best.
Before I started on this journey, my family and I traveled to Walt Disney World often. My love for Disney and the priceless family memories we created while visiting the most magical place on earth is what fuels my passion for being a Travel Advisor.
Aside from my travel business, I am a wife, homeschooling mom of two kids, a Registered Nurse, and an Air Force Veteran. In most of the professional roles in my adult life, I have served others, and this role is no different. Serving other families and seeing the joy that the vacations I plan for them creates-it makes my heart so happy!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Being a Travel Advisor, it’s so important to have knowledge and expertise in the destinations that you are helping clients with. When you know your stuff, people trust you. I’ve stuck mostly to my niche of Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, because these are destinations that I know and love. People can no doubt see my passion just by browsing my business pages. I have also realized how important networking and creating relationships is when you’re building a small business. Be your true self, and with time you will see the gains.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Building relationships with other small business owners has been something that I’ve found to be very beneficial in terms of growth. Not only does it foster a sense of commraderie in knowing how difficult it is to build clientele and gain exposure, but it is an opportunity to show support and do something fun! I am always open to opportunities to collaborate with other small business owners whose target audience is families. If you’re reading this and are interested, please reach out to me at [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Instagram: ashleys_pixie_vacations
- Facebook: Ashley’s Pixie Vacations
