Have you met Kassey
Superstars
As you have probably noticed, we are a small, family owned and operated company. We have a grand total of ten agents, all hand picked and invited to join the agency by me.
In the travel industry today, agencies operate under one of two types of business models. There are agencies who derive their income from booking and servicing travel for customers. That’s us.
Then there are agencies who derive their income from “signing up” agents and charging them fees. That’s not us.
Many compare these “for a fee” agencies to an MLM, and they’re not off target on that. The owners of these agencies are focused on the number of agents, and therefore fees, rather than in the expertise of their agents. Many times existing agents receive a percentage of the commission for agents they bring to the team to “sign up”. Many of these “host” agencies have hundreds of agents, and quite a few have thousands.
It's a brilliant business model and frankly one I considered for several years. But…
When a host agency charges a fee and accepts a person as an independent contractor, they have no legal right to require any level of training, impose any sales goals, anything at all. If the agent pays the fee (and I use the term agent loosely) they are granted access to professional booking systems, and all anyone can do is hope and pray they don’t ruin someone’s vacation.
I have no intention of putting myself or my agency in that position.
I am, and have always been, completely dedicated to quality over quantity. Maybe it’s because my name is on the door. Maybe I’m a perfectionist. Most likely, it’s both. I never wanted anyone representing my company doing a mediocre job for one of my customers. And I consider all our customers to be “my” customers.
I initially planned for The Joy of Travel to be a one woman show. I wanted full and complete control over everything. Then, thanks to you, I got so busy I had to move the agency home. I thought if I could just book the people who called me, rather than also the people who walked in, I could control the volume. I could not.
So in 2012 I asked one of my top customers and referral sources to help me. Kassey Weaver. The two of us became so busy we asked more customers to join us. Erica Shaw and Shawnda McAlester in 2013, Lori Curtis in 2014, and so forth. Today we have ten incredible agents, all of whom have traveled the world, all of whom have extensive personal experience, all of whom are dedicated to providing you with the most amazing vacation experiences of your life.
Please allow me at this time to recognize Kassey Weaver as our top producer in 2023. She booked well over a million dollars in travel, joining the top 3% of agents in the nation.
Kassey has worked tirelessly to help me build a brand our customers can trust. She has mentored and molded the additional agents, always offering her expertise and insight allowing them to benefit from her deep knowledge base.
Kassey is offering a custom, personally escorted Christmas tour in December 2024. We worked on that itinerary together, and I have to say, it’s nothing short of spectacular. Munich, Neuschwanstein Castle, Nuremberg, Passau, Vienna and Budapest. It just doesn’t get better than this. We have very few seats available on this tour. Visit our website, www.thejoyoftravel.net and check it out under the “travel with us” tab. Then join Kassey Weaver, a nationally recognized superior travel agent in every way, on this magical winter wonderland adventure.
Kassey, thank you. Thank you for over a decade of always giving it your best. Thank you for being an inspiration to the rest of our team. Thank you for your friendship. We wouldn’t be where we are today without you. Congratulations.