Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Lee.
Stephanie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Well, I just kinda curious about everything! So, since my parents’ travel agency was in the basement, I learned from observing and helping them out. (You know, mailings and things like that.) Later on, I put those experiences to work and started my own host agency.
After a while, I realized I wanted to take these experiences and help others with their own dreams. The world is just so big and fascinating. Somewhere in there, I also spent some time working in environmental science education which was a huge joy. Love the outdoors, especially the stars, and growing things in my garden!
Finally, I put these two things together and started my website, “Host Agency Reviews” which helps travel agents start their own businesses, get educated in the travel industry, and find a company to “host” them You can see the stamp of those years on my delight in helping others learn about the travel industry, and also the theme of astronomy that pops up all over — we give out annual awards based on the heavenly bodies one of my dogs is even named Orion!
As we’ve grown the company, it’s been super important to me to keep this aim of helping others and being generous with our time and knowledge. We’ve been given so much, and we want to give it back.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Well, I’m kinda one to focus on rainbows and good times, but I have had my own fair share of struggles to be sure. I’ve been fairly public with my audience about the chronic pain and health issues that beset me unexpectedly a number of years ago, and the choices that I’ve had to make to scale down and re-orient my life. It’s been a hard road. But I’m a very optimistic person, and I keep coming back to the main goal, which is to give a hand to new and experienced travel agents—many of whom find it difficult to locate in-depth, reputable information about the travel industry. That’s where my work comes in, and it keeps me goin’ on the hard days. That— plus the thousands of tulips I plant every fall to come up in spring. : )
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I’m super proud of our website, Host Agency Reviews, because there’s really nothing quite like it! I had heard from so many people in the industry over the years that it was really hard to figure out which host agencies (which are a bit like real estate agencies) provide the right fit for a particular travel agent, or how to get started, or build a book of business, or use a CRM, or find leads, etc.! So, I created what’s basically the “Yelp” of host agencies where each individual travel agency can look around and see where they would like to be “hosted.” It’s kind of like finding a college. Do you want a small liberal-arts school where you know everyone, or a gigantic research uni with lots of opportunities? So, our site hosts user reviews of host agencies, and people can read and research. We also provide a TON of education, which like I said before is super important to me. I like to keep most of those resources totally free. We have a podcast which has almost 250 episodes, plus a blog with hundreds of posts as well. We even run a complimentary online conference every year called Host Week, and as always, we bring the PARTY! It involves listening to host interviews and great keynotes (so like Shark Week), but also puppy pictures and local alumni big bands. I’m very proud of that.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Basically, I believe in 1) knowing your stuff and 2) giving generously whenever possible. I try to live like this, and it’s always yielded great results for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hostagencyreviews.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/2534866/admin/dashboard/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hostagencyreviews
