IAM803- Owner and Travel Matchmaker Inspires People to See the World

Samantha Schultz is the owner of Plan Your Perfect Vacation, Inc. a full-service travel agency, specializing in international travel, as well as Alaska and Hawaii. She has travelled to over 60 countries – which all started with a 6-week solo trip to Europe in 2002. She and her 3 associates help plan dreams and create beautiful memories for clients all over the country and have the expertise that simply cannot be found by doing a simple search online.

She has been published in Recommend Magazine, has been featured on multiple podcasts, and regularly attends conferences, educational events, and tourism board invite-only trips. Most recently she was recognized as a top producer with her host agency in 2019.

She started her business in 2016, and her mission and goal has remained unchanged today: To inspire people to see the world.

She is a travel matchmaker. Planning Dreams. One Experience at a time.

• CEO Hack: I am a routine type of person and prioritize my health and that of my business. I also read Atomic Habits by James Clear
• CEO Nugget: Relationships come first, both personal and business level
• CEO Defined: Planning each day with intentions

Website: http://www.planyourperfectvacation.com

Facebook- www.facebook.com/planyourperfectvacation
Instagram- www.instagram.com/planyourperfectvacation

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Transcription

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[00:00:02.20] – Intro

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place. Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO Podcast.

[00:00:29.69] – Gresham Harkless

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast, and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Samantha Schultz of Plan Your Perfect Vacation Inc. Samantha, it's awesome to have you on the show.

[00:00:39.39] – Samantha Schultz

Yeah. Hey. Thanks for having me, Gresh.

[00:00:41.79] – Gresham Harkless

No problem. Super excited to have you on. And before we jump in, I want to read a little bit more about Samantha so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. Samantha is the owner of Plan Your Perfect Vacation Inc., a full-service travel agency specializing in international travel as well as Alaska and Hawaii. She has travelled to over sixty countries, which all started with a six-week solo trip to Europe in two thousand two. She and her three associates help plan dreams and create beautiful memories for clients all over the country and have expertise that simply cannot be found by doing a simple search online.

She's been published in Recommend magazine and has been featured on multiple podcasts, regularly attends conferences, educational events, and tourism board invite-only trips. Most recently, she was recognized as a top producer with her host agency in twenty nineteen. She started her business at twenty sixteen, and her mission and goal have remained unchanged, to inspire people to see the world. She's a travel matchmaker planning dreams one experience at a time. Samantha, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO community?

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[00:01:40.50] – Samantha Schultz

Yes. Absolutely.

[00:01:41.70] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Let's do it. And you're doing so many awesome things. I wanted to kinda start, I guess, kinda at the beginning. Could you take us through what I call your CEO story? We'll let you get started with your business.

[00:01:50.09] – Samantha Schultz

Sure. Definitely. Well, I know you already touched a little bit on it, and thanks for, the introduction. Travel, I know it's a big part of a lot of people's lives, and obviously right now is a little bit different, but hoping it gets back to where it was. You know, it all started, like you mentioned, back in a thousand two, had never been out of the country before, hadn't grown up, in a family that travelled, and really didn't understand what the world was, outside of my little bubble of where I grew up. So took the leap and, as you mentioned, spent six weeks travelling alone throughout Europe and really didn't know what I was getting myself into. I was very homesick during that time, but by the end of the six weeks, fell in love with everything related, to travel. And at that point, it didn't quite hit me yet that I was gonna have a future in the travel industry.

It was more just how do I keep doing more of this. And, many years later, I wanted to take, you know, I've been travelling, wanted to take another really big trip. It was to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji, but three destinations didn't know a lot about. And I thought, you know what? I should hire an expert for this because I think that's something a lot of people do. You don't know something about something and you hire someone. So, reached out to a travel agent and, had an okay experience, but it wasn't what I was quite looking for. There was kind of a a lack of attention to detail, some personalization, and the ongoing care and support, leading up to the trip just wasn't quite there. So I thought to myself at that point, I think there might be a need for this.

There have to be other people who may be going through the same thing where they have this epic trip that they wanna go on and they need assistance and maybe can't find that right assistance. So, at that point, I still hadn't quite made the leap into kept travelling, really wanted to get more expertise, you know, as you mentioned. I mean, now I'm up to sixty countries that I've travelled to, but really wanted to get that experience around the world. And, at twenty-sixteen, made the leap. I left the corporate world because a lot of people that are, in corporate jobs understand you don't get a lot of time off of work. And I wanted that, flexibility. So said, alright. It's time to go. Time to start my agency, and now four years later, haven't looked back, even despite all of the challenges that twenty has brought.

[00:03:58.40] – Gresham Harkless

Nice. I definitely appreciate you for talking a lot, you know, about, like, how you got started. I think you use the phrase epic trip because I think you're absolutely right where sometimes, you know, you plan for this vacation as especially if you as you mentioned, if you're in corporate, you know, maybe you get, a certain amount of times per year, and you really kind of want this to be a really great experience. And I imagine it's definitely a huge letdown when that person may not, you know, have that attention to detail that you all provide, and you really don't get the experience, that truly epicness that you're hoping to have.

[00:04:26.50] – Samantha Schultz

Yeah. Definitely. I mean and a lot of people love to do their own planning or you know, they enjoy that research process, but then sometimes may realize, like you mentioned, with that short amount of time, they get there and they realize, oh, well, I didn't include this in my plan or I didn't realize I needed reservations to this and now there's an opportunity lost. And so sometimes if it is something that is going to be, you know, an out of the ordinary trip or somewhere you know you may not ever get back to, it might be worth having someone that's, you know, been there and is gonna make sure that it's gonna be perfect for you.

[00:04:57.19] – Gresham Harkless

Yeah. Absolutely. Somebody who's definitely, you know, versed and and understands all those nuances that sometimes we forget when we think we can do with a DIY route in so many different, aspects. So, I know you touched on it a little bit. Can you just take us through exactly, like, how you support those clients and what exactly that process looks like?

[00:05:13.10] – Samantha Schultz

Yeah. Well, I know a lot of people first, the question I always get when I meet new people is, you know, wow. Travel agents agencies still exist and agents still exist and absolutely we do. But I know that at least I believe my agency is not quite what a lot of people think of when they hear the word travel agency or travel agent. So my clients are the, you know, who I serve and how I want to serve. It's really individuals that, they're seeking expertise. They don't want to spend their fresh, their prep, their precious free time, planning and doing all kinds of research, you know, sorting through things online. There are individuals who are looking for life-enriching experiences, but looking for things that maybe they didn't know existed.

So, you know, to answer your question on the support standpoint, so it's beyond, just booking a plane ticket in a hotel you know, basically getting to know my clients through developing a strong relationship with them, getting to know what types of things do with them, getting to know what types of things do they like to do at home and how does that translate into what they might wanna do exploring a new destination. It has twenty-four hours of support. So, anytime that someone is travelling, not only do they have my support twenty-four hours a day, I usually always have teams, in the country that are available to be their support.

For individuals that don't travel a lot or maybe it's just a really new destination to them, it's providing them support on how, you know, maybe how they're gonna pack, how are they gonna prepare, what to expect as soon as they land. So the difference, again, between just, you know, hitting submit on a booking, it's really about getting my clients' time back in not having to worry about all those details. How am I maximizing their investment in what they wanna do and how they're spending their money on their trip? And then, you know, just knowing that they have, even though I'm kind of there with them, even though I'm not there with them, but having that support that if something gets off track or they have questions or they're just unsure, they always have someone they can reach out to.

[00:07:09.00] – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. And definitely sounds a lot like experience, so to speak, where, you know, you make sure that you do kind of understand, like, exactly what they look for. And I imagine, like, whatever you person within the, I guess, the travel group under wants and is looking for and what would they how they would deem or define a successful trip as well too is so important because you may not know of certain things that are events or places you can go when you're travelling to a certain place. But if you are dialled into that, then you probably provide and are able to kinda connect and fulfil that gap.

[00:07:38.89] – Samantha Schultz

Yeah. Definitely. Absolutely. It's it's it's individuals that are, you know, they're wanting you know, they haven't dreamed that they'd be able to do or just things again that are only going to add to that trip and make it even more memorable, than they could have imagined.

[00:07:59.19] – Gresham Harkless

Absolutely. And I think, again, like, being able to kind of have somebody you can lean on as far as expertise, but also if things, you know, happen during the trip, and have that, you know, twenty-four-hour support is so, huge. So, I want to ask you now for what I call your secret sauce, and this could be for yourself personally your business or a combination of both. But what do you feel kinda sets you apart and makes you unique?

[00:08:20.10] – Samantha Schultz

Well, I think, you know, from the start of my business, I realized, and I think this kinda goes for any type of business, you know, relationships are just so important. So with other, you know, colleagues, people in your industry, but obviously with your clients. And I think just understanding that every client has a different level of need. I you know, I'm really all about customization and not doing anything cookie-cutter. So really knowing that that different level of need is there and being able, to meet those different needs of my clients. And I know that's it is that's pretty basic, but I think a lot of times it's easy, especially as your business starts to grow and, you know, you start getting, busier and busier and it's you wanna automate and there are some things that can be done.

But for me, I feel like that client experience, there is no way that I can automate, that relationship-building part and just really getting to know needs. And needs to change over time too. I mean, clients I've had since day one, things, evolve and we have to be able to, you know, to keep up with that and just make sure I understand where they're going and how those needs are changing. But I know that also my secret sauce is I mentioned, you know, customization. Everything is always tailored to that individual client. And, again, you know, mentioned earlier about how my agency is just kind of beyond the, like, let's book a flight, let's, you know, book a hotel. You know, there is a very not I shouldn't say super in-depth, but there is an in-depth, consultation process, you know, where I'm getting to know them.

From there, there's a significant amount of research, but also partnership with the client, making sure we're kind of going back and forth and what their expectations and what their vision is for their trip is actually going to come to fruition. You know, and that comes through providing lots of proposals and, again, that just that, individualized experience, I would say, is is what sets me apart, and I think that sets me apart from, also to, you know, there are a lot of agents out there that are a lot of people consider them hobbyists. So, sometimes this is an industry where a lot of people do this as, like, a retirement, something that's fun, which is totally fine, but, a lot of times it's hard when you're not doing this full time and you're again, this is kind of your passion and your mission to inspire people to see the world that you get down kind of into the nitty gritty like that.

[00:10:37.20] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So I wanted to switch gears a little bit, and I want to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app, a book, or a habit that you have, but what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

[00:10:47.39] – Samantha Schultz

Yeah. Well, I would say, and maybe it was helpful because I did come from the corporate world before I started my business, but I am a very routine, type of person, and I know a lot of entrepreneurs that are kinda they rely on routines and they rely on, just having really good daily habits to, keep them successful. Starting my business, the starting my business, the same exact schedule or I shouldn't say the same exact. It's actually I work way longer hours now, although I love it. But I've kept the same schedule as far as, you know, I'm up at 04:30 most days, and I'm at my desk usually at a certain time.

And it's just keeping that consistent consistency in, that I have processes in place, and I'm I no matter what I guess no matter what comes up and no matter, I guess, how I'm feeling, I have to show up every day, and that and that's kind of why I love, you know, the name of your podcast because every day, I wake up and I am the CEO, and I have to show up and it isn't an off day, it's always an on day. So I think just having those routines, getting up, making sure I'm in my office and putting in the work, I would say kind of number one, that's been my biggest hack. And then I know another thing too, it's, it is said over and over again, but a lot of people don't realize the power of it, but I think prioritizing my health and the health of my business.

So I think there are two sides to that. You know, CEOs, those that run their own businesses, you know, a lot of times we are running very, very long hours, but knowing that I can't do my best work if I'm not prioritizing my health. So between, you know, exercising, making sure I get at least some sleep, I'm eating well and I'm eating regularly and not because sometimes at first, it was like the whole day would go by and hadn't had anything to eat or I was, you know, staying up till the wee hours of the morning and not sleeping and I finally realized, you know what, I can't do my best work for my clients, without my health, and then that's also going to then impact the health of my business. So I would say those are kind of, like, my two big ones, just for kind of my date my day to day.

But other than that, I would say for something more tangible, as far as a hack. I love reading, business books, and professional development books. There's one, that I read actually I'll probably read it every year for the rest of my life. I love it that much, but I sometimes will flip through it, just when I feel like things are getting off when I talk about that routine. But it's called, the book's called Atomic Habits. It's by James Clear. It's it's just a great book. I don't think it matters what industry you're in. It actually probably doesn't even matter if you're an entrepreneur. It is a fantastic book that talks about the power of habits and how they lead to success, no matter what your goals are. So that would be probably one of my biggest hacks.

[00:13:34.79] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. So now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. So this could be a word of wisdom or a piece of advice. If you were to hop into a time machine, you might tell your younger business self this.

[00:13:44.39] – Samantha Schultz

What I would tell my younger self even, before I started my business when I was in the corporate world, I this is gonna sound terrible, but I really did not prioritize relationships. And it wasn't, it was just something where I felt like if I just put in the work and if I worked harder and harder, success would come. And I actually found throughout my corporate career that it kinda backfired on me. And so when I started my business, I realized, you know what? Relationships come first, whether it's with my clients, other colleagues, just whoever I interact with. That's gonna ultimately lead me to success because if I surround myself with other great individuals, so, again, whether other entrepreneurs or just people that can provide insight and knowledge, that's gonna propel my business and propel me as, an individual.

[00:14:32.60] – Gresham Harkless

Love that nugget. And now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on this show. So, Samantha, what does being a CEO mean to you?

[00:14:42.70] – Samantha Schultz

Being a CEO means planning each day with intentions.

[00:14:47.70] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, Samantha, I truly appreciate that perspective. I appreciate your time even more. What I wanted to do is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know, and, of course, how best they can get a hold of you and find out about all the awesome things you and your team are working on.

[00:15:01.20] – Samantha Schultz

You know what? Entrepreneurs love to help and mentor others, and most people don't realize that. So whether it's me or someone else that you hear on this podcast, if you're listening and you have questions about, whether it's in the same industry or not, just reach out to people. I find that, I do that all the time, and at first, I thought, you know, oh, they don't have the time for me. Entrepreneurs will always make time for others because they want to see others succeed. So that would be just kind of my final little thought there.

And then as far as the best way to get a hold of me, I would say head to my website, which is w w w dot plan your perfect vacation dot com. There are ways to, schedule time to talk with me. It doesn't have to be about a trip. Again, if you wanna just talk business, entrepreneurship, or what's going on in the world, I always make time for those who are interested. So, again, my website, w w w dot plan your perfect vacation dot com.

[00:15:54.10] – Gresham Harkless

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. I appreciate that, Samantha. And we will have the link and information in the show notes as well too so that everybody can follow up with you. But I appreciate you for making time for us as well too and providing so many words of wisdom and some mentorship for us as well. And I think that, so many times we forget that success is a team sport. And part of that success is part of that team is actually reaching out and having mentors and people that we can lean on and connect with. And I appreciate you for, opening up the doors to do that. I throw my head in the ring as well too, and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

[00:16:22.79] – Outro

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO Podcast powered by Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes Google Play and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, and leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO Podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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