Our Pinnacle Agent of the Month, Tasha Lynn Stahl, is no stranger to obstacles. However, in her time as a travel agent, she’s become an expert at finding ways to overcome them.

She actually hadn’t traveled on an airplane until she visited New York City in 2003, but she loved travel. Her travel addiction developed after this first trip, and she started to visit new places whenever she could.

The idea to become a travel agent came when Tasha was pregnant with her fourth child. She ended up on bedrest, and unable to work. She researched and thought about her decision for four months before joining KHM Travel Group in January 2014.

“I decided to take the chance,” Tasha says. “I wanted just something part time to keep me busy and allow me to travel. I never imagined I would ever be as busy as I am now.”

It was a chance that has paid off. It took her a little time to get the momentum going for her South Dakota-based travel agency, Pack and Play Travel. Attending our Destination Success event twice — the first time just a few months after joining — helped her kickstart her agency.

“These events are very good when you are first starting out,” she adds. “You get to meet the KHM Staff and nothing is more important in this business than personal relationships. I learned so much at these events.”

Family health problems created another obstacle for Tasha and her business. Just two days after returning from Destination Success in April 2014, she suffered from a mild stroke, and ended up having to have heart surgery. She also has a son with special needs that requires constant assistance.

Even with these challenges, her agency’s business continued to grow. In January of 2016, Tasha reached our Pinnacle Elite Level of travel agents. She says that maintaining a balance between work and life, which can be challenging for many new agents, allowed her to be successful.

“Balance was probably the hardest thing as a new agent. Balancing clients, training, family and even taking care of myself. I wanted to get every booking I could and I worked all hours of the night,” says Tasha. “I learned to set hours and try my hardest to stick to them – besides when I had clients traveling.”

Attending live training events and FAMs provides her with the first-hand knowledge to shine with her clients. In fact, she says that every single time she invested in an event or FAM, she came home energized and ready to pass that excitement along to her clients. And each time, her sales more than made up for her expenses.

By positioning herself as an expert and as an advocate that is available to her clients every step of the way, she sets her clients (and herself!) up for success.

Her hard work and commitment has led to nearly 90 percent of her business coming from referrals. Even something as simple as buying clients coffee, or taking them out to lunch if they’ve made repeat bookings can leave a lasting impression.

“Invest in your clients, and they will invest in you,” says Tasha.

Her story is a perfect example of the dedication and discipline it takes to be an independent travel agent. Her advice to new agents is to not give up, and not dwell on the negative.

“Take those bad things and turn them into blessings,” she adds.

Congratulations Tasha Lynn on your success. We appreciate you sharing your story to benefit and inspire your fellow KHM Travel Agents!

If you’d like to learn more about starting a fun, rewarding travel agent career from home, fill out the form on the right of the screen or call 1-888-611-1220 for our free Travel Agent Information Guide.