13. How top advisors choose which events to attend, budget for professional development, and plan their personal travels

We quite possibly have one of the coolest jobs in the world. We travel, we explore, we work with clients to plan their dream vacations and getaways. Whenever a client calls, there’s always excitement in the air as they tell us what they have in mind for their next adventure. 

At the beginning, for me personally, I said yes to every FAM I was invited on and I attended as many trade shows and industry events as I possibly could. This was great at the very beginning when I didn’t know anyone and I didn’t know what my future clients would be asking for, so I wanted to know it all. It wasn’t until I was able to progress a little further on in my business and look back that I started to realize that saying yes to every FAM opportunity and attending every trade show possible may not be the most time efficient nor the most cost effective way to run a business - especially when we’re not earning a lot of money at the very beginning. 

Rather than trying to learn everything in an attempt to be prepared for a client’s call, I feel we should rather accept FAM invitations, plan personal travels, and register for trade shows with intention - with the business that we would like to build in mind, not what a hypothetical client may or may not potentially request, sometime in the future. 

Joining me in this week’s discussion is Beth Bastian of Bastian World Travel, Emily Lockard-Furry of Traveluxe Official, and Sarah Brook Austin of Currie & Co Travels.

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