Luxury travel advisor Gia Lee started her business with no clients, no track record, and no industry experience. One year later, she scaled to over $2M in sales. In this episode, Gia shares what happened when she decided to stop dabbling and truly go all in. From investing in branding before she had a single client to hiring help earlier than most advisors would, she walks through the decisions that helped her build momentum fast. Gia also opens up about the less glamorous side of rapid growth: the late nights, the sacrifices, and the mindset shift required to bet on yourself when no one else has proof yet. It’s an honest look at what it really takes to start from scratch and build something that works.

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About Gia Lee:

Gia was born in South Korea, raised in the Philippines, and has lived everywhere from Salamanca, Spain to London, UK and Madison, Wisconsin. Today, she calls the Chicago suburbs home, where she balances life as a wife and mother to three wonderfully busy girls. With a truly global upbringing, she brings an international perspective to everything she does. Her background has kept her closely connected to emerging trends in fashion, food, design, and most importantly, travel. As the Founder of The Booking Club, an affiliate of Embark Beyond, she blends cultural fluency with elevated travel expertise to curate meaningful, design-forward experiences for her clients around the world.

thebookingclubtravel.com

instagram.com/thebookingclub

Today we will cover:

(02:30) Meet Gia: from food business to luxury fashion styling
(05:40) Going all in as a travel advisor
(10:45) The tools she used to start her business
(15:40) Standing out with social proof
(21:00) DIY branding and building a luxury aesthetic
(27:00) Creating meaningful client surprises and memorable moments
(32:00) The real sacrifices behind rapid business growth

Recourses mentioned in this Episode:

Free Workshop: Defining Your Non-Negotiable Boundaries

Client Communication Templates

Episode 191. Hot Take: You Need A CRM

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202. What It Means To "Go All In" On Your Travel Business with Gia Lee

TIQUE Talks: The Business Podcast for Travel Advisors