The current isolation and stay home policies have created some new habits for all of us. For me, it’s watching TV shows that I wouldn’t usually bother with. And that’s how I found myself watching ‘Chasing Happiness’ a documentary about the Jonas Brothers on Friday night.
I don’t have teenage girls at home so I was not familiar with their story. They grow up as preacher’s kids in Wyckoff New Jersey. Their talent was discovered early on and Nick was even acting in Broadway. Eventually, they started singing as a band, were beginning to draw crowds and even had a record deal.
And then…
It turned out that many of the parishioners did not appreciate the type of music the boys were singing so their father lost his job and because they were living in a church-owned home, they became homeless. They were able to find a very small house to rent and went through a very difficult time. But they slowly worked their way back and became more popular than ever.
And then it happened again. They went through a very tough time of separating as artists and the family bonds were strained. But they worked their way out of a very difficult situation and are now touring back together as a family and are arguably one of the most successful groups in modern history. They didn’t give up, even when things seemed bleak. And neither will you.
I have been there too
I have been in the tourism industry for over 20 years. And although I don’t shout this from the rooftops, I have been fired twice from jobs I loved. It was horrible, humiliating and panic-inducing. I was a single parent and the sole means of support for my family of 4.
November 2000
I came back from Thanksgiving break to my job at Steamboat Landing, where I was the Director of Sales. I was in charge of sales at the Canandaigua Lady paddlewheel steamboat ( a very popular group tour attraction) and a banquet facility that hosted meetings and events. In September 2000, a new management team had been brought on board to try to help the struggling restaurant area of the business. I was a bit concerned, but my areas had always met their sales quota and I had great teams in place. I was called into the new managers’ office and told that they had to cut costs so they were eliminating my position immediately. To say I was in shock was an understatement. They handed me a cardboard box so I could clear out my office.
April 2008
I was working as the Program Director at Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance, a 14 county regional Tourism Promotion Agency. It had been a challenging few years as we had gone through 3 presidents in 5 years. But I loved helping my partners, working with tour operators to sell our area and promoting the Finger Lakes region of New York around the world.
I should have known when I saw our HR company rep pouring a cup of coffee in our break room, but I was so busy that I didn’t think much of it.
Until I was called into the president’s office and said HR rep was sitting there. I can feel the panic now just as I did that day. They told me they had eliminated my position and were creating a new one. I was welcome to apply for it but it was a much lower salary. I could leave then, or work for two more weeks and then leave, but that I should go home for the remainder of the day and let them know.
I will spare you the details, but I had to go into that job for the next two weeks because my sons were in college and I needed the paycheck. It was some of the worst weeks of my life. None of the staff would look at me or speak to me and I thought my tourism industry career was over. I cried every day on the way home from work.
And here is what I learned.
While I was going through the difficult situations of being fired, I was sure my career was over and that I would never find a good job again. But I learned to set a plan every day and reach out and talk to others. In one instance, a conversation I had with a friend led to a contact that lead to a tourism job that wasn’t a great fit, but it put me in the right place to get the next job.
After I lost the job at FLTA, I decided to try to start my own tourism consulting company which is what I did from 2008-2010. The skills and tenacity I learned then helped me get hired for my role at the Corning Museum of Glass. And after 8+ wonderful years there, I decided it was time for me to reach out and help others be successful tourism professionals by starting up my consulting and training company again. This time bigger and better.
What can you do today?
Some of you have been let go, some of you have been laid off and are just waiting for travel to pick back up. Either way, I want you to accomplish two things today. Write down what they are and cross them off after you do them. And do it again tomorrow. Taking action is the only thing that will help us move forward during this difficult time. Do you need an accountability buddy? Email me what your two actions were that you took after they are done. I am here to help!
My mission with my business is to help you get more visitors through your doors. But today my mission is to tell you- You will get through this. You will learn valuable things during this experience. Being tested is what forces us to grow. This will not last forever and there are good days ahead, I promise.
How can I help you this month?
Have you checked out Tourism Pro Academy? There are free resources, online courses and more. Take some time to learn something new during our National “Pause”. I am adding new courses this month so check it out! Click here to access the site for free.
DMO’s – Are you looking for ways to provide some value to your members during this time? I know many of you are struggling to find ways to support your partners. I am developing a series of 3 webinars called Take Action- Plan for Tomorrow that your organization can offer now. Reply to this email and we can set up a time to answer your questions about the Online Tourism Training Program.
New! Profile Sheet 911. We know that your profile sheet is your sales ambassador in the Group Tour market. Is yours doing it all it should? Is it effective in answering tour operator questions and making your business sound appealing? Get ready now for when group tours start picking back up. Get ready now for the upcoming trade show season! Sign up for the new Profile sheet 911 program. For only $69 you will get a customized review that is also recorded. Click here for more details. This will be fun!
Can I ask a favor?
I would love it if you would share this post with at least 2 people who would benefit from the information. And then they can sign up here to receive posts delivered straight to their inbox. Thank you! 😁