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Member Success Spotlight: Kira Gartner/Blue Sky Travels

I’ve had many different jobs over the course of my life – I used to joke that I never quite figured out what I wanted to do when I grew up! I have worked as a laboratory technician for a Hematology lab, taught cultural anthropology as an adjunct professor for 14 years, worked as a copy editor, done event planning and management, worked as the admissions director for a private school, and somehow found the time to study Sanskrit for three years, among many other things. Most importantly, I have been married to my college sweetheart for 36 years, and I’m the mother of four amazing children who are now young adults!

But in 2007, I found myself at a professional crossroads, and so I decided it was time to start my travel business, Blue Sky Destinations. I didn’t realize it at the time, but when I took that leap, I had finally figured out what I wanted to do with my life!  Like so many others, I was attracted to being a travel advisor by my love of travel, but I was also inspired by reading an article about travel agents who offered “concierge” level service to their clients. When I learned that travel advisors were actually more than just “order takers” I realized that it was something I would love doing. So, with that inspiration as my catalyst, I stepped into entrepreneurship and started my business in October of that year.

After quite a bit of research, I decided that I wanted to have Nexion be my host agency. At that time, I was still juggling four kids at home, so my business got off to a bit of a slow start. A couple of things made a huge difference for me in the first two years of running Blue Sky Destinations: I attended a Nexion Boot training seminar within the first six months of starting my agency, which made a huge difference for my confidence and skills.  I also attended my first CoNexion in September 2009, which probably made the biggest difference of all! It connected me with my fellow agents (some of whom are still friends) and broadened my perspective about the travel industry and what I could accomplish. I was excited and well set up to take advantage of the momentum I was building. I quit my part-time teaching and administration jobs so that I could devote myself full-time to building my business. However, life had some other plans! One of my daughters faced health issues of one kind, and then another. Then I realized that another one of my children needed me to step in and home-school her. And finally, in 2017, I faced some major health challenges of my own. However, one of the things I love about this business is that it’s possible to adapt to new challenges as they arise. While I was not taking the travel world by storm during those years – and sadly missed many CoNexions and other events that I would have loved to have been able to attend – I never stopped working, never stopped learning, and never stopped booking clients.

Once most of the aforementioned health issues were resolved, and I was able to raise my head above water, I wondered if my travel business was still something I wanted to do, and if I was ready to recommit myself to it. Then I attended two more Nexion events that changed the course of my story. The first was a Nexion Regional event in Philadelphia in May 2019 that reconnected me with my Nexion family, and got me inspired about the opportunities of my travel business. The second was an amazing Marketing Summit in July 2019, where I reinvented myself and my business. It was there that I reinvented myself as the “Knitting Cruise” agent – and I completely recommitted myself to having a profitable and successful agency.

Like many of you, I was set to have my best year ever in the first quarter of 2020 – and we all know how that went! But since I had just rejuvenated my business in the Marketing Summit, I took advantage of the enforced pause in travel to get more clarity about my goals. I refined my business plan, more clearly defined my ideal client, created a website that I loved, and got inventive about connecting with an influencer to make my knitting cruise a success!

I set myself up for success with those steps, so much so that once people began returning to travel, my business absolutely flourished! I keep taking advantage of the opportunities that come my way, and I make it a point to nurture the supplier relationships and colleague connections that I make. I have earned Circle of Excellence for two years in a row, and in the fall of 2025 I will host my third Knitting River Cruise, this time on the Douro River.

My path as a travel advisor has been full of twists, and I’ve had to clear numerous hurdles along the way. But, I am grateful and delighted by the business I have built and (yes) by the many friends I have made along the way. I love that I can model being a successful entrepreneur to my children – and at the same time demonstrate the importance of keeping work and life balanced. I give so much credit to Nexion for being there for me every step of the way, and for continuing to offer opportunities to learn and grow as an agent and as a person. Starting my agency and partnering with Nexion is one of the best decisions I have ever made!

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