You might think that being a mum to five kids would leave little time for anything else. But not for Holly Velardo.
Besides raising a rather large family, this Adelaide-based industry go-getter launched HollyDay Travel. The move continued a journey that began when she was but a child herself.
“I always wanted to travel from when I was really young and I always had a passion for it. So when I was in high school, I made the decision that I wanted to be a travel agent.
“I went straight from high school to TAFE and did my Advanced Diploma in tourism and started working as travel agent. That was 25 years ago.”
Years spent working for other companies gave Holly the experience, training and confidence she needed to open HollyDay Travel six years ago.
“That was after twin babies numbers four and five and I decided I was never going to work for someone else again. I had the passion for it and I knew I could do it by myself.”
Holly’s decision was largely based around the F-word: flexibility. She didn’t want the city commute to work for a corporate agency at the expense of quality family time.
“I never thought I could actually bring it along to what it is. I always wanted to start my own business but I didn’t know what path to take. It’s been an amazing experience.”
Of course, opening a travel business in 2018 meant the paint was barely dry before COVID brought the world to a standstill. However, Holly didn’t stand still.
“That’s when I really set up my business. During that period I spent a lot of time educating myself. I joined mastermind programs and I learned everything I could.
“I also put systems in place and spoke to my clients all the time. I emailed them weekly, just to kept them updated.
“That time really stabilised what I wanted and it was also when I realised that if I really did put my mind to it, I could find a way and find the people to help me build my business.”
Fast forward to the present and HollyDay Travel now employs six consultants and specialises in Europe and Sri Lanka, including luxury and river cruising for both FIT and groups.
Never one to rest on her laurels, however, Holly is keen to expand and grow her business.
“My goal for this year is to increase revenue by 50 per cent. Last year we did 30 per cent so I didn’t quite hit my target, so this year I’d like to do 50 per cent.”
To help towards that goal Holly is once again taking part in the Travel Industry Mentor Experience (TIME), which helps guide the travel leaders of the future.
“You apply to be a mentee and then you spend six months working together with an incredible mentor. I’ve been a business owner for six years, but I’m not a business person, and I needed somebody to help me.
“We’re working on where my business wants to be in 12 months and what my goals are, what it’s going to look like and what marketing plan we’re going to put in place. It’s unbelievable and I’m really excited about where this can take me.”
Like many new businesses, sustainability is core to what Holly does and she’s proud of the fact that she runs a paper-free business.
“It was really important to me to be a sustainable agent so all our brochures are available online. It was hard teaching our clients at first but now they love it. They’ve got the app on their phone which they can access and share at any time.
“For us it also helps our productivity. If something changes, we can just update it on the app. The client then refreshes the app and everything’s there. We’re not sending documents or reprinting and they don’t need to come back and see us. It makes life a lot easier.”
Another modern tool that Holly enthusiastically embraces is AI, refusing to buy into theories that it will put agents out of business.
“It is the biggest time saver and it just gives you so many ideas. My content manager and I use it for all types of things, like videos or new proposals for business opportunities.
“If people are looking online for an itinerary, sure, they might get a quick itinerary, but they’re not going to get the personalised touch that we can give them.
“People need agents and want agents, and one thing we’re really known for is our personalised service. We spend a lot of time getting to know our clients, one on one, talking to them, learning about their families, and that’s what keeps bringing them back and the referrals coming.”
As we prepare to go our separate ways, there’s one final question I really need to ask. How does she juggle the demands of parenthood with running a successful travel business?
“The five kids, they range from 20 down to eight, so we’ve got wide range of ages. And yes, it is hard. They all have sporting commitments and they all need me for different reasons. But I love my job so much. I love what I do, so we just make it work.”
