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Straight Talk from Tammy Levent, CEO of Elite Travel Management Group

By Mark Rogers

When death, divorce and debt fell on Tammy Levent like a ton of bricks, she not only survived – she thrived. Levent’s entrepreneurial spirit led her to reinvent herself as a travel agent and agency owner, one of the most successful in the business.

The pivotal year for Levent came in 1994, when a succession of calamities befell her. In quick succession she lost her jewelry business through a violent robbery, divorced her husband, lost her grandmother in a fatal car accident that hospitalized her two young children and saw her savings melt away under the financial strain. Levent was standing by her children’s bedside in the hospital when a compassionate nurse began a conversation with Levent.

"Put money aside for a moment," said the nurse. "What would you do if you could do anything at all?"

Levent replied, "I’d travel the world."

"Then that’s the field you have to go into," said the nurse. "You have to follow your passion."

Levent took the nurse’s advice and ran with it. With no prior experience Levent landed a job in the travel industry. One bold move after another eventually led to her opening her own agency, Elite Travel Management Group, where she’s the CEO. Initially the company focused on corporate and incentive travel and has since grown to include destination wedding, cruise, honeymoon and luxury travel.

Levent has also branched out to leading motivational workshops she calls WHIPshops, which are centered on the acronym "I WHIP IT" – meaning Incredible Women Have Infinite Power In Themselves. Levent strides the stage, whip in hand, inspiring women to be passionate about their goals and to seek success utilizing strategic partnerships. You can tune into her show at www.Whipitoutshow.com.

We caught up with Levent to get her thoughts on the Caribbean. The conversation quickly switched to a more pressing topic - the current economic climate. Levent is skeptical about reports that the economy is turning around.

"I have two pieces of advice for travel agents and travel agencies," said Levent. "Number one, if you’re not making it - if you need to give it up - get out of the business. Number two, instead of selling your business, find a way to strategically partner with another agency – try to merge with another company. Your combined profits may be the difference between riding it out or going under."

Levent is also passionate about marketing and social media: "Never stop your marketing. If you’re facing challenges, it’s a mistake to cut back. You need to utilize Facebook, e-blasts, blogging – anything that will keep up your presence in the market."

Talk turned to the Caribbean and Levent’s preferred supplier. "My number one go-to company by far is AMResorts," said Levent. "I like the fact that each of their 43 resorts is individually owned. This means when I do encounter a problem, I can go right to the person in charge and have the problem fixed. It’s been four or five years that I’ve worked with AMResorts, and I find it to be a very attentive and considerate company."

When it comes to favorite destinations in the Caribbean, Levent singles out two islands.

"St. Lucia is my favorite by far," said Levent. "I hate places that are just about the beach. St. Lucia is full of adventure, I could never get bored there. I’ve climbed the Pitons, done zip-lining, all that stuff. Eight years ago my clients didn’t know St. Lucia – the island has a much higher profile now."

Levent encourages her clients to venture beyond the brand name hotels on St. Lucia and book their vacation at one of the individually-owned hotels. Three of her favorites are Calabash Cove Resort & Spa, BodyHoliday and Sugar Beach Villas, A Viceroy Resort (formerly The Jalousie Plantation).

"I also love Jamaica," said Levent. "When I go to Jamaica, it feels like I’m going home, since I know so many people on the island. Since Jamaicans speak English, it’s great to go outside the resort and explore the island, which is something I always do.

Levent is on record with some great advice that can be applied to travel agents and agency owners: "

"My best piece of advice for employees and entrepreneurs is to form strategic partnerships," said Levent. "A strategic partnership is one in which two related businesses choose to support each other by building their brands together. For example, my partnership with certain Caribbean resorts works because they give me trips that I can give away via my website, and through travel shows, in which I publicize their brand along with my own. That way, I help them expand their brand recognition, and their trip allows me to bring more customers to Elite Travel. Always be on the lookout for new, mutually beneficial relationships, and never be afraid to tell people what you have to offer that they might need."

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