Lisa Harrison has seen the inside of travel businesses from almost every angle: retail agency management, wholesale, and senior leadership roles at Magellan Travel and Signature Travel Network among others. She is the founder of Three Little Birds Business Consulting.

We asked Lisa to talk about succession planning. It's no secret that many agency owners and home-based advisors aren't getting any younger, and so who might they prepare themselves for their eventual exit from their business?

Lisa has multiple clients on this path, and has developed three programs:

• Prepare to Sell - short-term, for owners who have been approached by a buyer or want to exit soon. Lisa comes in, reviews, cleans up, tightens the business and helps maximise the sale price
• Succession Readiness - for owners who want to pass the business to someone already in their world (a staff member, junior, family member). Lisa develops that person's capability to run the business successfully
• Grow to Sell - longer-term retainer, building profit, structure and team performance over months or years so the business commands a stronger price when the time comes

We then move to the buyer side. What do they look for? What structure needs to be in place to make a business worth of consideration.

Lisa answers all this and much more, in an episode that we know you'll enjoy.

Also in this episode, a listener makes an appearance that he wasn't expecting, and we Offload about AI-slop posters in the industry. Which must be stopped.
___

This episode is brought to you by Offloaded. If you'd like to support us, please follow us on LinkedIn and/or Facebook.
And if you haven't already, subscribe to the podcast on your preferred platform.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Lisa Harrison on LinkedIn

Three Little Birds Business Consulting

Christian Hunter holds two job titles: Managing Director of Travellers Choice and Chair of the Australian Travel Industry Association.

Each on their own carry enormous responsibilty....but two? How does he do it?!

In the first new episode from a while (sorry!), we open a batch of new interviews by heading straight to the top of the industry.

We begin with an honest look at 2026 thus far. After a confusing year for travel advisors AC shares her own experiences before asking Christian for a wider perspective from a macro level. Spoiler alert - forward bookings are looking promising.

Christian talks about the Travellers Choice story, including how a member-owned cooperative actually works and what makes it different. We ask whether the needs of agencies are changing in the current travel landscape, and touch on AI's place at the table.

Onto ATIA. We cover Christian's journey to become Chair, whether it's too early to ask him about his potential legacy, and what real changes or benefits members might expect after CATO, the ATMC and the newly-formed ITAA commitee have all combined under the ATIA umbrella.

We successfully manage to get Christian to offload some his travel peeves. Airports should pay attention, as should substandard event emcees, and if you're sitting in front of Christian on a domestic flight and are thinking of reclining your seats, you may want to reconsider. Not to be outdone, AC has one of her own about the quality of supplier documentation not matching the experience itself.

___

This episode is brought to you by Offloaded. If you'd like to support us, please follow us on LinkedIn and/or Facebook.

And if you haven't already, subscribe to the podcast on your preferred platform.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Christian Hunter on LinkedIn

Travellers Choice

Australian Travel Industry Association

Winning Most Outstanding Travel Agency Manager at the 2025 National Travel Industry Awards is a big moment in anyone’s career.

For Sonia Jones it was also a chance to reflect on the journey that got her there.

In this episode of Offloaded, Richard Taylor and Ann-Catherine Jones sit down with Sonia to talk about the path from Flight Centre consultant to independent agency owner to winner of the most illustrious honour that our industry has to offer.

The conversation explores the role industry awards can play in building credibility, why entering them can be a powerful business strategy, and how the application process itself can become a valuable “health check” for your business.

Along the way, the discussion covers innovation, supplier relationships, accreditation, service fees and why you should never name your business after yourself.

“If I see something that adds value for my clients or my business, I’d rather jump on it early than wait for everyone else to decide it’s a good idea.”

This is one of our best interviews, packed with tips for advisors and suppliers alike. And for subscribers of Offloaded, we'll be quietly releasing a bonus episode covering Sonia's thought on time management and attending industry events. Look out for that on your podcast app or via the website.

__

We hope you enjoy the episode — and if you’d like to support us, please follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn and Facebook.

Oh, and if you haven’t already — subscribe to the podcast on your preferred platform. We're available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else.