Why I Left a Travel Agency and Started My Own LLC in North Carolina
Have you ever sat in the middle of someone else’s vision and realized you had been quietly building your own this whole time? That is exactly where I found myself. And it changed everything.
Who I Am and Why This Story Is Mine to Tell
I am Sarah, a North Carolina native, a small business advocate, and the person behind Carolina Blogging since 2015. For years I have shown up here to spotlight NC and SC small businesses, share travel stories from across the Carolinas, and cheer on the people brave enough to build something of their own. I never imagined I would one day be telling my own version of that story.
What Started It All
It started with a trip to Walt Disney World. In 2017, my husband and I packed up our two small children and headed to Walt Disney World and something happened to me that I did not see coming. It was not just the magic of the parks or the joy of the trip itself. It was the way the whole experience made me feel. The planning, the anticipation, the moments that came together just right. Somewhere in the middle of all of it, a spark lit up inside me. What if I could help other people feel this way? What if travel could be more than something I loved? What if it could be something I built a life around?
That question followed me all the way home to North Carolina.
When I Knew It Was Time
A couple of years after that trip, my husband and I took a leap together and joined a small travel agency. We were excited, hopeful, and ready to learn everything we could about the travel industry. That season taught me a great deal. Not always in the ways I expected, but I was paying attention the whole time. I watched, I listened, and I quietly built a very clear picture in my mind of what a well-run travel business could look like. What my vision of good systems feel like. What strong support means to an advisor trying to serve their clients well. What consistency and vision do for a team.
My husband stepped away after about a year. Eventually, so did I. And when I left, I carried that picture with me. A decision that big did not happen in a moments notice. It was more of a slow, growing certainty. The kind that builds so quietly you almost do not notice it until one day you realize you have already made the decision. You just have not taken the steps yet.
For me that certainty came after a season of deep personal reflection. A season that asked me to slow down, reassess what mattered most in both my personal and professional life, and forced me to get honest with myself about the life and the business I really wanted to build. I came out of that season with more focus and more fire than I had felt in years.
I knew who I was. I knew what I wanted. And I knew it was time.
Where This All Came Together
Right here in North Carolina. This state has always been home for me and it is the heartbeat behind everything I do at Carolina Blogging. It felt right that the business I built from scratch would be rooted right here too. North Carolina has incredible resources for entrepreneurs and I leaned heavily on those resources as I took those first steps toward making this real. It was very important to me that I create a sustainable business with a strong foundation. If you are curious about those resources, I wrote about them in my guide to starting an LLC in North Carolina.
Why I Did It
I wanted to build something that captured my own vision with intention. I wanted a business built with strong systems, clear communication, consistency and genuine care for every single client. I know what it feels like to have great ideas and no room to grow them. To want to collaborate, to expand, to lead, and to feel like the walls keep closing in instead. That feeling is worth paying attention to. It was the wake up call I needed.
I wanted the freedom to create my own vision without compromise. I wanted to be the kind of business owner I had always believed a good one could be. So I formed Coastal Brand Ventures, LLC, with Carolina Blogging Travel as my independent travel agency, an Independent Agency Affiliated with WorldVia Travel Network. Built from scratch. Built with my vision in mind. Built on every lesson, every observation, and every quiet moment of deciding I was finally ready.
The only way to get what you want in this world is through hard work.” — Tiana, Disney’s The Princess and the Frog
How You Fit Into This Story
Carolina Blogging has always been about the heart behind NC and SC small businesses. I have spent years sharing the stories of incredible business owners across the Carolinas, the ones who took a risk, built something real, and showed up every single day to make it work. You can read more about why those stories matter so much to me and this community right here.
Now it is my turn. I am not telling this story because it is extraordinary. I am telling it because it is real. And real stories, the ones that include the learning curves and the seasons of growth before the breakthrough, are the ones that actually teach us something we can use.
If you are a travel advisor wondering what is next for you, or if you are simply someone who has ever felt the pull toward building something of your own, this series is for you. I am not here to tell you what to do. I am here to share what I did, what I learned, and what I wish someone had told me along the way.
What Is Coming Next
This is just the beginning of the Behind the Brand series here on Carolina Blogging. Over the coming weeks I will be walking you through the real costs and business decisions that went into forming my LLC, what I am actually responsible for as an independent travel advisor, the very important differences between a travel agency, a host agency, and going fully independent, and travel industry terms explained straight from my own experience.
I would love for you to follow along at @carolinablogging on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube so you do not miss a single post in this series.
