You Can’t Scale What You Can’t Let Go Of
Here’s something I’ve been seeing (and hearing) on repeat: so many travel advisors want to grow, but feel completely stuck because their business is living in their head. Their systems are duct-taped together (if they exist at all), and even if they wanted to bring in help, they wouldn’t know what to hand off.
Sound familiar?
Add in a little dose of “no one can do it like I can,” and growth screeches to a halt.
Here’s the truth:
You. Cannot. Do. It. All.
Not if you want your business to grow. Not if you want your life back. And definitely not if you want to stop working 12-hour days.
Will anyone do things exactly like you?
No.
Will mistakes be made?
Yep.
Will it be worth it anyway?
Absolutely.
Letting go can feel like stepping into chaos. It’s messy and uncomfortable. You can’t just snap your fingers or buy a shiny “done-for-you” product to fix it. But you can make a plan. And you don’t have to do it alone.
Here’s how I started making space to grow:
Step 1: Brain Dump Everything
Make a list of every single task that happens in your business.
I mean everything:
Inquiry and booking workflows
Client experience and service
Marketing and content
Admin and emails
Payments, reports, checklists, follow-ups… you get the idea
If you touch it, write it down.
Step 2: Sort the Chaos
Take your giant list and sort it into four piles:
Only I can do this
I can outsource this now
I could outsource this later with the right support
This can be automated
No need to overanalyze. Just give everything a label so you can start taking action.
Step 3: Start Your SOP Library
This part is gold. Every time you do something from the “can outsource” pile, record yourself doing it. Use Loom or Komodo (even Canva) or whatever tool is easiest. Walk through the steps like you’re training someone for the first time.
Save these recordings in a folder that’s easy to search. That’s your training library. Add to it slowly as you go, or block off a couple of hours here and there to record a batch.
Step 4: Automate Where You Can
Anything you do over and over should be flagged for automation.
Think:
Reminder emails
Standard follow-ups
Post-booking tasks
Your CRM might already do some of this. Tools like Zapier or ChatGPT can help, too. One task at a time, chip away at the manual stuff.
Step 5: Create Task Checklists for Handoff
If a group of tasks always goes together, make a checklist.
For example, once a booking is confirmed, someone else could easily:
Send an insurance quote
Log the booking with your host
Verify payment receipt (aka double-check your work)
Add the appropriate workflow in your CRM
Give them the tools and the checklist. That’s how you step out of the weeds without dropping balls.
Start Before You Feel Ready
This won’t be perfect. It doesn’t need to be. What matters is starting. Every SOP, every automated email, every checklist makes future you breathe a little easier.
This is how you create space for growth.
This is how you get your time back.
This is how you build a business that doesn’t rely on you 24/7.
And trust me, it’s so worth it.
Just start.
