We had the good fortune of connecting with Shonte Alce and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shonte, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I really fell into destination wedding planning. I selfishly became a travel agent so that I could get a tax write-off all while planning free or discounted trips for myself. It just so happened that one of my very first clients back in 2014 happened to be planning a destination wedding. Following her wedding, I became obsessed with desti-weddings and enhancing the bride/groom, guest experience. I started off with one wedding per year – now we are up to 5 per month! I’ve always had an entrepreneur mindset, but never imagined that I’d truly be able to work for myself and actually make up to or more than my corporate America growth potential. In December of 2019, a week after hosting my own destination wedding, I ran a business forecast that determined that I’d make my corporate income in 2020 (this is all while holding down a FT job and working my travel business as a hobby). My brand new hubby agreed that I could quit and go for it. I did it! February 17, 2020 was my very last day in Corporate America. (I worked as a CPA on the Accounting Team for a $12billion / revenue aluminum manufacturer) I remember on my last few days in the office, our Asst General Counsel asked me if COVID-19 would impact my business. My response “That’s in China – has nothing to do with weddings in Mexico!”. Boy was I wrong! Long story short – I never looked back. I didn’t earn my forecasted business income in 2020 – I took a loss that year, but made my first hire. I was using funds from my savings account to pay my employee! In the travel industry, revenue is not recognized until trips actually happen. In 2020, trips didn’t happen = no money. But in 2020, I did ALOT of weddings and travel planning for 2021. Even in the midst of the pandemic, I was spewing hope for better days and planning future trips for guests while we were quarantined!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My career has taken many turns, but all of which has made me the business owner that I am today. Does one need an education or experience to become a travel agent? Absolutely not. I think my success is driven by my diverse background of careers that never quite kept my attention long enough to be lifelong!

Bachelors Finance
Masters of Accountancy
CPA
Wells Fargo Branch Manager
Auditor – Accounting
Senior Accountant – SEC Financial Reporting

My background has nothing at all to do with travel, but I’ve somehow used every piece of my experience puzzle to pour into my business.

In general, travel agents all come from various backgrounds. But I think mine is definitely not what my clients expect from someone planning their destination wedding, and that’s what sets me apart 🙂

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Whew lord – this is a toughie! My husband and I love seafood and Korean BBQ. Atlanta is the home to some amazing K-BBQ joints, mostly locally owned. We try them all.

We love views, people watching, and good food. We love all of the restaurants along the beltline, while walking or biking. Some of our favorite restaurants with vibes around the city are Toast on Lenox, Tribeca, and Blaqhaus. We are all about good tunes + food.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to recognize Audrey Gibbs!! Audrey was my co-worker (Wells Fargo Bank at the time) that introduced me to becoming a travel agent in 2014. Audrey and I had big dreams of running a juicing company together (Just Juice It). We incorporated our business, bought some equipment, created a logo and really thought we’d make it big and have storefront juicing companies throughout ATL. At the same time, I had started my travel business as a hobby – it was easy to pick the name (Just Book It Travel) as a spinoff of Just Juice It. Long story short – Just Juice It never made its first sale.

Fast forward – Audrey (along with her husband) was the officiator for my destination wedding and also my mortgage loan officer when my hubby and I purchased our first home together.

Audrey is a devout Christian that is fully transparent on her life’s journey of marriage, business ownership, family, etc She is still crushing it as a mortgage broker and also the founder of EZ Serve N Seal Lids. I am forever appreciative of her for the encouragement to put my foot in the door to the travel industry!

Website: www.justbookittravel.com

Instagram: instagram.com/justbookittravel_

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justbookittravel/

Facebook: facebook.com/justbookittravel1

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPUPWRHeW0zlToVDzdjvNxw?app=desktop

Other: Wedding Wire: https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/just-book-it-travel-destination-weddings/d8ad9d070db8ac2a.html

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