Dolphin Travel questions for the Biz Magazine editorial, December 2013 edition

  1. How did you become an entrepreneur?

Since 2001, for 10 years, I have trained and developed as a person and as a professional, in the marketing department of a prestigious 4-star hotel in Mamaia, Hotel Iaki. I loved what I was doing, I had contact with many multinational companies and travel agencies. In the summer of 2011, I felt that I needed a new challenge, more freedom and flexibility in my life. I could not have given up my passion for tourism, but instead I was attracted to the other side of the "barricade": event organizers and travel agencies.

This new side was less familiar to me, but I had the advantage of not starting from scratch, having the hotel experience behind me. Since then, my story has been written at Dolphin Travel & Events, a travel agency and event organization in Constanta, with warm-hearted, creative, enthusiastic, positive people. I believe that nothing I have done so far has been accidental and all the experiences and events on a professional level have shaped me as a person.

  1. Why a travel agency?

Having worked in a seaside hotel for so many years, I felt great joy seeing that we, the hotel team, were bringing smiles to the guests' faces. The facilities and amenities are important, but especially, the experience and the beautiful memories are created by the "soul" of the place, by the people.

Thus, I became convinced that my passion is to offer others experiences, precious moments, smiles and satisfaction, whether they are going on vacation with family and friends, on a short business trip, or attending an important event with colleagues or collaborators.

  1. What sets you apart from the competition?

The open and personalized approach to our clients, the fact that we are truly interested in their wishes, that the Holiday greetings we write with our own hand are different for each one, that we call them with great affection whenever we have the opportunity, not to sell them offers but to simply ask about their health... all of this matters more than a quick and cold "solution" to a request for a quote.

Companies are represented by people, and people primarily want attention and a natural approach, without fake smiles or dry expressions.

  1. What are the challenges of a travel agency?

Our story, of those from Dolphin Travel & Events, is as beautiful, interesting and challenging as it is difficult... The challenges come primarily from combining professional and personal life, especially when you have a child to whom you need to give a lot of care and attention.

It's not easy to find a balance between your personal and professional sides, but it's important to fight for it, not to forget your priorities, because, first and foremost, you are a woman, a wife, a mother.

Then there's the professional side: we interact with all kinds of people (good, not so good, important, difficult, sensitive), we grind our teeth when we work hard on an offer, and in the end it doesn't materialize, but that only means we have to be ambitious and move forward.

We are saddened when we see the effect of the crisis on companies and implicitly on the people in these companies, who are no longer as relaxed and cheerful as they were a few years ago, discussions are more tense, payment terms are longer.

There are difficult periods from a financial point of view, when you have to support the business from your own funds and motivate employees, but then there are also periods when the sacrifices are rewarded.

There are also challenges on the human resources side: there were situations when I was wrong in terms of choosing personnel, but now I am lucky to have motivated, enthusiastic, fair, hardworking people by my side, who are as involved as I am.

The challenges of a travel agency and event organizer are the same as in our lives: good and not so good people, successes and failures, missed trains, decisions, ambitions, lessons learned and unlearned. And perhaps the biggest challenge is to accept failure, because it is part of the courage and intelligence of the entrepreneur.

  1. Who are the customers?

We have a business segment, specialists in various fields, who request our event organization services: conferences, trainings, team-buildings, inaugurations of offices, new product launches, training courses, fairs. For them, it is a good opportunity to escape, to socialize with colleagues, suppliers, collaborators, in an informal setting.

There is also the niche of "corporate" individuals, who have one-two night trips, in transit hotels, and for whom the criteria for selecting offers are: good flight schedule, clean hotel, centrally located and easily accessible from the airport; they decide on "last-minute", and price is not too important in the final choice.

In the vacation niche, there are couples and families, "middle-class" and "high-class", who are very careful about the choice they make, especially in terms of price, but also in terms of location, facilities, entertainment and excursion offer, etc.

Some of our clients: Romanian Bar Association, Notaries Association, ElectraWinds, Monsson, Vestas, Intermodal Logistics, Iowemed Medical Center, DP WORLD – CSCT Agigea

  1. What was last year's turnover? It's not big, 200,808 lei. But with better expectations for this year.

  2. What do you expect in the coming period?

The challenges will certainly continue, we expect greater attention from our customers when it comes to spending money on trips or events.

However, continuously lowering prices is not a solution, that's why we need to come up with additional services and benefits (for example: swimming passes for children / theater or movie tickets, if parents book their trip with us; conference room offered free of charge if accommodation, meals and entertainment services for groups are also booked with us; longer payment terms, payment in installments, etc.)

  1. What are the future projects?

We want to expand our team, especially the "sales and promotion force", because this means growth and development. With the arrival of the new year, we want a change of office, with a more spacious, brighter one. We want to bring more than before, solutions, ideas, smiles and joy to people with "beautiful" souls, regardless of where they are or where they work.

  1. What made you participate in the "Women Entrepreneurs" contest on GarantiBank's Facebook page?

I found out about the contest by chance from my friend and associate at another company (focused on marketing services); I found it very interesting, creative and, at the same time, an impetus for us, women "entrepreneurs" who face so many obstacles in our daily lives.

There are times when we may not have the strength to get through these moments alone and then - in order to feel able to move on - we need a "Yes! You can!" from those close to us, but also from institutions such as Garanti Bank, women's associations, the media (such as BIZ magazine), etc.

I was very happy when I received the phone call from Garanti Bank, they really took me by surprise; I had followed the rankings 1 week ago, but I didn't know when the final decision would be made. That's why the surprise was even bigger and received with even more enthusiasm. Thank you Garanti Bank, for giving me the chance to share "my story" with so many people, which is still being written at Dolphin Travel & Events.