How this luxury travel agency used Airtable, Zapier, and Dubsado to dramatically transform their client experience and increase bookings.

THE CHALLENGE: “Things were falling through the crack.“

After nearly a decade in business, Kendra and her husband had built Younique Ventures into a thriving boutique luxury travel company specializing in custom group experiences.
Their service was exceptional, earning glowing reviews from travelers who loved their curated group trips.
But behind the scenes, their business systems weren’t keeping pace with their growth. As Kendra recalls,

“At the end of the year, (we) go through a reflection of what we liked and what we didn’t want repeated again.

We’d get glowing reviews for the trip experience, but felt like because we were growing so fast that we were missing the mark on some of our client experiences.”

It was getting slightly out of control—client requests buried in multiple email inboxes, manual data entry for each new booking, and multiple spreadsheets with no central location for project management.

Kendra was using Dubsado as a client management system—but she was using it for everything, from client management to day-to-day operations. This created bottlenecks that left her feeling perpetually overwhelmed.

“I can’t always be overwhelmed on the daily. Even when I was trying to be present with my family, I was always on red alert with my inbox and I didn’t like it.”

Previous investments in consultants had left her feeling burned by people who promised certain things and couldn’t deliver. 

She needed someone who could not only advise but execute—someone who could integrate her systems and implement solutions tailored to her luxury travel business.

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THE TURNING POINT: “I’d been stalking her page for a minute and she was speaking my language.”

Kendra had been following Ashley on social media, intrigued by her content about business systems and client experiences.

But because of past experience, she still looked into similar service providers.. What finally convinced Kendra was that Ashley walked the talk with her client experience.

“I finally booked the consultation call and saw how seamless it was to book her call. The whole thing was easy and user-friendly.

It made me go, ‘Okay, not only does she know what she’s talking about, she’s using what she’s talking about’ because her client experience was engaging and I (always) knew what was coming next..”

Though Ashley had never worked with a travel company before, her approach gave Kendra confidence that this wouldn’t be another failed investment.

“Hiring Ashley was not just to get on top of my client experiences. It was important to find a person who wasn’t just going to tell me what to do, but set it up properly for my business.

Her working style was aligned with how we run the business and she immediately got what I was trying to do.”

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THE PROCESS: “The onboarding process was very easy and I didn’t feel overwhelmed by it.” 

Kendra describes Ashley’s onboarding process as straightforward and manageable. It began with a comprehensive kickoff call where Ashley carefully assessed Younique Ventures’ needs, pain points, and workflows.

“I’m doing multiple things and trying to juggle it all. She handed me a checklist of things that she needed me to do.

So, I felt like her onboarding process was awesome.”

Ashley took time to understand exactly what would make Kendra and her husband successful in their business, asking probing questions to uncover the root issues.

“She asked me the right questions to pull out what was needed to make ‘Kendra and Kelvin’ be successful with Younique Ventures. She made everything so clear.”

Based on the discovery call, Ashley recommended a comprehensive systems overhaul that would:

• Replace scattered tools with centralized platforms
• Integrate systems to eliminate manual data entry
• Implement Airtable for streamlined data management
• Set up ClickUp for efficient project management
• Create Slack workspaces for improved team communication
• Build automated workflows for client communication

Rather than waiting until everything was completed, Ashley provided regular updates throughout the implementation process.

“I like that she didn’t wait till everything was done.

I loved how she’d update me and because it made me excited. From the very first deliverable, I was blown away by her work.”

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THE RESULTS: “We definitely have more bookings because we can focus on other things like marketing.”

When Ashley completed Younique Ventures’ systems overhaul, the transformation wasn’t just noticeable—it was game-changing. The business went from drowning in manual processes to flowing smoothly with automated systems that actually speak to each other.

1. With service requests that actually work and don’t go unnoticed.

When a high-end client paying thousands for a custom travel experience needs something, their request no longer sits unnoticed in someone’s inbox.

Previously, client requests would vanish into the abyss of overflowing inboxes of different team members. Now, a streamlined service request system routes everything to a central location where the entire team has visibility.

This was all done without having to force clients to adapt to their new system.

“We can just take their emails and turn it into a service request with how Ashley’s set it up. We don’t even have to tell them.”

This blend of structure and flexibility ensures nothing gets missed.

2. From inbox chaos to family time because it’s all streamlined.

The constant ping of notifications had become Kendra’s unwelcome companion, even during family time.

Now, with proper systems in place — particularly Slack for team communication — Kendra can truly disconnect.

“I can literally go inactive and turn off notifications. That’s a big deal for me. When I’m in the office, I’m in the office, but when I’m not, I’m not.”

3. Everything connected and faster with automations and airtable

The magic of Ashley’s implementation comes from how she’s connected multiple platforms through Zapier, creating a central nervous system for the business in Airtable. 

Information flows automatically between platforms, eliminating the manual data entry that used to take hours each day.

“The way Ashley set it up now, everything speaks to each other. We used to have to type in all the new bookings manually before we understood zaps.”

This interconnected ecosystem means:

• No more double data entry or reconciling inconsistencies between systems
• Client information enters once and populates everywhere it’s needed
• Updates in one system automatically reflect in others
• Team members access the same current information regardless of which platform they’re using

4. An automated booking process that makes lead conversion high-end and smoother.

“When people book, we immediately get alerted.”

What was once a disjointed experience with “a link for this and a link for that” now flows seamlessly from initial contact to confirmation through an automated email workflow that doesn’t require that input, even for deposit requirement.

“They’re already getting something from another system that’s already speaking to them. We’ve never had anything like that.”

5. Launching group trips became effortless with automated workflows.

For a travel company specializing in group experiences, launching new trips efficiently is critical to growth. Ashley’s systems have transformed this process as well.

“It’s easier now to launch trips because of what she set up for us.”

The automated workflows ensure that every step in the launch process happens on time, with notifications to the right team members at the right moments.

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For travel agencies like Kendra’s, an integrated system is about the time and hours regained, while being able to close more leads. 

“The client experience has changed drastically since we worked together. Ashley’s given us at least a couple hours back per client — it used to take us a lot to manually do some of the things she’s now automated.

It’s also put me in a position where we’ll be hiring to bring more people on because we now have systems in place that allow that.

With how she’s set it up for us, we can now see the conversion rate, something we didn’t previously know. We definitely have more bookings this year because we can focus on other things like marketing.

I know all of this can be attributed to (the trips) we offer, but a big contribution to that are the systems she’s set up for us.

There were even times she found better ways to do things we have been doing all along. Don’t think twice about it — she’s definitely made our lives and business better.”

A Continued Partnership.

The relationship didn’t end after implementation. Kendra continues to work with Ashley through the Systems Support Membership, ensuring their systems stay optimized as the business evolves.

“Ashley’s still a part of our team. We still have access to her and I believe that she’s worth really more than the monthly subscription we pay her..

She’s definitely made our life and business better.”

For anyone who is at a growing point in your business, where you’re doing things manually but know there’s ways things could be automated — and even the ways that you don’t know — Ashley’s got you covered.”

The ongoing partnership allows Younique Ventures to fine-tune their systems and adapt to changing business needs as their business grows.

This case study was built of a conversation with this specific client, going through our work together.
Anything in quotes is a word-for-word statement said by the client on a recorded call or in a testimonial.

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