LiftFund

Dec 29, 2022

- Advertisement - Latonya White, a former teacher and school counselor, began her entrepreneurial journey in 2018 when she launched Traveling Made Affordable, a travel agency based in Houston, Texas. Since inception, LaTonya Traveling Made Affordable has grown to offer services beyond domestic and international travel and cruise planning – the business now also specializes in destination wedding planning! - Advertisement - While LaTonya’s business has seen tremendous growth since launching, the road to success hasn’t come without major challenges. In 2020, only two years into operations, Ms. White and Traveling Made Affordable faced the harsh effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Working in the travel industry, Ms. White felt the devastating impact from the get-go, as travel restrictions were being implemented all over the world. - Advertisement - “When the pandemic hit, I essentially lost all my income for 2020 and 2021,” Latonya says of the immediate impact of the pandemic. Through 2022, LaTonya remains committed to keeping her business alive, even despite the ongoing struggles of the pandemic, and has identified efforts that will redirect her business toward recovery. Those efforts will reshape Traveling Made Affordable’s marketing to primarily focus on building a stronger digital presence. Like many other business owners facing challenges related to the pandemic, Ms. White knew that adopting a digital-based business approach was critical to her business’s survival. In terms of skill set, Ms. White was well prepared to scale up her marketing efforts—she knew she could leverage her experience as an entrepreneur, blogger, and motivational speaker to market her business. However, the main challenge was to finance the new marketing efforts. With large revenue losses looming in 2020 and 2021, LaTonya was concerned that she would not be able to afford and move forward with her marketing vision. - Advertisement - As Ms. White sought financial assistance, Harris County, in partnership with LiftFund, launched a $30 million relief fund to provide financial assistance to micro and small businesses to recover from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic . Her search for resources led her to the Harris County Small Business Relief Fund, through which she applied for grants that could be used for business-related expenses. Grant Awarded to Latonya in November 2021! The grant offered hope, positioning Traveling Made Affordable to move forward with long-awaited marketing enhancements. “The grant has really boosted my morale and my business overall! I used the grant money to ramp up my marketing efforts, allowing me to reach new customers and do a feature on CBS promoting my business.” helped me and I’ve gotten tons of new clients since then [CBS] Speciality.” Ms. White’s decision to invest in marketing efforts proved beneficial, with a positive impact on Traveling Made Affordable’s overall reputation – her audience increasingly took note of the branding, online presence, logo, website and overall brand as a trustworthy business. Recognized in Through successful marketing efforts, Ms. White established a strong reputation within the travel industry, ultimately leading to new clients and growth. Seeing the value in strong marketing and digital presence, LaTonya has expanded Traveling Made Affordable’s digital and online presence to include a YouTube channel and podcast for business! With digital content that can be easily disseminated, LaTonya has reached new markets and customers – she looks forward to future business opportunities that she is promoting as a result of this new exposure to marketing improvements. Ms. White credits the grant for allowing her and her business to not only survive the pandemic but to prosper and grow. “with the support [from LiftFund and Harris County] I’m still here today, standing in the faith!” says Ms. White.