Her Story
About Karen
Karen SweeneyStevens owns and operates her own travel agency, working from home to provide personalized booking services for clients. With a background spanning over 25 years in the hospitality sector, including more than two decades in high-end hotels in the Caribbean where she earned Manager of the Year and Employee of the Year recognitions, she transitioned to entrepreneurship during the COVID-19 pandemic by partnering with a host agency. Her services encompass cruises, hotels, flights, excursions, concierge arrangements, and concert tickets. Karen has completed numerous short courses in hospitality and tourism and is on track to earn her bachelor's degree in hospitality in September. She also contributes to her community through mentoring a young woman for two and a half years and volunteering at her church's food pantry.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Karen
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You need perseverance. In any industry that you decide to encounter, it's not just open your eyes and it's going to blossom right away. You have to treat it like a tree, you have to water it, you have to put in a lot of work in order to get the rewards. It's not an overnight and anyone, I would say to them, you need to give at least 5 years to see where it's going. So you have to be able to be patient while you feed, you know, feed into your passion and just, you know, give it all you have and see what happens in at least 5 years and then you go from there.
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