The Columbus Chamber and CD102.5 have partnered to bring the first business-themed podcast to Columbus. During cbuzz, host and local comedian Dan Swartwout will speak with local business owners and entrepreneurs and allow them to tell their story and highlight their organization, while further inspiring the entrepreneurial spirit that is buzzing in the city.
Whether traveling for business or leisure, Elizabeth Blount McCormick of Uniglobe Travel Designers can get you where you want to go.
“We’re a travel management company,” she says. “We specialize in corporate and leisure travel and we’ve been in business for 25 years.”
She’s done a bit of traveling herself, bouncing from coast to coast and eventually boomeranging back to Columbus to take over the family business. While working in New York in 2006, McCormick’s mother was thinking of selling her business, but McCormick decided it was time for her to take the helm at Uniglobe Travel Designers.
“At that moment I said, ‘You know what mom, I really want to give it a shot and take a chance on myself and be an entrepreneur,'” McCormick says. “I want to move back to Columbus.”
While some colleagues thought she was crazy for going back and adhered to Columbus’ cowtown reputation, McCormick saw more than met the eye.
“It’s been such a great opportunity for me,” she says. “It’s such a great place for entrepreneurs.”
During the podcast, McCormick talks more about her philosophy when it comes to building her business and a phrase she lives by that is really a sage piece of advice for anyone building something.
“No leads to a better yes,” McCormick says.
She’s heard plenty of ‘no’s’ in her career that have seemed devastating at the time, but just a short time later led to an even better opportunity.
Uniglobe Travel Designers is an organization of many labels and certifications – women-owned, minority-owned, family-owned – and during cbuzz, McCormick shares how each has affected the way they do business, from creating opportunities to reimagining family dynamics.
McCormick also speaks to her experience aligning herself and her business with professional organizations like WELD, NAWBO and the Columbus Chamber. Such groups have not only provided her with a wealth of information and a jumping off point for connections, but the chance to find mentors and mentor others.
List to the full podcast below and find out where McCormick likes to travel herself!
cbuzz: Elizabeth Blount McCormick, Uniglobe Travel Designers
Never miss a cbuzz podcast! Visit the Columbus Chamber website for more great stories and advice from local business owners.
Tune in for insights from Bruce Caldwell of 3Bar Biologics.
To subscribe to cbuzz on iTunes, click here.
To subscribe to cbuzz on Sound Cloud, click here.
