How principal independent network Envoyage empowered one advisor to build a thriving agency from the ground up.
When Ashlea Blake launched her travel agency, Blake Travel in 2021, she wasn’t just starting a business, she was building her future. Driven by purpose and a clear vision, Ashlea has grown her agency from a one-woman operation into a highly respected boutique travel agency, now on track to exceed $5 million in annual sales. Ashlea has been a member of Envoyage (formerly Travel Partners) throughout this journey, and exemplified what it means to be an Envoyage member: entrepreneurial, enduring, and engaged.
A passion turned profession
When Ashlea was just 18 years old, she lost her father, who had always dreamed of travelling to Africa to experience the transformative power of travel. Determined to honour that dream, Ashlea took the trip herself—a journey that would shape the rest of her life.
After spending her twenties living and working abroad, Ashlea returned to Melbourne, and in 2012, was encouraged by a friend to apply for a role at Flight Centre. A natural leader, she rose through the ranks and eventually became a team leader, gaining experience and forging connections that would later prove invaluable.
Building Blake Travel during international border shutdown
In 2020, Ashlea found herself at a crossroads. She needed to decide whether to stay with Flight Centre; or take the leap she’d always wanted to and start her own travel business.
With borders closed and uncertainty in the air, many thought the timing was risky, but Ashlea saw an opportunity to set the foundations of her business. In 2021, she launched Blake Travel with a clear mission: to create a high-touch, flexible business she could grow on her own terms.
What followed was a year of relentless work. Ashlea juggled two other jobs to support herself while building her systems, branding, and client base with zero income and constant cancellations. But her long-term vision was crystal clear.
“I knew my amazing clients would be waiting impatiently for borders to open,” she said. “I wanted to be ready.”
Why Envoyage was the right choice
From the outset, Ashlea knew she wanted to engage in the support of a network that could help scale her business. Having worked with FCTG, she didn’t shop around for an independent network, she chose Envoyage without hesitation.
“The people were everything,” she explains. “With Envoyage behind me, I had the best relationships, leaders, and mentors offering support.” The backing of Envoyage gave her confidence that she wasn’t building her dream alone. From day one, she felt treated like a business owner, not just a number in a system.
With the support of Envoyage, Blake Travel was steadily growing, however Ashlea knew there was one more leap she needed to take. During the 2022 Envoyage conference on the Gold Coast, Ashlea bravely shared with the full delegation that she was ready to work in Blake Travel full-time and quit her second job; but she was so nervous to do so.
What followed was a turning point. The room rallied behind her with encouragement, sales leads and practical support. “Everyone at the conference was so supportive of this and gave me a huge pep talk,” she said. “Advisors who had been around for years were sending me their overflow enquiry to help build my business.”
Three months later, Ashlea committed to Blake Travel full time. “It was scary, but the support from Envoyage never stopped,” she says. “The leadership team has always reached out to me personally to congratulate me and celebrate the wins with me as friends, not just colleagues.”
“I’ve never looked back,” she says.
Solving the scale-up struggle
By early 2022, Blake Travel was booming. Demand surged as borders reopened, and the business recorded $264,000 in sales in its first full financial year. Recognising the need to scale, Blake hired two advisors, Nicole Casper and Berri Brown, both mums returning to the industry without an existing client base. With Ashlea’s mentorship and Envoyage’s ongoing support, Nicole and Berri flourished.
Like many growing businesses, operational bottlenecks emerged as Blake Travel scaled. The team was spending too much time building FIT holidays, managing airline complexities, and struggling to maintain quick turnaround times. With guidance from the Envoyage network, including business mentoring and access to support, Ashlea made the decisive move to streamline operations.
To assist with this, she hired Laura Phillips, whose background at Infinity Holidays and HELiO expertise transformed their workflow overnight. In just one week, margins increased by 44%, client response times dropped from two days to same-day, and advisor income nearly doubled.
Ashlea continued to build with intent, supported by the wider Envoyage ecosystem, from business and finance coaching to access to centralised tools like Home, a single sign-on platform that allows members to access all of Envoyage’s resources. As enquiries surged in 2023, she welcomed advisor Britt Jackson to the team and adopted a new business model that gave her greater control over revenue streams and the freedom to scale on her own terms. She also brought in her sister-in-law, Kate Holland, as finance and marketing assistant, a proud milestone that allowed her to support family while strengthening her operations. Kate now leads the business as Operations Manager, driving consistency and growth.
Today, Blake Travel is a tight-knit, high-performing team of four advisors and two support staff. Backed by the Envoyage platform, community, and leadership team, Ashlea has built a business that thrives on clarity, confidence, and connection.
Living the Envoyage values
Ashlea’s journey is a powerful reflection of Envoyage’s values.
With only 18 months of team leader experience before stepping out on her own, she had long faced knockbacks for leadership roles, often told she needed to improve her business acumen. Rather than let that feedback define her, Blake pushed through the self-doubt and committed to learning everything she could to grow a successful business. That mindset of endurance, showing up, levelling up, and never giving up, continue to drive Blake Travel forward today.
With a sharp entrepreneurial eye, Ashlea shaped a business that works not just for her but also for her team and clients. What began as a solo, work-from-anywhere dream soon grew into a people-first travel agency that gives her team genuine flexibility and purpose. Ashlea built a culture where staff set their own hours, stay present for their families, and still chase ambitious sales goals.
Clients feel that care, too. Rather than open a shopfront, the team conducts in-home consultations, offering uninterrupted, personalised planning that turns customers into friends. And it works. The team have an average conversion rate of 95% from these consultations.
Blake Travel charges no service fees, trusting that exceptional care will win every booking and spark word-of-mouth referrals. By focusing on quality over quantity and supporting both her team and her clients, Ashlea has created a boutique agency that thrives on loyalty, a stellar reputation, and sustainable growth.
That same spirit of engagement is reflected in everything she does. Whether she’s attending a local Rotary event, supporting local school fundraisers, or simply visiting clients at home for a consult, her approach is deeply embedded in her community in the Mornington Peninsula. It’s this authentic, people-first mindset that has made the Blake Travel name synonymous with generosity, care, and connection; and it’s also what drives real results.
In 2024, Blake Travel hosted its first travel expo in Mornington Peninsula. True to form, the event was thoughtfully curated, with 50 attendees welcomed by a team they already knew and trusted. Nearly every guest booked on the day or shortly after, resulting in a highly successful outcome. It was a powerful example of how genuine community engagement paired with expert delivery, can translate into meaningful business growth.
Looking ahead
As Blake Travel prepares for another record-breaking year, Ashlea is ready to for her next big venture, becoming a mum. Just as she started her agency with vision and determination, she’s now embarking on this next chapter with the same sense of purpose and hope. With a strong team supporting her, she’s creating the space to grow both her family and her business.
Ashlea is looking to expand her team once again, continuing to hire with intention and scale sustainably without compromising on quality. Backed by the strength of the Envoyage community, she’s not just building a business, she’s creating a legacy.
If you’re seeking your next opportunity and want to be part of something purpose-driven, reach out to Ashlea at ashlea@blaketravel.com.au or visit blaketravel.com.au to learn more.
If you want to learn more about how Envoyage can help take your travel business to the next level, click here.
This article is brought to you by Envoyage:
