Joined in February 2024
Based in America's Oldest City — St. Augustine, FLMindy Bockewitz spent over 20 years in corporate insurance before she and her husband decided to quit their jobs and travel the world in 2016. For six years, travel was their life.
During those years of travel, she found a supporting role with the co-founder of a company in San Francisco, who traveled frequently. That relationship eventually became a full-time, remote executive assistant role. Booking travel was already part of her job description, and she started to wonder whether it could be more.
She researched what it would take to start earning from the trips she was already organizing. Starting her own travel agency felt too time-intensive and complicated, and many of the host agencies she found didn’t match what she was looking for.
“When I read about what Fora wanted to be—a tech company that focuses on travel businesses—that’s really what drew me in,” Mindy said. “They were really just wrapping their arms around unique people who were looking for something rewarding with the expertise they have. There was no reason not to join.”
A natural fit with her existing work
Mindy’s full-time job made the transition onto Fora seamless. “As an executive assistant, you wear many hats,” she said. She was already managing corporate travel and using her previous experience to create itineraries for personal trips. Fora was offering her the infrastructure to do all of it more efficiently—and get compensated for it.
She ran the idea by her current company’s co-founder, who was instantly supportive. “He immediately was like, ‘You’re going to be so good at this,’” she said.
He was right. Not long after joining Fora, Mindy started coordinating group hotel bookings for company offsites and fielding requests from colleagues who needed help with logistics. The expertise Mindy built as an EA translates directly to her Fora bookings. Managing multiple time zones, tracking client preferences, staying on top of commission audits—none of it is new.
Fora's technology fits easily into Mindy's EA workflow
With an itinerary builder, 180k+ bookable hotels, and automated price tracking, Fora’s platform offers all the tools advisors need to be successful.
Building a business on referrals and real-world expertise
Mindy didn’t invest heavily in marketing or generating leads. Nearly 80% of her business has come through referrals or one-on-one conversations—neighbors in her condo complex, friends, former colleagues, and even a chance encounter in an airport lounge.
That last one became one of her most valued clients. A woman whose flight had been diverted struck up a conversation. It became clear she was a seasoned traveler—the kind who knows exactly which hotels she wants and why, and someone accustomed to excellent service. Mindy mentioned she was a travel advisor and a Virtuoso Partner, pointed out that the hotels the traveler loved were partners she could book for her with better perks, and handed her a card. She heard back, and that long-term client has since graciously referred others.
Mindy’s past travel experience was a proof point for many of her early clients. With six years of full-time travel spanning all seven continents, people quickly trusted her with their trips.
“Travelers put less influence on the fact that I hadn't been a travel advisor before,” she said, “and more influence on my experience in travel. That’s what made the referrals successful.”
Travelers put less influence on the fact that I hadn't been a travel advisor before and more influence on my experience in travel. That’s what made the referrals successful.
Mindy Bockewitz
joined February 2024Paired with skills from her corporate career—adaptability, quick thinking, and operational mastery—those early bookings turned into excellent trips, and a growing travel business.
How Fora made her success possible
Fora’s structure gives Mindy what she needs to earn from the travel she books through her EA role, and run a serious business in addition to her day job:
Technology platform: Fora’s tech-forward approach means Mindy can book travel from anywhere—including, she mentioned, a last-minute residential stay confirmed from her phone after she’d already signed off for the evening. The flexibility of the platform matches the flexibility of her schedule.
Industry partnerships: Fora’s preferred partner network gave her a tangible advantage with clients who already knew what they wanted. They could get the same trip they’d planned and walk away with better perks.
Training: When she started, she leaned on Fora’s training resources. Her biggest piece of advice to new advisors: “Do as much training as possible as soon as you start, because you are going to get so busy you won't have time for it.”
Infrastructure for independent advisors: After years in corporate insurance watching agents succeed or fail based on the support they received, Mindy values what Fora has built for its advisors. “Fora fosters an environment for successful agents,” she said.
