Entrepreneur Turns Her Passion into a Growing Travel Business

Armadillo Travel Adventures of Hillsborough County

For Kim Hilsabeck, owner of Armadillo Travel Adventures, a flourishing full-service travel company helping clients “explore the world one adventure at a time” isn’t just a job—it’s a lifelong passion. From booking airfare and hotels to coordinating tours, cruises, and rental cars, she guides travelers through unforgettable experiences across the globe.

Travel has always been part of Hilsabeck’s life, but it wasn’t until a transformative two-week trip to Iceland with her sister and friends that her entrepreneurial journey truly began. Tasked with planning the entire adventure—from lodging to car rentals— Hilsabeck realized mid-trip that she had found her calling. “About three quarters of the way around the country, I said, I’m going to be a travel agent. I can do this. And two weeks later, I was in business,” Hilsabeck said with a smile.

Starting a business, however, came with challenges. That’s when she connected with the Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County and business consultant Retta Parsons. “Retta and I worked on budgeting, expenses, marketing, branding—pretty much the whole thing,” Hilsabeck said.

“I had never had a business before and jumped in headfirst. Retta helped me recognize the outline of what I needed to do next, how to track things, and making sure I had a good bookkeeper,” Hilsabeck said. “Every time I take a suggestion, she gives me, I implement it, and bam, then I get more business. So it’s been a fantastic relationship and I I’m really looking forward to continuing on over the next several months into the year,” she added.

The results speak for themselves. Hilsabecks’s net income grew from just over $8,000 last year to an expected $27,000 this year, with projections to double—or even triple—next year. “Just growing by leaps and bounds, and I’m so very excited that I could make this my career as I go into my late fifties,” she said when speaking about her business growth.

With the help of her community and her business consultant, Hilsabeck’s business has flourished quickly. Thus, she attributes much of her success to the support she received in the beginning of it all. “Having that support between the Temple Terrace Uptown Chamber and the [Florida] SBDC [at Hillsborough County] has just really been one of the catalysts that has truly helped my business grow,” Hilsabeck said.

Her biggest success? “Transitioning from a full-time corporate employee to a full-service entrepreneur. It’s a great accomplishment in being able to have the passion for what you do, and love what you do,” Hilsabeck explained.

Her advice to other small business owners: “I would tell my friends that are small business owners, just do it. There is no harm, no foul, no fee to use the [Florida] SBDC. They are there to help you, guide you, help your business grow and do everything to support you, to make your journey what you want it to be. You have to use the tools. They can give it to you, but if you don’t use it, then it’s not gonna help you. But the SBDC is there to guide you and I have benefited and it’s the best thing that I could have ever done,” Hilsabeck concluded.