Is starting your own business on the list of goals you set out for yourself for 2017? If you have not yet made your mind up on what that business is going to be, I am here to make a case for why you should consider starting a home-based travel business. Of course, this is not for the overly ambitious entrepreneur that has a grand plan to raise millions of dollars in funding to try his hand at creating the next multi-billion dollar empire. This is more for those that would like to start something on a smaller scale, with flexible hours, small start up cost, while still having the potential of generating a decent full-time or part-time income. If you fit that description, here are 7 Good Reasons You Should Start A HomeBased Travel Business.
1. You Can Start Part TimeIf you are planning on starting a new business, it is very unlikely that your brand new business will start earning a profit right away. In the building phase of your business, you or you and your family will still need to survive so having the flexibility of starting out very part time so you can keep your current income stream is imperative. If you are not currently employed, then, by all means, go full force in trying to accelerate the growth of your new business. However, if you are currently employed, you can setup your travel business and schedule your hours around your current commitments. Whether it is replying to an email inquiry from a client looking to book a trip, or contacting a vendor for quotes, you can handle those tasks during your lunch break, just before or right after work. Thanks to social media, promoting your business can be done at any time of the day as long as there are people online.
2. Great Income PotentialI am not here to tell you that you will become a millionaire selling travel. However, travel is the biggest consumer industry in the world, with over 7.5 trillion dollars in annual revenue. This means unlimited earning potential, and you can make as much as you want. But on a more realistic scale, let’s look at how much you could earn just selling a single 7 night all inclusive vacation package. A trip for 2 people to a resort in the Caribbean will be no less than $2500. As a travel agent, you can earn anywhere from 8% to 15% of a vacation package. This means, from a single sale, your commission would be $250. Selling two such packages for the month would take up very little time and make you an extra $500 per week. Not bad for a part time business with little overhead cost.
3. Low Start Up CostOne of the reasons starting a home based travel business is so attractive, is that the Start-Up cost is very minimal. For under $1500 your business could be up and running. This is particularly true if you
Join A Host Agency, as they will provide you with all the training and resources you need to get your business going. All you would need to do is register a small business for a couple of hundred dollars, depending on your place of residence, complete a mandatory training course, and then pay a membership fee of anywhere between $500 to $1000 to join a
Host Agency. Your Host Agency will allow you to sell travel under their legal registration numbers, vendor partnerships and provide you with all the resources you need to run your travel business from any remote location.
4. No Formal Education Needed Depending on where you plan to have your physical business address, there may be a requirement to complete a training manual and exam for you to sell travel legally. This definitely applies to those living in the State of Florida, California and the Province of Ontario In Canada. However, these courses should take no more than a few days to a week to prepare for, and the exams are usually multiple choice. When researching online about how to start your career as a travel agent, you will find a lot of long-term university courses being advertised. This is NOT a requirement and definitely not something most current travel agents have done. If you feel this is something you need to familiarise yourself with the industry, then, by all means, go for it. However, this is not a formal requirement to start and operate a successful home-based travel business.
5. The Perks Are Great Many people start their own travel business, not for the extra income, but for the fact that there are several incredible travel perks that come with owning your own travel business. Travel Agents frequently get to participate in all expense paid or heavily discounted site inspection trips to resorts at some of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Airlines and other travel product vendors offer “Travel Agent Only” discounted prices for personal bookings. Additionally, you get to spend your work hours researching and educating yourself about hundreds of incredible destinations and products, making it easier for you to plan your own trips within any budget.
6. Everyone Likes To Travel When you have completed the setup and you are ready to promote your travel business; you do not need to wonder if anyone will be interested. Travel is a universal language, and everyone loves to speak it. All you need to do is figure out what small niche within this giant industry you want to focus on and find the people that are interested in that niche. Once you can do that, you should not have a hard time finding clients looking to travel and willing to have you assist them with making their travel plans.
7. You Do Not Need An OfficeProbably the single most important fact when you are looking to start a home-based business is that that business should not require it’s own office space. This means, you do not need space to store large equipment, you do not need customers to walk-in, and you do not need to house a lot of staff. Running a travel business from home have none of these requirements as all that is required is for you to have a working computer, the internet, a cell phone and an email address. Once you have those things, a quiet corner in your house will do.
Check Out This 7 Chapter Guide To Starting Your Career As A Travel Agent
