Piece by Piece: The Intricate Puzzle of Establishing a Host Travel Agency
Navigating the journey of starting a Host Travel Agency is a continuous work in progress. While it may sound simple, it involves far more complexity than one might initially expect. The time, effort, and energy required to build the agency are immense.
Securing the initial capital to get started can be the most significant challenge, and ensuring you have $10,000 in bonding fees in your account is essential. Additionally, setting up a business bank account for managing all transactions is a must.
There's a lengthy list of requirements: CRM, IATA, CLIA, W-9, a website, emails, a back-office system, a phone, an EIN—the list goes on. While you may not need to pay for every item on this list, many of them do come with costs. You need to reach out to every supplier you can think of to inform them of your new business, communicate with Business Development Managers (BDMs), and secure a consortium.
Training videos are necessary to get new travel professionals up and running, alongside establishing a business address, and much more.
Problem-solving, working with a Virtual Assistant (VA) team, producing more videos, managing family obligations, and maintaining a 9-5 job add layers of complexity. Deadlines are set and pushed back. Running multiple Facebook groups, engaging in one-on-one interactions, practicing processes, and talking to more suppliers all add to the workload.
Issues with emails, suppliers, and bank accounts, and enduring long phone calls to resolve these problems are frequent. Team calls, brainstorming sessions, and the challenge of changing systems mid-process are also part of the journey.
All of this effort goes into creating a Host Travel Agency to ensure that you feel supported, connected, and backed by a community of many. This is why she embarked on this journey.
Join the Olive Travel Group and become a part of a supportive and dynamic community dedicated to helping you succeed in the travel industry.
🚀✨ Let's turn your passion for travel into a thriving business together! 🌎👩💼👨💼
