How to Select an Agency
SELECTING THE BEST AGENCY FOR YOU
There are many ways to become a Disney Travel Agent and the type of agency that you select informs your decisions for how to legally structure your business. All three of these options have their merits, this post discusses the pros and cons of each type of agency, so you can make an informed decision about the best fit for you. Once you’ve made that decision, you can learn about business structures here.
STARTING YOUR OWN AGENCY
Starting your own travel agency is a surefire way to make sure that you receive the entirety of the commission paid to you by suppliers. You are truly in charge of your own destiny, and with great power comes great responsibility. You bear the full brunt of licensing, insurance and legal liability. You are also responsible for creating your own supplier relationships. There is substantially more start up capital required to start your own agency, financially, educationally and with time commitment. Creating your own travel agency is an amazing way to grow your business after you’ve created connections and a client base within the industry, especially if you’d like to recruit other agents to work for you.
BECOMING AN EMPLOYEE OF AN EXISTING TRAVEL AGENCY
Becoming an employee of a traditional travel agency is a great way to get involved as a travel agent if all of the entrepreneurial aspects are not your cup of tea. As an employee, you have a more set schedule, a supervisor, goals and targets are set for you as well as wages and benefits. Compensation as an employee would be negotiated in the interview process and will receive a W2 in the same way that you would at any other job. Traditional travel agencies usually provide expanded training as well as parameters and tools for you to use to market to and maintain clients. If you choose to go this route, you will need to prepare yourself for an interview process and learn more about the business on the front end so that you are able to ace an interview and be hired by the agency. Because it is a traditional job, there is less flexibility and more competition to be hired, which may make detract from the charm of a traditional travel agency if you are looking to work part time or on your own terms.
JOINING A HOST AGENCY
A host agency is a travel agency that hires agents as contractors. Agents are not employees and have no obligations to the host agency beyond the terms and conditions of their contract. Host agencies make their money by splitting commissions and, in some cases, charging administrative fees. In many ways, joining a host agency is the best of both worlds, it allows you the freedom and independence to make your own schedule and build your business without having to take on all the costs and liability and you don’t have to start from scratch. There are tons of host agencies available to choose from with a wide range of commission structures, support offered and company structure. For some agencies joining is as simple as signing up, others have a rigorous interview process and there are a whole spectrum of options in between. Joining a host agency is an excellent choice if you wish to join the industry and grow at their own pace with minimal pressure and the freedom to creatively attract and maintain their clients. One hurdle that “independent agents” have to overcome is building a client base and advertising their services. You can learn a bit more about how to differentiate your business in this blog post.