Hi! Wow, may part 2 na pala ang thread na ito. I want to share my story because the first thread really helped and encouraged me sa business na ito.
March last year, nag research ako online on how to start a travel agency. Aside from articles, binasa ko lahat ng posts sa part 1 ng thread na ito mula sa simula talaga. It was then I realized pwede naman pala kahit di masyado malaking capital involved, depende kung anong business set-up ang piliin niyo.
I attended the seminar of Travel Depot. Whole day but it was very incomplete, bitin, but it was a good overview of the industry and business. Kasi ang catch dyan ay they will offer you to become an affiliate. Kumbaga, they will train you and share industry "secrets" daw. Well, those are not really secrets because everyone in the industry knows about those things naman hehe .. Anyway, last year ang initial offer nila for the training and affiliation was P180,000. May a few days of classes, endorsement daw ng suppliers (dahil di daw kayo papansinin if walang mag endorse), a familiarization tour abroad for 3days/2nights.
I did not fall for it .. too expensive.
After Travel Depot, I took the 3-day course in TRC. This was more comprehensive and the teacher was an industry veteran. I don't know if he's still teaching in TRC but at the end of the course, he offered us consultancy service in starting a travel agency. Hmm, medyo mataas ang initial cost. If I remember it right, nasa more than P40k yata. I did not go for the consultancy thing dahil I felt na kaya naman without it if mag aaral ka, mag tyaga, mag dasal, and mag market ng maayos.
After TRC, I took na the DOT-accredited Travel Management & Operations Course. It's also comprehensive. The teacher is also an industry veteran who's well know in the industry and who is also a consultant of DOT. After the course, we received a completion certificate with a DOT seal.
It was only after these trainings that I applied for DTI registration, barangay clearance, business permit, and BIR registration. Dream business ko kasi ito kaya I wanted to make sure na papasukin ko ito armed with the right knowledge, training, and contacts.
Nag home-based muna ako for eight months then nag rent ng desk in a co-working space. I also accepted OJTs nung sa co-working space na ako. After five months, I now have my own office and a full-time employee.
Talagang no short cuts. Tiyaga lang, aral, determination, at napaka taimtim na mga dasal. Thank God nakapag anniversary na kami and may regular clients na rin. Sobrang diverse ang clients and destinations naka deal na namin.
Minsan kino-consider ko rin to get into training/consultancy for other people who are interested in this business. May napag bigyan na rin ako ng course outline and quotation for training. Who knows, if there are about 10 people here willing to attend, why not diba? hehe
I'm happy to see other people in this new thread. I'm grateful sa lahat ng girltalkers na nag share ng experiences nila sa business na ito, lalo na yung mga may existing biz na nag share.
