Managing your Travel Business
by John Hawks

Profits Versus Salaries: How to Plan Your Way Into Higher Earnings

What's the # 1 difference between working as a travel agency employee and taking the plunge as an independent home-based agent? In most cases, the answer is simple:

A steady paycheck!

When you work as an agency employee, you can usually count on some level of income (unless you're 100 percent commission-based) no matter how little travel you sell directly. The agency owner shoulders the final responsibility for generating enough sales -- and actually collecting the commissions from those sales! -- to make the payroll each month.

When you're the boss, though, you don't make any money until you sell something!

For many home-based travel agents, earning a part-time income is their primary goal. They want to generate enough sales to family members and friends so that they can buy the little extras for their families: school supplies, the annual vacation, Christmas presents . . .

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