Being able to run your own company, set your own hours, and make your own money is the dream of many people.
Small businesses are taking over the market. Thanks to technology and social media, starting your own is easier than ever before, but how about taking it a step further: start your own travel biz. Being able to run your own company, set your own hours, and make your own money is the dream of many people. Whether you are starting a small business in college to help pay off loans or leaving a large company to make it big on your own, you'll definitely need some help to launch the right way. Assuming that you have already secured any startup funds, let's look at three things that are important when you want to start your own business.
Location
Just like when you buy a house, location is everything when you start a small business. A lot of entrepreneurs work from home or work online but when it comes to a travel business, you might want to be even more visible. Make sure your company is located in a place that will attract a lot of traffic and is also close to people who actually need your services. For example, a small office in a large skyscraper is an excellent idea because think of the traffic you'll get. With corporations constantly sending their employees on business trips, if you catch their attention it could mean endless business.
Even if you don’t need a physical location at the start, the goal is probably to grow and growth means needing space. Talking to a real estate agent will be your best bet at finding office space for your company. For example, if you're in California, you may want to go to a Point Loma real estate agent to find space.
Security
Small businesses are often at a higher risk for being a victim of cyber crime. This is because a small company with little to no online security or IT department is an easy target when compared to a large corporation. While you may not have the skillset to personally monitor and protect your company digitally there are resources out there to help business at any level. One of these resources is a PCI ASV.
This stands for Payment Card Industry Approved Scanning Vendor. What this does is it takes a look at your business and scans it from the outside in, looking for any places that are vulnerable before any hackers find them. The PCI part of it refers to credit and debit card information of customers, which is one of the things hackers like to target. And when you're scheduling trips and making itineraries, you'll likely be dealing with credit cards all day long.
Marketing
Lastly, it's important that a small business learn how to market itself properly. This has been made easier but more complex due to the rise of social media. Social media is one of the best ways to make your business known to a wide variety of people but it takes committed time and energy to upkeep and run effectively. Travel businesses benefit from sharing location pictures to draw their customers in and posting travel guides on their blog, Twitter and Facebook feeds.
If you don't have the time or manpower to effectively run multiple social media accounts there are ways to outsource that aspect of your marketing to another company. Additionally, analog methods of marketing are not completely dead, especially in smaller towns and communities.
There has never been a better time to start a new business. If you have the unquenchable thirst for travel and want to bring the experience to others, use these tips and get your new business off to a great start!
