In episode 151 Steph tackles some great questions with co-host Henley Vazquez from Fora! 1. I have my agency set up after going through your 7 Day Set Up program but now I’m lost on how to find clients and start advertising. I know there is no one way to do things, but what would you recommend for next steps once my agency has opened? I sent an email to my friends and family about my new agency and also set up social profiles. –Anonymous 2. I am looking for a host agency and I have never had one before. I have compared a ton on your site and I am feeling overwhelmed. What are the main things I ..read more

In episode 150 Steph fields some great questions from our good friend Anonymous (ha!) about naming your biz and choosing a HA based on locality. She also breaks down how to become a travel agent in some handy steps! 1. I am just stepping into starting a travel agency at the very early stages and still working on what it would look like for me. When considering a niche and a business name, I suspect having the niche in the business name can help, but would it cause issues if I wanted to pivot or expand to a different niche at some point in the future and possibly require a business name change ..read more

In episode 149 Steph co-hosts with April Swales of Uniglobe. Here are the questions they’ll cover. Got some fun ones this week!  1. How do HAR courses differ from an IATA course or something offered through a host agency? –Anonymous 2. Hello HAR and team! I have a question about commissions. For travel agents based in Europe, as far as I know most airlines do not pay any commission. But it seems to me that this is not the case for TAs based elsewhere. I am asking this because I just got my IATA accreditation, and my business is mostly flight consulting. But I do this for clients based wor ..read more

****** Transcript + Show Notes: https://har.news/vol29 Special thanks to today’s sponsor: Caffeine Today’s guest is a former professional fundraiser who put those skills to work and went from travel being a part time job on the side in 2017 to full time in June 2018. Here’s the thing to know though. Even with $2.5M in sales, that’s not the metric our guest watches. This travel advisor has niched down into groups—both destination weddings and celebrations groups—with a minimum of 10 rooms and an average spend of $500-1000 per guest, per day. The metric she does watch is the steady income that c ..read more

In episode 148 Steph co-hosts with Katie WIlliams of Tern. Here are the questions they tackle this week! 1. I'd like to switch to Tern. We're currently on Axus. Is there an easy way to transfer that data or can you tell me the level of manual work that needs to be done by our team to make the move? –Anonymous 2. I have been diagnosed with ADHD and of course, some of the things I struggle with is creating processes and maintaining focus (among other things ). I'm relatively new and I would like my niche to include ADHD travelers. Any tips and tricks for ADHD advisors to start and keep up with p ..read more

In episode 147 Steph co-hosts with Lori Speers of Levarte Travel. Here’s a quick look at the three questions they cover this week. 1. I found a host agency which fits with my requirements but they don't have any reviews on host agency reviews. Is it okay or not to work with host agencies without any reviews on their profile? --Meseret G. 2. Is there an advantage to working with a host agency that has a storefront? Could you also please explain what the “Host Type” is on the HAR profiles. What is “Host Only” and what is “Hybrid (Host & Travel Agency)”? It’s my understanding that all host ag ..read more

In episode 146 Steph and the lovely Lindsay Lauer of Travel Leaders 365 answer your excellent questions! 1. Would the Accelerator course be helpful if I've been an employee? I'm thinking of going on my own. I do a volume of around $1M and have 2.5 yrs experience with over 1000 cruise bookings. --Anonymous 2. Can I require my agency's independent contractors (ICs) to work exclusively with my agency? A few prospective ICs have told me that exclusivity is not allowed by law. Is this correct? --Anonymous 3. I’m wondering if I can start with a host agency right away, or if I need to complete any tr ..read more

In episode 145 Steph co-hosts with Connie Miller of Montecito Travel and they tackle your probing and ever-helpful questions. 1. I would love a conversation about how to execute charging fees when different trips take such a different amount of time. Some people know what they want - some don't. I've been experimenting and every person I've given an hourly fee (I've tested it at $75 and $100) and my estimated timeline, they've passed on my services. So I haven't gotten any fees in the six months I've been working on this. I've had some great success, but I have also wasted a ton of time with p ..read more

Ready to ditch the "once-a-year" manual number crunching and leave the mounds of paper behind? Technology can transform manual financial tasks into efficient, automated processes saving time, increasing accuracy, resulting in less hair-pulling, and seeing your financial results (aka profit) with a few mouse clicks. In this session, I'll share the first steps to transitioning from manual to 'magic'! Take away: - The challenges and potential errors with manual methods - The advantages of transitioning to digital and incorporating this into your routine - Briefly discuss popular, user-friendly ap ..read more

Every host agency starting to look alike for you? Hear from over 30 host agencies in Host Week's Meet the Hosts sessions! We interview them to learn more about their culture, programs, and success stories. Tune in for the 10-20 minute interviews that will help differentiate and humanize the myriad of host agencies out there. Host Week 2024 Landing Site: https://har.news/hostweek View Host Week Magazine: https://har.news/2024HWmagazine Host Week Specials: https://har.news/deals Register for Host Week 2025: https://har.news/signupHW2025 7-Day Setup Course with HAR: https://har.news/7DScourse Hos ..read more