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Are you going to have to promote yourself or do they bring the clients? I think it's a great idea but if you have to market yourself, I'd hope that you're an active member in the community/church, etc.
Good luck and best wishes!
Yes to both. I already have a good potential clientel. Been helping people for years, just for fun.
1. Perhaps it's a good thing for those who can profit from the complexity but why on earth would Disney make it so complicated? Today anyone can go on to the internet and configure a new car with all kinds of custom options. It's very easy. Likewise, you can buy insurance online which is also quite complicated by nature and you're guided through the process, making it pretty easy for anyone. It seems to me that the level of complexity that you are talking about with Disney can be easily overcome with some better product design, user experience design and service design. If you really need a third party to bundle together this kind of vacation, there is something wrong. The supplier landscape is pretty easy. You have most of it provided directly by Disney and any other suppliers would be partners so it should be very easy to create a unified and simple experience to bring it all together. I mean, it's not like putting together a vacation in a much less developed country where you need to deal with all kinds of disparate and often very small suppliers (individual taxi/van drivers, local tour guides, etc). Doesn't Disney already have the 'My Disney Experience' to guide you through it? Is it that it's not good enough?
2. The customer DOES pay for this service. There should be a legal requirement to 'unbundle' these costs so that it's transparent to the customer and they have a choice to pay if they want this service. You can be assured that these costs are paid by the customer it's just that they are hidden from view.
1. Yes, you can do it yourself, like buying a car, but not everyone wants to devote the time and energy. It is somewhat complicated because it's so popular. The demand is high. Plus, technology has taken over and that can be daunting, at first.
2. Isn't that just part of their promotional budget? How can you opt out of that? We pay those costs for everything.
You would have startup costs? This reminds me of the real estate world, Realtors also have startup costs and they're failure rate after two years is in the high 90% and that is usually after spending thousands and thousands of dollars. Ask whoever is offering the training how many people are still in the industry after two years and take whatever number they give you with a tablespoon of salt.
While I understand that some people want a very structured vacation and don't mind waiting six months for a reservation (can't imagine doing that for Disney, I was very underwhelmed by their food and it was supposedly one of their better restaurants), that is a dying trend. Today the world is becoming more in demand. We don't hail cabs, we use Uber, we don't wait to watch tv shows, we binge them commercial free on Hulu or Netflix, we don't listen to the radio hoping our favorite songs come on we head to youtube or use Spotify.
You would be catering to an ever decreasing pool of clients, which means competition for those people is going to increase. If you have to go out and find your own clients think what that will mean for your bottom line, are you going to have to budget for lead finding tools and advertising?
Don't mean to be a downer, just trying to offer some fresh perspective, but at the end of the day we don't know your financial situation and if this startup cost would be something that you would feel comfortable losing with a toss of the dice at the casino, then why not? If this is something you want to do as maybe a fun way to spend some time in retirement, again not a bad idea, if you expect to make real money at this....well then I would really look at the failure rate and how much it could cost you.
You would have startup costs? This reminds me of the real estate world, Realtors also have startup costs and they're failure rate after two years is in the high 90% and that is usually after spending thousands and thousands of dollars. Ask whoever is offering the training how many people are still in the industry after two years and take whatever number they give you with a tablespoon of salt.
While I understand that some people want a very structured vacation and don't mind waiting six months for a reservation (can't imagine doing that for Disney, I was very underwhelmed by their food and it was supposedly one of their better restaurants), that is a dying trend. Today the world is becoming more in demand. We don't hail cabs, we use Uber, we don't wait to watch tv shows, we binge them commercial free on Hulu or Netflix, we don't listen to the radio hoping our favorite songs come on we head to youtube or use Spotify.
You would be catering to an ever decreasing pool of clients, which means competition for those people is going to increase. If you have to go out and find your own clients think what that will mean for your bottom line, are you going to have to budget for lead finding tools and advertising?
Don't mean to be a downer, just trying to offer some fresh perspective, but at the end of the day we don't know your financial situation and if this startup cost would be something that you would feel comfortable losing with a toss of the dice at the casino, then why not? If this is something you want to do as maybe a fun way to spend some time in retirement, again not a bad idea, if you expect to make real money at this....well then I would really look at the failure rate and how much it could cost you.
The startup cost is minimal. I could make that up by booking one trip. The company I want to work for is expanding. Nevertheless, this is a retirement job for me. Income is not the primary objective.
Disney is a popular destination, with some 20+ million guests per year. They are expanding the overall resort as we speak.
Last edited by Horn of ‘83; 06-30-2017 at 11:49 AM..
I used to do my own, then I took my first Disney cruise and was clueless, so I used an agent. Now I'm just lazy, lol.
Just last night, a friend told me she took her family to Disney and knew nothing about Fastpass+. Waited in line when she didn't have to. An agent (or a little study) could've helped.
Are you going to be a travel agent or a Disney trainer? What you are describing goes far beyond the services that a travel agent normally provides.
You are talking about MANY hours of time with EACH of your clients to explain the nuances of what park(s) to visit each day, where to eat while at those parks that meshes with their personal tastes and budget, what to get fast passes for and when, again according to their personal preferences, which will require a complete understanding on your part of their family dynamics. This includes ability to walk around all day in Florida weather, in and out of air conditioning, as well as the need for breaks during the day to rest or just sit back and look around.
Then, of course, someone needs to actually MAKE all of these reservations (hint-that would be you) by calling the moment the reservation window opens for their trip. Even then, there will be times and events already sold out to those taking a vacation starting a day, a week, or a month before your clients start their trip.
I guess if you LOVE LOVE LOVE Disney and have clients who feel the same it could be a decent diversion from sitting home doing nothing in retirement. Just don't expect your friends the owners to give you their profits. If the need for money is secondary (or better, non-existent), and you don't have to provide an investment into the company or "tools of the trade", then it it certainly worth a try.
Are you going to be a travel agent or a Disney trainer? What you are describing goes far beyond the services that a travel agent normally provides.
You are talking about MANY hours of time with EACH of your clients to explain the nuances of what park(s) to visit each day, where to eat while at those parks that meshes with their personal tastes and budget, what to get fast passes for and when, again according to their personal preferences, which will require a complete understanding on your part of their family dynamics. This includes ability to walk around all day in Florida weather, in and out of air conditioning, as well as the need for breaks during the day to rest or just sit back and look around.
Then, of course, someone needs to actually MAKE all of these reservations (hint-that would be you) by calling the moment the reservation window opens for their trip. Even then, there will be times and events already sold out to those taking a vacation starting a day, a week, or a month before your clients start their trip.
I guess if you LOVE LOVE LOVE Disney and have clients who feel the same it could be a decent diversion from sitting home doing nothing in retirement. Just don't expect your friends the owners to give you their profits. If the need for money is secondary (or better, non-existent), and you don't have to provide an investment into the company or "tools of the trade", then it it certainly worth a try.
My agent will do as much or little as the client wishes. She routinely sends out reminders and hints to aid in planning. For some guests, all I will do is book the hotel. For others, I will book fastpasses and dining. It varies.
We always use a travel agent for our cruises. She combs the sites fore me so I don't have to watch for every little update or rebate etc. She watched and go us the best prices on the ship for the drink package in February. Nobody I talked to get it for as cheap as 30 pp/ per day as we did.
OP, do you know ANY travel agents that make a living these days? Do they make over $1K a month? I'm sure WDC would love to have enthusiasts it like you working for commission.
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My wife and I have been going for years by ourselves. We take our grandkds occasionally.
An agent (or a little study) could've helped.
