What Does It Take to Get Started?
Our startup costs are relatively low for a retail franchised business, since minimal store build-out is required and no inventory needs to be purchased. Although the upfront franchise fee is only $49,000, an Expedia Cruises franchisee should expect to invest around $197,050 to $328,745 USD to get their business up and running. We require you to have a minimum net worth of $750,000 and a minimum liquid capital of $250,000 (cash that’s on hand or easily accessible). Costs will vary by region and necessary renovations required to open your doors. Since our Vacation Consultants are Independent Contractors paid by commission only, there is no inventory that you need to buy, or employee salaries you need to pay, in order to start selling travel products to customers.
Included in the initial costs of getting your business open is the working capital you’ll need to have available to fund your expenses during the ramp-up phase. Since cruise commissions are paid out after the cruise departs, franchisees must be able to fund both their business and household expenses until their travel franchise reaches profitability. Expedia Cruises’ startup costs are outlined in detail in our Free Franchise Report available to download, as well as in our Franchise Disclosure Document which is provided to franchisee candidates during our mutual evaluation process.
Financing Options
Expedia Cruises is an SBA approved franchise. Your Expedia Cruises Franchise Advisor will walk you through several financing options available to help you finance your business. These include but are not limited to:
- Retirement funds (401K)
- Small business loans
- Third-party lenders
- Home equity loans
- Line of credit
Plus, Veterans and First Responders receive a 15% discount on the Franchise fee!
The Ideal Travel Agency Franchise Owner
Businesses thrive by keeping their customers top of mind. For Expedia Cruises Franchise Owners, the customers are also their Vacation Consultants. Franchisees work hard to recruit Vacation Consultants, help them learn the tools available for creating custom travel packages, master listening and consultative sales, market their location to attract new customers for their agents to serve, and create an engaging office environment that encourages sharing and teamwork among independent travel agents. One of our company values is Fun and our franchisees wholeheartedly embrace that value as they build a local culture that gets both customers and Vacation Consultants excited about planning spectacular vacations.
An ideal Expedia Cruises franchise owner is a leader who wants to build a large team of agents and coach them to success. They enjoy meeting new people, have an interest in travel, and enjoy helping other people get the most out of life whether that’s by exploring the world or achieving their sales goals as a travel agent. They also recognize that by working together with a team of independent sales agents, and by recruiting and training those sales agents, they can grow their business far beyond the scope of what they would be able to achieve by selling travel on their own.