Cruise Planners franchisee Dave Rodrigues fell in love with a second career of selling travel.
Dreaming of owning his own business, Rodrigues became emmeshed in the corporate grind at American Express. His dream life seemed unattainable.
“The corporate world just has a way of sucking you into it, and you’re just focused on that day-to-day job,” Rodrigues told Cruise Planners.
But after 22 years of the corporate grind, he revived his dream.
“I just needed more fulfillment in my life,” Rodrigues said.
When thinking of franchise options, he researched many different avenues and ultimately settled on travel.
“My major passion was for travel,” he said. “I could have gone out and bought a restaurant franchise, but when I thought about it, I wasn’t excited about whatever those products were, but I am excited about travel.”
Starting a Franchise
Rodrigues was intrigued by Cruise Planners, speaking to existing franchisees about their experience and learning about the outstanding technology and support they received. It was also an affordable option, with a starting investment of $10,995 to begin.
He started his travel franchise in 2012 and began selling travel part time. Then he reached a tipping point.
“My Cruise Planners job started getting more and more fulfilling to me, to the point where I was enjoying it far more than my day job,” he says.
A Successful Startup
Rodrigues finally left corporate life and started selling travel as a full-time gig. His passion turned into a successful business and he ascended into the Millionaire’s Club, a group of travel advisors who sell more than $1 million in travel annually.
“Not having any previous industry experience, when I heard about what it took to join the Millionaires Club, I wasn’t even thinking that was a possibility,” he says. “But the franchise model makes it so easy to get off the ground. I was able to go from not having any experience selling travel to tapping into technology, marketing, and business development support from my Cruise Planners coach. They provide excellent resources—you just have to have the entrepreneurial spirit to make it happen.”
Now, Rodrigues is living his dream with a home-based travel franchise from Cruise Planners. Learn how to come a franchise owner with Cruise Planners and see if a home-based travel agency is right for you.
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