[nabentre] Hello all Cheryl Echevarria here from the NFB of NY

[cheryl echevarria]

Good morning all:
If you are looking to start your own business. I have now 2 people learning to be travel agents, and work under me as sub-agents.
Which means you are an Independent Contractor with your own business name, but you are working for as long as you like under Echevarria Travel.
As many of you know, I own and operate Echevarria Travel; as well as, I am the President of the NFB's Travel & Tourism Division.
My managing company or my host agency is Montrose Travel.
Eventually I would like to turn my small business into a larger business with people who are lawyers, PR people, accountants, etc.
But you need to know the travel business to understand the nature of it.
You do not need a college education, but you should have customer service skills, a good phone voice, patience, now your geography (but you don't need to know everything, the tourism boards have dedicated areas for travel agent to learn there craft, which it is, the more knowledgeable you are the more you client will be happy and come back to you.
You need a computer. You need good mobility skills, because hey you are a travel agent right, we have to travel and check places out to make sure that our clients will like it. Those pictures online of places are photoshop most of them.
Also like any business you will not make money over night.
It takes time. I am finally starting to make a little money.
It also takes money to start a business. I help out a little bit when starting out, but you need to pay for certain things:
Business CardsWebsiteMemberships
If you have clients in FL, you need a seller of travel certificate which is $50.00
You don't need to be licensed to be a travel agent. No such thing. You may see again like in my signature, SNG Certified - That means my supplier Special Needs Group which rents Wheelchairs and Scooters for clients that travel also offered a Special Needs Group Training program online, which is free.
It will help maybe with your state affiliate as well. I am doing fundraisers and state conventions. Like the NFB of New Jersey Cruise fundraiser we are doing to Bermuda in April. I am also the Travel Agent for the State Convention Cruise 2014 for the NFB of FL, which if you want to come you don't have to be a member of the FL affiliate or a member of the NFB. I have held separate staterooms as well for friends and family.
I am also helping my own state out, in my signature on the e-mail I am doing a year long fundraiser of the NFB of NY.  Donated part of my commission to the state affiliate.
Also you can earn reduced or free travel to use for your own purposes or give to an organization to raffle off in a sweepstakes etc.
So if interested contact me off list at reservations at echevarriatravel.com and we can set up a time to talk.
Cheryl Echevarria.




Disabled Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 of NY State
Leading the Way in Independent Travel!SNG Certified - Accessible Travel Advocate!Cheryl Echevarria, Ownerhttp://www.echevarriatravel.com631-456-5394reservations@echevarriatravel.comhttp://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com2012 Norwegian Cruise Line University Advisory Board Member.
Affiliated as an independent contractor with Montrose TravelCST - #1018299-10Echevarria Travel and proud member of the National Federation of the Blind will be holding a year round fundraiser for the http://www.NFBNY.org after Hurricane Sandy and other resources. Any vacation package booked between November 6 2012-November 6, 2013 and vacation must be traveled no later than 12/30/2014 a percentage of my earnings will go to the affiliate.  Also is you book a Sandals for couples or Beaches for families and friends resorts vacation, $100.00 per booking will go to the affiliate as well.  You do not need to be a member of the NFB.org, just book through us.