I know it's said that the www is putting some agencies out of business, or cutting into their business - and that is of course true. I will admit I have lost trips that I've worked very hard on to someone taking my info and booking it online themselves. THAT is a really crummy thing to do, soak someone for info then take it elsewhere.
But I digress.........
Yes, the ability to DIY on the internet cuts into some business, but in my case, not enough to make any noticeable difference.
It takes quite some time to build up a decent reputation, it isn't easy by any means. Even harder when you're home based and have no clients walking through your door. You have to be VERY good at what you do, to stand out over someone else doing the same thing. Specialized travel is one way to do that. I worked very hard for two years before I made any "real" money, but I have a great hubby who made enough to cover us and even before I did this, we were never dependant on my income (we are now cause I like nicer stuff - now
). But I make more than him these days. Granted, I work double the hours, never have a full day off (that's 7 days a week people
) and have no one to back me up here when I get into work overload (like, every day!), but that's all part of the job. If you don't like that, or dealing with the public (who can sometimes be downright rude and nasty), or working your butt off only to lose a trip to someone/somewhere else - then this business isn't for you.
But if you do, it can be very lucrative.
