When Isaiah Banks came to his wife Deborah and said he wanted to purchase a Cruise Planners travel franchise, she didn’t want any part of it. She was in the midst of an active career in the tech field and Isaiah was an active-duty officer in the U.S. Navy. She told her husband, “if you want to start a travel agency, you have to run it yourself.”
As she dug into Cruise Planners more though, her attitude started to shift, and what began as Isaiah’s business dream, quickly became a family affair.
“It was so much fun!” Deborah says. “I wish I had started earlier.”
Together, the couple run their home-based travel agent business and help customers plan amazing vacations all around the world. Although hesitant at first, Deborah played a critical role in the early years of the business.
“Because I was still active-duty military, there was a lot I couldn’t do,” Isaiah says. “Deborah did a lot of the work, keeping the franchise in focus. If she didn’t do that, we wouldn’t have the franchise today.”
One of the biggest draws about Cruise Planners was the flexibility it allowed. As a home-based business, the Banks had the freedom to set their own hours and work the business from anywhere. This was imperative for a busy military family that moved all around the world.
“We never had to start all over from scratch,” says Deborah. “Wherever we’d go, our business would follow us. It was seamless. Our clients never knew we were in a different location.”
Now retired from the Navy, Isaiah sees a lot of skills that translate from the military to successful Cruise Planners franchise ownership.
“Most military members have traveled the world. We have dedication, we are process thinkers and we know how to get things done,” he says.
Those skills allowed Isaiah and Deborah to develop a successful travel advisor business without any previous experience. They were disciplined in following Cruise Planners’ proven model of success, they were dedicated in using the robust technology and marketing provided to them and they embraced ongoing coaching and training to continually grow their business.
Despite her initial hesitations, Deborah cannot imagine what her life would be without Cruise Planners. She is grateful for the success she has earned, but she is even more appreciative of the time she has been able to spend with her husband.
“We have been growing the business together, and it has been a great pleasure having him side-by-side at home,” she says. “I would do it all over again if I had the opportunity.”
Whether you are active military, transitioning into civilian life, a veteran or a military spouse, Cruise Planners offers a flexible, home-based business model that lets you work on your own schedule from anywhere in the world.
Click below to learn about our military incentive program and how you can start your own travel advisor business with Cruise Planners.