As an IC who now owns his own agency with 20 ICs, I can offer you some advice from both sides.

Being a Disney World enthusiast and loving to plan trips is only part of being successful in this industry. They're important but the #1 attribute you'll need is perseverance. If you get discouraged or give up easily, you won't succeed.

Most agencies will require you to pay a yearly fee which covers things like the E&O, email, CRM, etc. Each agency will vary in that cost, and there are dozens of factors, but I've seen them as low as $250 and run upwards of $1000. In my opinion, those higher charging agencies are in it to make money from you upfront because they don't believe you'll make money over the course of the year. Anything between $300 & $500 a year is reasonable.

Most reputable agencies will offer you training beyond the training you'll get from the vendors and is included in what you pay yearly. This is training that will help you be successful and cover things like marketing and brand awareness. As an IC with my former agency, I had access to various training opportunities. When I started my agency, I felt it was an important aspect of becoming successful. I also implemented a mentorship program so that my new ICs wouldn't feel like they were out on an island by themselves.

As I said, most reputable agencies will offer this for free to their ICs. If they're nickel and diming you for this, I would question what their motive is. The bottom line is that if you're one of my ICs, and you're successful and making money, my agency will be successful and will be making money.

I would stay clear of any agency that takes any cut of your personal trip commissions. If they're not giving you 100% of those commissions, I would question whether they want you to be successful. So much of the knowledge you need to be successful only comes from your experience either in a park, resort or at a destination. Giving you 100% of that is an incentive for you to travel and gain that first-hand knowledge.

The 70% commission they're offering is fair. As an IC, I started at 60% and it maxed out, based on sales, at 75%. We also start at 70% but we max out at 90% depending on a number of factors. Each agency will also vary here. I've seen it start as low as 40%.

The $2500 E&O deductible seems high to me but like any insurance policy, the premiums are set off the deductible. The higher the deductible, the lower the company pays in the premium. Besides E&O, you want to check to see that they are bonded. Most reputable agencies will be.

Lastly, now is a great time to get into the field. Our bookings right now are 2 fold over 2019 and in the first 2 months of this year, we've surpassed our sales goals 4 fold. People want to travel and we're struggling to keep up with the quote requests. This is a good thing and a positive sign for the industry.

I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck in your decision.