As she nears the sixth-month anniversary of the launch of her boutique travel business, Kellie Samuda says ‘transparency’ is integral to Travel Seen Collective.
The industry veteran teamed up with Jen Atkinson in October to co-found the business, which sets itself apart by offering deeper levels of support to help homeworking advisors build their professional digital profiles.
Members pay a “a small monthly fee” to cover administrative and IT costs, and in return, receive expert training on marketing themselves on everything from Instagram to TikTok.
“We have full transparency on elements such as FX rates, credit cards and, most importantly, our contract for joiners,” Samuda says. “We don’t tie anyone in. If we’re not doing a great job and you want to leave, you are free to go - no questions asked.”
Samuda, who sold her shareholding in 360 Private Travel in 2023, said she wants to create a culture at Travel Seen Collective that prioritises the team’s wellbeing, adding that she knows all too well how important empathy is to a successful company.
“We are trying to create a safe, happy place, especially for women and mothers, where you stay because you want to be here,” she explains. “Jen and I are both single mums, and we understand all the factors that go into being a working mother.”
Travel Seen Collective advisors can work flexible hours that allow for a healthy work-life balance, while benefitting from full back office support and product advice.
“We’re available to speak in the evenings, and we can change meeting times, or jump on a call with a client if an agent can’t make it,” Samuda adds.
“We have to consider what people have going on in their personal lives. When we take people on, we sit down and go through a plan, how their life is, how they want to do businesses. This is a lifestyle, it’s not just a job.”
Samuda also says that Travel Seen Collective, which aims to recruit two new advisors a month until it reaches its goal of 50, is proud to employ only people with travel backgrounds: “We’re all travel people. I’ve noticed that some other companies that’ve sprung up of late have people from tech or finance. But we’ve been in the industry a long time.”
