Homeworking agency Azure Indies is targeting experienced industry professionals with a commission model that allows its consultants to retain 100% of the commission on bookings made through its own tour operator business, Azure.

"We're the principal and the tour operator, so everybody wins," says Abby Penston, speaking to TTG following her promotion to Chief Executive in September. Agents, she adds, can "piggyback" on Azure's events, fam trips, marketing and social media.

The network, which was launched in February 2025, has since grown to comprise around 40 consultants, with more new starters "in the pipeline", according to Penston.

'We don't need to be greedy'

Azure Indies was developed by Azure Chair Edward Leigh, who began exploring the homeworking market in 2024 while looking to diversify his tour operating business. Penston, who has known Leigh since 2012, worked with him to develop a model based on "fair trading" and collaboration.

"He likes to create winners in the room," she says of Leigh. "There's enough business around – in travel – that we don't need to be greedy."

Under the model, consultants retain 100% commission on Azure bookings and dynamically packaged trips, and 90% on third-party bookings, with Azure's fee capped at £500. The network also provides a dynamic packaging solution and CRM system, and negotiates competitive rates for additional services through its buying group.

Penston acknowledges other host agencies retaining 35% to 40% of commissions could justify the share where extensive support, technology and marketing is provided. However, she said Azure Indies was aimed at agents with existing client bases that allow them to operate independently from the outset.

"They've served their time," she say. "They know what they're doing. They're more-than-capable business people."

'The standard is excellence'

Azure Indies is not setting a fixed membership target, with Penston emphasising recruitment is about finding the right agents rather than maximising numbers. "We're going for the right fit, and that standard is excellence," she said.

Recruitment, for now, is being driven by recommendations from existing members. Penston reveals one consultant has introduced four agents from her previous host agency, while another reported being "33% better off" in profit terms under the model, although she cautions that figure is not based on a like-for-like, year-on-year comparison.

Azure Indies has a small central team supported by the wider tour operator business, with consultants having access to around 200 suppliers beyond Azure.

Penston says the business has also introduced advisory directors to its board to ensure the network remains accountable to members and responsive to their needs. "We know what they want because they're telling us at board level," she adds.

'I like to see small businesses succeed'

Penston previously led the largest tour operator in the Benelux region and served as Chief Executive of Focus Travel Partnership where she helped establish the organisation's independent status in 2019. She began working with Azure Indies as a consultant last year before taking on the top role.

She explains the opportunity appealed to her because of her commitment to travel and small businesses, as well as the network's emphasis on ethical trading. "I like to see small businesses succeed," she says. "I like to make sure everybody feels that they are performing and thriving in a fair platform."

Looking ahead, Azure Indies is planning quarterly regional meetings and an overseas network event in 2027, alongside greater participation in industry events focused on technology, artificial intelligence and automation.

Penston adds the business is still developing its proposition in collaboration with its members. "We class ourselves at the moment as not just travel agents, but architects as well," she insists. "We're building something as a collective."