Wonderland Travel has launched with a 90% commission offer for its founding agents and a promise of hands-on business training, as founder Adrian Currie seeks to address what he sees as gaps in support for homeworkers.

The agency, which opened on 1 October, is initially seeking around 20 founding agents who will help shape its training and systems before wider recruitment begins after Christmas, with the aim of establishing a presence in major UK cities and creating a brand that can "stand alongside some of the industry's biggest names".

But while the ambitions are substantial, Currie's inspiration for Wonderland came from a much more personal frustration – his time working with host agencies he felt failed to provide the support he needed.

'I can do this better'

Currie started his career in travel in 2008 as a member of cabin crew before moving away and spending much of his working life in corporate human resources and employee relations.

However, he returned to travel about two years ago, joining a host agency as what he saw as a "straightforward route" back into the industry. But the experience left him questioning whether the model was working as well as it could for homeworkers.

"There was very little support," he said. "I knew enough to get by, but I had a business background – that's not true of a lot of new agents. I just thought, 'I can do this better and give agents what they need'. That's where the idea for Wonderland Travel began."

'I want a presence in most major UK cities'

Wonderland has spent much of the past year putting the foundations in place, with Currie working through compliance, licensing and financial protection requirements ahead of this month's launch.

The five-year plan is to have a presence in "most major UK cities"; Currie acknowledges this is a sizeable ambition in a saturated market, but believes the key to achieving it lies in equipping agents to run sustainable businesses.

A central part of that approach lies with the Wonderland Academy – an in-house programme which will provide practical business training for homeworkers, particularly those who are new to self-employment.

The programme is designed to demystify the financial and administrative responsibilities of running a travel business, covering everything from obtaining a unique taxpayer reference number –  and understanding tax allowances – to knowing which expenses can be claimed and how professional fees fit into the picture. The aim, Currie says, is to help agents understand how to operate as "genuine business owners" not simply as salespeople.

Founding agents will 'reap the rewards'

Currie says he already has "seven or eight" specific agents he would like to bring on board as "founding members", with several others interested but still working through their existing contractual commitments.

Rather than rushing to recruit as many people as possible, he wants the founding group to help develop the business before it expands. Wider recruitment is planned after Christmas, with a more substantial "community-building" phase to follow once the initial group is established.

"I'm still building the finished product," he says, adding he is looking beyond the initial recruitment drive to identify people who could eventually become part of the agency's leadership team.

He continues: "I want people who want to be there at the very beginning, join while we're still putting everything together and reap the rewards once we're finished.:

Founding agents will be encouraged to contribute to the Academy, particularly where they have specialist knowledge that could be shared with other members of the network and used to "train the next generation".

His own interests lie in Disney and cruising, but he is looking for founding members with niches ranging from honeymoons and couples' holidays to accessible travel.

Two membership tiers and a 70%+ commission split

Wonderland's initial commercial offer is designed to encourage agent retention, with founding members retaining 90% of their sales. When wider recruitment begins, the agency plans to introduce two further membership levels, with commission splits of 70% and 80%.

The lower tier will be aimed at people entering the industry, with a smaller initial financial commitment and more hands-on support. Agents will have the opportunity to move to the higher tier as their experience and competence develops.

Currie says the entry-level arrangement is intended to function as a "probationary period" of around six months, allowing Wonderland to ensure new agents understand their responsibilities before operating more independently.

Newer agents will not initially be permitted to dynamically package holidays independently, with Wonderland providing closer supervision until they are ready to take on that responsibility.

Adrian Currie

Once they are ready to progress, Currie expects the upgrade to involve an additional payment of around £10-£15, although the precise arrangements are being finalised.

"Our model is all about giving more back to agents," he says. "The more they get and the more they feel valued, the more they'll sell – and the better buying power we will eventually get with our network."

The agency has joined PTS and is working towards Iata accreditation. It also has Cliamembership, with Currie saying the business is "close" to completing the remaining steps needed to bring its full proposition online, which Currie describes as a "business in a box".

"We want to let agents crack on," he adds. "We'll give them everything they want and need to succeed."

'We gave up conventional life – that's the appeal of homeworking'

Currie's desire to create a different kind of business is closely connected to the dramatic change he and his husband Alex have made to their own lives.

Around two years ago, Currie decided he had had enough of the corporate world. After a career spanning multiple sectors – including founding events company Party Wales – he and Alex sold their house, put their possessions into storage and moved into a motorhome with their chocolate Labrador, Nala.

They have been travelling ever since, visiting 16 countries in the past year alone. "We gave up conventional life," Currie says. "I got fed up of constantly being in a boardroom or out until 11pm."

The couple's travels have taken them around much of Europe, including the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Poland, Switzerland, and Italy. They have also spent time exploring Scotland and other parts of the UK, with the motorhome also acting as Currie's workplace, allowing him to build Wonderland while travelling.

"I've created a business from the road, in the most unusual places," he says. "That work-life balance, and freedom, is what makes homeworking so brilliant."