We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bijoy Shah. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bijoy below.

Bijoy, appreciate you joining us today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

My first client that was purely from marketing efforts and not from previous connections was a gentleman who requested a trip to London & Paris to check out the cities as well as do some shopping. After discussing his needs in some depth, I surmised his style along with his ideal comfort and convenience wishes. I provided him with 3-4 accommodation options in each city along with guides to each city, curated and compiled with his personal wants and wishes so that he didn’t need to soft through any extra fluff (which is something he really liked). It was exciting to build this vacation for this gentleman. He thoroughly enjoyed the trip and has been one of my greatest sources of referrals, to this day.

Bijoy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

When I decided to get in to travel, it felt only natural. I’ve been to a myriad of places (living in a handful) and I can share my experiences coupled with my expertise with my clients. Through partnerships built both with my affiliation with Fora Travel and independently, I can not only book nearly every hotel in the world, but I can book rental homes, rustic (and not-so-rustic) castles, traditional B&Bs, and a number of travel services. Some of the travel services I am able to curate include travel insurance, luggage insurance, discounted travel gear, custom souvenir baskets, destination wedding planning, and wedding officiant services. Everything I plan and book for my clients is designed with their interests and needs. There is no plug-and-play formula for my clients. Everyone is unique and everyone deserves the unique designs I can offer. My goal has always been to provide seamless planning, bespoke itineraries, & exceptionally curated service, always. I want to earn the client’s trust and never break it. In the last year I have earned nothing but 5-star ratings from surveyed clients. I hope to continue that standard of excellence, throughout my career.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think that my reputation started as a basic thought from which I could build something. Having traveled to dozens of countries and having lived in a few, my travel experience already gave me a platform from which my expertise could be trusted. My friends and family always asked about my extensive travel journals and notes when they planned trips. Taking this knowledge and turning it into a business felt natural. I also believe that earning nothing but 5-star ratings from clients has helped my reputation as a top-tier travel agency grow.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Funding my specific model for Travel by Mr. BIjoy required surprisingly little capital. Partnering with Fora as my “host agency,” provided me a lot of really great business tools and business backing for a relatively low cost. As for personal business expenses, there’s mainly technology and a little marketing. I used savings from past businesses (I’ve owned a few businesses over my previous careers), a small investment from my family, and 2 months revenue from another business I own to purchase a phone, a phone plan, a few computer peripherals, some marketing materials (I had a magazine for a while!), and an incredibly secure data management system. I had to get the data management and storage system because I always want to feel secure with my data and my financial data, and my client’s personal and financial data deserve a level of security they can trust. One of the beautiful things about the travel business is that there are few major barriers to entry, and even fewer when it comes to financial barriers to entry.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.travelbymrbijoy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelbymrbijoy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travelbymrbijoy/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/travel-by-mr-bijoy
• Other: https://www.foratravel.com/advisor/bijoy-shah