Running your own guided tour business can be an extremely rewarding career choice. It allows you the flexibility of working your own hours, with your own employees at your chosen locations. The role allows you to develop relationships with clients, and the enjoyment of showing tourists some of your favourite spots in the city. Below, we break down how you can start a guided tour business.
Choose your route
One of the most critical parts of running a guided tour business is to take people where they want to go. Choosing your tour route is extremely important. Therefore, significant planning should go into the decision. For example, if your guided tour is in Sydney, you’d want to ensure certain landmarks such as the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House are destinations visited. In addition, selecting a few of your favourite less well-known spots can help tourists feel comfortable and enjoy the city.
Alternatively, you may want to have more than one route depending on the day or group. Some groups may be more interested in a guided tour of the city, whereas others may be more interested in guided tours of nature. Understanding what your clients are seeking and being flexible around these demands will ensure that your business is as busy as possible.
Australian Business Number (ABN)
To legally run a business in Australia, you require an ABN. Registering for an ABN is a straightforward process that allows your business to be recognised as a separate legal entity. As your guided tour business will likely be run as a small business, we recommend the ‘company’ option.
Develop a website
As you’ll be running a guided tour business, you won’t need a physical location or store to run your business out of. However, you will need a website. A website will allow potential customers to learn about your business and book tours. In short, having a user-friendly website that provides information about tours and pricing will be fundamental to ensuring that your business is a success.
Handling finances
Running a small business can be tough. A particular issue many small businesses have when starting is failing to handle their finances accordingly. Therefore, working with an accountant from the beginning of your business is critical. It can ensure that your business adheres to the relevant taxation laws, whilst maximising profits and minimising overhead costs.
Alternatively, you can also utilise a platform such as Xero. Through filing your receipts, Xero will ensure that your business follows the relevant practices whilst ensuring you can focus on running your business.
Acquiring customers
The secret to the success of any business is ensuring you have enough customers. As you’ll be running a guided tour business, it is unlikely that your customers will be returning often due to the majority being tourists. Therefore, advertising is essential to ensuring that you always have a steady flow of customers. To ensure your business is well-known to as many tourists as possible, we recommend the follow methods:
- Google/Facebook ads.
- Social media advertising.
- Airport advertising.
- Billboard advertising near local hostels and hotels.
Through utilising these methods, you can ensure your business is visible to the public eye.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, running your own guided tour business allows you the freedom of running your own business whilst interacting with people from a variety of cultures. It saves you from the monotonous 9-to-5 working week and provides the opportunity to showcase your favourite spots in the city. Whilst running a small business can be tough, through the right planning and work ethic it can be the best decision you make. For further enquiries or assistance about running your own guided tour business, a business lawyer may be able to assist.
