It sounded like an Oscar speech, so many people thanked by Flemming Friisdahl. And in a way, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the company he founded, The Travel Agent Next Door, was an Oscar of sorts from the Canadian travel industry. But the point, Friishdahl was determined to make, was he couldn’t have done it alone.
In the beginning there was the encouragement (and later) professional partnership of wife Rhonda (Stanley), and the vision of Brad Miron, who came up with the name and branding. Penny Martin – sailing off into retirement soon – and Nancy Aube helped get it up and running; and many more since.
Today TTAND has reached 1,300 agent partners in the precisely a decade since it was launched on March 19, 2014, which was celebrated last night at a gala virtual event attended by about half of all agents, and which featured a star turn by Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy.
The TTAND executive team also celebrated earlier in the day at a Toronto restaurant with select trade media, whom the gracious Friisdahl also saw fit to thank for helping spread the word about the organization and covering its news, and many events and milestones along the way.
“Everything was done with a community sense. And that’s really what the whole company is all about – a community of people working together to achieve a goal; and that’s really what we wanted to do,” Friisdahl remembered of the start-up, and it’s enduring philosophy.
“I wanted,” he added, “a program where the agents took home more money than ever before, because they’re the ones doing the heavy lifting.”
To that end, TTAND fashioned a program that featured the industry-first concept of up to 100% commission for travel advisors.
Similar consideration was given to suppliers, with Friisdahl explaining, “Their success was going to be how we were going to be successful.”
A slow and steady plan for growth continued with a personal approach with prospective agent members, the launch of a New Agent Program, first conference (in Mexico in 2015), and adoption of an official charity (Pencils for Kids) – the latter being one of Friisdahl’s proudest moments, he says.
Similarly, an internal program to assist TTAND agents and their families who needed a helping hand at Christmas during the paycheque-less pandemic.
As accolades rolled in, including an Air Canada Circle of Excellence Platinum Level award in 2019, TTAND launched an agency solution for small businesses, a zero-interest financing plan, and opened an office in India.
In spite of the blight of COVID, during which no staff were laid off, TTAND expanded into Quebec and advisor numbers continued to grow, topping 1,000 in 2022 – a year in which the agency, now a member of Travel Leaders Network, was named the organization’s top agency and member of the year.
As 2024 unfolds – a year in which TTAND anticipates topping a whopping half billion dollars in sales – Friisdahl says, “Honestly, I think the next 10 years are going to be the most developing years for The Travel Agent Next Door. I think the first 10 years were great, but the next 10 years are going to be so amazing. We’re going to bring such really, really cool programs that no one else has.
“The Travel Agent Next Door is looked upon as a true company that sells travel,” Friisdahl enthuses. “Not a card mill or multi-level marketing program, not a sign-up-anybody-it’s-free, you-don’t-pay-anything-to-be-part-of-us. That’s not we’re about. We haven’t raised our fees in 10 years. Why? Because the model works. We’re not going to mess with that!
“I want to thank everybody for their support over the last years, and for the next 10 years or 20 years to come,” he concluded. “The entire objective of all this is everybody wins… (and) it takes a village.”