Eventually, there arrives a moment when a travel consultant affiliated with an agency contemplates venturing out independently. Launching a personal travel enterprise offers numerous advantages, such as enhanced commissions and improved flexibility, but it can also be intimidating.
For Sue Ball, the hardest challenge in taking that leap was making a definitive choice.
“The primary barrier I encountered while starting my business was myself,” Ball shared with Travel Market Report. “Having spent the majority of my career as an employee in travel agencies, the toughest aspect was deciding to embark on my own journey.”
Ball, a dedicated travel advisor, began her training in air ticketing during the 1990s, worked as a call center representative, and most recently held positions as both a salesperson and a manager at a storefront agency in Grand Rapids, MI, before establishing Sphera Travel in 2020. Here’s how her path led her to become her own boss and where she envisions the future of her business.
Getting Her Start Early
Ball’s passion for travel ignited when she relocated from her Michigan hometown to New York to work as a nanny after completing high school. “I interacted with au pairs from various countries, and for the first time, I was introduced to diverse cultures, viewpoints, and lifestyles,” she reflected.
Having only traveled to Michigan’s upper peninsula during childhood, “this experience unveiled to me how vast and captivating the world is, inspiring me to assist others in discovering it as well,” she remarked.
This realization led Ball back to Michigan to enroll in a travel training institution in 1991, where she undertook a six-month course concentrating on airport codes and airline ticketing, in an era of manual documentation. She acquired a certification there that she humorously noted “probably holds little merit today” – yet her comprehensive understanding of air sales does provide her with an advantage over many advisors.
“It appears that anyone can become a travel agent nowadays, so I doubt that holds great significance,” she commented, “but it continually benefits me. I apply what I learned every single day.”
Thanks to the travel school’s employment assistance program, she secured a position at a call center, where she swiftly advanced to the role of call center manager. Although it was “a bit chaotic, with 100 calls pending on the board,” she found her work in aiding agents with their air bookings to be “fantastic,” she expressed.
When the company shut down in 2001, she took a hiatus from the travel sector to work at a local church and care for her young children. However, the travel industry called her back in 2014, as she and her husband, Andy Ball, transitioned to empty nesters.
She then began her tenure at a physical agency in Grand Rapids, MI, where she worked as a salaried employee performing duties as both a travel advisor and storefront manager.
Launching Her Own Venture
Sue was aware that she aspired to create her own business, but it was not until the Covid-19 pandemic that she and Andy officially established Sphera Travel, with Sue as the luxury travel designer and Andy focusing on client experiences.
The mission was to design bespoke luxury itineraries for empty nesters similar to themselves, as well as for retirees and families. Not only did launching the business provide Sue with greater freedom to market the kinds of trips she genuinely enjoys organizing, but it also boosted her earnings – she receives 100% of the commission rather than just part as an employee – along with more flexibility to travel herself.
Investigating host agencies, locating a dependable customer relationship manager (CRM), and developing the website for Sphera Travel were considerable initial projects. Sue kept in touch with numerous former clients, who followed her to her new venture for their travel requirements.
While the travel lull experienced during the pandemic permitted Sue and Andy to construct the framework of the business, the period of “revenge travel” truly allowed it to flourish.
“We’ve been thriving since then,” Sue remarked. “I’m earning more than I did at the physical agency. I’m also traveling considerably more, which clients appreciate. Once the world reopened, approximately mid-’22, things have been very positive.”
Continuing to Expand the Business
In 2025, Sphera Travel’s sales experienced a slight decline – not due to any lack of demand, but rather because Sue spent a significant amount of time traveling that year, which left her with less time for itinerary creation. She explored places like Switzerland and Antarctica, where she aspires to send clients in the future.
Now, nearly six years after pouring her heart into Sphera Travel, Sue finds herself once again booking a variety of trips and aims to re-prioritize. To accomplish this, she plans to recruit subagents this year – a moment of full-circle for her.
“It’s beneficial for new advisors to begin in that capacity and gradually handle smaller trips,” Sue mentioned. “I’m not exclusively seeking individuals who are formally trained in travel. I believe we can develop negative habits, so I would prefer to find individuals who are seasoned travelers, possess a network, and are tech-savvy.”
The aspiration is that bringing on more agents to handle less intricate travel will enable Sue the opportunity to curate the significant milestone, luxury trips she prefers. For instance, she recently arranged a couple’s honeymoon following the itinerary she experienced in Switzerland.
Sue aims to achieve this while still providing service to all travelers who desire a vacation, regardless of the destination or budget. By the spring of this year, she and Andy plan to launch a complete website for their newly hired sub-agents.
Ultimately, the name “Sphera” is derived from the couple’s last name, Ball, symbolizing their dedication to family and connecting individuals through travel. When asked about what she finds most fulfilling about the business, Sue replied, “the people.”
“It’s about meeting new individuals regularly, understanding their travel aspirations, and then realizing those dreams for them,” she shared. “It’s incredible to assist people in experiencing the world.”
Fonte: Travel Market Report
