Almost every time I read travel news, (Or any news for that matter) I hear of companies struggling and ultimately closing their doors forever. Alex Brainbridge has written a very interesting article about some UK agencies who have recently had to cease operation. Whenever I see these things, I wonder, What did they do wrong?  From my experience, ego and fear of change seem to be the leading causes of death.

Firstly, the ego issue. Some of the major players seem to have forgotten that we’re not on a new playing field, we’re playing a whole new game. The, “Like it or lump it” school of thought regarding customer service, quality of product and end user technology will drive away a shrinking customer base lickity split! The companies that are still doing well are mainly those that put their agents/consumers happiness first.

Change doesn’t have to be a four letter word, in fact I love it. There has never been a better time to look at the small things that just don’t work, listen to your users and put out some updates that will put you ahead of the rest. Zuji have obviously adopted this line of thought. Personally, having the chance to innovate is something that really motivates me.

Of course there are outside factors that contribute to failure, but I see these times as both scary and exciting, really depends on who you talk to. If anyone has had any experience with this, I would really like to hear about it.