When Kate Moulton joined Cruiseabout’s newly reintroduced business ownership scheme in February this year, it was a calculated risk.
But if anyone was equipped to take it on, it was Moulton, who had already spent 16 years building a standout career across Flight Centre, including leading one of its high-performing mega stores.
Moulton and Cruiseabout Whitford team leader Christina (Crij) D’Agostino became the first two entrants into the revived business buy back scheme.
Cruiseabout relaunches ownership scheme to lock in top talent
Just weeks later, global conflict in the Middle East sent fresh uncertainty through the travel sector.
While some new business owners may have panicked, Moulton instead urged her team to focus on what they could control, stay positive and use disruption as a chance to prove their value to customers.
“Part of building that trust with the customer is being there when things don’t go to plan,” Moulton said.
“That is our moment to kind of go, well, that’s why you book with me. We’re going to take care of it all.”
Customers followed
It was this customer-first mindset that ultimately gave Moulton the confidence to back herself and open her own store.
Many long-standing clients followed her move, helping the business start strongly from day one.
“I probably didn’t realise at the time just how successful my personal brand was,” she said.
“Our store was overflowing with my customers.”
For Moulton, the move marked a new chapter after more than a decade climbing the ranks at Flight Centre, where she began at age 21 with little travel experience before progressing into senior leadership.
She went on to run a 22-person mega store operation before deciding she was ready for something different.
“I had probably done the same thing for 10 years and was ready for something new,” she said.
“I wanted to rebrand myself and think about what I wanted to be known for.”
Slowing down the sale
That thinking has shaped the way Cruiseabout North Lakes now operates.
Rather than a transactional retail model, Moulton has focused on creating a more relaxed in-store experience, offering customers coffee, a glass of bubbles and time to properly discuss the right holiday for them.
“We’ve really been able to focus on that customer experience,” she said. “Slow it down, listen to them and care.”
The approach is paying off, with first-time cruise customers regularly walking in from the shopping centre and leaving with high-value bookings.
“There was one customer who booked a $30,000 cruise within that hour consult that I honestly don’t think they would have if they didn’t relax into the experience,” she said.
Building community
Beyond sales, Moulton has also leaned into community-building, hosting regular in-store supplier events designed to educate customers and convert hesitant travellers into confident cruisers.
A forthcoming solo traveller event has already attracted strong interest, particularly from women wanting to travel independently.
“It’s about getting them in a room with other solo travellers, giving them confidence and helping them realise they can do it,” she said.
Backing new talent
Moulton has also taken an unconventional approach to recruitment, hiring inexperienced newcomers alongside established consultants in a bid to build future talent.
Two first-time recruits have already secured spots at Flight Centre Travel Group’s Global Gathering within their first year in the industry, she said.
“Sometimes it’s about taking a gamble on personality and attitude, then building the knowledge around that,” Moulton said.
Skin in the game
Now, with skin in the game through the ownership scheme, Moulton said the motivation is stronger than ever.
“It changes everything I do,” she said. “You want it to be successful because it’s got your name to it even more so than before.”
From clicks to bricks: The quiet return of travel shopfronts
