Former medical courier, Lloydie Gardiner, bought a travel franchise when a road traffic accident forced him to give up his job.
Although he’d never worked in the travel industry before, The Travel Franchise helps train people from different backgrounds to become a travel consultant, and he thought it would be fun.
But he never dreamed that around five years later he would sell £150,000-worth of holidays in just two weeks.
“I took over £280,000 in January and I’m also currently pricing up a big overseas wedding in the Maldives for 2024 which will be worth around £200,000,” says Lloydie matter-of-factly,” says Lloydie matter-of-factly.
Last year Lloydie turned over £1.3 million holidays and he expects a growth of at least 15 per cent this year.
Money isn’t the only attraction for Lloydie who last year enjoyed fam trips and discounted holidays in the Algarve, Tunisia, Thailand (where he used to live), Crete, Lapland and also went on a cruise.
So what made Lloydie successful and can anyone follow in his footsteps?
Lloydie says The Travel Franchise was a huge help in the beginning when he admits he ‘played’ at being a travel consultant until he attended The Travel Franchise’s mentorship Elite Experience retreat in Mauritius in 2017.
The trip involves the co-founders of the franchise and its customer-facing brand Not Just Travel, taking a group of its franchisees to a luxury destination to explore a tourist spot and attend workshops on how to grow their business.
“Many franchisees say the trip is worth the franchise fee alone,” says co-founders Steve Witt and Paul Harrison.
The retreat clearly helped Lloydie who took £750,000 worth of bookings the following year in 2018, growing that figure to £925,000 the following year.
“The Elite package costs more money but it’s worth every penny purely to go on the Elite Experience,” says Lloydie.
So how does Lloydie find customers working from home?
The company says most franchisees initially rely on friends, family and acquaintances to book holidays, gradually building their client base through referrals and repeat bookings. It also teaches franchisees how to market themselves on social media and other channels.
While Lloydie was lucky enough to get one referral introducing him to a multi-millionaire who frequently books holidays with him, much of his business comes via his Business Network International (BNI).
“My local BNI group has probably brought me around £1.15 million in five-and-a-half years,” says Lloydie, adding that last year alone, networking secured him £375,000-worth of sales.
Lloydie admits that outgoings, including yearly BNI membership and weekly meetings, costs around £1,400 but says it’s worth it as referrals are warmer than say from social media.
“Commitment is more of an issue than cost,” he says, explaining that he attends weekly meetings from 7am-8.30am with opportunities to pitch to other members.
It may be an early start but Lloydie clearly has a good work/life balance and he certainly doesn’t work when the football is on unless it’s an emergency!
