Very often we see our consultants start out life as a travel consultant on a part-time basis.
And very often we see agents choose to don their travel agent hat only in their spare time, fitting it in alongside other commitments.
But typically, most end up turning their business into a full-time operation, like Jason.
He invested in a franchise with us in May 2022 and for the past two years he’s been completing a full-time contract in his previous job while booking holidays when he can.
However, despite only running his agency part time, each year Jason has seen his business double in size.
“It’s kind of been doubling in size without me doing very much to it. But I’ve been working hard in the background, learning a lot and I’ve been doing another full-time job as well.”
Having started out in the middle of 2022, Jason’s turnover by the end of the year was £70k. The following year annual turnover was “about £170k” and in 2024 turnover to the end of September is already sitting at £260k.
Now Jason has completed his contract with his previous employer and he is raring to run his travel business full time. And he’s set himself an ambitious target:
“In my first year of doing this full time I want to hit the million pound mark. That’s my goal.”
For Jason this finally feels like a fresh start. But, he’s eager to go for it.
“It is daunting knowing that I’ll no longer be having a set salary coming in each month, but I am confident and excited.”
The past two years have paved the way for Jason to learn the ropes and build up his client base.
“The support from NJT is fantastic. They have lots of support for all different scenarios. There’s always someone you can turn to for help and advice. And there’s a whole host of information available on their hub, on the internet.
“I get on very well with my business development managers. They’re really supportive. I hold regular meetings with them. They help to hold me to account, which is great for me because it helps to keep me focused on the goals and things that I need to do.”
Jason has also taken up lots of opportunities to learn and educate himself about all different aspects of the travel industry. Like 98% of our agents he has never worked in the travel industry before. That’s why ongoing training is our top priority.
“There’s a lot to learn. It’s a very fast paced industry. So NJT ensures there’s always lots of new ways to keep learning.”
As well as a stream of webinars with any of our 400+ suppliers or tourist boards, Jason has found our training retreats abroad a massive help.
When you sign up as an Elite agent, you get given a place on two FREE overseas training retreats where you’ll learn more about how to run your business while exploring a destination and familiarising yourself with some of our suppliers.
“The Millionaire’s Retreat that I attended in Fuertaventura was a real eye opener for me and really kickstarted me into growing my business and driving it forward. I came off that trip really buzzing and even while I was on the actual trip I started implementing some of the tips and strategies that we’d been taught and I saw the difference it made to bookings almost instantly.”
Jason has also joined us on a luxurious Elite Experience training retreat to Mauritius, plus he attended our recent Platinum conference held onboard a Virgin Voyages’ cruise ship.
“I hadn’t been on a Virgin cruise before then so it was nice to see it, touch it and feel it.”
About 50% of Jason’s bookings are made up of cruise holidays which offer some of the highest commissions in travel.
“People love cruising. Once they get into it, they just keep doing it again and again. So you quickly learn and understand what they like, and it becomes much easier.”
Putting together an itinerary is what Jason loves most about the job.
“I love coming up with an idea they had never thought of. I also enjoy answering all their questions – even the small details. That’s all part of the customer service and that’s why they come back to me again and again. They really appreciate that service that they can’t get from anywhere else.”
And the bookings are varied. A £45k family booking to Disney; an overseas wedding for 30 people and a Lions tour in Australia are just a few examples. As for Lapland, demand has been sky high this year with many families reporting it to be a trip of a lifetime!
Over the past couple of years Jason has built up a healthy bank of clients and now he’s tapping into a whole new stream of customers thanks to our recently revamped Partners in Travel programme. This scheme allows our agents to partner with a business or charity and the partner gets a slice of the commission via any referrals.
“I’m so proud to have partnered with a local charity. A portion of every single booking that we take as of now until the end of December will go to Tŷ Hafan Hospice, a children’s hospice in Wales.
“Giving a percentage of every single booking to charity is something I’m really proud of.”
So what would Jason say to others thinking about joining The Travel Franchise?
“Just do it. Just simply do it. You are more than capable of making enough money to sustain yourself. It does take work and effort, but if you keep chipping away at it before long it starts to get a lot easier. You’re then able to make those work-life balance choices.”
As for Jason’s work-life balance, he’s all set on building the business then travelling more.
“Once I’ve got the business on track then I certainly plan to travel a lot more. I can work from anywhere as long as I have my laptop and wi-fi. “
And he’s got a long list of destinations he wants to visit.
“As you book more holidays you keep coming up with more and more places that you want to go yourself!.”
So does he wish he’d started out full-time right from the start.
“Yes, but I was committed to stay and finish a contract. The time was useful to learn the ropes, but now I’m eager to throw myself in full time and I have big plans. It’s exciting.”
