“It’s amazing to be part of a business which keeps growing and growing and gives so many opportunities to franchise owners.”
In just over a year, travel consultant Nicola Pugh has changed her life. Having previously worked within the probation service, Nicola was looking to make a change and set her eyes firmly on The Travel Franchise.
Encouraged by the fact that she didn’t necessarily need travel experience and that head office would offer her ‘fantastic’ support from the start, Nicola was keen to sign on the dotted line. She cites that other advantages included that the franchise was a ‘reputable and growing’ organisation that has ‘owners with good morals and values’ that do ‘the right thing for their customers’.
Impressive training
Nicola attended her initial training in August 2018 and was quickly impressed on how efficient and productive this was. She says:
“I look back now and realise how amazing it was as it kick-started my travel business. It was very professionally run with thoughtful trainers in a welcoming and friendly environment. As trainees we felt very invested in and it was a genuine supportive learning environment. You knew from that training week that the world is your oyster with this business.”
Thereafter, Nicola felt fully supported by the entire team. She says:
“ I felt supported right from the start from the trainers to my mentors Ben and Toni. Whenever I had questions around the systems and processes or suppliers pretty much 24/7, I knew I could get a response. The coaches are great as their approach helps you to learn and develop and is extremely supportive”.
Using the experiences of others was key for Nicola. She says:
“I listened a LOT to those who were successful in the business and I was ready to go the day training was finished. I made my biggest booking still to date the day after I finished training with full commission it was the training gave me the confidence to do that.”
The importance of networking
One way that Nicola leveraged growing her customer database was via networking. She recalls:
“I knew I had to be out there and visible to build the business and I quickly started networking in my local area and using social media whilst also talking to family and friends. Still now I have lots of untapped opportunities and the growth continues.”
Offering high levels of customer service is paramount to Nicola and this has put her in good stead for growing her business and retaining her customers. She says:
“I always wanted to provide a service that I would expect as a customer and I have gained an excellent reputation for going above and beyond for my customers. I value them immensely and I never take their business for granted. I started to build strong strategic alliances with those across my business networks and everything snowballed and continues to do so. I still get excited by every enquiry and I always want to do the best that I can for my customers.”
Money Back Challenge
Nicola is one of many franchisees who achieved her Money Back Challenge in 2019. This is a unique incentive that allows new franchisees to earn their original franchise fee back, which essentially means that they attain a successful travel business for free. This goal was always a top priority for Nicola.
She says:
“I also have always known my numbers … something which our Co-founders and coaches always state as being important and I knew what I need to do to achieve the Money Back Challenge. I worked exceptionally hard in my first 12 months working seven days per week and long hours because I knew this was what was needed to build the business quickly. This wasn’t going to be a hobby for me this was going to be a whole change of career with an income to replace.”
International training
Attending international training events helped the trajectory of Nicola’s business. Not only was she learning from the best, she was able to do in sunny Portugal. She says:
“The Millionaires retreat was invaluable, it felt fantastic to be surrounded by other franchisees and it really had a ‘one big family’ vibe. Again, the sense of being invested in from those running the retreat and Steve and Paul, was very apparent. I learned a lot and the timing was great as my business grew significantly from the retreat.”
Why The Travel Franchise has ‘everything’ Nicola was looking for
Nicola has always wanted to run her
own business and leaving the security of the corporate world was a decision she
didn’t take lightly. However, without doubt is confident that she has made the
right decision. She says:
“It felt as though the Travel Franchise had everything I was looking for; the
opportunity to run my own business in a sector which I love and with all the
support you could possible need and the systems and processes around you that
give you that security.
“I always knew I would work hard at whatever I did but I needed everything around me that the Travel Franchise offers to make a success of it. Without the support of The Travel Franchise I would not be able to dedicate as much time as I would like to selling holidays, providing the best service to customers and being able to build my business.”
Why Nicola is so ‘very grateful’ she took the plunge
The future is looking very bright for Nicola and she thinks it is ‘amazing to be part of a business which keeps growing and growing and gives so many opportunities to franchise owners.’
She says:
“I wake up each day very grateful that I took the plunge and those first steps into owning a travel franchise. There isn’t a day when I have regretted it and even though I am 15 months into my business now there are so many ways to grow and so many opportunities to learn and improve.”
Do you want to follow in Nicola’s footsteps? Watch our short video and learn how you can take the next steps and take our tour. Thereafter, head over to our Discovery website and watch our educational videos.
