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How I went from the military to a million pound booking – with zero travel experience

Find out how one franchisee went from no travel experience to making a £1m booking… in just 3 months. 

As a Royal Engineer Staff Sergeant, franchisee Moses McLaughlin is no stranger to discipline and hard work. Having served in the Falklands, Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Iraq, he followed his time in the military with a second successful career in the payments industry.

But Moses knew that just staying in a job wasn’t the path for him. He explains:

“I got to a stage in my career where I wanted to start my own business.

But it had to be a business that I would enjoy as well as be a challenge.

I saw a real opportunity with the Travel Franchise that would let me target £100k revenue in the first year of trading. And I’ve already exceeded it.”

Moses made the fastest start possible – a £1m booking!

Moses lives in Bury St. Edmunds but, with less than a year in business, already has clients all over the UK. After training in July 2021, he immediately got to work making connections with suppliers, customers and people who could refer his services.

Within just 3 months, he made a staggering £750,000 cruise booking, which increased to £1m when all other elements (including flights) were added on.

Image of Norwegian Gem via NCL
The booking started with just a conversation….

Like many customer relationships, it all began with a conversation about travel. 

Moses explains:

“I got into a conversation with someone I know in the music industry at a gig. He wanted to give his clients a more luxurious experience and knew a cruise would do just that. From there, I contacted the BDM direct at NCL and arranged a meeting with the team in Miami.”

Getting the booking completed so early into his business was definitely a challenge. 

That’s why having such deep levels of support is vital. 

“The whole NJT team has been amazing with their support and mentoring. Steve and Paul have been so supportive too. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to get this booking over the line.”

His customers will be travelling in 2023 on the luxurious Norwegian Gem cruise ship. The trip is starting in Athens, then sailing to Bodrum, Crete, Paros, Rhodes, Mykonos, and Santorini.

It’s a fabulous trip for the customer & his clients. And a highly lucrative way to get started in the travel industry…

At an average of 10% per booking, this would mean £100k in commissions generated. Technically, Moses could take the rest of the year off and still be in profit for next year.

Not that it’s likely to happen!

Moses describes himself as a “man on a mission” to break records in the business. He’s looking to a bright and profitable future.

And, with many other promoters already in touch after hearing what he’s done for this booking, who’d bet against that future success?

He’s been recognised by the industry already

Thanks to his relentless hard work and fantastic success, Moses has already caught the attention of those in the travel industry – despite his lack of experience. He’s nominated (along with fellow franchisee Ami) as “New Agent Of The Year” at the TTG Travel Industry Awards for 2022.

Moses collects another award at our latest conference

Moses also knows he hasn’t come this far by himself, praising the support and training he’s had to help him so far.

“I had zero travel experience prior to starting. But the training and support really has been exceptional. It enabled me to hit the ground running and reach my 2022 targets.”

It’s incredibly rewarding to be part of Moses’ story so far. And we can’t wait to see what happens next!

Would you like to know more about starting your own successful travel business? Book a chat with us here.

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