How Stuart from Newcastle built a thriving travel business alongside a second job and two young children.
When Stuart, a dad of two from Newcastle, joined The Travel Franchise just over a year ago, he had no experience in travel – but a strong desire to build a business of his own.
Fast forward 12 months and he’s booked just under £500k worth of holidays and also earned 100% of his Elite franchise fee back through our unique Money Back Challenge – the only one of its kind in the UK travel franchise industry.
Says Stuart: “To get my franchise fee refunded after 12 months – it’s just an incredible achievement and something to be very proud of.”
So what’s he planning to do with the £14,995 refund?
“A third of it will be spent on taking the family to Disneyland at the end of the month in Paris. Then another third is going to be reinvested in the business with the rest set aside for savings.”
From holidaymaker to business owner
Stuart’s journey began when he booked a holiday through another consultant.
“I thought, I could do that… I’ve travelled the world, I love researching trips and I knew I wanted to work for myself.”
After discovering The Travel Franchise online and speaking to our team, he was sold. And it wasn’t even our unique Money Back Challenge that convinced him.
“What really stood out to me was the support. I’d never worked in travel before, so knowing I’d have someone guiding me from day one was massive.”
Like every new franchisee, Stuart was given a dedicated Business Development Manager (BDM) – a personal coach to help build his business every step of the way.
“The support has been absolutely incredible. I have had help from several BDMs during my first year and I use the WhatsApp support line every day. It’s very handy just to get an immediate response or they can advise how to do something further.”
He also praised our initial five-day training:
“It was brilliant… it put my mind at ease that it was possible to go far and to make it into a proper living.”
Stuart still works part-time as a sports analyst, a role he’s had since 2007, juggling work around his family.
“We’re based up in Newcastle… the three-year-old is just about to finish nursery and go into the same school as my seven-year-old. That’s going to give my wife and I an extra day a week to work.”
Despite balancing parenthood and a second job, Stuart’s business has skyrocketed.
In just 12 months, he’s booked just under £500k worth of holidays including:
- A £25,000 honeymoon to Uganda to spot gorillas
- A £34,000 luxury trip to New York for the World Cup Final – complete with business class flights and match tickets
It’s clearly the bespoke and adventurous holidays that Stuart really loves to research.
“The more unusual the better!” he says.
He’s also smart about building his business. By partnering with golf clubs and joining BNI (a business networking group), Stuart has created a pipeline of loyal clients and referrals. In fact, nearly 40% of his sales have come through BNI alone.
“I don’t think I would have got this far this quick without that networking.”
With such a strong start, Stuart sees no limits.
“In my first year to get almost half a million pounds of sales is brilliant. I never would have thought that would be possible. Now I just want to build and go further.”
Stuart is proof that you can build a successful business around your life – not the other way around.
With two kids under eight, he’s grateful for the flexibility being a travel consultant offers.
“The older they get, the more we’ll be able to enjoy the kind of holidays I book for others. That’s really exciting.”
He even jokes that he might one day bring his wife on board.
“She’s got a pretty important job, but if it keeps growing like this, I’ll need another pair of hands – and who better than her!”
Thinking about joining? Here’s Stuart’s advice:
“The first year of business is always going to be tough no matter what business you’re in. But the support I’ve had has made it so, so much easier. I can’t recommend The Travel Franchise enough.”
