Jennie, like 98 per cent of our franchisees, was new to travel when she joined. But despite running another business, she achieved a set amount of commission in one year which means we refund her £14,995 franchise fee!
Jennie, who was once a globe-trotting professional scuba diver, has clearly taken on her new role as travel consultant like a duck to water!
Her former job took her all over the world, diving in gorgeous locations from Greece to Australia, plus spending an entire summer on a 45ft catamaran in the Caribbean Sea.
She once spent seven months in Iceland and even dived with American actor Ben Stiller.
At another point in her career she worked as a diver for Pinewood Studios assisting on the set of Emmerdale (remember when The Woolpack was flooded?).
And she even helped facilitate the daredevil antics in none other than Hollywood blockbuster Mission Impossible.
But in February 2024, Jennie took the leap and launched her travel agency with us and in five months she had made 70 bookings!
It’s no surprise then that she smashed our Money-Back Challenge (MBC)!
“I set my heart on achieving the MBC right from the beginning. I’m so excited to finally hit that mark. I think I’m going to spend the money on holidays for myself!”
What makes Jennie’s success even more impressive is that she’s doing it whilst running another completely separate – and very different – franchise business.
For nearly a decade Jennie has been at the helm of a property restoration company (a franchise called Rainbow Restoration). Alongside her team, Jennie is called in to help families whose homes have been severely damaged by floods, fires or burst pipes.
Now turning over £2m and employing 20 people, it’s no wonder she once won Young Female Franchisee of the Year! And now she’s looking for a new challenge, juggling a portfolio career with one foot in the world of travel.
“I’ve got my other business to a point where I’ve got three managers in place now, so I can pinch time in the daytime to do any research. Initially there was a lot to learn, particularly trying to get my head around the various travel suppliers. As for the actual booking, I tend to find that most people book holidays during the evenings and weekends anyway. “
Jennie has found our support has been a huge help. Once you’ve finished your initial five-day training, you’ll be assigned a Business Development Manager (BDM). Think of him or her as your mentor. They’re there to motivate, guide, advise and congratulate you. Initially they’ll help you find your feet and help you familiarise yourself with the booking systems. But once you’ve nailed that, your BDM will help you grow your business.
“My BDM is always there to support me and answer my questions – normally we’d send voice messages to each other because I found that quicker. There is always support at hand. Plus, I’m still in close contact with the other consultants who I trained with. We’re always discussing what we’re doing and what bookings we’ve made and help each other out.”
Jennie enjoyed networking and meeting other consultants at our Millionaire’s Retreat in October.
Because she invested in our most popular Elite franchise package she’s been given two free mentorship retreats abroad and this was her first.
On this trip Jennie jetted off with 80 other franchisees to Atlantica Ocean Beach resort in Crete on a five-day training trip where experts and one of our co-founders gave her invaluable tips and tricks on how to grow business and fine tune operations.
Now she’s ticked off Crete, Jennie will be off again – courtesy of head office. This time she’ll join a smaller group of established consultants on our Elite Experience. This training trip looks to hone our consultants’ entrepreneurial skills at a more exotic long-haul location.
And because Jennie signed up to our Cruise Division, she’s already joined us on two of our Seminar at Sea cruises where our experts teach you how to become an expert selling cruise holidays.
Mornings are taken up with invaluable workshops and insightful lectures that help our consultants master the art of selling a cruise – possibly one of the most lucrative sectors of the travel industry. And the afternoons and evenings allow consultants to enjoy the actual cruise itself and to explore the various ports of call en route.
“I’d never been on a cruise when I started this and now cruise makes up 20 per cent of my business. My partner and I are now big fans and I’ve gone on to make several sales, including a honeymoon to Alaska on board Princess Cruises and city break on Virgin Voyages.”
Just nine months into her new business, it seems that Jennie is making an impressive splash in the travel market.
“I’m really enjoying it. It’s very different to my other job. Rather than dealing with families in crisis I’m having very different conversations with my new customers. It’s much nicer talking to them about lovely holidays. It’s more like a hobby than a job.”
So would Jennie recommend others follow in her footsteps?
“Go for it. You can do it if I can do it. The Money-Back Challenge is achievable even alongside another job. I love being a travel consultant. I love the flexibility it gives me – you can work any hours of the day you want. Nobody tells you what time to get out of bed. Nobody tells you when to start and when to finish. You really have got that flexibility – it’s great working for yourself.”
