Redundancy may sometimes feel like the end – but it can also be a new beginning. Using redundancy as a springboard to start your own business can bring opportunity and a new sense of purpose.
Life is often unpredictable and can stop us in our tracks. Taking time to reflect, to return to what makes us happy, and to focus on what our passions are following a redundancy, can become a real turning point.
We often see stories like Warren and Jane’s who have decided that now is their time. By joining us this gives them both the flexibility they had been searching for, a better lifestyle, and a chance to be their own boss.
‘It was a chance to turn the page to a new, exciting chapter. To be in control of my own destiny.’
From different walks of life and parts of the country, both Warren and Jane have shown that redundancy can bring new beginnings for those brave enough to take it.
Warren’s Story…
Meet Warren, aged 52, living in Essex. Warren was made redundant in March 2020 from an investment bank after 32 years of service, across 2 different companies.
I’d actually been looking at travel franchises for the last 5 years online, before being made redundant.
The redundancy was the little push I needed as it brought me to a crossroads to ultimately be faced with making a decision.
For Warren, his resounding alarm at 5 am every morning is no longer in use. Working in central London for the last 32 years, with long hours, a draining commute, Warren and his wife Dena would spend their lives counting down the days to their next holiday.
We didn’t feel healthy and our lifestyle wasn’t right. Starting a travel business was a chance to change that.
Our children are now grown up, but I didn’t want to commute anymore and I wanted to work from home.
‘I wanted to focus on a new challenge, in an industry that I already knew I loved.‘
Warren and Dena are running their new travel business as a joint venture. They both love to travel and choose to renew their vows as a couple of years ago in Graceland, Memphis, the home of Elvis Presley.
The original plan was for Warren to only work part-time in the travel business, whilst doing another job alongside.
I’ve stopped looking at other jobs altogether, I did a few interviews and then made the decision to give it my all and do it full-time.
After being at home for a while following the pandemic, I realised I enjoyed it so much I didn’t want to go back to a big organisation, to return to the corporate politics and have all the pressure back on my shoulders from bosses.
‘Being my own boss was the future I wanted.’
Warren has already secured 3 new holiday bookings and he’s only been in business a week since training finished! We wish Warren and Dena all the best with their new adventure together.
Jane’s Story…
Meet Jane, aged 49, she lives in Sheffield. After working for HSBC for a number of years Jane was made redundant. After moving to another job shortly after, this time with a banking software company, she was made redundant once again.
After 2 redundancies in a close period, it made me really stop and think. I wanted to take control of my own destiny from here on.
With my own travel business, I know the hard work I put in will reflect the results I see. The only person who can make me redundant is me!
You get to a point in life and say what’s the worst that can happen? You take that leap of faith.
‘I knew the redundancy was not related to my performance, no matter how hard I worked I didn’t see the results.‘
After Jane’s father died in September last year, she booked a holiday to get some much-needed downtime, to reflect and mourn with her kids. The day before the family was due to go away she was made redundant for the second time.
I felt that even the holiday with my family to recover from the loss of my dad was taken away from me.
When someone close to you dies, you realise life is too short.
‘I decided I wanted to end my career with something wonderful, like sending people away on holiday.’
Around March 2020 following redundancy Jane decided to stop looking for another job and asked ‘what do I actually want to do?’ She quickly realised she didn’t want to go back to employment. She had always loved researching holidays and it had been a bit of an obsession of hers.
I looked at all sorts of things in the beginning. I even looked at becoming a travel agent for a holiday company.
I then looked at franchises or working from home online and found The Travel Franchise.
I choose the Elite franchise package and what excited me the most was the Partners in Travel initiative. As I knew I could make this a real success by connecting with other businesses out there.
