There are brand ambassadors and then there is Daley Thompson CBE.
Two Olympic gold medals. Multiple world records. Commonwealth and European titles. A career that defined British sport in the 1980s and left a legacy that has never faded. Commercial partnerships with Porsche, Hertz, Intercontinental Hotels and Adidas. A global humanitarian role with Laureus, the charity that uses sport to drive social change in over 500 projects around the world.
When someone with that record puts their name behind a business, it is not a decision they take lightly. And when they have been doing it for nearly a decade, it tells you something important about the business they chose.
How it started
The connection between Daley and The Travel Franchise came about through one of our own franchisees, Neil, who happened to know him. Co-founder Paul Harrison made the call. Nine years later he is still here, still showing up at conferences and retreats, still taking groups of franchisees for morning walks around the Mediterranean and the Norwegian Fjords.
“The business works,” Daley says simply. “And it works because of the people in it and the support around them.”
Why he said yes
“Being an entrepreneur, a home-based entrepreneur, is all about self-discipline, taking action, focus and determination,” Daley explained. “Those are the same skills you need as a professional sportsman. Good direction, the right preparation, knowing your targets and where you want to go. It is quite similar.”
Daley has spent decades understanding what it takes for an ordinary person to achieve something extraordinary. He knows the difference between people who have the right mindset and people who do not. And what he has seen in The Travel Franchise community over nearly a decade has kept him coming back.
“Every person I have met, whether they are still with the business or not, has been determined to do a really good job,” he says. “They go the extra mile and do their best. That is not a common thing, I have got to be honest with you.”
What he brings to the people who join
This is where Daley’s involvement becomes genuinely valuable for anyone considering The Travel Franchise as a business partner.
He is not a hired hand. He is not a face on a website. He shows up at company conferences where every franchisee gets the chance to meet him, shake his hand, and take a photograph that carries real weight on social media and in client conversations. He joins the overseas mentorship retreats, taking groups of consultants for fitness sessions in ports across the Mediterranean and beyond. He has recorded marketing videos that franchisees use directly with their own clients, giving a double Olympic champion’s personal endorsement to their business.
“How many franchises can you join, go on international retreats, and get fitness training from a double Olympic champion?” Paul put it to Daley directly during their conversation.
“There’s only one,” Daley replied. “What’s it called again? It could be Not Just Travel.”
The practical value of this association for a new franchisee is real and immediate. When you tell a potential client you are a travel consultant with Not Just Travel, you are backed by a brand that carries Daley Thompson’s credibility. When you share content on social media, you have access to material featuring one of the most recognisable figures in British sporting history. When you attend a company event, you are in the same room as someone who has represented the highest possible standards of achievement and excellence for over four decades.
That is not something most businesses can offer. It is something The Travel Franchise has quietly delivered for nearly a decade.
What he says to people considering joining
“Make the calls. Get on and talk to them. Do it. Because if you think travel is your thing, this is probably the best franchise to be with. I would not say it is a perfect fit for everybody. But the people it does fit, it is perfect for.”
Coming from someone who has spent nine years watching this business from the inside, meeting the people who build it, going through good times and bad alongside them, and choosing to stay, that is about as credible an endorsement as you will find anywhere.
Daley Thompson is one of the most decorated athletes Britain has ever produced. He is also one of the most discerning. He doesn’t lend his name to things he does not believe in.
The fact that he has been part of The Travel Franchise for nearly a decade, showing up not just in name but in person, is one of the clearest signals of what kind of business this actually is.
If you are considering building a travel business and want to understand what you would be joining, starting with what Daley has seen over nine years is not a bad place to begin.
