After working at home for family businesses for over 20 years, Ami Wood signed up with The Travel Franchise (TTF) in January 2021 thinking that being a travel consultant would be a fun part-time ‘side hustle’ that would give her some extra income.
But Ami’s homeworking travel agency became so popular that she now works full time and is on track to hit £1 million in sales in her first year. She also won The Travel Franchise’s Money-Back Challenge in just seven months – a unique scheme where franchisees can win the franchise fee back if they sell a certain number of holidays in a set time period.
“It’s changed my life. It’s a job I love and I’m getting paid to do it,” said Ami.
Ami had never heard of The Travel Franchise before 2021 and was initially a little wary. However, when she first attended a TTF conference she was gob-smacked at the scale of the operation and the huge opportunity that lay in front of her.
Ami signed up, completed the five-day induction training and launched her travel agency under TTF’s customer-facing Not Just Travel (NJT) brand. Within her first year, Ami travelled abroad on a company ski trip to Colorado, explored Turkey with a supplier and recently returned from an NJT cruise.
But was it plain sailing from the start?
Ami explains: “The training was quite intense — there’s a lot to take in, but in the travel industry you never stop learning even if you’ve been a consultant for 30 years. It’s exciting. No two days are the same.”
Ami says that there are times when every consultant needs a helping hand — as it’s impossible to know every country and travel supplier in depth — which is why she’s glad the company provides great ongoing training and support.
“It didn’t matter what time or day it was, the head office staff are there to help every step of the way whether it’s a weekend or bank holiday. I’m currently closing a £40,000 booking to New Zealand for a cricket tour — a country and sport I knew nothing about, but the supplier has been invaluable, even offering to speak directly to the client”.
So how has she managed to find so many customers? Ami says friends and family are really supportive but the biggest way to get business is word-of-mouth.
Ami, like many NJT agents, is also opening a stall at a local market in a village nearby twice a week and getting her logo put on her car. “It’s just another way of promoting the business and getting my name out there,” says Ami who admits she often works evenings or weekends, and even answers calls when she’s on holiday but manages to fit everything around her family.
“I just love it. It just means they have to help a bit more with the housework, what’s not to like about that!”
