How to get a free profitable travel business from scratch in seven months. Accountant Jarrad Jones tells all.
Jarrad Jones was impressed when he heard that The Travel Franchise will train and support anyone who wants to launch a travel agency from home.
But being a ‘numbers guy’ his ears pricked up when he learned that the company offers a Money-Back Challenge. Quite simply, if you achieve a set amount of commission in 12 months it will refund your £14,995 franchise fee.
Not only did he snap up the chance, he achieved the Challenge in just over six months!
“I’m over the moon. My goal was to achieve it in 12 months but the business has gone so much better than i imagined!,” says Jarrad.
Based in Wales, the 30-year old studied business finance at university before gaining a professional accountancy qualification. After seven years working for a range of large multinationals Jarrad did some soul searching.
“I didn’t really feel a sense of worth in that I was one very small cog of an almighty wheel and I didn’t get that sense of I’m actually making a difference to people’s lives and that’s what I always wanted.”
Jarrad began working part time as a finance manager for an arts charity in Wales and loved it. Finally he was making a difference!
However, at the back of his mind he kept thinking about his passion for travel and after researching The Travel Franchise and having a chat to its co-founder Paul, he realised that he could work in travel without any former experience and run it alongside his other job.
All he needed to do was to take the plunge and at the end of 2023 Jarrad did – spurred on by the knowledge that a milestone birthday was around the corner. After five days virtual training, he began selling holidays under the company’s customer-facing brand Not Just Travel.
“It’s undoubtedly the best decision that I’ve ever made… 12 months ago I was working 40 hours a week doing a job that was really taxing, really rigid and I didn’t have the flexibility to be able to get that work-life balance. Now I’m in a position where I’ve got the business and the part-time job that really works around me and my life. It’s been life changing.”
While Jarrad admits the learning curve has been steep and it took hard work to beat the Challenge, he says it was all possible thanks to the support given the company’s business development managers (BDMs). Every franchisee gets one for support and mentoring.
“The business development managers are just incredible at what they do. The amount of experience that they bring to the table really allowed me to get up to speed with that knowledge of travel.”
In fact Jarrad says the training and support was one of the reasons he chose The Travel Franchise.
“I did a huge amount of research into all the different franchises out there and for me, as I was new to travel, I needed something that was going to give me that intense training, that was going to give me that support that I needed in the early months. Not Just Travel and The Travel Franchise just jumped out a mile from the competition.”
Now Jarrad is getting to travel too, taking his grandad on a ‘fam trip’ educational cruise and attending one of the company’s many overseas trips and cruises.
He has also carved out his own niche in travel. Perhaps it’s his gift for numbers combined by his altruistic nature, but he’s gaining a reputation locally for helping families achieve their dream holiday no matter what budget they have.
“With spend pressures and budgets getting tighter for lots of families, many feel initially that they can’t get a holiday that fits them. I’ve had a lot of feedback from clients who can’t believe what I’ve been able to put together for their families within their budgets. Hearing that the kids were ecstatic and crying happy tears have been some of the nicest things to hear so far!”