The Travel Franchise's Reshma has completed her Money Back Challenge

The Travel Franchise's Reshma, aged 39, lives in Essex with her family. Reshma decided to leave the corporate world behind and launched her business back in October 2020 and she has just achieved the Money Back Challenge. She is now a successful travel business owner.

“I’ve achieved the Money Back Challenge 6 months after first starting my travel business. After being an at-home mum of 3 for 7-8 years, to hear this news has really given me a feeling of a sense of achievement. I’ve worked incredibly hard and it feels incredible to be a winner! I did think twice before starting a travel business last year. But in the end, it’s been the best thing that happened to me! I’ve built great relationships with my customers. I love learning about what’s important to them."

Do you recall where your passion for travel first came from?

“My family is from East Africa. I was lucky enough to go on lots of Safaris. When I was 9 years old I walked with a Maasai tribe, this is an experience where you are invited to see where they live and engage in activities like beading. It was an incredible experience that opened my eyes to the beauty of different cultures.

Then whilst at University, I did interrailing around Europe. I had so many fantastic experiences on this trip and I learnt how to do travelling on a budget.

Fast forward to getting married, I then got a different experience, with more luxurious travel. Whether it’s booking a very luxurious holiday for a client and or helping a family to get a dream trip on a much tighter budget, I get goosebumps. It feels amazing to help people regardless of the size of their budget.”

How did you grow your travel business so quickly in a pandemic?

“I was very lucky to get referrals and I was recommended by people quite early on. The level of customer service I gave spread this wildfire, whether by word of mouth or via the internet.

Customer service was a priority for me from the get-go, it was the cornerstone of my business. That was honestly more important than money for me. Listening is such an underrated skill in any industry. I’m also highly responsive to any enquiry. I don’t treat this as a 9-5 job. I’ve worked into the early hours of the morning before, not always, but sometimes. I’m willing to do that for my customers.”

What advice would you give to anyone considering starting their travel business?

“I hesitated before joining last year. This is a normal feeling to have and is to be expected. But just go for it. Procrastination and overthinking isn’t always a good thing. I would also say that in order to be successful you need to love people. You’ll be speaking on the phone quite a lot and building relationships is at the core of what we travel agents do.”

What’s the next 6 months look like for you?

“I want to grow my travel business even more. I cannot wait to hear all the stories from my customers’ holidays. This is a real joy for me. I’m ready to explore different parts of the world and start travelling again.”

To see how you could get your franchise for free, read about the Money Back Challenge HERE. If you believe that you could take on this challenge and be yet another successful franchisee for The Travel Franchise, click here.