£1m in sales in less than a year – Leanne’s story of success

Here at Travel Counsellors, we’ve always said that our business owners get out what they put into their franchises. Meet Leanne Rudd, who’s a shining example of this mantra. In just 11 months since launching her business, she’s hit a whopping £1m in sales and earned herself the title of Gold Travel Counsellor – which is a testament to the hard work she’s put in, and the levels of care she shows to her customers. We caught up with Leanne to find out how she’s built up her business so quickly.

Hi Leanne! Huge congratulations on hitting your £1m sales milestone and becoming Gold! What’s been your secret to success?

I’ve thoroughly embraced the culture and have taken all the opportunities available to me. I watch TCTV every week to keep up to date with company news. I attend as many supplier events as possible to ensure my product knowledge is current. I also tell everybody who’ll listen that I run my own travel business and regularly ask for referrals. I send thank you cards once someone books with me and include a handful of business cards to encourage people to share my contact details. I also embrace social media and post a mixture of content regularly.

How would you describe your first year as a Travel Counsellor?

I’d describe it as a whirlwind! The time has flown by. I’ve done so much and met so many amazing people. I’ve absolutely loved it, and despite having been in the industry for over 16 years, I feel like I’ve learnt a lot too.

What’s been your highlight over the past 12 months?

Aside from hitting £1m in sales and achieving Gold, it was when my name got drawn out of the hat for a place on the Riviera Travel river cruise familiarisation trip this Christmas. I didn’t know if I’d done enough to get an entry into the draw, so I just worked hard, sold as much travel as possible, and it paid off. The trip goes to Budapest, Bratislava, and Vienna the week before Christmas. I love Christmas markets and I’ve always wanted to go to Vienna, so I’m extremely excited.

What part has Travel Counsellors’ wraparound support played in your success?

The learning platform, Discover, is brilliant. I set myself an hour each week to learn something new and Discover has a huge amount of content on it. The Relationship Management team have always been there when I’ve felt lost and needed putting back on track. The Marketing team have also helped me grow my social media following and given me confidence in using Instagram and Facebook as business tools.

What advice would you give to new Travel Counsellors who want to grow their business quickly?

Get out and about as much as possible. You can network anywhere, whether it’s your local sports club to having drinks with friends. Also, the more events you go to, the more Travel Counsellors you’ll meet - and this could mean collaboration and the opportunity to work together. Each time I meet a new Travel Counsellor I learn something new and get ideas on how to make my business more successful.

What are you enjoying most about being a Travel Counsellor?

The freedom to run my business how I want. I have the flexibility to work from anywhere and at any time. I also relish the fact that we can form teams with other Travel Counsellors. This has a two-fold advantage; the first being that I can go on holiday and relax knowing that my business is being looked after by a colleague. The second advantage is that I can help other Travel Counsellors with their bookings, which gives me the opportunity to increase my income.

Where would you like your business to be this time next year?

I’d like to have a turnover of £2.5 million and be a Gold Travel Counsellor for the second year in a row. I’d also like to employ an admin assistant to ensure that the small touches don’t get missed as my business grows.

Do you share Leanne’s ambition to build a successful travel business? If so, you could be the perfect fit for Travel Counsellors. As we approach 2025, we’re looking to strengthen our community of entrepreneurs and build on our recent achievement of becoming a billion-pound company. If you want to be part of a caring community where you’ll be empowered to be your best, with unlimited earning potential, book onto one of our Discovery Events to learn more about becoming a Travel Counsellor.