Meet Former Customer Service Manager, Bill Morris

Bill Morris is one of our newest Travel Counsellors and joins us through our Travel Academy. We recently caught up with Bill to find out why he decided to start his own home-based travel business.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you did before becoming a Travel Counsellor.

I have been married to Liz for 38 years and we live in Milton Keynes with our two grown up children, four grandchildren, plus one King Charles Cavalier and a cat which we have inherited since my son left university. My hobbies are photography and going walking in the countryside around Milton Keynes.

We have been lucky enough to have visited some wonderful places either with family or friends including Australia, Borneo, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand, as well as a number of road trips through the US.

My recent background was as Customer Service Manager for a large European based engineering company based in Bedford. I have also been an Inventory Manager for the WH Smiths group, as well as spending a period of time working for an Estate Agent in the Milton Keynes area.

What does becoming a Travel Counsellor mean for you?

I have been looking to find a company to work with that wants to put the customers first and to give them that first-class experience. This is the impression that I have received from Travel Counsellors. I do see this as being a career move and the work-life balance is important, but my children are both grown up and have their own families, so my focus is now on this venture.

I feel that becoming a Travel Counsellor will transform both my personal and work life. Travel and holidays have always been an important time for me, and now being able to talk to clients on a daily basis, discussing and arranging their future holidays is something I will enjoy and look forward to.

What motivated you to become a Travel Counsellor and what are you looking forward to most about starting your own home-based travel business?

Over the past few years I have been thinking about starting a new business. I have always had a passion for travel and this is where the motivation came from. I have always, where possible, tried to book our own holidays. If it was a fly-drive, then we would map out our routes and book hotels independently and arrange flights. This got me thinking about going into the travel business, but it was never at the right time.

Now I have that opportunity and I can’t wait to meet some wonderful people and help to fulfil their dreams and expectations.

Have you set yourself any goals or milestones for what you want to achieve in your first year, and how do you plan on growing your business?

I want to achieve and surpass the minimum expectations that are required and have set myself a target of £300,000 sales in the first year, this is based on 100 sales per annum.

I have more than 60 people who have shown interest so far, who have given me some indication of their travel requirements for the next 12 months. I have already had discussions with Age UK in Milton Keynes to put my Travel Counsellors details into their monthly magazine and I'm also in discussion with the Parkinsons society in Milton Keynes. I will also be attending breakfast clubs in Milton Keynes to promote myself. My wife who runs her own footcare business and she will be promoting and asking for referrals when visiting her clients.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

It would have to be New Zealand. My dream is to hire a camper van and drive around the islands.

If you're looking for a career change and you're passionate about travel, get in touch to find out more about our Travel Academy programme.