Transforming his business with TC Teams – Mahul’s story

Here at Travel Counsellors, although you’re working for yourself, you’re never by yourself. When you come on board as a business owner with us, you’ll have the option to utilise our ‘TC Teams’ model – where you can collaborate with other Travel Counsellors to share workload, free up time, and enhance your earnings.

We recently spoke to Mahul Patel, who’s transformed his business over the last 12 months by adopting TC Teams. After a tough first year, Mahul realised he could leverage his destination expertise to support other Travel Counsellors – all while growing his own business. Read on to find out how TC Teams has been a game-changer for Mahul.

Hi Mahul! Tell us a bit about your time as a business owner so far, and why TC Teams has become so important for you

When I first came to Travel Counsellors, it was all about building my business. But a year into my journey, I realised my strengths weren’t in marketing and bringing in customers. I’ll be completely honest and say that I was close to leaving after my first year! It was only then that I spoke to some of my fellow Travel Counsellors who convinced me that it would all work out.

My specialist areas are the USA and Canada, and one of my fellow business owners recommended me to another Travel Counsellor who needed support from someone who was knowledgeable in these destinations. That’s where it all started in terms of starting to work in teams, and it’s just snowballed from there.

Now, I find that Travel Counsellors come to me, rather than me having to put myself out there to look for other business owners to collaborate with. It’s just built up organically to the point where I’ve got that reputation in the community for my expertise in the USA and Canada.

Working in teams means I’m still earning and putting together amazing itineraries, without having to worry about the marketing and all the things I’m not so good at. It’s the itinerary-building side of things that I enjoy the most, so for me, it’s the perfect set-up.
How has TC Teams helped you to grow your business?

Thanks to TC Teams, my business has improved 100% over the last 12 months, based on the data in my TC Performance dashboard. I’ve done around £600k in sales in this time period, of which only about £70k is ‘my own’. The rest has all come from working in teams. I actually had my best-ever month in December, which is amazing when you consider that it’s typically one of the quietest periods for booking travel!

Not only has TC Teams allowed me to leverage my destination expertise, it also works the other way – if I receive an enquiry for a destination I’m not familiar with, I can pass it over to another Travel Counsellor who is. I wouldn’t feel comfortable quoting for something that I’m not knowledgeable about, so I’d rather pass it over to someone who’s more capable so my customers get the very best experience and levels of service – and you’ve got more chance of converting the enquiry because they’ve got someone who knows what they’re talking about.

And how has TC Teams helped you on a more personal level?

Because I’m just focusing on what I’m good at, and can hand over enquiries that I’m less confident with, it’s given me a better work-life balance. I don’t feel like I’m constantly working, because I’m in control of what I take on. I can use the time that I would have spent researching an unfamiliar enquiry to do something for myself – such as going the gym or focusing on my development. Being able to play to my strengths is great for my mental wellbeing, too.

It’s been so inspiring to hear how you’ve made TC Teams work for you, Mahul. Finally, what advice would you give to recent new joiners, or those who are thinking of becoming a Travel Counsellor, in terms of how TC Teams can benefit them?

TC Teams is a great way to fast-track and supercharge your business, especially in the early days while you build your own client base. You don’t need to worry as much about the money coming in, because you’re earning through your commission splits from working in your teams.

You might have come from a tour operator, or currently be selling travel, and have specialist knowledge in a particular market. TC Teams is perfect for leveraging your expertise and using that as a way to collaborate with other business owners, grow your business (and theirs), and boost your earnings. If I can do it, so can you!

Would you like to turn your existing destination knowledge into the superpower that supercharges the success of your business? Maybe you’re brand new to travel, and feel like you could utilise our TC Teams model to learn from others and build up your own expertise? Whatever your background, TC Teams can transform the way in which you run your franchise and open up a world of opportunities. To learn more about how we can help you get set for success, book onto one of our Discovery events.