A health scare got me to stop and to answer some very important questions.

Meet Sinish. Last Friday (7 June 2019) she completed her 5 day induction training with us, which means that she is now running her own travel business as a franchisee of Travel Counsellors.

We understand that it is a big decision starting your own travel business. Each person taking this decision goes through a very similar process in asking questions to determine if they feel that they have what it takes to make a success of it.

The good news is that Travel Counsellors as a business partner offers the very best support to every Travel Counsellor, thereby giving them the very best start and every chance to be succcesful.

We caught up with Sinish so that you can get an insight into her journey to becoming a Travel Counsellor.

What is your background and where did you work before becoming a Travel Counsellor? I have 20 years’ working experience in the travel industry. I have always worked in a corporate environment but have been entrusted by my clients with their personal holidays. In 1999 I worked for Pula Nala Travel (Amex) at their Eskom In-house, in 2000 I worked for Rennies Travel In-house also at Eskom. 6 months later I was promoted to an intermediate consultant at the Sasol Polymers in-house. In 2001 I was afforded the opportunity to move to Plascon, this was part of the Rennies Travel Group where I worked as in-house Supervisor. In 2002 I worked for Wings Travel Management and they approached me to work in the Mckinsey & Company In-house for a few months. When the CEO of Wings offered me a position as Team Leader for their Oil &Gas Team, I accepted the position and worked there for 5 and a half years. In 2007 I worked for the Standard Bank in-house as a supervisor for BCD Travel & I serviced the account for a further 6 years. In 2011 I returned to Wings after being head hunted by the CEO & resigned after 11 months as I went on maternity leave. Then between 2013 - 2019 I worked for Corporate Traveler & FCM Travel. And now in June 2019 I have put all my working experience together and have started my own travel business under the Travel Counsellors Franchise.

Tell us a little bit about yourself I am a single mother of a beautiful 7-year-old little girl, who is currently missing a few teeth...he he! We have a little yorkie and his name is Milo & we have a British bulldog who is the latest addition to the family and his name is buddy.

Give me a good book any day... especially a good thriller or anything to do with spirituality & self-help & of course travel! I have been fortunate enough to travel to the UK (4 times at least). I had the pleasure of working in London for few months. I love this city! Thailand is my little piece of heaven on earth and I have been here 4 times too... I have visited Bangkok, Chang Mai, Phuket, Krabi & Phi Phi Islands, Austria, Zambia, Zanzibar, Mauritius, Macau, Cancun

What will becoming a Travel Counsellor mean to you? I believe that I will be able to find the work - life balance that I need especially as a single mom. It will give me the opportunity to spend more time with my daughter & to be able to do the things that are important to her. You can’t put a price on how special this is.

I will also have more time to focus on my client’s needs & to be able to assist them in a way that I was unable to before, working in a corporate environment. Due to the support that I will be offered it will free me up to be able to have more time to spend with my customers.

This support will put me in the very best position to succeed in building my business. Having financial freedom will put me in a position to fulfill so many personal goals that I have not been able to fulfill. I know that I see my business grow alongside my own personal growth. By nature, I am a workaholic, I know what I put in, is what I will get out and the bonus is that I will reap the rewards for myself.

Nothing is going to stop me from turning this dream into a reality...I am super excited for the journey ahead as a Travel Counsellor.

What motivated you to start your own travel business? I am a Capricorn, I hate being told what to do, when to do it & how to do it... My decision to start my own business was made seven years ago, but life being life, I had to put that dream on hold.

Until recently, a health scare woke me up and I had to ask myself some very important questions. What am I doing? Why am I doing this? Am I valued as an employee or am I just a number & the realization was a bitter pill to swallow, after 6 years of service, I was just number! I knew in that instant that I had to get out, for my own sanity.

I took the decision to resign, without another job & many frowned upon me, saying that I was being irresponsible and not thinking clearly that I was making a mistake. But for me the only mistake that I would have made was to stay. I had no idea what I was going to do, but I knew deep within my gut that I made the right decision. Before handing in my resignation that Friday, I received a call & I knew in that moment, my life was about to change forever.

What are you looking forward to most, about being a Travel Counsellor? I am looking forward to the experience of owning my own travel business, making decisions and building lifetime relationships with my clients. I am looking forward to finally being able to just be me. I love people, I love getting to know them, I love listening to them & I know that I will love being a Travel Counsellor as it will enable me to pursue my passion for people, it will remove some aspects of the ‘busy’ factor, when sitting in a corporate office.

Have you set yourself any goals or milestones for what you want to achieve in your first year? My first goal is buying a house, which my daughter can call home. She has never been overseas & it would be a dream come true to take her to Disney & to Thailand.

What do you love most about working in the travel industry? There's always a challenge, there is never a dull moment. You learn something new every day. You get to explore destinations, you've never heard off, you get to make your customers smile... and smiles are infectious, so you smile. You get to meet so many people.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? Disney - because my daughter wants to visit Arendelle... Me personally the Himalaya's - it's my spiritual journey.

If you can related to Sinish's story and if you would like to take hold of your future without leaving it to fate then we would love to chat to you.