Is it possible to run a travel agency franchise part time?

Launching your own business can be daunting. But not so much if you can do it on a part-time basis, running it alongside your current job, or even fitting it into your spare time. 

Many – in fact most – franchisees who join The Travel Franchise, do so while also holding down another job or continuing with their other commitments. 

The joy of this is that you can test the water before jumping in feet first. 

“We understand that it’s a big deal launching your own business,” says Paul Harrison, co-founder at The Travel Franchise. “Rather than jacking in your current job completely, many prefer to take it slower and see how it goes. I get it.”

While working in the evenings and weekends may not sound ideal in the short term, in the long term it’s proved incredibly beneficial giving flexibility and financial stability to many who move full time when their business grows.

“You’re the boss, so you get to choose how hard you work and when you work,” says Harrison. 

“Consultants who begin by running their business alongside other jobs and family commitments are amazed at what they can achieve. So much so, that many then go full time to scale up the business.”

Amy Howerd: Part-time hours, full time earnings

Amy Howerd joined The Travel Franchise in November 2019 while holding down a part-time job for a software company and looking after her two young children.

Within her first year, she’d sold so many holidays that she achieved The Travel Franchise’s Money-Back Challenge – in which franchisees receive their entire franchise fee back so long as they achieve a certain amount of bookings in a set time.

She used the refund as a support mechanism to quit her part-time admin job, allowing her to focus on her travel business full-time. During 2023 she went on to secure over a million pounds worth of holidays.

Sarah Heduan: The security and space to learn

Sarah Heduan started out as a part-time The Travel Franchise consultant in 2016.

Initially she worked three days a week in her other role in fashion, with the rest of her time, during evenings and weekends, arranging holidays. She didn’t go full-time until 2019.

During those first few years she spent time learning the ropes and building up her client base. 

“Just because you may want to start part-time, it doesn’t mean you have to hold back on finding customers,” advises Sarah. “This is your business. So, you decide how you run it.

“While lots of people see it as a vehicle to a full-time or even life-changing income, you choose what you want out of it. For me, I love being my own boss. You’re free to plan your own day, not answering to anyone, not having to clock in at a certain time. I don’t think I could ever go back to working for someone else now.”

Jenifer Compton: A change of pace from the corporate world

Jenifer Compton thought the idea of being able to work part-time was also hugely appealing. 

After 20 years of working in a stressful corporate environment, she was ready for a change and to set her own pace.

“I had a 20-year corporate career. I sort of burnt myself out and had enough of it,” says Jenifer. “I didn’t want to work for anyone else. I was looking for something that I enjoyed doing or something that I was really interested in and travel was a natural fit for me. So part time suited me.”

Her advice to others looking to launch their own business: “Go at your own pace. Start with something that feels comfortable, then keep pushing yourself a little bit more and a little bit more.”

And the great thing about launching your travel consultancy with The Travel Franchise is that you can work wherever in the world you wish: “I can work while I’m away,” says Jenifer. “So it gives me a much more flexible lifestyle that I can make fit around what I want to do.”