COMPETITION is a word that litters just about every conversation I have ever had – or overheard – in the travel industry.
But remember, competition is not just something with which people at the top of the industry should concern themselves. It is something to be faced, indeed embraced, at every level, even a personal one.
Competition is the challenge of doing your job to the best of your ability. I have always relished those challenges and I think that characteristic has largely shaped my career path – meeting the challenge of winning promotion and the challenge of building something from nothing. There are few things quite as motivating in business as a blank sheet of paper on day one of a new venture!
I suppose it reflects the strong competitive streak in me. At school, I swam for the Surrey team and, still in love with the sport, I worked for a year as a swimming instructor after leaving college.
However, it was love of another kind which lured me to Madrid, where I spent a year teaching English. Returning to England, I fell into the travel business, working as a reservations agent for the US tour operator American Airplan.
I made good progress with the company over two years, leaving to put my experience to better use with a small business house travel agency in Esher, Surrey. I did a bit of everything – again, a fantastic experience. Now I started to direct my career, deciding that I wanted to return to Spain in the travel industry, using the sales experience I had gained.
In May 1992 I contacted Servitor, probably Spain’s biggest operator to the UK and joined them as sales manager, based in Malaga. My role was to set up their sales division – here’s that first blank sheet of paper. Historically, Servitor had been a ground-handling company for UK tour operators and was frequently asked by Spanish travel agents if it could provide tickets on UK charter flights to Britain. Spanish regulations at that time prevented this.
The managing director recognised the huge potential and asked me if I wanted to set it up. It took us a long time to get it off the ground, involving lengthy negotiations with UK tour operators and charter carriers.
People said it could not be done, which made me even more determined. It took a long time but, ultimately, we built our reputation and, more importantly, sales to make Servitor the largest in-bound operator to the UK from Spain.
During that time, I built up a relationship with the Flight Company and when I decided to come back to the UK to continue working in seat sales, I joined the company as aviation controller. Six months later, Inspirations asked me if I wanted the aviation manager’s job, an opportunity I was delighted to grab.
At that time, the company was selling 50,000 seats a year. I was made aviation director after 18 months and four years after I joined, we were selling 375,000 seats. The Thomas Cook take-over resulted in my redundancy and with it the opportunity to do what I had been quietly considering for some time – to start my own business.
You do occasionally need fate to take a hand and give you the kick up the backside you need. That was certainly the case with me last year. Another blank sheet of paper but now Freedom Flights is beginning to make its mark on the business, providing agents with an alternative source of competitively priced seats for popular European destinations.
Again, the challenge has given me a huge buzz. Even the shock of leaving a large organisation and moving to a small office in Gatwick, where I and a colleague spent the first morning scraping lumps of glue off the floor so we could put down new carpet tiles!
I am determined to make my mark on the industry and my advice to anyone in this business is to make sure you get noticed. It can be something very simple, like the time at the Flight Company I questioned the sort of envelopes they were using to send out invoices. I suggested a different type, which saved money and avoided having to fold the invoices. When 20,000 of these envelopes were delivered, I thought: “I did that!”
1985: gained a Certificate of Extended Education from Esher Sixth Form College, studying business studies, economics and sociology. Swam for the Surrey team and then worked for a year as a swimming instructor after leaving college.
1986: taught English in Madrid.
1987: reservations agent with American Airplan, followed by two years as a consultant with business house agency in Esher, Surrey.
1992: joined Servitor as sales manager, based in Malaga, setting up the company’s sales division and sourcing charter seats from Spain to the UK. Servitor had originally been a ground handling company for the UK.
1995: aviation controller, The Flight Company.
1995: six months later head-hunted by Inspirations, as aviation manager, becoming aviation director in 1999; made redundant following Thomas Cook takeover.
1999: formed Freedom Flights, of which he is managing director.
l Get yourself noticed.
l Love doing what you do.
l Be alert to career and business opportunities – and then grab them.
l Always try and make the difference for your company.
l Help make the travel industry a fun business to work in.