A former cabin crew manager has celebrated his first two weeks on the high street as the owner of a new travel agency.
Tim Potter, 40, began his career in travel as cabin crew for Channel Express and continued working there after it became Jet2. He also held cabin crew roles at easyJet and British Airways before moving away from the travel industry and running a guest house hotel in Bath with his parents.
When the pandemic hit, Potter’s parents retired and Potter began working as an agent with Tui where he decided he wanted to run his own business.
He launched the Tim Potter Travel Company in October 2022 as a homeworking agency from his house in Bristol, but knew within six months he wanted a retail store.
After “a lot of difficulty” finding the right premises, he opened his first shop on Sandy Park Road, Bristol over the August bank holiday weekend, and has hailed the business’ success in its first two weeks, telling Travel Weekly he has enjoyed getting to know customers and learn more about the industry.
“It has been a great start and the local response to the shop has been fantastic; we’ve had loads of people come in and wish us luck,” he said.
“We’ve booked a few last minute holidays and we’ve got loads of active enquiries so things are going really well.
“When my parents retired, I was nearly 40 and had to decide what I wanted to do with my life which was quite an unusual position.
“I’d always liked the idea of working for myself and of using the skills I’d picked up in my travel and hospitality roles so becoming an agent felt like the natural progression for me.
“I did a year with Tui to make sure I liked it and to build up my knowledge and then went about setting up my own business, but I really missed the face-to-face interaction of being on the high-street so took the plunge on a store and it’s amazing.
“I’m not specialising particularly as I want to be as broad as possible and help everyone, although my passions are Disney holidays and US trips so I’m always keen to sell them.”
He does not currently employ any other staff, but is supported by his wife Emma, a paramedic working for 111, who helps out in her spare time.
He hopes to take on some full time staff within the next year and possibly open a second premises by 2028.
“I’d like to bring on another experienced agent by the time we get into early next year and then once we’ve got them on board the world is our oyster.
“I would really like to get the business in a position where we could take on an apprentice and teach then what we know instead of relying on experienced agents.
“It’d be great to start developing people of our own with our own ethos.
“I’ve always got aspirations to open another branch somewhere within the next five years, but right now my main concern is to get this branch fully established and standing on its feet.”