Growing team

To help oversee these plans – which include international expansion – and free Harrison and Witt up to concentrate on “the ideas, innovation, teaching and entrepreneurship”, Not Just Travel has appointed its first managing director, director of finance and director of marketing. John West will take the helm as MD with “vast” franchising experience; David Marshall has been brought in as director of finance – having previously owned his own travel insurance company Preferential Travel Insurance – and Amanda Mitchell has been appointed to oversee marketing.

The team will join more than 30 staff at Not Just Travel’s Bournemouth head office.

“We specifically headhunted for the new managing director in the franchise world,” said Harrison. “We’re a franchise company as well as a travel agency.”

The business has also become the only one to name Hays as a current member of its advisory board, with Hays himself admitting that he “doesn’t do this very often”.

Innovative model

Asked what makes Not Just Travel different to other businesses with similar models, Harrison said it was about “innovation”.

To invest in a franchise costs £10,000, £15,000 or £30,000, but Not Just Travel is now targeting travel professionals with a special offer, and is welcoming applications. Commission is split with Not Just Travel. The company runs an incentive whereby if franchisees earn a named amount of commission in their first year, they are given their investment money back.

Witt said: “People don’t believe that we don’t profit from the franchise fee, but we’re actually giving it back regularly.”

Harrison added: “We take a hit, but it’s good to know they [the franchisee] has not just limped in. We’ll then have a 10-year relationship with them and we’ll profit further down the line.”

The business also includes a week-long “Millionaires Retreat” in the cost of the franchise.

So far 350 people have been taken on such a week-long retreat, where they are taught by Witt and Harrison about “how to be business owners”.

“A lot of them will never have been self-employed before,” said Witt.

Harrison added: “We have multiple franchisees turning over in excess of £1 million a year with zero previous travel experience. Imagine what people already in the industry could achieve.”

Big winners

Not Just Travel, Designer Travel and high street agencies Seaside Travel, Craig Travel and Island Travel all scooped multiple gongs at the Hays Independence Group conference’s gala dinner and awards. Pennine Travel, Ultimate Destinations, Burnside Travel, Baxter Travel, Viva Holidays, JLM Travel and Take The Family also picked up awards. It was Not Just Travel that took home the Hays Travel Outstanding Achievement Award, presented by managing director John Hays. Not Just Travel co-founder Paul Harrison said: “Steve [Witt] and myself are blown away at winning such a prestigious award.”