Ashley Butler

I’m married to my husband, Liam, and we have our three sons - Teddy, Beau, and Smith. Working full-time with three kids is hard but the flexibility my job offers certainly makes life easier and I never take that for granted. In my spare time, I love to enjoy trips away and socialise with my friends and family. I’m also a massive Manchester United fan!

Before joining Travel Counsellors, I worked in recruitment across a number of different sectors, including IT, construction and office services. I worked my way up from Administrator to Senior Consultant, so I understand how important it is to find the right opportunity and make a career move that feels right for you.

My manager from a previous recruitment agency joined Travel Counsellors and reached out to me to see if I would be interested. I was on maternity leave at the time after having my first son and was keen to find a role that offered flexibility. Travel Counsellors ticked all the boxes.

What I enjoy most about my role is getting to know people and helping them decide whether becoming a Travel Counsellor is the right next step. I’m always honest and straightforward, and there’s never any pressure. My job isn’t to convince everyone to join. It’s to give people the information they need, answer their questions and help them make the right decision for themselves.

One of the things I’m most proud of is the number of people I’ve helped bring into Travel Counsellors who have gone on to build successful businesses. Many have achieved Gold TC status, and some have even reached that level within their first year, which is an incredible achievement.

They can expect a very informed journey with absolutely no pressure. You can take everything at your own pace. We give you opportunities to ask any questions, meet with some of our franchisees, attend events, watch webinars, and see the systems in action. We’ll make sure you’ve seen pretty much everything before you make any decisions. That way, you should get that ‘gut’ feeling and know whether Travel Counsellors is right for you or not.

I listen carefully and understand what is most important to them. I’m also very honest and transparent. It's not my job to convince people this is right for them, as it might not be. Everyone does this for different reasons, so it’s my job to help them make an informed decision. I wouldn’t offer anyone a franchise without feeling confident it will work.

Timing is important. There’ll never be a ‘perfect’ time and you’ll always have nerves - that’s normal. However, you need to do this when you have a financial cushion in place to help ease the pressure while you build up your business. Your commitment is also very important. You need to be able to fully commit and be as engaged as possible with the business and the wider Travel Counsellors community. You will learn a lot from other franchisees.

Your network is also important. Don’t worry too much initially about who will be a customer, think more along the lines of who could be a good contact. It’s not just about who you know but who do they know? Who can they put you in touch with who could potentially be a good customer? Think outside the box and always back yourself!

From a recruitment point of view, I think the fact that we’re selective about who we bring on board speaks volumes. We don’t just sign you up and wish you well, we’re there with you every step of the way. We are only as successful as our Travel Counsellors, so it’s in our best interest to make this work for you. That’s why we strive to find the right people. Someone who is genuinely passionate about travel, fully committed and wants to do right by people. The customer must be at the heart of everything you do. We have an excellent reputation here at Travel Counsellors and we are incredibly proud of it. We protect that brand by only bringing the best people into the business.

If you’ve got a genuine passion for travel, a people-first approach, and are ready to commit to running your own business on a full-time basis, Ashley and the rest of the New Franchise team would love to hear from you. Get in touch and let’s have a conversation about whether Travel Counsellors could be the right path for you to go down.

From a recruitment point of view, I think the fact that we’re selective about who we bring on board speaks volumes. We don’t just sign you up and wish you well, we’re there with you every step of the way. We are only as successful as our Travel Counsellors, so it’s in our best interest to make this work for you. That’s why we strive to find the right people. Someone who is genuinely passionate about travel, fully committed and wants to do right by people. The customer must be at the heart of everything you do. We have an excellent reputation here at Travel Counsellors and we are incredibly proud of it. We protect that brand by only bringing the best people into the business.

Whether you have experience in corporate or leisure travel, are returning to the industry, or are completely new to travel, I’d love to hear from you.