Redundancy doesn’t have to mean starting over – how Mahul transformed his business with TC Teams

For many people across the travel industry, redundancy or restructuring can feel like the end of the road. But while your role may change, the experience, destination knowledge and customer expertise you've built over the years doesn't lose its value.

If you're considering your next move, it's worth knowing there are different ways to build a career in travel that make the most of everything you already know.

Mahul’s journey is a great example.

Mahul wasn't rebuilding his career after redundancy. Instead, like many people who become Travel Counsellors, he was looking for a way to build a successful travel business that played to his strengths.

When he first joined us, he quickly realised that while he loved creating tailor-made holidays, winning new customers through marketing didn't come naturally.

"I'll be completely honest – I was close to leaving after my first year," Mahul says. "I loved creating holidays, but marketing myself and constantly finding new customers didn't come naturally."

It was conversations with other Travel Counsellors that changed everything.

Turning expertise into opportunity

Mahul specialises in tailor-made travel to the USA and Canada. When another Travel Counsellor needed support with a complex North America enquiry, they were recommended to speak to him.

That single introduction became the start of something much bigger.

Rather than trying to be everything to everyone, Mahul began collaborating with other business owners through TC Teams, using his specialist knowledge to help them create exceptional holidays for their customers while earning commission through shared bookings.

Over time, those collaborations grew organically.

"Now, Travel Counsellors come to me because they know my expertise," he explains. "I don't have to go looking for opportunities anymore."

Today, Mahul spends his time doing what he enjoys most: designing incredible itineraries and helping customers experience destinations he genuinely knows inside out.

A different way to build a travel business

For many people considering self-employment, one of the biggest concerns is replacing a regular income while building a customer base.

TC Teams offers another route.

Instead of relying solely on generating your own sales from day one, business owners can collaborate with others across the Travel Counsellors community, sharing expertise, workload and commission.

Whether you're leaving a role with a tour operator, airline, travel agency or cruise line, or you're simply ready for a different way of working, it can mean putting years of specialist knowledge to work immediately.

Mahul has seen first-hand how powerful that can be.

This year, he’s close to generating £750k in sales, with the majority coming through collaborative team bookings rather than his own client base.

Even more impressively, he recorded his best-ever month in December — traditionally one of the quieter periods for travel sales.

Playing to your strengths

One of the biggest benefits of TC Teams is that collaboration works both ways.

Just as other Travel Counsellors can call on Mahul for North America expertise, he can introduce customers to colleagues who specialise in destinations outside his comfort zone.

"If I receive an enquiry for somewhere I'm not familiar with, I'd much rather pass it to someone who really knows that destination," he says. "The customer gets a better experience, and there's a much better chance of converting the booking."

It's a model built around doing more of what you're great at, rather than feeling pressure to become an expert in everything.

For many people who've spent years developing specialist knowledge in one area of travel, that's a refreshing change.

Enjoying a better work-life balance

Not only has Mahul leveraged TC Teams to build a successful business, it’s also given him a better work-life balance.

“This year, I’ve spent three months working in America, visiting my family out there and spending time with my sister who recently had a baby. It’s been great to have those moments together as family. I plan to spend even more time in the US, and am even looking into the logistics of expanding to have a US-based arm to my travel business one day.”

Evolving his business to achieve even greater things

In addition to working in teams with other Travel Counsellors, Mahul is also in the process of setting up his own team – with experts in areas such as ski, cruise, and destinations that he hasn’t got as much first-hand experience with.

“With some people being less willing to travel to the USA at the moment, I didn’t want to put all my eggs in one basket so to speak”, said Mahul.

“I’ve started building out my own team, which will allow me to generate my own enquiries from customers who are interested in different markets and different products, but then I have the confidence knowing I’ve got a team of experts who will be able to craft the right itinerary. I’ve definitely got a perfectionist personality, so I want every enquiry to be handled by the right person with the right expertise.

“I’m even looking to have someone on my team who will handle all of my social media content, as that’s not my strong point. That way, I’ll be able to reach new customers while focusing on the part of running and growing a business I’m best at – creating complex itineraries.

Your experience is a catalyst for growth

If you're facing redundancy, have recently left a role, or you're simply exploring what the next stage of your travel career could look like, it's easy to wonder what comes next.

The good news is that your career in travel doesn't have to end because your current role has.

Whether you've built your reputation selling luxury holidays, specialist touring, cruising, long-haul adventures or family escapes, those years of experience are still incredibly valuable.

With Travel Counsellors, and through models like TC Teams, you can use that expertise to fast-track your earnings from the very beginning while building your own customer base at a pace that suits you.

As Mahul puts it:

"TC Teams is a fantastic way to fast-track your business while you're building your own client base. You don't need to worry as much about the money coming in because you're earning through commission splits from working in teams. If you've got specialist knowledge from your previous role, there's every chance someone else in the community will value it. If I can do it, so can you."

Ready to discover what’s next?

Whether you're looking for a fresh start after redundancy or simply want more control over your future in travel, becoming a Travel Counsellor gives you the opportunity to build a business that's centred around what you do best, supported by a community that's invested in your success.

If you'd like to find out more about becoming a Travel Counsellor and how TC Teams can help you make the most of your experience from day one, join one of our Discovery events and see what your next chapter could look like.