News
Juliet Dennis is a person.
December 4, 2021.
GoCruise & Travel with Karen and Mark was set up just before the Pandemic hit and a pop-up shop is helping get the business off the ground. Juliet Dennis reports.
Why did you become a GoCruise & Travel franchisee?
I started working in travel in 2005 when my youngest daughter started at school full-time. I worked for Tui for a long time. We moved to Suffolk from Essex. I moved out of sales and into the head office of Fred Olsen Travel. I was working on administration for GoCruise and told my husband I wanted to go back to sales. We had moved to Suffolk for more freedom and I didn't want to be stuck to retail hours and have to work on Saturdays and Sundays. I ended up as a GoCruise franchisee because of that. I was able to work my own hours, even though it got me back to sales.
I was working on administration for GoCruise, but kept telling my husband I wanted to go back to sales.
What was it like to set up at the beginning of the epidemic?
We signed contracts in January 2020. I was going to train my husband as he is not from a travel background. He continued to work as a construction project manager, but we put the business on the back burner because of the Pandemic. It was not right to market a travel business with everything going on. At the end of last year, we started to increase our marketing with no customer database, just family and friends. We did some social media. It has been difficult and people are hesitant. You have to be careful about how you promote holidays. Most of the bookings are for 2022. I have no regrets about starting a business. Our year will be in 2022, I think.
At the end of last year, we started to increase our marketing with no customer database, just family and friends.
How are you giving people confidence to go on a cruise?
They need to take the time to do what they need to do. Will they read the email? I spent an hour on the phone to a cruise customer to make sure she had all the right documents and tests. She said that it had helped when she came back. I do a lot of things to help clients. I sent a video of myself using P&O's app to one of my customers to make her feel better. I try to think of it from the customer's point of view.
I do a lot of things to help clients. I sent a video of myself using P&O's app to one of my customers to make her feel better.
What other services do you offer?
We are launching a mobile appointment service. We will tell people who come to us that we are happy to visit them in their own homes. We have held off on rolling out this service because of Covid. We are already going to wedding fairs. My husband comes along whenever he can, and if I need an extra pair of hands, my two daughters live locally. They help me with my social media because they grew up with me talking about travel.
We will tell people who come to us that we are happy to visit them in their homes.
How do you become a GoCruise & Travel franchisee?
When we pay a monthly fee, the admin department at head office puts it on the system and sends out a confirmation, payment and tickets, so we don't have to worry about that side. If we need help with advertising, flyers or promotions, there is a marketing department at the head office. If I need to come up with something, I will call the franchise support team.
If I need to come up with something, I will call the franchise support team.
What hours do you work?
I like to be at my desk in my home office. I have a routine but I can change it if I need to. I always have my phone on me, so I never miss a call. I am not tied to my desk as a franchisee. I could work from my sun lounger when we went on the Regal Princess in the autumn.
How did you get your pop-up shop up and running?
GoCruise launched the shop in a box project. You can put the shop in a box in the back of the car. You get a stand which you can use as a counter, as well as branded banners, a brochure rack, and an iPad stand, which I use to show people or videos online.
We call it a popup shop. We went to a community centre in Langham every month after launching it.
You get a stand which you can use as a counter, branded banners, brochure rack, and an iPad stand, which I use to show people brochures or videos.
There are a lot of people in the centre. Even if people don't want to book yet, we are seeing more positive vibes.
The pop-up shop is being used as a pilot. We will look to launch another one in a different village once it is up and running. We haven't taken a booking yet, but we have received some good feedback. If people know we are there every month, they will come and talk to us.
