What do you currently do?
I’m the co-founder of Health and Fitness Travel, a luxury wellness travel company specialising in creating exceptional healthy holidays around the world that enhance and change lives.
My primary role is overseeing the day to day running of our business including product development, PR, marketing, sales, and recruitment and managing our team. One of my other roles is to expand our brand internationally; we opened up our first overseas office in Australia 2 years ago.
What was the inspiration behind your business?
Travel and wellness has always had a big influence on my life which started with my mother taking me on spa & well-being trips and experiencing travel at a young age, thanks to her job at the time. Following a car accident at aged 20 which left me with multiple injuries, I took to alternative methods to heal my body where my love of yoga started.
I grew up a dreamer and the dream of creating a wellness hub providing a personalised service that recognised what the true meaning of a wellness holiday is became my motivation and a reality. I had a nagging feeling for years of being in a career that neither inspired nor rewarded me sufficiently. One evening I opened my computer and began to write a plan for the travel company I had dreamt of creating for years; enabling me to realise two of my most important dreams: to work for myself and to enjoy my passion: travel and wellness.
At the time it was easy to book a spa holiday, but not a wellness holiday. There was not a travel company which created bespoke wellness holidays for both men and women, it was important I created something which I knew would grow as more people continue to live a healthy lifestyle. My business partner and I worked obsessively for years, six years on we have an international business sending thousands of clients away each year to focus on their health and fitness around the world.
Who do you admire?
I admire Steve Jobs, he created one of the most respected brands in the world and was always at the centre of everything Apple did. I also admire anyone who has an idea and makes it a reality, I’ve met some inspirational business leaders, all whom followed their dream or self-financed to get their company launched. Anyone who takes a chance to follow their passion and aren’t afraid of failure should be admired.
Looking back is there anything you would have done differently?
I’ve made mistakes whilst running my own business but these have also been valuable as I would not have been able to grow and develop my skills as a business owner. Working for yourself can be challenging at times, especially when I do so many different roles within the business but my passion makes it all worthwhile.
What defines your way of doing business?
We serve our customer exceptionally well, providing a very personalised service. We take on the challenge of our customer’s journey, making sure they have a life-enhancing healthy holiday experience.
What advice would you give to someone starting out?
Always work in an industry you’re passionate about. Build a great team, believe in your ability and inspire others to follow you. Listen to people around you and make notes, it’s amazing what you can learn from others. Life’s a journey, be prepared to make mistakes but learn from them. Never give up and set yourself new challenges.
It can be difficult to know where to invest your money when you are starting a business, so focus on what will give you the best return on your investment. Being successful doesn’t happen straight away so be mindful of this and expect you will have bad days. Always keep your passion for what you do, as this will keep you focussed to work relentlessly.
