Travelling in a Post Pandemic World

TRAVELLING IN A POSTPANDEMIC WORLD

REFLECTIONS ON Miami

'For the younger generation of talent that are looking into a career in this industry, the opportunity to travel the world is a huge part of what attracts them to this line of work'.

Why do we Travel?

Winning a place on a trip encourages the guys to hit their sales criteria and goals

Through travelling the globe, we are investing in our team and the future of the business.

Mixing business and pleasure is very much a part of our ethos as an organisation

‘Travel is a huge part of our business. We integrate many trips abroad into our working year, not just as time to relax and explore other cultures, but as a chance to learn from other businesses across the globe. It is therefore something that we are going to miss hugely over the next few months. However, it is more a case of postponing as opposed to cancelling the plans we had in place for 2020 and we will be going ahead with our trips to Sri Lanka and Ibiza as soon as it is safe to do so. Whether this involves diminishing the group size, or reformatting the trip slightly, we will do whatever we can to get our guys back out there. For the younger generation of talent that are looking into a career in this industry, the opportunity to travel the world is a huge part of what attracts them to this line of work. We can assure you that we will do everything that we can to ensure that we continue to integrate trips into the company calendar, and we look forward to sharing these experiences with you again.’ - Fran Colam -

Our trips abroad are essentially about expansion; expanding the mind, expanding your perspective on the industry and expanding your sense of self as an Entrepreneur. Sometimes you have to step away from your immediate context to be objective about your career, and what better way to do so than to step off a plane into a brand new city. We have been lucky enough to host trips to Sri Lanka, Ibiza, Portugal and America to name but a few. I caught up with the guys to hear about the most recent trip to Miami...

Back in February, we took a small group out to Miami for five days to network with US companies. The trip served as a reward for

'One of my concerns was how I was going to be able to properly establish my business whilst studying, but the trip to Miami really cemented the belief I have in myself'.

the team hitting their sales targets and was a both a chance to relax and enjoy some downtime in the city as well as an opportunity to learn from other businesses. Congratulations to Vik, Magda, Josh, Paul, Mark and Rob who were the lucky few to go Stateside!

The conference itself was held over 3 days at The Miami Beach Club and was based around the topic of ‘Expansion’. All our offices have big plans for expansion over the next few months, so this was the perfect opportunity to learn more about the process from people who have established an incredibly successful business model. The US organisation have opened up 25 offices in the last 18 months which is extraordinary, so we went over there to find out how they’ve managed to grow the company at such a rapid rate in such a short amount of time. It was a chance for us to find out how they strategize, what their targets are, what they do differently, and bring some of that learning back home to the UK to develop our own organisation. It was a fantastic conference, jam-packed with opportunities for education and learning, as well as for self-development. As with most of our trips abroad, they are as much about broadening perspectives and soaking up another culture as they are about the meetings and the work; after all, the spirit of the Entrepreneur is rooted in an interest in others.

After the conference finished each day, there was an opportunity to have drinks and to network with the other Owners in a more informal setting.

There was also time for some essential sightseeing and to explore the area. One evening they went down to Little Havana, Miami’s bright and bustling Cuban district with Latin Art Galleries, restaurants and live music to accompany their dinner. This area is renowned for its Domino-playing tradition, and as you wander through the park you can watch the old folk playing each other as the sun sets. On another day, the team went to play golf at the Donald Trump National Course, which ( at $150000 a year for membership!) was a glimpse into a rather lavish lifestyle, as well as a chance to play in a stunning location. And of course, they spent some well-deserved R&R time on Miami beach. How did you find the trip to Miami? What did it offer you?

Vik: It was such a fantastic opportunity in terms of networking, and for us younger members of the team to get inspired and learn from people that are at the top of their game. There were so many different offices there which created a really inspiring atmosphere and I definitely came away with the motivation to push the business forward back in the UK. For instance, they open up offices out there so quickly, it’s extraordinary. It was really interesting to see what works for them and the strategies that they have in place for such rapid levels of expansion. I definitely think it’s something we can learn from back home. Just before lockdown, we had enough guys to open up another office, so we’re looking to do so post-July which is exciting.

Josh: These work trips are always so fantastic because not only do they serve as a reward for hitting our sales targets, and therefore as motivation to work hard, but they always offer opportunities for further development. They are the perfect combination of learning and having fun, and both these things feed each other in a lot of ways. This trip was quite intense; we had meetings from 9am-6pm, so it was quite full-on and required a lot of focus (even though a lot of it was sitting and listening) but meant we got a lot out of it.

What were your main takeaways from the trip in terms to bring back to the UK?

Vik: I am actually still at University, so one of my concerns was how I was going to be able to properly establish my business whilst studying, but the trip to Miami really cemented the belief I have in myself; it gave me a big dose of motivation as well as providing me with the skills necessary to make these ambitions a reality. We are hoping to open up in Bristol with the two divisions of the company - Energy and Charity - so it’s a really exciting time, despite all that has been going on. 'It was really interesting to see what works for them and the strategies that they have in place for such rapid levels of expansion'.

“ If you’ve got the right attitude and simple core values then here you go - take the reins! "

'It really embedded in us the importance of sourcing people with these core values. It’s about finding people that can perform, set a good standard and build a business'.

Josh: This trip in particular was a chance for us to see how the US operates in terms of business expansion. It was incredibly eye-opening to see the speed and momentum with which people rose up through the company. It's very much a case of, ‘if you’ve got the right attitude and simple core values then here you go - take the reins!’ which was both surprising and inspiring. It really was as simple as that! they’d see who was capable of training and building a team and then say you know, ‘which city do you want to go to? See you there on Monday!’. It was phenomenal.

And in terms of the specific skills you developed whilst you were out there, what did you learn?

Vik: There was an Office Owner out there called Melissa who really inspired me in terms of branding the business. What she did with a lot of her guys out in the field was give them personalised water bottles and things like that, which just meant that she was promoting her business in alternative ways. It also served as an indicator of just how proud she was of her brand, which is a really lovely quality to see in a business owner. It inspired me to go to a shop in Miami and start making my own merchandise. I designed my brand logo out there and got hoodies, hats, polos etc. made with the new design to start handing out to people. It has really impacted my relationship with my own brand; when you have a physical item with your own logo on it, you have a tangible representation of our business, which encourages you to engage with your company in a different way. That can be really useful for clients to see and enhances your sense of brand identity.

Josh: The biggest takeaway for me was definitely the speed and confidence with which they were expanding the offices out there; however, it’s important to note that they are operating under a slightly different business structure out there because they are paying everybody a base salary, whereas we are all self-employed. It means that they can ask slightly more of their guys from the offset because they are getting paid a set amount each year which changes things a bit I think. Saying that, there were definitely aspects of their business model that we can take back into our self-employed structure, such as holding people to basic expectations and core values. It really embedded in us the importance of sourcing people with these core values, otherwise you’re just going to come up against difficulties if you try to expand the business with people who don’t fundamentally want the same things as you. It’s about finding people that can perform, set a good standard and build a business, essentially.

Does it feel as though there is a slightly more precise recruitment process in terms of who is even allowed through the door in terms of qualifications?

Josh: Because they are employing people and therefore committing to a base salary, I think it does impact who they decide to interview. They can’t take as many risks on people because they have to pay them $250 in their first week, it's a staterequirement, so I do think that it has an affect on the initial recruitment process, yes.

'It’s engaging with the personal side of the business that I find motivates me because I am able to see myself in these people; you put a face to a name, a quote, an organization and it helps you to ground it in reality somehow'.

How do you find learning in this environment, at a conference listening to talks, as opposed to in the field? What are the benefits of attending events such as this?

Vik: It’s incredibly motivating to hear people’s stories, first-hand. The speakers that we listened to were so inspiring in the way that they talked through their background and their journey to becoming a successful Entrepreneur. It’s engaging with the personal side of the business that I find motivates me because I am able to see myself in these people; you put a face to a name, a quote, an organization and it helps you to ground it in reality somehow. Another thing that they’re really good at over there is holding people accountable, so that’s something that I’ve been putting into practise, especially during lockdown. When you’re not seeing people face-to-face, it’s important to ensure that people are working hard and not just doing the bare minimum because they’re at home.

Josh: Yeah, as Vik mentioned, it was really interesting to see first-hand how they interact with their guys; they are quite militant in holding people accountable but it clearly works! It was also just really exciting to be around such a broad demographic of business Owners; there were companies from so many different States, you know, we were chatting to people from Texas, from New York, Dallas, Chicago...so many accents going around, it was great! I think it’s really important to get out of your bubble sometimes and to hang out with a broader variety of people from different backgrounds; you pick up on so many intricacies in terms of approach and people skills, as well as the more technical side of things. Our industry is about engaging with people from all walks of life, so that’s really why travelling and expanding your network is so important.

What is it about having the chance to attend these business conferences in person that impacts your learning?

Josh: There’s definitely something in the immediacy of face-to-face learning; you are able to respond in the moment and perhaps ask questions that you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. Zoom feels quite ‘structured’ in the sense that you’re not really able to gain a proper insight into how the business is run, you’re just fed information about the process. It makes you realize quite how much you pick up on from sharing the space with someone else and absorbing everything from their body-language to their communication skills, to the way they hold themselves in front of an audience, to their intonation.... It’s fascinating.

And did you have a chance to have some downtime and socialize?

Vik: Yeah there was plenty of time to explore both sides of the business; we went out clubbing, we had drinks on the beach so there was lots of time for socializing and hanging out. It’s so nice to combine business and pleasure and to celebrate each other’s success. It’s an important combination in this industry.

Josh: Yes, by the end of the working day we were very ready for some downtime and socializing! We’d leave at 6pm and go and have dinner and then finish the evening with some networking drinks which was a great chance to get to know the guys in a more informal setting.

How are you feeling about the prospect of travelling less as a result of the pandemic?

Josh: It is a shame, you know, we had a few trips planned and the May Ball etc. so we are missing out on opportunities to celebrate each other’s achievements, but we’ve managed to stay pretty well connected on Zoom. Social events online have really made a difference and whilst it is sad not to be able to travel, I know that we’ll just appreciate it a huge amount when it comes back around. For educational purposes, there’s nothing quite like the real thing - travelling to a new bit of the world and learning from the best of the best in the flesh - so we’ve got that to look forward to again!