Fast-growing travel company Travel Counsellors has appointed BBC Dragons鈥� Den star Sara Davies MBE as its first growth and entrepreneurship partner.
The North East entrepreneur and investor is set to use her expertise to give tailored coaching on entrepreneurship to the Manchester-based firm鈥檚 2,100-strong community of business owners, along with prospective franchisees.
This coaching will help them launch and scale their businesses.聽
Davies, who announced that she will be leaving the Den last week after the second part of series 22 airs, will host a series of webinars and in-person events for the firm.
Her support will include a series of webinars and exclusive in-person events, offering mentorship, training and guidance to help Travel Counsellors launch and grow their businesses.
The webinars will be split into two separate series. The first programme, Go Beyond, starting in March, will be a masterclass series designed to equip existing Travel Counsellors with actionable strategies and practical tools to help them scale their businesses in a competitive market.
The second series, Take the Leap is centred on aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start a new business and become a franchisee with Travel Counsellors. Davies will provide advice on building confidence, planning for success and implementing key strategies to help new business owners hit the ground running from day one.
The appointment is no doubt set to aid the company鈥檚 aim of hitting 拢2bn in sales in the next five years – it reached the 拢1bn mark for 2024.聽
The group also recorded record-breaking sales for January 2025, reaching 拢138m, an 11 per cent increase year-on-year, making it both the best January on record and the biggest sales month in the company鈥檚 history.
CEO Steve Byrne also won 老九品茶Cloud鈥檚 Northern Leaders People Award two months ago.
鈥淲e鈥檙e so pleased to be welcoming Sara as our first-ever Growth and Entrepreneurship Partner. Her track record as an entrepreneur, coupled with her passion for empowering others with energy, positivity and authenticity makes her the perfect fit for our community,鈥� he said.
鈥淎t Travel Counsellors, we鈥檙e committed to providing the best inspiration, support, technology and tools to help our business owners thrive, enabling them to deliver exceptional experiences for their customers and clients.聽
鈥淭his partnership with Sara is a key part of that mission, and we know that her insight and experience will be invaluable in helping our Travel Counsellors achieve success for their business on their own terms.鈥�
Having started her crafts business in her university bedroom in York, Davies went on to build a business with a turnover of $34m a year.
Her reasons for leaving the Den included focusing more on the company she founded at York University – Crafter鈥檚 Companion – after it was revealed in January that she had returned as its CEO.
On the appointment, Davies added: 鈥淗elping ambitious entrepreneurs build and grow their business is incredibly important to me.聽
鈥淏eing a Travel Counsellors customer myself, I鈥檝e seen first-hand the dedication, passion, and support that defines this business.
鈥淚t鈥檚 truly inspiring to witness how they uplift one another to achieve success, and I look forward to sharing my life lessons and perspectives on entrepreneurship.鈥�
The announcement follows the company鈥檚 ongoing partnership with Davies, where she has been involved in speaking at its annual conference for the last two years as well as being involved in a social campaign.