I’m the Founder and Managing Director of Golf Holidays Direct.
I built Golf Holidays Direct from scratch as the sole founder with £20,000 savings. In the very first year Golf Holidays Direct made sales of 1 million and 10,000 golfers booked.
Fast forward to now, we have just completed our fifth year of sales and this year have generated £16million in revenue, booked over 100,000 golfers and sponsor two of the most famous faces in golf – Nick Dougherty and Charley Hull, who are also our brand ambassadors.
Why did you create Golf Holidays Direct?
I wanted to create something I was proud of.
I also had an objective to make my family financially secure, having good knowledge in the golf sales industry having worked in this field for six years I took the decision to set up Golf Holidays Direct.
Money wasn’t the objective. Sure, the lifeblood of a business is money, but Golf Holidays Direct is so much more than that. Even if it were a tenth of the size, I would still be into it just as much.
I wanted to create a business that did the right thing for its staff, and most importantly, for its customers. I wanted to create a brand that people would be proud to be associated with.
Did you always want to be an entrepreneur?
Entrepreneurs and start-ups are considered trendy today, but believe me, it’s a hard grind, in the early years of the company, it was tough getting it off the ground. When I left school, I didn’t think ‘I want to be an entrepreneur’ I guess it has just happened by working hard each day and improving the business that I started.
I didn’t even know what the word ‘entrepreneur’ meant and there certainly wasn’t a culture around people wanting to be one, like there is today. Obviously, people were entrepreneurs in those days, and they did start businesses, but there was much less of a conversation around it.
Do you feel that the word entrepreneur has been stretched too thin and lost its true meaning?
Yes, I think it has. It has become a cool thing to say and even if somebody has the tiniest business, you call yourself an entrepreneur. I often think people do it because they have heard other people say that they are. Being an entrepreneur means trying to solve a problem and finding market fit by creating a profitable business, that you may exit and then start another business.
When did you first have the idea for Golf Holidays Direct?
As a keen golfer, it led me into the golfing industry at an early age, after gaining good knowledge in the golf holiday sector I decided I would set up Golf Holidays Direct to start booking my friends and family, with the help of social media and SEO I could reach further audiences, then naturally, by providing a good service, word of mouth spread and clients would come back year after year.
What has driven that success in your opinion?
Technology and hiring very good staff are the major factor, keeping customers happy and of course having determination to keep growing each year all contribute to success. I have an amazing team around me which has grown significantly this year, we have bolstered our leadership team which will keep the company on track to hit targets.
How has your approach to productivity changed as the business has grown?
It has changed over time and in the first few years I was working crazy hours, but more recently, I have recruited a strong management team and I have reduced my working hours and I have finally developed more of a work-life balance.
Do you operate work from home or in the office? Or is it more flexible?
For me, working in the office is the best solution, but of course, it is important to offer some flexibility. However, I generally like to engage face-to-face. We would lose staff if we made people work in the office all the time because some people are used to working from home now, so I am very open minded when interviewing new staff about working from home. I feel that if you don’t spend time in the office, it is harder to build a culture and people miss out on conversations or moments that they will benefit from.
This article comes courtesy from Golf Holidays Direct offering Golf Holidays to over 2500 destinations in 21 countries throughout the UK, Ireland, Europe and Rest of the World. With over 50,000 golfers travelling annually you are guaranteed the very best price and service for your next golf holiday. They have a team of golf travel experts waiting to hear from you!
