Leisure travel case studies: The importance of a business plan

This session consists of videos from four Advantage members - the first is James Beagrie of Meaon Valley Travel, talking about business plans.

David Moon, who is chairing the session, points out that many (if not all) people in travel will relate to this:

Business planning is boring and laborious ... sitting by a screen isn't my forte, I love dealing with people.

The answer? Get everyone involved in developing the plan, of course - which will probably help you avoid Greg Dyke's 'in spite of management' syndrome.

Another interesting factoid: When James took his business plan to one of the big high street banks, it was the first travel agency business plan the branch had ever seen.

(Why should we listen to James? He's developed Meon Valley from a standard retail unit with six staff to a 24-hour business that also deals with corporate travel and medical emergencies, and employs 30 people.)