Leaving school on the Isle of Man at the age of 16, Edward Pearson wasn’t sure what he wanted to do for a living.

After two weeks working in income tax for the government and deciding he “hated it”, his attention was piqued when a pal, who had just got back from Mauritius, told him about mysterious trips called fams.

“I went to this little independent travel agency and got myself a job on 50 quid a week,” Pearson grins. “I was in Israel about three weeks later and decided this was the job for me!”

It wasn’t quite plain sailing from there, though, as shortly after he joined, the agency went bust. “I came in early one morning and the bank called saying ‘do not issue any further cheques from that business’,” he recalls. “I was only 16, so that was quite the experience.”

But Pearson was soon off and running as an agent; he’d taken some City & Guilds exams while on day release from the ill-fated independent to set him in good stead and after a year or so, he joined another agency.

There, he worked his way up to the role of manager before going on to manage a cruise club. All this experience ultimately led to him making the decision to join Travel Counsellors in 1997, just three years after it was founded by David Speakman.

Back then, the now homeworking giant – and the concept of homeworking itself – were in their infancy. Now, some 27 years later, Pearson has never looked at another homeworking agency, and continues to think of innovative ways to evolve his business, which currently employs two other full-time homeworkers – as well as some part-time help.

Growing pains 

Pearson explains: “I started mainly in cruise, and then after about four years, a contact wanted me to help him with his company's business travel. It was only very, very small at the time [the client], but it ended up growing into one of the largest poker companies in the world.

“So we looked after them for about 10 years and I started getting staff because I couldn't do the cruising and the corporate travel side of things, and it's grown from there.”

As the firm grew though, it took its travel in-house. But Pearson managed to secure an even bigger client, and his business has followed a similar pattern of “peaks and troughs” ever since – including the loss of one business client, which was sanctioned post-pandemic.

“I quite like the fact this fluctuation shows what we did in the beginning wasn't just luck – it shows we know what we're doing,” he says. 

Edward Pearson, Travel Counsellors (Credit: Edward Pearson)

His agency, Manx Travel, is currently split about 50:50 between business and leisure travel, and while it continues to serve the island’s locals, much of Pearson's clientele – both for business and leisure travel – is global.

“The cruising's mostly local clients who are still with me from the early days,” says Pearson. “I still love selling. It doesn't have to be a big booking, it's just the fact that someone's come in to see me, or I’ve been recommended; it's like I'm doing something right and I can be proud of myself – and I am.

“I've got some really nice clients I've had for 20-odd years who treat me as friends, so I love looking after them and giving them the best deals,” Pearson says with a smile, adding he's kept the “Manx Travel” moniker because “the Isle of Man is very localised and people like shopping local”. “They don't know about Travel Counsellors, even after 20-odd years,” he adds.

The competition

I ask Pearson whether there is much competition on the island, and while he confirms there is, he doesn't feel threatened by it. “The competition grows every year. There are people who try and do it as a side-line. We don't see them as competition, because there is no competition when you're doing it as a full-time job.

“We just try to be better than everyone else. We do see lots of Facebook stuff coming up with new people joining, and a couple of our clients have actually joined other agencies as well, but it doesn't really bother us.”

The key to success

This brings me on to the clichéd – but pertinent – question of what Pearson believes sets his business apart from the rest. “Our secret is we care,” he says. “I'm always there for my clients; that's the way I've been brought up, we're just honest. Some of them ask if I ever sleep.”

Pearson goes on to describe staying up until 4am the very morning we speak to secure seats for two business clients after they missed their connection in Dallas. “I think things like that set us apart from anybody else – it reassures me that we're better than anyone else.”

Pearson adds choosing the right business to join has been key. “Find the company that's going to look after you and give you all of the tools that you need – the most important thing is the support,” he says. “I’ve never had a reason to look elsewhere – Travel Counsellors has strong ethics.”

Pearson adds: “Also, know what market you're going to go into, because a lot of the new travel agents, they're just selling on price, but that will only go so far, and one day the tour operators will probably cut commissions and then where are you?

“So you have to have a niche that sets you apart from everybody else.”

Thinking outside the box

Despite achieving this impressive £60 million milestone, Pearson’s business is not standing still.

Currently operating out of an office in the island's capital Douglas, in November, Pearson expanded to unusual additional premises at Manx institution Riley's, a popular local garden centre.

Manx Travel's "The Cube" premises (Credit: Ed Pearson)

“We call it the Cube – it’s an ex-demo garden office,” Pearson explains. “Parking on the Isle of Man is an absolute nightmare, but there's free parking [at the garden centre] and a cafe. Clients can come in, make appointments and book their holidays. It’s working really well.

“I'm always thinking outside the box” he adds, revealing that now he’s tested out having a shopfront outside of Douglas, he’ll look to move into bigger premises somewhere similar.

Reflections

I ask Pearson how he feels about the journey he’s taken professionally. “We've seen three different stages of our business, which I think's quite healthy,” he says. “If you have a business that just keeps going, you get complacent. Nothing can last forever – your customers cannot last forever.”

“I could have taken any other occupation, but I wouldn't have seen half of what I've seen of the world. There are places it’s taken me to that are on most people's bucket list – travel’s just brilliant, isn’t it?

“£60 million is a massive amount, but you don't really think about it too often. As long as we're doing the job and we're doing it right, the gratification comes along with that.”