Not in the Guidebooks has renewed its invitation to agents to invest in the business and part-fund its ambitious expansion plans after launching and extending its service to the trade.
The excursion and experience specialist on Monday (15 May) announced a second round of fundraising, which will allow agents to invest from as little as £127 and own a part of the business.
“We have always wanted to build a business for travel agents owned by travel agents,” said Not in the Guidebooks founder Carol Savage.
“This campaign gives agents the chance to get in early and have a small share in a growing and very ambitious business with exciting plans to create a better, more exciting travel business.”
Not in the Guidebooks has grown steadily since its launch in 2018, and has more recently extended its offering more formally to the trade, with agents now having booked thousands of NITGBs passengers.
A first round of funding saw the company raise £300,000 with the help of investors such as the E-100 Angels, the private angel investment club of the London Business School, as well as start-up ranking agency Capital Pilots.
“We’re now ready to take the business to the next level, providing more experiences, launching new and exciting itineraries, making it easier to find and book what you are looking for with more inspirational content that you can access and share easily to help you grow your business,” Savage added.
Following the operator’s first agent fam, to Lapland, head of sales Debbie Sowden told TTG the business was looking to expand both its team and its product portfolio.
“We’re looking to get more product managers but we also would like another business development manager who can go out on the road, train people and make sure that we get our offers out to all of the trade," said Sowden.
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