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Woman, 55, had ‘lightbulb moment’. Then travel side hustle took off like a bat out of hell | Personal Finance | Finance
Just a few years ago Vikki, 55, barely knew how to switch a computer on. Now she routinely books up to 2,000 people onto cruise ships to view a hugely popular rock show tribute to rock legend Meatloaf and songwriter Jim Steinman, which involves booking every single guest on board individually. “People often underestimate me,” she says.
Vikki’s had a colourful career as a driving instructor, managing petrol stations in some of the most crime-ridden areas of the UK and running pubs that the police had previously closed down due to disturbances.
In every situation, quiet, mild-mannered Vikki managed to turn risky situations into successful businesses.
There were some hairy moments, though. “I’ve been caught up in robberies and shootings while running petrol stations and pubs, but my new job is the scariest thing I’ve done. I saw an opportunity and went for it.“
Aged 42, Vikki decided she wanted to do something herself, rather than spend her life running businesses for others.
So said goodbye to her grown-up children and grandchildren and joined cruise ships, working on Carnival, NCL and P&O. “I absolutely loved it and enjoyed seeing the world on the industry’s new launches,” she says.
Following her passion for travel, Vikki joined The Travel Franchise in January last year, which helps people set up their own franchise businesses.
She started by training as a Not Just Travel homeworking travel consultant, completing her training in days, and became a travel agent offering fully protected holidays.
One night she had what she calls her “lightbulb moment”.
In February 2022, Vikki bought a ticket to see Vampire Rock, a tribute to Bat out of Hell singer Meatloaf, created by musician Steve Steinman.
She struck up a conversation with the woman sitting next to her who said it was the fifth time she had seen the show that year. It was only February.
Vikki thought the woman was crazy, until the show started. “I was blown away by the music, comedy, production and singing, but also by how dedicated and loyal the audience was.”
Vikki knew at once that this would be amazing on a cruise. “I knew the type of performances that go down really well, having previously worked on Norwegian Cruise Lines’ ship Breakaway.”
That night, she found Steve via his Facebook group, which has 17,000 followers, and messaged him saying “I’ve seen your show and thought it was fantastic. Have you thought about performing on a cruise?”
He immediately texted back “What have you got in mind?”
Vikki says: “I was thrilled yet so nervous as I’d never booked a cruise before. Let alone helped put on a huge performance for thousands of people.”
Now she will bring one of his shows on board the MSC’s British Isles Cruise onboard the Virtuosa, departing Southampton on September 24, 2024.
Steve’s show, Anything for Love – the Meat Loaf Story is based on the music of Meat Loaf and features Lorraine Crosby, the vocalist who accompanies the singer on the original single “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)”.
The show is exclusive to Vikki’s clients. Only they can see the show onboard the ship.
Luckily, Vikki didn’t have to go it alone. Not Just Travel’s Cruise Division supported her, and helped work on her computer skills too.
READ MORE: Woman to make extra £2k thanks to Christmas tree decorating side hustle
“I hadn’t used computers or email except on my phone and taking on the cruise booking system would have been a bit overwhelming. They also have dealt with negotiations and legal agreements. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”
Once Vikki had carried out her first few bookings she quickly got to grips with the system, and her leap of faith proved lucrative.
Steve’s loyal following has meant that Vikki has booked hundreds of people onto the cruise without spending a single penny on marketing. “People love him. They go to every one of his shows, which sell out faster than Tom Jones.”
One Facebook post resulted in 180 enquiries, Vikki says. “I’m working day and night, seven days a week to take bookings. I know that once these clients go on their first cruise, they will be back to book other ones with me. This is a long-term plan for me.”
Ultimately, she’s doing it for partner Frank Keoghan. “Frank has worked on oil rigs for 35 years and his knees have worn out climbing all the stairs. I want him off the rigs and home as soon as possible. My business will help that happen.”
Vikki will do anything for love, including learning how to use a computer. “I can definitely do that,” she says.
Mumbai:
The Indian equity benchmark indices opened higher on Friday amid positive global cues, as buying was seen in the IT, pharma and auto sectors in the early trade.
At around 9.27 am, Sensex was trading 265.3 points or 0.33 per cent up at 80,066.81 while the Nifty added 89.85 points or 0.37 per cent at 24,336.55.
Nifty Bank was down 222.85 points or 0.40 per cent at 54,978.55. The Nifty Midcap 100 index was trading at 54,980.80 after increasing 10.95 points or 0.02 per cent. Nifty Smallcap 100 index was at 16,903.30 after declining 60.20 points or 0.35 per cent.
According to market watchers, “after a positive opening, Nifty can find support at 24,200 followed by 24,100 and 24,000. On the higher side, 24,500 can be an immediate resistance, followed by 24,600 and 24,700.
“The charts of Bank Nifty indicate that it may get support at 55,000 followed by 54,700 and 54,500. If the index advances further, 55,500 would be the initial key resistance, followed by 55,800 and 56,200,” said Hardik Matalia, Derivative Analyst of Choice Broking.
Meanwhile, in the Sensex pack, TCS, Tata Steel, Maruti Suzuki, Eternal, ICICI Bank, SBI, HDFC Bank, Infosys, M&M and Tata Motors were the top gainers. Whereas, Axis Bank, Tech Mahindra, Nestle India and IndusInd Bank were the top losers.
In the last trading session, Dow Jones in the US added 1.23 per cent to close at 40,093.40. The S&P 500 climbed 2.03 per cent to 5,484.77 and the Nasdaq added 2.74 per cent to close at 17,166.04.
In the Asian markets, Jakarta, Bangkok, Seoul, Hong Kong, China and Japan were trading in green.
According to analysts, US markets extended their rally on Thursday as investors snapped up hard-hit technology stocks, helping boost the S&P 500 out of correction territory.
The foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 8,250.53 crore on April 24. However, domestic institutional investors (DIIs) sold equities of Rs 534.54 crore on the same day.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Mumbai:
Indian equity markets are trading in the red as tensions soar between India and Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir. Sensex, the 30-share BSE benchmark, has crashed over 1,000 points and is now trading below the 79,000-mark. Nifty, the NSE index of 50 shares, fell below 24,000 points.
The markets went up in early trade, driven by a global rally and fund inflows, but the momentum got lost thereafter, and it gave up the initial gains.
The markets are also upset by unimpressive March quarter earnings by Axis Bank, the third-largest private sector bank of the country. The bank’s shares have fallen 4.65% after reporting a decline in quarterly profit from Rs 7,130 crore in the year-ago period to Rs 7,117 crore.
Besides Axis Bank, major laggards include Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Finserv, Tata Motors, and Tech Mahindra. On the gaining side are TCS, Infosys, Reliance, HCL Tech, HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank.
At least 26 civilians were massacred by terrorists in a tourist hotspot known as ‘Mini Switzerland’, leading to both countries pulling out their diplomatic staff and suspending visas issued to the other nation’s citizens. (Follow live updates here)
The latest flare-up at the Line of Control was speculative firing by Pakistani troops, which is being seen as an attempt to provoke the Indian side. Indian troops retaliated effectively against the firing from multiple Pakistani posts.
As Indian equities braced for the impact, global equities, including the Asian markets, were charting in the positive territory. South Korea’s Kospi index, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, and Shanghai SSE Composite were all in green.
Similar trends were seen in US equities, too. Last evening, Nasdaq Composite closed 2.74 per cent higher. S&P 500 jumped over 2 per cent and Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1.23 per cent.
Mumbai:
Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty declined in early trade on Thursday amid profit-taking after a seven-day rally and muted trend in Asian markets.
The 30-share BSE benchmark declined 242.01 points to 79,874.48 in early trade. The NSE Nifty went down by 72.3 points to 24,256.65.
In the past seven trading days, the BSE benchmark gauge zoomed 6,269.34 points or 8.48 per cent and the Nifty jumped 1,929.8 points or 8.61 per cent.
From the Sensex firms, Eternal, Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, HCL Technologies, Reliance Industries, and HDFC Bank were among the laggards.
IndusInd Bank, Tech Mahindra, Nestle, Bajaj Finance, Axis Bank, and Tata Motors were among the gainers.
In Asian markets, South Korea’s Kospi index, Shanghai SSE Composite, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng were trading lower while Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 quoted in the positive territory.
US markets ended sharply higher on Wednesday. Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.50 per cent, S&P 500 surged 1.67 per cent and Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1.07 per cent.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.12 per cent to USD 66.20 a barrel.
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 3,332.93 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
The BSE benchmark jumped 520.90 points or 0.65 per cent to settle at 80,116.49, the highest closing level since December 18, on Wednesday. The Nifty rallied 161.70 points or 0.67 per cent to 24,328.95.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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