We recently got a chance to sit down with the
team of Spring Travels to talk about their life
story, the reasons behind their success in younger
age.
1. Tell us about yourself and your background.
When did you come to Canada & what kind of jobs
you did prior to becoming a Businessman?
We are a family of 5, all born and raised in Ludhiana,
India. We moved to Canada in 2011 after becoming
permanent residents of Canada. Having a business
background in the family, since high school our father
included all three of us in the business.
2. When did you decide to become a business
owner?
By the summer of 2012, we decided to open a travel
business under the name “Spring Travels”.
3. Who is your inspiration as a Businessman,
if any?
We look up to our father, Mr. Gurjit Chhatwal. Our father
taught us the need to invest in yourself before you invest
in anything else, by focusing on improving your skills,
education, and experience. Without self-investment,
you won’t be able to build a business, let alone sustain
one. At the age of 14, our father started his journey
in the business industry. He began to show interest in
father’s business and now holds more than 35 years of
experience.
4. There are so many travel businesses in the
lower mainland, why should someone prefer you?
Spring Travels is a “customer service oriented” travel
agency which makes us unique compared to our
competitors. In the industry, we are known for our
customer service and extraordinary travel experiences.
Our company, Spring Travels is a professionally managed
company, possessing extensive knowledge, expertise,
and resources, specializing in conceptualizing and
execution of events, group tours, business/ trade
delegations, business seminars across the globe.
We, at Spring Travels, have the expertise to provide our
customers with the best customer service and seamless
experiences. Our travel specialists are highly experienced
and have the extraordinary product knowledge to assist
our clients with their travel experiences. Over the past
few years,
we have helped thousands of customers to find their
ideal travel destination. Our company is designed to
match the unique needs of our customers, assisting us to
better understand their travel desires, offer tailor-made
solutions and build long-term partnerships
5. What strategies are you using to promote your
business?
Initially, in 2012, we started promoting our business using
radio and newspaper advertisements. As technology
advanced we began to promote our travel agency using
online platforms such as google, yelp, and 411.ca. The
most effective way of promoting our business is word of
mouth. Due to our extraordinary service, our clients refer
us to their friends and family. Also, recently after the
launch of our new website we have started to advertise
our business on Facebook, Instagram, and other social
media outlets. Our new website enables our clients to
search, find and book flights while being anywhere in the
world.
6. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
Over the past few years, we have experienced vast
growth in the business. The journey is far from over and
we continue to grow. We are in the process of expanding,
which includes our new website allowing our customers
to book with ease. Additionally, we also look forward to
expanding our physical locations in Canada. In the next 5
years, we plan to be BC’s one of the top travel agencies
with exceptional customer service. For us at Spring Travels,
customer service is the highest priority.
7. What have you learned from this career?
The most important lesson we have learned so far is that
nothing beats the hard work. Hard work outweighs talent
and intelligence and is necessary if you want to succeed.
This not only means working hard when things are going
well but working harder when things are not. It means
taking calculated risks and sticking with them, no matter
how challenging they are. Another important lesson we
have learned is that good customer service is the key to
achieve success in the business.
8. What is your opinion on the condition of the
market in the lower mainland and what will be its
future?
The travel industry is growing at roughly 2% per year
but also the competition is growing as well. Barriers to
entering the industry are not too high which attracts
more competitors to enter. In Surrey, there are about
200 + travel agencies which shows that the competition
is rising.