Basingstoke-based Ally Streeter, who has been in the travel industry for 35 years, invited potential clients to her event at one of her local coffee shops, More of the Good Stuff. 

Specifically dedicated to promoting Great Rail Journeys trips, Streeter advertised her event on social media, handed out brochures with her business card attached, held a free prize draw and enjoyed cake with the visitors. 

“I woke up one morning and thought, ‘what can I do to expand my business?’,” said Streeter. 

“It’s totally out of my comfort zone but I am working to shape and promote myself. I was nervous about talking face to face again [since becoming a homeworker] but actually I loved it.”

Although Streeter welcomed numerous clients and sold around eight holidays over the course of a morning, she said the experience was a “learning curve”.

She is considering doing a similar event once a month to drum up business and has already had interest from other holiday companies.

Additionally, Streeter said More of the Good Stuff will soon be moving to Worting House – a mansion house more centrally located.

“I work from home so I could sit here waiting for business to come to me or I could be productive,” she added. “I am in control of my own business so when I have an idea I can act on it straight away, it doesn’t need to be signed off.”