Evita Turquoise Robinson loves to travel. She has ever since her college years when she took her first trip to Paris. And it was that love for travel that led her to invite 100 of her Facebook friends to start a traveling group four years ago.
Now, that travel group is known as the Nomadness Travel Tribe. And it has grown to include more than 10,000 members in cities around the world.
What makes the group different from other travel clubs is its inclusiveness. Instead of targeting only those who can afford lavish trips full of top notch amenities, Nomadness Travel Tribe is open to anyone with at least one passport stamp. The group focuses on affordable trips around the world and those who travel as more of a lifestyle than a hobby.
Robinson, who is an artist and filmmaker by trade, didn’t necessarily mean for Nomadness Travel Tribe to become a business. As the group grew, she added features like a Web series, shop, an upcoming travel conference, and of course, many different social platforms for group members to follow along with trips.
In fact, it’s that social media presence that has allowed the business to grow and thrive. Since its start on Facebook to its use of newer platforms like Instagram and Periscope, that ability to interact with people instantaneously around the world has been crucial. Robinson told Entrepreneur:
“There are so many social media outlets: Twitter, Periscope, Instagram. Instagram and Periscope — the live-streaming app — allow anyone to follow along on our trips. If the Internet was a geographic location, Facebook would be the capital. It is where everyone is. If you can start someplace where everyone is and then push out from that point, you have the opportunity to do something special.”
The lesson for other entrepreneurs, whether you’re building a business based around travel or something completely unrelated, is the power that social media has to bring likeminded people together. Plenty of businesses have been started completely by accident just because some people came together online and found a niche interest or market that was underserved.
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So no matter how small the niche might seem to you, there are probably people out there, somewhere, who share your interest or passion. And you might just be able to build a business around it.
Image: Nomadness Travel Tribe
