BTSocial.com (Business Traveler Social) is a new social network for business travelers.
“We provide business travelers with the news and information they’re looking for in their world, a fast-pace travel kind of world,” founder Tim Hines tells rolling out. “We unite business travel, news and information from all across the web. Right now, if you’re a business traveler and you’re looking for the latest news about American Airlines, you might read that story on USA Today or ABC News, but what we do is bring all of those news sources into one space. You’re able to get that relevant news and information that you’re looking for.”
How did you formulate the idea for BTSocial.com?
I’ve been in the business travel space for a little while, [but] mainly from the travelers who are inside of it. I have a background in marketing, and the idea popped in my head when I was at a meeting with an old employer. I was sitting there in the meeting, and I was really bored, and then I perked up and started taking notes. My boss came over to me and said, ‘Tim’s taking notes,’ but really I was planning my escape. I was writing out the whole theme of the company and what it was going to be. It was one of those ‘just popped in my head, and so I wrote it down on a napkin’ ideas. BTSocial.com also meets that need for business travelers to find a better way to communicate with each other.
Why create a social network for business travelers? They’re rarely in one place for very long, right?
“If you’ve ever seen that movie Up in the Air with George Clooney, that’s a very avid, very frequent business traveler. That’s one side of the spectrum, and then you have that person who travels infrequently or once a year for a conference. You take a guy like that who travels so much that he doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going, he doesn’t have friends or family, and that’s kind of like who we are gearing it to.
If somebody is going to Tulsa, Okla., what in the hell does he do in Tulsa, Okla.? Does he just sit in his hotel room when he’s done with his meeting? Or, does he go to our website and ping other business travelers to see what he can do. There’s this great restaurant that’s really close that a lot of professionals hang out, and he can go there. Or, if there are other travelers who want to get together and meet him in the lobby for a quick drink. So, BTSocial.com is not only news, but it’s also that whole social atmosphere around business travel, and it brings them together.
Speaking of having fun after the meeting, there’s a huge report about how some men cheat on their spouses while on business trips. What do you have to say about that?
I have to say, that is terrible! (laughs). And you should have some sort of moral backing. And, obviously that’s a question that I’ve been asked quite a few times: “Couldn’t this just be a hook-up site for business travelers?” and it’s like, couldn’t Facebook be a hook-up site for people? Couldn’t MySpace? The design of the tools is not to be that, but, if people use it for that, I really don’t have control over it. I’m not promoting that by any means.
What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs who want to plan their escape from their day jobs?
My advice is that you must have a good idea, and you must have the drive. A lot of people have a good idea, but they don’t have the drive to actually see it through. Or, it could be the opposite, where you have the drive, but you don’t have a good idea. Make sure to surround yourself with people who are able to help you out. Go to networking events, get a partner who’s actually going to be dedicated and back you up, if you need one. Good idea, great partner and the drive [are] all you need.
BTSocial.com is hosting a networking event at the exclusive Tower Club on July 28, 2011, for the business travel community. Visit www.BTSocial.com for details.
