Business
In this episode of E-Coffee with Experts, our host Austin Willman sits down with Mar Pages, Co-founder of Solo Female Travelers, to unpack how she and her partner scaled a global community from under 20,000 members to nearly 500,000 women worldwide—while staying purpose-driven and profitable.
Mar shares her journey from a 20-year career in strategy consulting and Google to building a community-led travel company focused on social impact. You’ll learn how listening to your audience daily can replace expensive market research, why emotional connection drives referrals better than systems, and how value-based pricing supports long-term sustainability.
This conversation dives deep into:
- Turning online communities into sustainable businesses
- Using data and surveys to validate new offers
- Creating referral growth through authentic customer experience
- Balancing premium pricing with mission-driven impact
- Building remote teams aligned around shared values
- Preparing your business for economic uncertainty and cash-flow risk
If you’re a founder, marketer, or agency owner looking to grow through community, trust, and word-of-mouth, this episode is packed with practical insights you can apply immediately.
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In this episode, we discuss:
00:00 - 01:00: Introduction
01:00 - 03:00: What Solo Female Travelers is about
03:00 - 06:00: From corporate career to travel founder
06:00 - 08:30: Taking over the community in 2019
08:30 - 11:00: How COVID accelerated community growth
11:00 - 13:30: Turning a free community into a business
13:30 - 16:00: Building tours with real social impact
16:00 - 18:30: Creating loyal customers and advocates
18:30 - 21:00: Why word of mouth works better than ads
21:00 - 23:30: Hiring a remote team with shared values
23:30 - 26:00: Referral and ambassador programs explained
26:00 - 28:30: Using data to guide business decisions
28:30 - 31:30: Pricing, value, and luxury positioning
31:30 - 34:00: Staying intentionally small and focused
34:00 - 36:30: Advice for founders in uncertain times
36:30 - 37:40: Final thoughts
Connect with Mar Pages
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marpages/
https://tours.solofemaletravelers.club/
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dws_global
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-web-solutions./