If you are a traveler and do not know of Travel Noire, you are living under a rock. Travel Noire creates tools, resources and experiences to help travelers discover their next journey. Zim Ugochukwu, is the CEO and founder of Travel Noire. She is the ‘travel it-girl’ that has shown us her journey through travel. It has aided her to launch and sustain an income doing what she loves. Many people struggle with this notion as it can look and seem like it’s too good to be true. Zim has had her fair share of ups and downs and has been transparent about her journey in a recent interview with Necole of xoNecole.

From the outside looking in, her journey looks like a dream for most entrepreneurs; living the life you’ve always wanted and traveling the world while earning an income. Zim proves it is possible.

Source Black Travelista Instagram

When Travel Noire launched as a digital publishing platform and resource for black travelers, many people had not heard of the company. However, if you go on Instagram you will notice the Travel Noire page is full throttle. Travel Noire has managed to make a myth of ‘traveling while black’ possible. Of course, there were many black travelers before Travel Noire, however we never saw them. For many, travel for people of color did not seem like a possibility, let alone traveling across the world.

Black travel has become more than just a novelty as several have successfully launched thriving businesses and are able to travel and make money doing it. It is possible to travel and live a fulfilling life doing it. How? It takes financial discipline, and aggressive searching for great deals. If you’re able to master this, it becomes simpler to teach and even curate opportunities for other people of color to do the same.

So what can we take away from Zim?

@zimism in Madeira Portugal Source Zim Ugochukwu Instagram

Nothing ventured, nothing gained
Essentially this is every entrepreneur’s mantra. Yes, failure is always at every door, but so what? Yes, there is a huge sacrifice, but why would that matter? You are as strong as your weakest vice. And for some that is making excuses. If you fail, you learn a lesson, if you sacrifice; you appreciate the value of time. If you do nothing, you will have nothing.

You will fail. Accept this
Anyone you truly find inspiration from has failed. Try and contest it, you will fail to find one person that has failed at one point while pursuing their dreams. Accept that you will fail at some point. You have to keep going.

You DO NOT want to struggle
Well guess what? That is the process that comes with becoming an entrepreneur, having a dream career or striving for excellence. You want to have your own and invest in your own. You want control of your time and how you spend it. That is where the struggle comes in. The process to becoming a notable human being requires overcoming struggle.