A New York woman turned her passion for old homes into a business that has more than 1 million followers on social media. Here’s how she did it — and her 3 tips for anyone trying to do the same.

• In 2013, Elizabeth Finkelstein launched CIRCA, a listing website for historic homes.
• Since then, her business has grown in popularity and has, to date, has attracted more than one million followers on social media.
• In an exclusive interview with Business Insider, Finkelstein explains how she turned her passion for historic homes into a business and shares three key pieces of advice to anyone trying to do the same.
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Elizabeth Finkelstein grew up in a historic home and watched her parents restore it with their own hands.

It’s no surprise, then, that she has always had a passion for old homes. To her, they are so much more than just a collection of walls — they are a constant source of inspiration and creativity.

In 2013, Finkelstein — who has a master’s degree in historic preservation and currently lives outside of New York City — took the first step to turn that passion into a business by launching CIRCA, a listing website for historic houses. With the help of her husband Ethan, who owns a digital design agency, CIRCA became a meeting point for old-home buyers and sellers.

On a recent phone call with Business Insider, she explained that two events transpired as they were coming up with the idea for the listing site. The first was that her parents decided to sell their home but had a difficult time tapping into the community of old-home lovers. The second was that she and Ethan were looking for a historic home to buy, but had a hard time finding listings. And so, CIRCA was born.

CIRCA’s business model is straightforward: It costs $45 to list a house on the website for 90 days, $75 for six months, and $150 for one year. Along with an online shop that sells things like pins, pennants, and T-shirts, customers can also pay for additional boosts for their listings. Those include the opportunity to be featured on the homepage banner or on an Instagram story.

When CIRCA was created, Finkelstein said she wanted to bridge the gap between the younger generations and historic homes. As she saw it, building a strong social media presence was one way to accomplish this — and that’s how the second major branch of the business came about.

Postcard-perfect, I almost can’t believe it’s real (but it is, and it’s FOR SALE!).⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ ($2,500,000 / Escondido, CA / davecox@red-reo.com)⁠⠀ -⁠⠀ From the listing: This stunning Victorian Mansion has been fully restored to the highest standard using only top quality period finishes and fixtures throughout. All lighting is LED, central HVAC has been installed and the home has solar giving the home modern features; however, the charm and a welcoming warmth remain. Sprawling gardens and lush landscape blanket the grounds. A decorative wrought Iron fence and tall shrub wall give the home privacy, with the convenience of a suburban location. The “Beach House” (c. 1896), one of San Diego’s cherished architectural treasures on the National Registry of Historical Places & part of Mills Act (70% reduction in prop tax). Victorian estate sits atop a private, .5+ acre knoll, surrounded by exquisite gardens, mature trees, Swiss Victorian gazebo, two porches & rear patio. Interior is a romantic, articulately planned turn-of-the-century masterpiece. Perfect for Bed & Breakfast enthusiasts, philanthropic/charity/school events, city events, etc.⁠⠀ -⁠⠀ #circaoldhouses #oldhouses #dreamhouse #circaoldhousesca

A post shared by Circa Old Houses (@circahouses) on Jan 17, 2020 at 5:42am PSTJan 17, 2020 at 5:42am PST

Currently, CIRCA’s official Instagram account has 169,000 followers, its Facebook page is on the verge of breaking 100,000 followers and, according to the website, its weekly newsletter has over 70,000 subscribers.

But readers may be more familiar with CIRCA’s offshoot: the Instagram account CheapOldHouses, which Finkelstein also runs. It currently has 750,000 followers. True to its name, posts on the page showcase historic homes for sale for under $100,000 — and they get thousands of likes.

What started out as a passion project has turned into Finkelstein’s full-time job. She now has a staff of three (including Ethan) who work beside her and a rapidly increasing presence online. In an exclusive interview with Business Insider, she shared three pieces of advice for anyone looking to turn their passion into a business.

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-turn-passion-into-job-business-cheap-old-homes-2020-2