Key Steps to empire building and location independent business on the Road

Part 1: How To Know When You’re Ready For A Nomadic Move

Members of The Big Factor tribe are in different stages of their solopreneur to empire building journey.You’re excited, you’re passionate about finally embracing your dreams, and some of you are wondering if the next stage in your life should involve the location independent lifestyle.

I’ve been a digitally nomadic entrepreneur for about a year and a half now, and I love it. It’s a huge lifestyle shift, and it will transform your mindset and your world. With enough preparation – practically, and mentally – I believe that anyone can make a location independent lifestyle work for them.

I will say, however, that if you’re feeling concerned about becoming a digital nomad, you may not be ready. When I became location independent, I had NOT A DOUBT IN MY MIND that it was the right decision. And I believe that’s the kind of mentality that makes it work. I was finally prepared to do whatever it took to live my dream and would not settle for anything less. If you’re a little scared, that’s totally normal. But if you have serious concerns about larger logistical pieces, be sure to flesh them out before you jump on the road.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll pack this blog series with my best tips and advice for adventuring entrepreneurs. And I’ll give you a taste of the joy and freedom (of heart, of mind, of spirit) that the location independent career has to offer.

What is a Location Independent Lifestyle Like?

Instead of working from a physical home or office, I travel to different cities in the U.S. currently, but as many of you know- international travel is my absolute favorite. Usually I stay for a few days to a few weeks within the continental 48 states before my journey takes me elsewhere. But if you are venturing across oceans, time zones and continents, attempt to plan for at minimum one month. I have found my sweet spot at 3-4 months. {And I will keep you posted moving forward as I try out 6 months to a year in 2015!}

I pick my next destination based on where I can speak or meet on-site with clients. Often, I set up these opportunities beforehand, but sometimes I seek them out once I get there. I love meeting entrepreneurs and fellow game-changers – these people are my passion, and I follow my passion around the world.

Also – I’m my own guide! I travel to places I’m excited to see. If there’s a location on my mind, somewhere I want to visit, I’ll do research on flights, accommodations and communities there to make that trip happen. If it’s an expensive place to visit, I’ll extend the trip to enjoy the destination as much as possible and figure out a travel budget that works for me beforehand. And I will see if I can break the trip up. Travel half way there and stop at another destination to make money, network & explore first. And that’s part of the joy of this lifestyle – setting your sights on a new place and accepting the challenge to make it there. And make it work for the very best for you & your company.

How Affordable Is a Location Independent Life?

If you’re a digital nomad, you can find ways to live reasonably, but it’s not always the best idea to go about it as inexpensively as possible. You have to be financially ready for pop-up expenses: a last-minute flight, an un-budgeted hotel stay because the AirBnB didn’t work out, a meal at a awesome wifi restaurant and so on.

Click to Tweet: Beyond an emergency fund, it’s important, just like for anyone,to keep a budget.@TheBigFactor #digitalnomad #guide http://ctt.ec/0RaMc+

Know how much you can spend and stick to it. Find ways to ration out your money, so you don’t spend it all at the beginning of a particular trip.

And YES, it’s even possible to keep up with personal savings as a nomad. Just like any other lifestyle – you deduct money from your spending, put it away and don’t touch it. For me what works is to deduct a certain set amount from every sale. For you, it could be a different method. Think of how you’re currently working to save money. The financial habits that are already working for you can often times be translated into a life on the road.

I want you to start thinking of location independence as just the MOST EFFICIENT online business systems at work…all the time. They work because you need them to. You put in the time and effort to develop & perfect them for your company because these systems will help you thrive while you adventure.

How Do You Run a Business On The Road?

Again, so many of the same practices that help location-dependent entrepreneurs stay focused and grow also work for a typical entrepreneur lifestyle – we just have to be EXTRA VIGILANT about making these practices work.

Remember – no matter where in the world you are, you’re still the head of your business.

You’re still the boss and CEO. YOU’RE A WALKING BILLBOARD FOR YOUR BRAND – everywhere you go, always marketing, always client-ready. It’s important (before you go! and ongoing) to develop ways to keep up consistent marketing and consistent schedules for ‘work’. We’ll chat more about those details in the next part!

You may be surprised but ALWAYS be ready to generate new business on your adventures. Location independence means that you can offer onsite sessions with clients all over the world. Clients can be in that city or country OR you can invite clients from around the world to meet you in exotic & coveted locales to receive your expertise first-hand. It’s not just about managing client work while you travel the world – it’s about stepping into the role of the head of a worldwide business. This is how we become players in the global marketplace and establish our expertise around the planet. Expertise on this scale brings more attention, profit and impact for you.

Here are a few other entrepreneurial must-have tips I’ve learned along the way:

• Create ONLINE and OFFLINE work lists, so you can continue to manage your business on planes or trains, or wherever you may not have wifi. Then, you’re ready to go (post, send emails or correspondence, etc.) as soon as you have wifi again.
• The greatest way to stay connected within the U.S. is through your phone. Make sure your phone can tether Internet (IT’S A LIFESAVER!). Outside the U.S., it’s easiest to find a Starbucks or hotel with access to wifi.
• Get a GoogleVoice account (for Americans it’s a must) to call within your country for FREE while you are abroad. I’ve found it the best back up and great for calling banks/PayPal/web hosting when you need to sit on hold & don’t want to waste all your Skype money.
• Use apps like WhatsApp, Viber, Voxer, Pinger to text and keep in touch around the world while you are abroad. A must for team, client and friends/family communication. If you are somewhere for at least a month, even a week sometimes, a local SIM can be a lifesaver. Google or walk right into a phone carrier store as soon as you arrive to get the prices and packages.
• Having a support team is a HUGE help for a nomad, and now I find ESSENTIAL, as is having automated processes set up within your business. The more things that can run smoothly without you for a few hours (or days) at a time, the more income you’ll be able to continue generate as a nomadic entrepreneur.
• Keep clients in-the-loop. If I know that I’ll be traveling from one location to the next, flights, buses, etc. I keep clients aware that I may be offline and to route questions to my team and in certain location if Internet might be slow.

FINALLY, the key to any location independent lifestyle is to GO WITH THE FLOW. You can’t be too rigid. Allow yourself to be adaptable with plans and the HOW of daily execution. Develop your own way of thriving on the road. Surprises will come up. Plans will change. It’s part of the nomadic lifestyle.

I have one major routine – my mobile office (I can’t wait to tell you all about it in a future post later this month!). Other than that, I remain extremely flexible – always ready for the next part of my adventure, and that includes how and where I will be working. I have learned to not only embrace uncertainty but also create my structures to keep me ready for anything.

I hope this first post about location independent businesses has answered questions for any hopeful nomadic entrepreneurs! Please feel free to add more questions and share your experiences from building your empire on the road.

2 responses to “Location Independent Business- A Guide for Lifestyle Entrepreneurs”

1. Jane Morphett says:

   July 24, 2014 at 12:06 am

   What a great post about being a nomadic entrepeneur. My goal is to do just this. I look forward to more blogs about what you’re doing.

   Thankyou,

   Jane Morphett

2. Location Independent- A Life Style Guide for En... says:

   June 4, 2015 at 11:48 pm

   […] This is the location independent lifestyle guide for entrepreneurs who love to travel and want to build a successful business while on the road.  […]