It’s the dream right, making a substantial living while traveling and seeing the wonders of the world? Exciting, glamorous, educational … but it can also be a death sentence for your business if you are not fully aware and prepared for the digital nomad lifestyle. Well, I’m here to help you do just that. There are literally hundreds of tasks, but there are four main actions that will make your business and travels equally satisfying. Running a company is no easy feat. Running one remotely is an even bigger challenge, yet it can be possible and rewarding with the right strategies. Just because you are traveling does not mean you simply want your business to survive, you also want it to be healthy, productive and to grow.
Organization is of the upmost importance; I think this a no brainer. Benjamin Franklin once said, “For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.” That quote may seem like an exaggeration but believe the man on the hundred-dollar bill, it is far from it. You must keep a ridged schedule to be effective and to make sure your business is not falling stagnate or missing out on any opportunities. Scheduling is a crucial key to organization, make sure you are setting time aside every week to schedule for the next to stay organized and on top of things. Certain organizational tools can help, like an invoice generator app can aide in keeping finances in order. When planning your trip take heed to the travel times it takes to get back and forth from where you are staying, and all the places you will need to visit while you are there. If the closest store to you is going to be a forty-five-minute drive away, it may be time to look for a different rental.
If you are going to do anything remotely, it is a priority that you know how to utilize the latest technologies whether it be a good scheduling app or an easy invoice generator. This will save you loads of time, as you no longer have to generate an invoice each time for the same client, you can create one quickly and efficiently within your account and move on to more important things. And the wonderful news is that in this day and age there are thousands of different apps, programs, and business that can help you do it. Automation is your friend in this area. You can, and should, automate your social media posts, your emails, your marketing, and especially your sales process. Set up trip wires, get your sales funnels into place, and let your business work for you where you can.
Recruiting a good team can be the difference between your businesses virtual success and failure. Never underestimate the power bright people, on your team, can make. You cannot hire good people and still spend the exact same amount of time on everything as you did before you hired them. You must be willing to outsource tasks and do a good job at delegating them as well. You know don’t be a “helicopter parent/boss.” There are many good virtual staffing companies like Tried and True Employment and JobAuction. Remember that with great content comes growth, so choose wisely my friend.
Of course you want to be able to enjoy yourself and take advantage of the rare opportunity you have laid ahead of you. To do so you have to use optimization within your new lifestyle. With each new city and its sights, comes its very own set of obstacles and potential setbacks. Don’t worry though, reading this will ensure you are properly prepared. Of course a hotel is nice, but it isn’t conservative. You are forced to eat out at every meal, and lose precious time in the process. Unless you are going to be one of “those” people who brings their laptop with them and works right through the meal. Seriously, be one of those people, those are the people that are running fortune 500 companies right now. Airbnb is likely a better alternative; it is optimization at its finest. Just make sure that whatever temporary home you choose, it has a sufficient internet connection, seeing as how that is the lifeline to your business now. If you’ve been doing this entrepreneurial thing for a while, then you already know the importance of utilizing optimization in the daily dealings of your business. Many of the applications mentioned earlier double as instruments to optimize and streamline your business. For instance, the invoice generator saves you time, money, and thought.
Planning is not a separate action because it is the most important element to every step listed here, and in life. Having a plan B, C, D, E, and F is a good idea in any situation. Have a backup plan for your backup plan. You must be meticulous in planning because it will be the determining factor to you actually enjoying your travels or being a big ball of stress while you go from one pretty place to another. Implement these strategies, and you will take the reins of your business in one hand, while enjoying becoming a worldlier person and a cocktail in the other.
