How to be a Nomadic Entrepreneur
A few weeks ago I shared how people always ask me how I afford to travel and shared some tips on that.
The other question people always ask me is how I can travel and build a company at the same time.
How can you hack the nomadic entrepreneur lifestyle?
1. Decide what kind of traveller you want to be
The business you’re building will inform the kind of traveller you become.
As a freelancer, you have more flexibility, than someone who’s building construction company.
I don’t have as much flexibility as it appears – I need at least 3 – 6 months in one country in order to keep doing good work in my business.
2. Consider slow travel
Slow travel is the opposite of traveling as a tourist – where you go from one tourist attraction to the next.
As a slow traveler, you focus more on the culture of the place and take your time seeing things.
So you’re slowing down and just immersing yourself in your surroundings.
Think: Eat Pray Love.
This is the way I prefer to travel.
I have been to India several times and stayed 3 months at some points and have never seen a tourist attraction.
3. Stay in one place for as long as possible when you’re starting up
I've learned from experience that the best thing to do when you're starting to build a business is to find a country and just be there for a while.
Traveling is very disruptive; every time you move to a new country, you have to learn the basics - the language, the cost of food, the transport system, how to pay utilities, make new friends etc.
All these things are time consuming and can take weeks to learn.
Most people take them for granted, but as a traveler, you're constantly learning these basic things.
If you're hopping from country to country and building a startup, it can be overwhelming because you're learning 2 things at once.
4. Have an operations strategy or action plan
Have a to-do list.
Part of what makes travel awesome is that you’re constantly learning how things are done in a new country, you’re meeting new people, learning new things, everything is new, but as mentioned, this has a price – it can eat up your time.
And of course there’s things to see, sites to visit, people to meet and before you know it a week has gone by and you haven’t done any work.
Having a clear schedule and operations plan will keep you motivated and save time.
5. Get someone to help you
Do this as soon as possible!
I wish I'd done it sooner.
Having someone help you as you build a business and travel is key because it helps you grow your business faster.
We can’t be good at everything and having someone to help us with the things we’re not good at gives us time to do the things we love and are good at.
6. Have a tribe
I’ve said this before and I'll say it again – having a tribe keeps you motivated.
Traveling and building a business can be lonely; even though you’re meeting new people and connecting with them, after a while you move onto a new country with new people.
This is obviously exciting.
As an entrepreneur, you need people to brainstorm with you, go through the journey with you, hold the vision and motivate you to keep going.
And you need those people to be constant so you have people that evolve with you on this journey.
7. Be flexible – it’s about the journey, not the destination
Real talk – building a business and traveling using only cash as I focus on building an investment portfolio is challenging.
Sometimes I have to chill in one country, get a part time job, regroup or rethink the way I’m doing things.
It’s as much an external journey as it is an internal journey.
The great news is that traveling can make you a better entrepreneur – you meet new people, learn new ways of doing things and how to think on your feet.
It’s one of the things that pushed me to start the Facebook group – because I started to see the importance of a tribe and safe space, even if that tribe and safe space is virtual.
What are your thoughts on traveling and building a business?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
