While this may be good to get you out of your comfort zone and face new challenges, we would recommend that taking time to make the right preparations and collecting all the necessary information is a safer and less stressful start!
If you want to succeed as a traveling employee/entrepreneur, our advice is to think twice and prepare everything before you leave. Have a clear idea of what you want to work in, what requirements this entails and how you could start looking for clients. Set your goals in advance and plan all your activity to feel ready and prepared.
Use this time for researching and being sure you have all the information required. Destination info, cultural and lifestyle changes, financial and legal issues, workload, accommodation, health insurance etc.… many things you must control before you leave your current life.
If not, you’ll probably lose a lot of time trying to get organized, which will slow down your progress on the most important reason for your travel… your business.
Take advantage of your organizing period to start saving money. It’s important to have enough margin to live the first two or three months without benefits.
The best option is to create a budget, taking into account all the costs you will have once you move. Electricity, water, internet connection, rent, food and other basic costs that you probably won’t remember, but you will have to cover.
It’s very common, not only for digital nomads, to work 7 days a week as much as they possibly can. It seems it’s necessary if you want to set up your company and start earning money as soon as possible.
In fact, it can be counter-productive. Not every new business can become a start-up and have a high income in an instant. It’s important to follow a set plan, and work at an achievable pace.
Leave and explore the area. Enjoy your time and don’t spend more hours than necessary. This is the best way and especially to avoid getting burnt out in only the first few weeks.
This tip is linked to the previous point. You must remember that starting something new is never easy, and probably takes more time thank you think until your new business starts moving.
Digital nomads are on their own in the beginning and don’t have the economic support of big investors due to the high risk. Be realistic. Probably your work doesn’t generate income during the first weeks or months, so don’t despair!
Start setting low and reachable goals, like making your company known in the area, finding potential clients, studying the standards and details of your sector or market… Of course you will have time to worry about the benefits later, but not now.
The best way to succeed is definitely not going it alone. Forming new relationships, meeting other entrepreneurs or digital nomads, seeking potential clients and collaborators is the best way to start growing. The best marketing that any company can get is not on TV, radio, press, internet… What will guarantee the best results is “word of mouth”.
A satisfied client for sure will recommend you to other people, so it’s important to form good relationships. The same happens with investors and collaborators. If you build trust, they will recommend you to others.
What’s more making new friends in the area will help you to settle down in the region. When things are not as you expected, you will probably feel angry and exasperated at times, so making friends can make you think twice, give you different points of view, and get some advice from them.
Our last piece of advice would be , have patience!
As we say in Spanish : “La paciencia es la madre de todas las ciencias”.
