18: Selling Sheep To Start A Travel Lifestyle with Micaela

Do you know anyone who has sold their sheep to pursue their dream of traveling the world? Our guest Micaela aka The Alchemist, literally sold her sheep to embark on a travel journey. In this episode, Micaela shares her story of how she started her travel life and became a freelance website designer. Designing websites wasn’t the most obvious career path as she grew up on a farm. She is passionate about helping entrepreneurs share their stories through branding and website design. Tune in to learn about what it takes to become a creative entrepreneur, how she finds clients, passive income and all the ins and out of her life as a digital nomad website designer.

“The coconuts, the beach and the hikes are all the fun things. But having the discipline to say, “I need to work and I need to make sure I’m rested so that I can deliver my best efforts to my clients.” is one of the biggest challenges that people face when they want to move into this lifestyle.”

Follow her journey on Instagram @createwander

Visit her website via www.createwander.com

More Digital Nomad Stories Instagram @digitalnomadsdaily

Meet your host Nienke Nina Instagram @nienkeninatravels

17: The life of a Digital Nomad Copywriter with Jamie

Tune in and learn how digital nomad and copywriter Jaimie created a successful digital nomad lifestyle for herself. She has been nomadding for 4+ years and started her journey in Bali. In this episode, Jamie answers practical questions and lessons learned from working as a remote copywriter over the last three years. We dive into how she finds clients, the skills needed to become a thriving freelancer, and how she manages her day-to-day life. Like many freelancers, her journey started with low-paying projects to build a portfolio. Today she is working with clients she loves and projects she truly enjoys. Thinking about traveling the world as a freelancer? This episode is definitely for you!

“If you like what you are doing, you can deliver your best work.”

Becoming a digital nomad & freelance copywriter

Jamie was born in Canada and raised in the Netherlands. With a Canadian father and a Dutch mother, she grew up bilingual and this enables her to work with Dutch and English-speaking clients as both languages are her mother tongue.

Like many nomads, Jamie went to Bali for the holidays and this is where she started her digital nomad journey. Before that, she worked in a language school in Vietnam to teach English. She learned about freelance writing and decided to become a copywriter and translator. A friend showed her the robes and she took a course from Donald Miller to start her freelance career.

During her travels, Jamie became an enthusiastic surfer. After living in Asia for 4,5 years, she decided to chase the waves a bit closer to her home and landed in Ericeira, Portugal. It’s a small village an hour away from Lisbon and attracts a lot of digital nomads during the summer who are into surfing.

Quick links:

Follow her journey on Instagram @lookitsjamie_

Visit her website via www.jamiejonescopywriting.com

More Digital Nomad Stories Instagram @digitalnomadsdaily

Meet your host Nienke Nina Instagram @nienkeninatravels

16: The Future Of Digital Nomads With Pat

“Companies and governments need to adapt to attract, retain and benefit from digital nomads.”

The start of the digital nomad lifestyle at WeWork & Selina

Pat loved working online and traveling the world lifestyle. After his work experience with Selina and WeWork, he built a consulting company and continued traveling. One of the challenges was leaving the country every 2 or 3 months. When you’re staying with a tourist visa, you usually can only stay for a short time without extending.

A flexible home base is the future of digital nomads

After traveling for so many years, Pat desired to have a base and found his new home in Barbados. The country offers a digital nomad visa which allows him to stay and travel in and out of the country hassle-free. He believes that digital nomad visas are an excellent opportunity for governments and businesses as it’s a target for a new kind of tourism. Many governments have to realize that visas aren’t always attractive for digital nomads. For example, requirements like high incomes, paperwork, and no tax benefits, and currency are missing in the ‘‘new digital nomad visas’’.

Aside from governments, companies also still have a big job ahead of them to attract digital nomads. Large companies like Airbnb implement working remote company policies and this is a great start. This is the future of the workforce where attracting digital nomads is crucial. Allowing people to work remotely requires a new way of thinking. This is still challenging for companies as they often lack insider information about what digital nomads and remote workers need. As nomads often will be hired as contractors, general company benefits aren’t applicable. However, this isn’t the right way of going about it, according to Pat and Nienke Nina. Benefits such as having a seat in a coworking space, a gym pass or a budget for physical and mental health are benefits easily to implement. Working with companies that serve the digital nomad space, like health insurance with SafelyWing, are crucial benefits digital nomads need.

Governments and companies still have a long way to go. Hiring digital nomads is the future of work. We are excited to see how companies will involve.

How company can adapt and be part of the future of digital nomads

Aside from governments, companies also still have a big job ahead of them to attract digital nomads. Large companies like Airbnb implement working remote company policies and this is a great start. This is the future of the workforce where attracting digital nomads is crucial. Allowing people to work remotely requires a new way of thinking. This is still challenging for companies as they often lack insider information about what digital nomads and remote workers need. As nomads often will be hired as contractors, general company benefits aren’t applicable. However, this isn’t the right way of going about it, according to Pat and Nienke Nina. Benefits such as having a seat in a coworking space, a gym pass or a budget for physical and mental health are benefits easily to implement. Working with companies that serve the digital nomad space, like health insurance with SafelyWing, are crucial benefits digital nomads need.

Governments and companies still have a long way to go. Hiring digital nomads is the future of work. We are excited to see how companies will involve.

Quick links:

Follow his journey on Instagram @rover_pat

Follow his thoughts via LinkedIn @Patrizio Pat Ambrosetti

Visit his website via www.patrizioambrosetti.com

More Digital Nomad Stories Instagram @digitalnomadsdaily

Meet your host Nienke Nina Instagram @nienkeninatravels

15: The Life of a Remote Social Media Manager with Tiff

We interviewed digital nomad and remote social media manager Tiff. Her mission is to empower people to tell their stories in meaningful ways. Tiff fulfills her mission with her agency, The Social Story, and works with purpose-driven brands to share their impact. Her digital nomad journey started four years ago in Bali. She noticed people working remotely while on holiday and figured she could do the same. In this episode, Tiff shares her digital nomad journey and how she remotely builds her social media agency. Tune in if you want to learn tips about working remotely and building a successful online business.

“One of the biggest challenges is burnout. It’s really hard to turn off social media entirely and stop being a business owner.”

Tiff has been nomadding for over four years and started her journey in the largest digital nomad hub, Bali. She learned about this lifestyle during her holiday on the island and decided to pursue this lifestyle after meeting other digital nomads. In the beginning, she mostly searched for jobs and projects that would match her skill set and was working on various projects.

During this time, Tiff also worked towards building her social media agency, which aligned with her personal values. It’s called The Social Story and in this article, we share Tiff’s story about how she built her business. We also cover the skillset she believes is essential for remote social media managers and her day-to-day life. .

What Tiff loves about being a social media manager

There are many things to like about managing brands’ social media channels. Tiff explains that for her, it’s not just advertising but more about creating conversations with the brand’s audience. By having conversations online, you engage and receive feedback. So the social media profiles are not about just selling products but storytelling and a positive appearance online.

Tiff also talks about the constant challenges she faces as a social media manager. Since the platforms are changing algorithms, it forces her to be adaptable and critical about her work and how to keep improving it.

The skills of remote social media managers

We asked Tiff the top skills remote social media managers need to be successful. She shares that “Critical thinking” is one of the most critical skills. Adapting to the current landscape and its changes is crucial. Tiff must keep a close eye on the ongoing opportunities and be aware of what content to put into the world. Especially when situations are becoming more delicate, this skill set is necessary.

Aside from this, Tiff shares that, especially when it comes to soft skills, nowadays, you can learn everything online. This means that also you can become a social media manager. Having a passion for social media and keeping up to date on the latest trends is crucial. It’s also essential to understand how you are telling the story of your clients and be constantly improving. Lastly, Tiff finds it important to be motivated by purpose and this is what she will be looking for when she is looking for new hires.

Commonly used tools for digital nomad social media managers

Tiff’s team is 100% remote, which means that all communications happen online. Some of the most needed tools in her business are:

• Slack and Zoom for communication.
• Trello to manage project management as it’s very collaborative and visual.
• Canva is used the most as other tools around content creation.
• Scheduling tools: this depends on which tools her clients are using as the tool needs to answer the clients’ needs.

Tips for finding more clients

Finding clients has become easier, but this wasn’t the case at the beginning of her journey. At first, she found projects in different places like Facebook Groups and remote job platforms. What really helped her find more clients was having a crystal clear idea of the type of clients or companies she wanted to work with. Differentiating herself from the rest was key because the field of remote social media managers is pretty competitive. So she started building a portfolio, activity networking in co-working spaces, and LinkedIn and focused on attracting dream clients. Because of her hard work, she created a name for herself, and today many clients come through referrals.

Challenge of remote social media managers

Tiff talks about two significant challenges she encounters as a remote social media manager. The first challenge is burnout, as she finds it difficult to let go of her work completely. Many small business owners face this, and since social media is part of our daily lives, it’s extra hard for Tiff. She explains on the podcast that she finds herself constantly thinking about social even in her free time. Such as new ways to create content differently, which trends to follow, and how to connect better with the audiences.

The second challenge is that often people don’t know how to use social media. When communicating with brands, especially when customers are unhappy, people often don’t realize that they are still talking to a human even though they are on a screen. Because social media managers represent a brand, you have to distance yourself from nasty comments and toxic follower interactions.

How much money do social media managers make?

The money question is what everyone always wants to know. Tiff shares that as a freelancer, a low month would be around USD 750 and a good month around USD 3550 (explained in AUD on the podcast and converted to US dollars). Tiff recommends that you lock at least 3-6 month contracts when you are freelancing so you have more predictable work and better forecast your income streams.

Know your “Why”

She gives one piece of advice to know your why and understand what motivates you. The work of a remote social media manager isn’t always easy. So understanding your purpose is what’s filling your happiness cup.

Helping purpose-driven brands to use their social media for good is Tiffs why. Her personal values connect with her clients and even though the work can be challenging, she sees the bigger picture. A big thank you to Tiff for sharing her story and you can follow her journey on Instagram @thesocialstoryco for more information about her company, go to www.thesocial story.co

Quick links:

More Digital Nomad Stories Instagram @digitalnomadsdaily

Meet your host Nienke Nina Instagram @nienkeninatravels

14: Building A One Stop Shop Of World-Class Online Mentors with Kenny

Digital nomad and entrepreneur Kenny Hanson shares his story on the Digital Nomads Daily Podcast this week. During his teenage years, Kenny wasn’t performing well. However, through years of mentorship from various online mentors, he was able to get his life back on track. He landed a job at Accenture and today, Kenny is the founder and CEO of Mentorpass. A thriving business he founded when nomadding in Bali. Tune in for the full story!

“Mentorship is such a broad term in my mind. I tend to think that almost every educational experience is some form of mentorship”

Meet Kenny and his entrepreneurship story

The digital nomad journey of Kenny started in Bali, Canggu, also known as the nomad capital. Before he stepped into the entrepreneurial space, he had built his career in consulting. Throughout his early twenties, mentorship played a huge role in his life and he was able to land a job at Accenture. To him, it was not one mentor, though but various people who’ve guided him.

Introducing MentorPass

Even though Kenny’s career was promising, he wasn’t getting true fulfillment out of his corporate career. A trip to Bali changed the course of his life. Today Kenny is the co-founder and CEO of MentorPass, the one-stop-shop to work with the best mentors in the world. On the podcast, he shares how he built his company from idea to product to a successful business. Mentorpass helps entrepreneurs to get smart on anything. With only one subscription, you get access to virtual sessions with an unlimited number of online mentors.

This episode is helpful for anyone who is building a business and either could use some inspiration or needs mentorship. Kenny shares the definition of a mentor versus getting a coach on the Digital Nomads Daily Podcast. To him, mentorship is an experience by a trusted advisor and that mentorship itself can be found anywhere. The common misconception around online mentorship is that people think a mentor is someone that helps solve all your problems in your life. In reality, that is rarely the case and you still need to do the work. Helping others by providing online mentorship that they need to thrive in both personal and professional paths is what Kenny’s startup is all about.

MentorPass Giveaway!

We hope you enjoyed this episode! And we have a little giveaway as well. MentorPass gives all our listeners $100 in credits when you sign up. See the links below.

Follow his journey on Instagram @kenny_hanson_
 
Follow his thoughts via Twitter@NoCodeKenny
 
Find MentorPass on Twitter@MentorPass
 
Join MentorPass on Instagram@MentorPass
 
Visit the website via MentorPass.co
 
More Digital Nomad Stories Instagram @digitalnomadsdaily
 
Meet your host Nienke Nina Instagram @nienkeninatravels

13: How To Pivot Your Passion Into An Online Business With Andrae

“I have fallen in love with the digital nomad lifestyle after working remotely for 3 months from overseas. That’s when I got the idea of building a business centered around this lifestyle and living it myself.”

How Andrae began her journey as an entrepreneur digital nomad

Andrae was working in marketing at a startup and became a digital nomad four years ago after quitting her 9 to 5 job. She launched a travel company, ‘ Work Wanderers’ and organized 1-month retreats in various locations. Her business is centered around the digital nomad lifestyle and travel. When the pandemic became an unexpected reality, everyone who was on one of her trips decided to go back home within a day. Before she knew it, Andrae had to cancel everything.

These times were not only horrible but very overwhelming. At this time, no one knew how long this would last, and she was left entirely in the dark, like many other entrepreneurs. For about three months, she felt completely stuck. Working with a business coach helped her see the light at the end of the tunnel and this is where she turned her business into an online business.

Travel the world with Work Wanderers

Work Wanderers is her first business and she gathers digital nomads to travel in a group while working online. Travel groups are a great way to dip your toes into the digital nomad lifestyle. It offers a safety net for newbie digital nomads. At the same time, it’s excellent for nomads who are already on the road.

At Work Wanderers, you’ll find a balance between travel, working online in a comfortable place, community and learning. A trip is usually 3-4 weeks, and you are guaranteed to be surrounded by fellow digital nomads. Now that travel is opening up again, Andrae is busy organizing new trips and we are pumped for her!

Become a Digital Nomad during the VIP weekend

What we love about this episode is the honesty and willpower Andrae shows. As Work Wanderers started as a “physical” business, she is now running an online business as well.

Finding her purpose again and turning it into a profitable business was challenging, she explains on the podcast. Some of her followers asked her about becoming a digital nomad during her break. Others asked how to build an online business or make money online. She started helping people and created a coaching program. Her focus is not on taking the leap and start traveling the world. Andrae is passionate about travel but about business strategy and turning your passion/skills/purpose into a profitable business.

At the end of this month, on May 28th and 29th, Andrae is launching a Successful Digital Nomad VIP Masterclass Weekend. This is a virtual event where Andrae will help you step-by-step to build a freelance business while traveling the world.
Through these sessions, you will learn how to build a business online and create a travel plan. Andrae divides this into 3 steps:

• Step 1: Align – gain clarity and find your purpose.
• Step 2: Design – creating an online business and a financial plan
• Step 3: Sustain – how to sustain your travel life and plan your next steps

At Digital Nomads Daily, we love to support fellow nomads and entrepreneurs like Andrae. We love to see entrepreneurs thrive and inspire people to pursue this lifestyle. We teamed up with Andrea and she offered a special discount for our listeners. You now get $100 off on her VIP Weekend!

Click THIS LINK and use the discount code DNDAILY to claim your spot with $100 off!

Quick links:

Follow her journey on Instagram @andrae_anywhere

Follow her travel company and new retreats on Instagram @WorkWanderers

Sign up for the VIP weekend Via this link and get $100 off

More Digital Nomad Stories Instagram @digitalnomadsdaily

Meet your host Nienke Nina Instagram @nienkeninatravels