How to Combine Entrepreneurship and Travel with Kristina

“It took 2 years of overworking. It took 2 years to get out there traveling again. So, it’s not like I’m sitting at the beach, drinking coconuts and money is raining over me.”

How digital nomad Kirstina started her digital nomad journey

Not all Digital Nomads start this lifestyle straight from an Instagram ad. Kristina and her boyfriend left Austria in 2015 to do an internship in China. She studied Business and her boyfriend studies German literature. After just a couple of years working abroad, they discovered that there was a huge market for German writers. In 2017 they started a ghostwriting agency, 100% remote.

Creating a business while traveling works for some people. However, their travel speed changed while they were in nomad capital Bali. Being surrounded by nomadic entrepreneurs, and joining talks and events they decided to stop traveling for some time and work on their businesses. Like Kristina shared on our podcast, it was time to professionalize their company. This included 60+ hours of long weeks and hard work! Since then they have managed to grow their company 10 times and continued traveling the world.

Difference slow travel and fast travel

As a Digital Nomad, there are periods where you travel non-stop hopping from one country to another. This is also known as ‘fast travel’ while others prefer to stay a couple of weeks or months before switching destinations which we call ‘slow travel’. Kristina finds herself now in what she interprets as ‘medium travel’, changing place every 1-3 months.

Interestingly is that this is very different from other periods of her life. As her Digital Nomad life began so did her fast traveling. This was a lot of fun but she also mentioned that it could cost money, time to organize the trip and significantly less focus on her business. So when she started her business, to make it work, the fast traveling wasn’t gonna grow her company. Listen to the podcast episode to find out more about the stages in which she found herself during the years of becoming an entrepreneur.

Finding the right balance and prioritizing

Every location and travel situation has its own special experience. Kristina’s advice to starting nomadic entrepreneurs is the importance of accepting the moment that you are in. In other words, you can’t have everything all the time and this is where that state of acceptance is so important.

She shares that you have to learn how to prioritize and find the balance between your travels and your professional goals. Another great tip is to keep looking at the bigger picture when making decisions or changes. Ask yourself, is this way sustainable?

Stay close to your own values

Kristina is a successful entrepreneur and Digital Nomad and her best advice is to stay true to your personal values. As she mentioned, she studied Business and she loves traveling. That doesn’t mean though that she wants to open a hostel in Thailand. That is simply not something close to her values. Exploring new areas of business is important for her as well. Khristina shares how she tried the path of coaching others into becoming digital nomad. It wasn’t for her and she accepted that situation. Finally, she emphasizes working on finding your strengths, keeping working on them and staying true to your values.

Connect with our Nienke Nina and our guests

Your host Nienke Nina

More digital nomad tips and life advice via instagram @digitalnomadsdaily

Connect with Nienke Nina on LinkedIn @Nienke Nina Keizer

Find Nienke Nina on Instagram @nienkeninatravels

Meet Digital Nomad Entrepreneur Kristina

Follow their journey via @office__travel

Other episodes you might like:

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

🎧 Episode 22: Facing The Realities Of Online Entrepreneurship with Anne

🎧 Episode 28: How Digital Nomads Can Become Successful Entrepreneurs With John

🎧 Episode 35: Building A Successful Creative Freelance Career With Suzanne