A digital nomad is a lifestyle choice of someone who lives and works on the go. Often, on-the-go involves extensive travel—while increasingly international travel—there are still many digital nomads who live and work on the road in RVs, campers, and couch cruising in their home country. The point is, being digital nomad is an a-typical lifestyle choice that allows individuals the freedoms to travel and experience life on their own timeline. To make it work, here are 5 digital nomad tools to help you make money quickly.
Essentially, digital nomads are homeless, by choice. Whether our lifestyles are following a travel-intensive job or an ever-curious desire to see the world, digital nomads often see the world as an unexplored corner of home. It’s not easy to live off the beaten path and here are 5 tools digital nomads need to work from anywhere.
5 DIGITAL NOMAD TOOLS
DIGITAL NOMAD TOOL #1: HOW YOU MAKE MONEY
You don’t have to be independently wealthy to be a digital nomad. So, unless you have a stash at Gringotts (Wizarding Bank), you need to know how you’re going to make money a digital nomad.
If you’d like to start a digital nomad business, you can grab my free digital nomad business checklist (link) to start thinking through your business ideas.
And if starting a business as a digital nomad is not your thing, you need to find a digital nomad company that will help you make the transition a bit easier. Here are 8 Ways To Find Remote Jobs in 2018 and 10 Go-To Places To Find Your Next Freelance Gig.
2. DIGITAL NOMAD TOOL #2: SCHEDULER
One of my biggest problems as a digital nomad is time zones. They really put a damper in business planning, especially when you’re exchanging back-to-back emails at 2am *your time*. My go-to scheduler is Acuity. There’s a free option plan and a 7-day trial to try out all the bells and whistles.
Being in Mainland China right now, it’s the easiest way I know to schedule meetings with people back in the U.S or anywhere else in the world. I add my availability to my schedule and then send a link. Everyone can pick which dates/times work for them based on my availability.
Never have to have the “my time” vs “your time” conversation again.
3. DIGITAL NOMAD TOOL #3: GET PAID
Ok, so unless you’re moving abroad as a digital nomad, you’re probably going to enjoy all of the countries where your passport can gain entry without a visa. For instance, right now, Japan has the world’s best passport because a Japanese passport holder can access 189 countries visa-free.
So whether you plan to move once for your job and settle down for a year or two before trying out a new country OR you plan to take full advantage of your passport’s visa-free entry options, you need to figure out how to get paid.
A traditional check is not going to work for you and if you’re like most people, having money wired to your bank account is undesirable—because no one wants to give out access to their bank account—ever.
And let’s be honest, getting paid is THE most important part of your digital nomad journey. Money is what makes your digital nomad lifestyle possible.
If you’re already employed, then you’re set. Your employer has your direct deposit information and you won’t have to worry but if you’re a freelancer or you run an online business, you’ve got to figure out an easy option to get paid.
Paypal is an easy option but here are a few Paypal alternatives: 10 Best Online Payment Apps.
4. DIGITAL NOMAD TOOL #4: ACCOUNTING SYSTEM
Ok, while getting paid is massively important, knowing how much to invoice, how much you’ve been paid, and tracking whether or not you’ve been paid is also imperative.
My favorite account system is Freshbooks. I can manage my invoices and track my accounts payable and accounts receivable. Quickbooks also has a similar system that’s about the same price. These two options are both online systems and they’ll help you automate your digital nomad business.
5. DIGITAL NOMAD TOOL #5: PIPELINE
When I say pipeline, I’m talking about a funnel of potential customers and clients. One of the hardest things about being a digital nomad is maintaining your network, especially if you start a business and move abroad.
Without an existing sales funnel, getting referrals takes a while to build up and until that happens, you’ve still got to fund this digital nomad adventure.
Starting a blog is one of the most effective ways to reach potential clients. It allows you to have a “storefront” and to share a part of yourself with potential customers without them ever having to engage with you.
And when done properly, you allow your potential customers to self-identify themselves to you by opting into your mailing list or joining a webinar. Once they raise their hand to learn more about you, it’s waay easier to ask them for the sale.
This is why freelancers need to start a blog. It’s a free sales funnel tool that you can use to generate new business.
Learning how to pitch effectively is another great tool to generate a pipeline and increase your client sales. As a former proposal writer and manager— paid to pitch for a living— I’ve found some people don’t actually know, understand, or feel comfortable talking about themselves. Their pitches are dull and vanilla. My course, Pitch Like A Boss, is a great tool to help freelancers and online business owners hone their pitching skills to stand out long enough to get their foot in the door for an interview.
PRO-TIP FOR DIGITAL NOMADS
At the end of the day, being a digital nomad AND making money may not be easy, especially without the stability of one consistent home. Believe me. I know. When you’re constantly moving around, you never feel settled and it can be hard to get into the “work” groove. This is especially true when you’re constantly reacclimating (finding a coffee shop with wifi and a grocery store you like) or trying to sightsee.
As a digital nomad, having consistent tools for your work—whether it’s a full-time job, freelancing, or an online business—will make the constant transitions in your life not have such a major effect on your business and income.
