NICOLE ON ... PLANNING FOR LIVING THE DREAM Q: HOW DID YOU GO FROM A “9-5er” TO A DIGITAL NOMAD? A: I took 2 years to prepare! I set aside €300–400 per month from my salary, reduced eating out, sublet my extra room and saved about €13,000. I was living in Berlin as an expat, so I also made sure that my immigration status was in order (permanent residency) before I left my job. Those years I spent networking, info gathering, hosting and attending digital nomad meetings and conferences, participating in Facebook groups and surrounding myself with nomads. I st arted a community – Queer Women* Digital Nomads – to find like-minded people. I also bought the 5-day Virtual Assistant Challenge , which was very useful for mapping my skills and getting an overview of techniques and services I would use in my new independent position. I learned about invoicing, digital signatures, accounting software, online productivity timers, contracts for templates, terms and conditions, and so on. Eventually I got my first remote project through the queer nomadic community and through the 7in7co conference I scored a project in Antarctica. Q: WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST SUCCESS SO FAR? A: I never expected my best customer to come from Upwork! My account was inactive for years and was set to be deactivated. So, I sent out 5 proposals for small projects to potential customers and landed 2 of them. I think this is proof of how applying for a job when you’re not desperate or in scarcity can do wonders. I didn’t take the platform too seriously and was therefore very picky and solid with my rates. I assumed that if no one chose me and my account was deactivated, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Now I earn 80% of my income from these customers! Q: WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR NEW NOMADS? A: There is no one way to be a nomad. You certainly don’t have to be a programmer! Remote work is ultimately the same as regular work. You apply for jobs and you brainstorm about what kind of work you want to do. Being a digital nomad is to a large extent a mindset. You need to believe it’s possible. We’re taught since we’re young that there’s a certain path we follow and that work is one certain thing. I think because of this, people don’t believe being a digital nomad is possible, and when they meet someone who is, they convince themselves that person is special in a way they’re not . My best advice is to lock down your self-confidence. Networking with others who do this is key. If your friends have 9–5 jobs and scoff at your crazy plans, it’s hard to believe working remotely is possible. This is good general advice: If you have a goal, find people doing that thing and hang out with them. Calm your imposter syndrome, most people are happy to help point you in the right direction. (Just don’t expect them to do all the work for you). ● Nicole ● From the USA ● www.unsettleddown.com ● Vegan food blogger, virtual assistant, marketer ● On the road since 2017 ● Currently in Chiang Mai ✈ ✈ ✈ LESSON LEARNED “Before, I didn’t ask why a customer chose a particular software for a project even when it didn’t feel right. “That’s how I wasted time with a software that a customer (thought they) wanted, just to find out it didn’t actually do what they needed in the end. “Now I recommend some services over others and don’t assume the client has done all the research when they say they want to use a specific software!” 22
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