Being an entrepreneur and successfully managing it is a dream for many. Thanks to the Internet that is by our side almost everywhere, efficiently running a business from anywhere in the world is also a very achievable dream today. All you need is to have a laptop to work from and good WiFi to connect it with. Largely, that’s all it takes to lead a life of a nomadic entrepreneur.
According to research by GoDaddy, entrepreneurs favour flexibility five times more than the potential to make money. And for most millennial entrepreneurs, flexibility translates into travelling and working remotely.
FreshBooks says 22% of entrepreneurs like the flexibility to choose when or where they work. While a lot of people are adapting to working from home, the travel industry is welcoming working vacationers with open arms.
Running a business on the go is exciting but also terrifying. Here are some tips and tools that will help you get things done while travelling.
Apps and Tools To Run Your Business as a Nomadic Entrepreneur:
1) Team Communication and Collaboration
If you are working remotely, you need to communicate with your team and ensure things are going on track. Picking up the phone to call for the tiniest of things might not work. Sending out an email and waiting for a reply takes too much time. Using a team chat app like Google Chats, WhatsApp or Slack makes things faster and easier in terms of communication.
Read: Google vs Microsoft vs Zoho: Which Is the Best Work-From-Home Online Workplace For Your Business?
Tools like G Suite or Microsoft Teams work great when you have a team bigger than 2-3 people. Collaboration for a single task is more efficient as these online workplaces let you maintain all records in one place and divide access to more than one person at a time.
2) Video Conferencing Apps
Having occasional video calls connects you with your team and makes you feel like you are there with them. Having face to face conversations is an effective way to keep in touch with your team when you are travelling.
Zoom gained popularity overnight when the world was hit by the pandemic and all of us switched to working from home. Tools like Zoom, Google Meet and Skype are the most popular video conferencing apps you can lean on. Most of them also allow you to share your screen and present your presentations as you do in an offline setup.
3) Online Storage
Accessing your data and files from anywhere through any device is a lifesaver for nomadic entrepreneurs. Using online/cloud storage tools provides both better security and accessibility to your data. This also eases your collaboration with your team.
Any changes you make to a document on your device cannot be accessed by your teammate normally unless you send it. With an online storage plan in place, you and your teammates can simultaneously edit and view data.
4) Project Management Tools
When you’re a nomadic entrepreneur, you will have 100 different things to do. From following up on payments to reviewing your team’s work to making sure your clients are satisfied, your to-do list will be spread out across different areas of your business. In such situations, it is best to have a project management tool that reminds you of what you should do and tracks your progress while making sure you are getting things done.
There are so many different tools for this and before you pick one for your team, you need to understand what you (and your team) do and how you do it. A simple note-taking app or a to-do reminder app (Evernote, Trello) can do the job for you. Or well thought, detailed apps (Basecamp, Notion) with reminders, file management and trackers for the entire team will be of help.
5) Automation Tools
You might want to send out an email by 4 PM on a particular day but you aren’t sure if you will have WiFi by then. You may have to put up a post on your social media at peak time but you might be in the middle of a surf trip underwater. Or you might also have to respond instantaneously to your customer queries but there is no guarantee you will have network/WiFi 24×7.
This is when you need automation tools. Scheduling emails/social media posts and setting up auto-replies on communication channels will be your rescuer. WhatsApp’s business tools like Away message and Greeting message or a chatbot on your website will do the trick. Some emailing services like Gmail and Zoho Mail have options for scheduling your emails. Tools like Buffer and Crowdfire not only help you schedule your posts but also analyze your performance.
Tips To Run Your Business as a Nomadic Entrepreneur:
1) Figure Out Your Working Style
Some people are most productive during the early hours of the morning and some late into the evenings. Some can get work done from their bed and some may need a proper work desk setup. Some people can finish work while travelling from one place to another and some may need a silent, undisturbed environment. Find what working hours and style work best for you and manage your time and travel schedules accordingly.
2) Plan Ahead
Research your destination and make a schedule for both work and sightseeing. This way, you can finish your work ahead of time and set off to explore your travel destinations. Sticking to a schedule is hard when you are on the go, but having one anyway will help you comprehend the amount of time you need to put in for work while on the go.
3) Take a Day Off
Take a day off from work and explore. Or take a day off from exploring, sit down, focus on work and finish it all at a stretch. This way, while travelling, your mind doesn’t have to wander to your unopened emails and pending tasks.
4) Make Cafes Your Friend
Nowadays, a lot of cafes and restaurants have free WiFi just like Starbucks does. And when you’re a nomadic entrepreneur, having access to strong WiFi is a must. Another way to make sure your network connection doesn’t fail is to buy a local SIM card.
5) Outsource Wisely
If you are an entrepreneur looking to save money, you will end up doing everything possible yourself (which at times reduces quality). You may try and learn to ideate your social media strategy by yourself or sit down and break your head to come up with an awesome website for your business. Instead, outsource duties to people who do it the best. Hire people for your team or work with freelancers or also team up with agencies that promise quality for the price. If you’re ready for efficient digital solutions or a digital presence for your business, fix a call with our team and let’s get started right away.
6) Invest in Technology
If you have a laptop that is a decade old and its battery lasts only 30 minutes, and you are a nomadic entrepreneur, you are neck-deep in trouble. When you are travelling, you must be prepared to face the most unpredictable challenges. Invest in technology that is worth your investment – noise-cancelling headphones if you can work only in calm environments, long-lasting mobile/laptop if you don’t plan to stay long in one destination, power banks, wireless mouses.
7) Trust Your Team
Once you are making money off your business, start building a team back in your home city. Having a reliable team to lean on brings down half your worries as a nomadic entrepreneur.
Working remotely and pulling off your business while being a nomadic entrepreneur is a whole new (and wonderful) life. You will grow to love the flexibility and freedom that it comes with. Think of the big picture and become a productivity wizard by closely understanding what tools and tips help you most. Trust us, it is possible to travel the world and run your business on the go.
