When you love the thrill and excitement that comes with travel but need to keep working is it even possible to run a business across time zones, across cultures and on the go? You need to work to finance your adventures but the idea of being tied to an office job in one place is the last thing you’d want to do. We take a look at how you can get up and go with your business with just a few tips and tricks and a little dedication.
Practice Makes Perfect
There’s simply no guarantee that you’re going to get it right straight away. Things like figuring out different time zones and knowing when you really need to be available to your customers and when you can factor in some down time are not going to be easy to pinpoint and will naturally vary from country to country.
You will need to figure out much of your day-to-day working strategy as you go, and this will require some patience. There are of course also some practical considerations about the country you’re in that will determine your success.
While the ideal image of working on a beach while sipping on some fresh juice is appealing, you’re going to at least need to be able to access your emails and have some kind of internet access. This is even more pressing if your business offers online or virtual services or sells physical products. It makes sense to check these considerations out before you set out from your hotel or you might find yourself darting in and out of internet cafes and risking the security of your platform.
Get Your Networks In Place
From virtual mail and business services to your marketing mail merge, make sure you have all your online services secure and ready to go when you need them. Anything that seems vital to your business success have completely backed up on a spare hard drive, should the worst happen to your laptop. You could also consider outsourcing production to toll contract manufacturers as this will spare you valuable time and resources and will cut labor costs significantly for you too.
Preparation is the key and as well has having everything fully backed up, make sure you know the passwords to all your important accounts and know where to access your files on your Cloud storage system. Traveling and doing business is as much about preparing contingency plans as it is about figuring out the working practice itself.
Accept Odd Hours
As annoying as it is, you will find days when you need to get your head down and just get that project completed. It can be hard, especially if you’re traveling with friends or loved ones and they have a great trip planned. The success of your business, however, depends on you being seen and being in contact with your client base, so dig deep and find your motivation to press on.
Preparation is the key and as well has having everything fully backed up, make sure you know the passwords to all your important accounts and know where to access your files on your Cloud storage system. Traveling and doing business is as much about preparing contingency plans as it is about figuring out the working practice itself.
Accept Odd Hours
As annoying as it is, you will find days when you need to get your head down and just get that project completed. It can be hard, especially if you’re traveling with friends or loved ones and they have a great trip planned. The success of your business, however, depends on you being seen and being in contact with your client base, so dig deep and find your motivation to press on.
If the majority of your customers are in a different country to you, you might find yourself having to stay awake till late or getting up early to make contact. Again, it can feel like the last thing you want to do but it’s one factor that you just need to consider when it comes to remote working.
Stay In Contact
If you have a team at home or even just someone that takes care of your admin for you, stay in contact. Feeling isolated and out of touch, from either side, can quickly turn into a breakdown of communication, that will ultimately damage your business. It's important to keep on top of any social media accounts to make sure your business is always popular, wherever you are. For example, now that TikTok is so popular and you can buy TikTok likes to grow your following, this is a great way to keep customers or clients interested while traveling!
Schedule in regular video call meetings and even consider buying in some shared task management software that will keep everyone on track with what they should be doing and allow all the team to see what progress is being made.
Be available for any questions your team has and don’t leave them hanging for an answer if at all possible.
When you’ve worked hard to build up your business and want to reap the benefits of being almost entirely portable, then you only need to get the basics in place to make this a success. Think about what you’ll need in order to succeed, such as a strong, fast Wifi signal, access to a printer and so on and set about making it happen. It might be that you have to miss out on a day on the beach here and there but when you’re sipping cocktails and gazing out over the view knowing that your business is under control and making you money for the next adventure, you’ll be glad you put the effort in.
ReplyDeleteI never imagined it would be possible to combine these two things! wow!
Staying in contact is so important. I don't think people realize that often times you do have to work odd hours.
ReplyDeleteI would love to relax on a beach with my computer. It would be a great way to work.
ReplyDeleteI think that would be a great way to get work done! I love a workplace that's peaceful and tranquil, and the beach definitely offers both.
ReplyDeleteThis would be the perfect way to work I think, being able to enjoy the sun and beach, will still getting in those work hours when needed.
ReplyDeleteI love all our tips on traveling while working. It is totally doable, it just means you need to change the way you work!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Annie
I can just imagine working while sipping a cold coconut drink by the beach. Oh my! Anyway, that indeed takes a lot of preparation to ensure you have all you need in online and cloud storage instead of carrying bulks of items.
ReplyDeleteI have tried combining business and traveling and honestly, it doesn't really work. First of all, nobody wants to work on a beach. The sand, the sun constantly heating up your computer, the salty air, all will start to become unbearable after 10 minutes. Then, unless you have your own private room, it will be very hard to concentrate on your project whilst working from a public space.
ReplyDeleteone man what an amazing office to have for a few! lucky you!
ReplyDeleteI have always love the beach. To work while sitting at the beach would be great. The sound of waves and the breeze will make work feels like holiday :D
ReplyDeleteHaving the idea of a balanced work and life outside is brilliant. Being in different places and not boxed in just one area improves creativity and drive to work. This should be implemented to many people.
ReplyDeleteA good plan always makes everything a little more possible. I love having a general plan when I start anything new.
ReplyDeleteI so wish I could do this. These are perfect tips!
ReplyDeleteNow this is the life. I honestly think that working while off somewhere is a good thing. However, whenever we travel, my mind is focused on enjoying the things at hand. While I do bring my laptop in case I get to work, hehe honestly, I don't. So I dunno, may be I have already associated work with home and away on vacation with just pleasure.
ReplyDelete