Phon Baillie enjoyed proofreading before she knew it was a job. After graduating university and later publishing school, Phon then went out on her own to become a freelance proofreader. You can find Phon on her site artofproofreading.com, where you can sign up for a free five day course or join her free masterclass. Building your network builds your business. While it may not come easy for all of us, having a wide and solid network gives us a better footing for finding clients. Think about...

We talk about university on the show for a couple of reasons. I think we need the reminder that for those of us who attended university, most don't end up working in the field we studied, but we can bring things we learned into what we do now. Also, we don't need to have gone to university to do well in life and in entrepreneurship. Instead of heading to study, Chrystabelle took a year off and then set herself up in an internship and worked her way up. A note here: in some countries, like the...

This was a new one for me and it's great. Arpine became location independent so that she could earn a European income but spend as much time as she wants in Armenia, with her friends and family. This is the reverse of what we tend to think of with countries with a lower average wage, which is to hire for cheap. Just because you come from a lower average wage country, doesn't mean you're limited to those expectations. You can use the internet to level the playing field, just like Arpine did. ...

This is one that many of us go through, especially if we're extraverts. You go from having an office full of colleagues to bounce ideas around with and share downtime chatting to being all on your own. Pretty quickly it becomes obvious that something is missing. There are meetups and coworking, and some days when it's less the need for interaction and more about just having the bustle of people around there are coffee shops. Finding the right mix is very personal and it will probably take...

Starting early, Tamar started investing any money that wasn't put towards immediate needs. Over time this built up as a way of supporting her art through residual income, giving her a freedom to focus her art when it wasn't yet paying bills. Is this something you can start? Putting away a little extra a month and letting it grow over time? You know what you want to do and with that in mind, you can create your own personal 'curriculum' for learning about business. Do you need to study...

We are part of a global economy, and one that is shifting. Does your schedule mean working with someone in another timezone makes more sense? Are you okay working with someone whose native language isn't the same as yours if it means a better quality product or a better time frame? Will you choose a provider with a lower asking price if it means a time zone lag? We have a lot of questions to answer if we're going to make our best choices in the world of international hires. As digital...

Because of her background in history, Zsófia looks at problems differently than other finance students did, and now differently than other operations managers. This means seeing solutions the others wouldn't necessarily see either and that's a win for everybody. It's time to learn to view our different perspectives and ideas as the strengths they are. The job Zsófia applied for wasn't listed as remote, but she took the risk and asked. Instead of saying yes or no, they decided to have a trial...

You have two options when you have more work coming in than you can reasonably handle. You can raise your prices to keep your project flow at a speed that works for you, or you can find others to outsource the work to and take on a management role. This comes down to personality. Would you rather work on your own working directly in your field? Or would you prefer to manage others? If you're not sure, then go slowly. Send any overflow to one freelancer and get your communication with them...

When Jordan was in school in LA she waitressed, and her customers would ask what she was studying. Having these conversations led to her first client, which led to more clients. And the thing is, most of us don't do this enough. Talk about what you do! I'm guilty too. So, let's make a pact, when someone asks us what we do, when they ask what we're up to, We Tell Them! When Jordan was working in LA, whichever client had a current project got the most attention, but that meant lots of time in...

When your life is location independent, finding your community is difficult. We have online groups, and many of them are supportive, but the connections can seem fleeting. One thing Cepee does is foster meaningful connections within her groups. We hear that online relationships aren't real and that's just not true. It's a question of how strong those connections are. You have to decide how much effort you're going to put in, but building a network of other digital nomads is one of the best...

Have you ever heard the same thing from several people and just not listened until it came from someone else? We can all be a little hard-headed at times, especially me. Alison's friends and family had been telling her she should consider consulting. She didn't listen until meeting a couple while on a cooking tour through southern India. Maybe it was the person, maybe it was the phrasing, but Alison took heed and set up her practice when she returned to DC. You know that anxiety when you've...

The earlier you start going off on your own the easier it is later on, like literally everything else in life. Chelsea started going off to film school in LA when she was 14 years old. The first steps of independence can be freeing and unnerving at the same time. I didn't take off on my own until I was 33. You're going to do this in your own time, but don't put it off just because you don't feel ready. You're never going to feel ready, so start scared. If you're here, you're probably not the...

Not all types of work exist as typical jobs. And it sounds really obvious, but it can be hard to internalize: Just because you can't find a job listing for something doesn't mean it's not valid and valuable work. Creating your own job description lets you take even greater control in building the life you want. Write it out, see what it looks like and go from there. If nothing else, you can visualize where you want to go. All of Elise's projects in university were inspired by books. Taking a...

Getting certifications and formal training is always helpful, but often the information you need is online. Amanda says she will, "for three days put my head into my computer and learn what I need to know". And I think it's important to remember that learning this way can help you to just start and get going. We tend to use a need to learn as a way to procrastinate and if you have an inclination towards that, then maybe it's time to jump in. One thing that digital nomads sometimes forget to...

What are the takeaways your clients have where you can see how they've benefitted? One of Britt's first clients went from having fears that prevented her from enjoying her day to day life to being able to fly to her honeymoon, go to a rooftop bar with friends, and take the elevator in her building. These all can seem like small things, unless you just can't do them. What is something that seems small that helps your clients change their lives? They say, if you really want to learn something...

Five huge leaps, or a hundred tiny steps, it doesn’t matter how you get to your big dream. It just matters that you get there. If you make a commitment to taking one action every day, no matter how small, Bonnie says you’ll be amazed at how much progress you make over time. While it can take a while to get your first licensing contract, your wait isn’t over just yet. First, you create the design, then it gets approved and the items are made. Next, the items get shipped and hopefully sold....

Looking at Rucheli’s path you can see how she has moved from one use of her skills to another, picking up new skills to help with the transitions. This is one reason I always advise a skills assessment. You know more than you think you do and you probably don’t value what comes easily. Getting a broad overview can give you a way to choose what comes next. Rucheli started out her remote job search blasting the same resume to every open position. And it got her nowhere. Once she started...

Bari started with small group courses of ten people, moving up over time. Then she added her telecourse which turned into 50 person classes, twice a year. Eventually, that became her Art of Money course, now with 500 people. Bari also has a book, The Art of Money and is in talks to become a spokesperson for financial therapy in Singapore. Your business will grow and change over the years as well. Keep your eyes open to opportunities along the way. A few years into her journey Bari received a...

Bari started with small group courses of ten people, moving up over time. Then she added her telecourse which turned into 50 person classes, twice a year. Eventually, that became her Art of Money course, now with 500 people. Bari also has a book, The Art of Money and is in talks to become a spokesperson for financial therapy in Singapore. Your business will grow and change over the years as well. Keep your eyes open to opportunities along the way. A few years into her journey Bari received a...

Talking with Hannah, I quickly learned how passionate she feels about niching down, because it's simpler to become an authority on one area than all of them. By focusing on one of your interests as a virtual assistant specialty not only do you get to dig in on what you enjoy, you add value to what you offer clients. It's basically getting paid more (specialists often earn higher rates) to learn about something you're already interested in. This is a tip I'm taking to heart and I wanted to...

Keep your eyes and your options open. Hope decided to take on meal planning for personal trainers and in preparing, became a trainer herself. Seeing how much she enjoyed fitness and training she decided to add it to her main body of work. Sometimes the best ideas present themselves rather than you sitting down and coming up with them.  When you’re transitioning from a specific location to remote, you may be able to transition your clients as well. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of...

It can be scary putting money into something that you don't know if it will pan out. Especially in the beginning, you're risking money that could go towards fancier food or a night out with friends. Ultimately, risk is what we as entrepreneurs, do. We look at what we can lose and decide if it's worth seeing what we can gain. This is what Nicole did with advertising. It was scary, but when she made the leap, the money came back with great returns in the form of new enrollees. We generally...

While on her around the world trip after high school, Sarah repeatedly found herself volunteering in schools and orphanages. While she wasn't sure exactly she was after, she wanted to share education with others and signed up for a teachers course when she returned to the UK. Each choice brought her closer to finding her way as an educator. Not every path comes easily. Keeping your eyes open to opportunities can make all the difference. When first starting her company, Sarah took out the...

The US Department of Energy had a program called the Solar in Your Community Challenge, which allowed Amy and her husband to make contacts and gain contracts all while helping lower income communities. Occasionally, we hear from Compass guests that they found a government program that in one way or another helped them get their feet under them. I think we don't hear it more often because these programs aren't well advertised and we don't think to look. Taking time to run a couple of searches...