I didn’t realise I was becoming a digital nomad. I was just frustrated by the options presented to me in life. At 19 I dropped out of school and in my 20’s I was living in a dilapidated barn with other “fringe dwellers” who had a similar attitude on society.
At 24 I met a stuntman while working as a lifeguard and I knew this was for me! I joined the stunt register in the UK but found over several years that it wasn’t a fulfilling life. Work was hard to come by and there was huge competition. I was getting drawn into the career but ultimately wanted more freedom and less injuries! Other jobs on offer didn’t give me either so I looked to the internet for answers. I knew I had to find something to “top” being a stuntman – which felt like a difficult challenge! But I knew automation might be the way to go!
Becoming A Digital Nomad – My Story
I imagined travelling the world with my laptop by my side, earning lots of easy money. In truth my journey wasn’t this glamourous. I juggled driving HGV’s and taking stunt contracts for film and television. When the work dried up I lived frugally and used a credit card when times got tough. This pattern perpetuated well into my late 30’s and affected my relationships and eventually mental health too.
I was run down with debt, anxiety and had depression for years. It wasn’t a fun existence. I knew that people were earning from the internet so I started buying and selling online using eBay.
It wasn’t the digital nomad lifestyle I longed for, but it make me some money and I could do it without a boss, or a job. But over time I realised the limitations of buying and selling physical things. I was tied to the laptop and didn’t earn enough to go travelling the world. I had to post out items too so I needed a physical base.
I saw lots of adverts from “guru’s” too about how easily they were making their money. Of course I thought much of it was probably lies, but I got drawn in anyway!
A Different Strategy
I ditched the eBay strategy for a different business model I found by purchasing some of these online courses – affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing taught me that I could sell other people’s products. This meant I wasn’t tied to a physical place; posting items and answering questions. All I had to do was refer a sale, and I could automate this process.
This seemed like the way to go. After all, becoming a digital nomad meant not being tied to a room full of stock. I wanted more freedom than that! So I set about learning new strategies to sell other people’s products online. Since I had virtually no money I started by blogging and using other free strategies.
Having made my first sale online by writing an article, I figured it was going to be easy. Little did I know. I found the opposite and although I made a few sales here and there, it was tough going. I still struggled. After taking various online courses I was near giving up completely. I saw a video of a guy on a pedalo and decided to give it a last try!
Cynicism Nearly Got The Better Of Me
I was pretty cynical and burned out by this time. I’d been pursuing the online business for a while by now, for some years in fact. But I still hadn’t made it happen. I’d built many websites and written thousands of articles but somehow things still weren’t working.
So I joined this guys course and decided to start again from the beginning and “empty my cup”.
I went to my first meeting in the UK and was pleasantly surprised that there were real people behind the screen. The person who referred me to the business was also there and helped me make my first few sales. I still had problems because I didn’t have much money to use for marketing. So I had to rely on building content for my leads and sales.
This is a slow process too and many give up when they don’t see immediate results. But I knew content marketing could work since I’d had some small successes from it in the past.
Becoming A Digital Nomad
I’m still becoming a digital nomad albeit a step at a time! I’m lucky to have had the patience and resilience to keep going through the tough times and also to have found a community of digital entrepreneurs who have helped me overcome the obstacles and given me confidence in what I was doing.
Without the people behind this online community I’m sure I wouldn’t have kept going long enough to break through the doubts and fears which haunted me for years!
I’m now able to see how powerful an online business can be in giving anyone the ability to earn from their laptop and become free of a difficult or restrictive situation from employment.
If you’re interested in taking a step towards entrepreneurial life and becoming a digital nomad yourself, sign up for the free video series on this website and learn more about starting your own online business.