It’s a simple question: Where would you be right now if you were a millionaire?
Whatever you answered, I’ve got news: You don’t have to be a millionaire to be there.
I spent the last month living and working in Hawaii.
It’s a very specific career goal I worked toward since starting my design business, and I wrote it down 7 years ago: Spend a month living and working in Hawaii.
It took blood, sweat, and tears for 7 years. 7 years! But I made it happen. Achievement unlocked.
Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places on earth. As I was there, it kept striking me that I was in the same place doing the same things I would be if I was a millionaire.
Yes, I probably could have gotten away and done it a couple of years ago- but there was still skepticism on my part:
What if I don’t get any work that month? What if it’s too hard to land projects when I’m away? What if my clients think I’m on holidays? What if the month away makes it hard to recover when I come back? What if I run out of work?
These questions are normal, and they run around in an entrepreneur’s head even on most regular days.
The challenge is building a business to the point where these questions are resolved with utmost certainty. When that happens, you’re ready to go. Here are a few tips to get there:
Step 1- Document a Dream
The first (and probably easiest) step is to dream. Where do you want to go and what do you want to do? Forget the material things and focus on experiences. Where would you go and what would you do if you had millions of dollars right now? Like I did 7 years ago, document it and put it somewhere that will remind and motivate you.
Step 2- Build Your Plan
What are the steps needed to achieve your goals? Make a budget and project the income that you need in order to make it happen.
If you work for a company, the challenge will be convincing management that personal and professional goals can be achieved simultaneously. You might be able to do that in very little time (I can help you).
If you work for yourself, you’ll need to grow your business to a point where you can be location independent. That means income is being generated and your business operates at the same level regardless of your location.
Step 3- Stick to the Plan
People will always have an opinion. Many people won’t understand you, what you’re doing, or how you’re doing it. This is normal when you’re building your dream.
You’ll have people (including yourself) that will try to talk you out of it.
Stick to the plan, and don’t let anything get you off track- including yourself.
Step 4- Train Your Clients
I train my clients to work with me remotely. I train even my local clients to meet with me online or via conference call. Once they trust that I’m doing my job at the same level whether I’m in town or somewhere else in the world, it doesn’t matter anymore. Some clients are already used to working like this, but for some it’s new and they’ll require help and training to feel comfortable.
7 years into owning my business, I’m quite selective of who I take on as a client. I only take on projects that allow for remote work. No on-site or location requirements whatsoever. After all, that’s now my lifestyle.
Step 5- Test it Out
Before I left the continent for over a month, I took several test trips that were shorter. One week. Two weeks. Three weeks. Close to home, and not so close to home. I wanted to be sure that working remotely wouldn’t change anything.
Here are some things to test out:
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Communication
Communication is key. Be proactive. Check in with your clients, even more than usual if it’s needed to make them feel like you’re present. Ask if they need help. They don’t need to know where you are, they just need to know you’re available to answer questions. That might mean meeting with them at 4am because you’re in Hawaii (Who cares, though? You’re in Hawaii, and the sunrise is gonna be amazing). Make sure you’re not changing their day or level of service because of your location. You’ll get positive reinforcement from clients if it’s working- they’ll ask you about your trip and tell you they’re jealous. At that point, it’s obvious they know you’re still doing your job.
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Discipline
Are you able to stick to a regular work schedule without switching into holiday mode? Are you able to make those 4am calls if you’re in distant timezone?
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Gear
What’s the minimum amount of gear you need to travel and do your job? You don’t want extra bulk when you’re travelling, so try to be a minimalist. You’ll need things like power adaptors, etc if you’re going to another continent. Make sure you have the right ones, or get out and buy one as soon as you land.
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WiFi and SIM cards
It’s our lifeline. Stay somewhere with reliable WiFi, and buy a SIM card if you’re out of your home country. Relying on coffee shop WiFi isn’t good enough- you want to be able to work and take calls from home at any time if something goes wrong. Having a large amount of data on a SIM card (ideally unlimited) ensures you can always tether to your phone if WiFi goes down before an important call.
Step 6- It’s working. Enjoy it.
Once you get to the point where you’ve achieved your goals, enjoy it. You’ve worked hard for this. Your friends and family may think you’ve been on holidays for a month or more, despite all your explaining. They may try to talk you out of it, or present reasons why you shouldn’t do it. That’s ok, they don’t need to understand it. You’ve achieved it and now you can enjoy it. Filter out all the negative energy from everyone else and enjoy your success.