Not all businesses are created equal. Some allow location freedom and this episode is about how to create a business that allows you to live a nomadic lifestyle (5:08). We also talk about how to set boundaries within your business (8:19) and how to adapt to a full time traveling lifestyle (15:30).
Quick Links
✧ Join the Digital Nomad Society for Just $7/Month
✧ Follow The Wanderlover Podcast on Instagram
Prefer to read? Here’s the blog version…
Introduction – welcome to my closet!
Laetitia:
Hello, Danielle. So nice to welcome you on the essential shift podcast. From where are you at the moment?
Dani:
Hi, I’m so happy to be here. I am currently in Batukaras, Indonesia.
Laetitia:
Hmm. So good to connect. Last time we connected you were in another country, which is gonna be something we are going to speak about on this podcast, your Nomad journey and how you design your business. But before getting into all of that, I would love for you to introduce yourself. And on this podcast, we introduce ourselves sharing a bit about our human design or our as blueprint or whatever you’d like to share your faith, where you grew up, whatever you’d like to share about your background would be lovely.
Dani:
Awesome. So my name is Danielle. I am a business mentor originally from New York, but for the past five years, I’ve just been taking my business international. We’ve been traveling through COVID for the past few years. So that’s hence why every time we speak I’m in a different country, which is amazing.
I am a Gemini cancer cusp and a generator by human design spirituality. I would consider myself spiritual, but not religious. I actually still to this day, take screenshots of little synchronicities that you shared with me a few years ago. And that’s been something just so grounding. So different practices, incorporating spirituality into my business and taking my business worldwide. Also something really cool. I did last year was Astro geography.
Laetitia:
Oh, yes.
Dani:
About that. Yeah. So that has been in my mind. I have a few countries that I just like really resonate with and they’re like on my list of places to go next. But of course, you know, spreading this message of digital nomad, scaling your online business and spreading your impact around the world is all possible.
Laetitia:
Yes. And this is what I love about you. And if you don’t follow Danielle, you need to go and follow her on Instagram. I will put all the link in the show notes because you travel with her. It is so beautiful. Even during COVID, we are all, you know, stuck at home and I would go and see you. Oh, she’s in Costa Rica. She’s in ballet. It was beautiful to see you traveling despite COVID.
Dani:
Yeah, for sure. And I guess it also explains why every time we speak I’m in wardrobe. So off I was recording, like in my wardrobe because the audio in this really like open space room, it’s just not really conducive to podcast recording. I think the last time we spoke, I was in like a closet in Hawaii.
Laetitia:
Yeah. Always, always in closets.
Dani:
Yeah. Things that come with, you know, taking your business around with you, you learn to adapt in ways that you, you learn to think outside the box. And I think that’s just the beauty of it.
How to create a business for a nomadic lifestyle
Laetitia:
Mm let’s get into that. Let’s get into, how do we take our business into this nomad lifestyle, which is a lifestyle that you live, which is a lifestyle that you teach. So I would love for you to share with the listeners a few tips on how to have a successful, no lifestyle as a business owner.
Dani:
Okay. So first and foremost, I think there are so many different businesses that you can start. So if you’re looking to start traveling, you have to be realistic, right? Like before I did business coaching, I did drop shipping. I was on Amazon FBA. I’ve started other businesses before. And what I’ve learned from that is not all of them are created equal. Some you have to hold inventory. Some you have to be physically there, right? So there’s a huge distinction between businesses that are capable of being taken around the world versus those that aren’t. So if you’re realistic, an online business is where you can work from anywhere as long as there is a wifi connection, right?
Dani:
And so if are a coach or a creative, if you have a skill that you’re able to build a brand around and monetize, that is where we can start expanding into digital products and services. So I kind of have this like little graph that I always envision where you have your core online services and products. And then on like the right hand side, you have your passion projects. And usually your passion projects are gonna be location dependent. They’re they might be low ticket. It’s just something that you don’t wanna rely on as you’re traveling, because it’s going to be super stressful. And I don’t know if anything comes up and you’re like, I’m stuck in this country. Like that causes stress.
Dani:
Yeah. So I think it’s just really important to first identify what you can capitalize on. And then after you set your systems so that you’re able to step away, I am an avid surfer. I surf every day. So if I’m being realistic, I’m like, I don’t want to be in front of my laptop, 24/7. I don’t want to be getting paid only when I’m working with clients. And so you think, how do I introduce passive income streams? Right? How do I outsource this? And so when you prioritize what you want to do with your time, then how you structure your online business also makes sense.
Laetitia:
Yes. And I love what you shared because a lot of people like I wanna go on a nomad journey. And the first thing as you’ve said is let’s assess what’s your current business. And, you know, just decide on putting some of the aspect of your business on pose and develop other aspect of your business, like really making this lifestyle possible. And at the same time you shared with me in the past and I have witnessed that you created generally Jill will rebrand. Oh my gosh. So it is beautiful to see you also creating other businesses while you are living this life.
Product based business while traveling
Laetitia:
And so it is possible definitely to create new revenue stream while you are traveling, because you’re doing that as well with your product based business. Would you like to share, because I have some product based business listener, how do you grow this business while being a nomad as well?
Dani:
Yeah, I’d love to. So I founded Anda our ocean inspired jewelry line with my best friend from childhood. Her name is Annie and she is based in Miami, Florida. We wanted to start a business together, but I made it really clear from the beginning. I set my boundaries that I don’t wanna be confined, or I don’t want to have to be in one location in order for this. So we agreed from the beginning that she was going to handle handcrafting all of the pieces and fulfillment, and I took on everything else. So digital marketing, our online presence, social media, websites, emails, like all of that is me.
Creating boundaries with your business
Dani:
And I think it’s just worked out so beautifully because we do have separate roles in the business. And because of that, because I was really clear from the beginning, what my expectations were and what I wanted to handle. And she did the same. We’ve been able to utilize both of our strengths, like her being at the location, you know, and me being content creator travel around the world, like tropical vibes. It’s been able to grow really beautifully. We’ve been able to sell online and in person because she’s on the ground in Miami and I have digital marketing experience. So when you’re able to, again, distinguish between your core online products and services versus passion projects, this is truly something we love.
Dani:
And we nurture, and we don’t put that pressure. Like if we had started this and neither of us had online businesses, we would’ve been like, oh my God, I wanna travel, but I have to be here fulfilling orders. Like what do I do now? Right. Mm. So now that we have this as solely something that we get to work on for fun, it’s just been able to grow so much more because we’re not constraining it.
Laetitia:
Yes. Oh my gosh. And for anyone listening to this, this is really medicine for the soul because it is inviting you to set clear boundaries from the get go, when you start a business with someone else. So many of us, and you know, my past three businesses before this one, I was in partnership with other co-founder and it is so important to have clear boundaries from the get go. Otherwise you never know what’s gonna happen. And it’s just so, so, so important. So thank you for sharing that. And you were talking about outsourcing and I’m huge on outsourcing on having a solar line team, making sure that you have, you know, people working along with you.
How to outsource and build reliable systems
Laetitia:
Would you mind sharing with us the things that you outsource in your business or the things that you recommend for anyone willing to start a no journey and adding an online business? What are the main things that you recommend outsourcing? And I can add my, my little spin on it as well, but I would love to hear from you with your experience.
Dani:
Yeah, for sure. So I don’t think there is, you know, everyone is different, but the general gist is when you have a freedom based business, you would like most of the people you work with to also embody this freedom based lifestyle. Yes. And so anything that is your fears with your freedom based lifestyle, where you have to, you know, be in front of a computer or you have to be on social media, all of the things you don’t want to do, you can outsource, I first hired a virtual assistant that was just really important to get rid of, you know, the repetitive tasks off my plate, but also test out the waters. Like I’m traveling, full-time, they’re remote, you know, you don’t have in-person meetings.
Dani:
Like how do I manage this while I travel? So I think that’s a really good if you know, you’re listening and you don’t have a team really good kind of ease your way into managing a remote team is to find a virtual assistant, communicate, work on your systems, your onboarding, your off boarding, like get all of that in place. And then once you kind of see how you can expand while doing less work, right. Hmm. Then it kind of flows into, okay, what else do I need help with? So personally I have like a Pinterest manager, a graphic designer, a Facebook ads manager, PR web design, like all of those things you can outsource.
Dani:
And for me, it’s just things that, I mean, I could learn and do myself, but why not find someone who can do it better? Right? Yeah. But there was definitely a learning curve with finding people who you haven’t met before. It’s all through like online and in the beginning, it’s like, can I really trust them with like my passwords to my website and things like that. But once you learn to relinquish control and focus on the best case scenario of what, if everything goes right, what if it’s even better than I could imagine, instead of they’re going to mess up my business and I can’t do this. That’s where the magic happens.
Laetitia:
Yes. Oh yes. The mindset, right? Which mindset do you have when you start outsourcing? It’s such a big, you know, blockage, full lot of business owner because they wanna retain controls. They’re like, I wanna control everything. I want everything to be perfect and no one can do it as perfectly as I do. But what Danielle and myself are telling you’s actually, if you surround yourself with experts, they’re gonna do it way better than you. Yeah. And for me, I had a very different journey because I started this business while I was still a general manager in corporate. So straight away from the get go, I hired a team because I was like, I want this to be my next full time job right now.
Laetitia:
What I’m lacking is time, but I have money. So let me just inject into people who have expertise and who I can rely on. And for myself as I’ve been a manager of big team, I had like no trouble delegating and so on. Yeah. But what you said, which is so important is having the right process in place so that anyone working in your team knows what they have to do, how to do it. What is your branding approach and so on. So I just love that you shared that with us. Thank you so much for giving us, you know, the inside, out of your business and yeah. And then we noticed your presence, even though you’re surfing. And it was the same thing for me while I was on in France for five weeks.
Laetitia:
Some people were like, how come you were posting on social media? I was not, it’s not being post on social media. How come you, weren’t sending us newsletter. I am not the one writing that. So it’s just beautiful to, you know, carry on the lifestyle, carry on serving your community
whilst embodying the lifestyles that you created from yourself.
Key challenges when traveling full-time
So would you mind sharing with us the kind of challenges or because we’re like, oh my gosh, everyone can go for nom. But the things that, you know, are you, do you like, what are the challenges of living this lifestyle? Because it’s not for everyone.
Laetitia:
Right. So share with us a bit about this.
Dani:
Okay. Definitely. So I think the biggest challenge, the one that pops into mind immediately is wifi. I’ve had a few too many wifi issues and of course I do client calls and group calls. So it’s very stressful when you have something on your calendar and you’re not sure if you can fulfill it, it always ends up working out because you go out of, out of your way to make it work. Yeah. But the process of finding consistent wifi in many destinations is not always the easiest. Yeah. However, there are ways around it. I’m usually always in co-working spaces or I’ll have a SIM card and like two forms of wifi to places of either a cafe or a hotel.
Dani:
But I’ll be sure to research where I’m staying has its own internet. So for example, right now I’m in this remote little surf town and I made sure the hotel that I’m staying at, like I was able to get my own designated wifi router, like just for me, I requested that. So I made it happen. Right. And the other thing I would say is what we set off air as well. The routine, it’s hard to find a routine, especially if you operate from a place where you need, you know, a morning routine or a daily routine in order to optimize, perform at 110%, however, the longer you stay in a place, the easier it is to figure out what your routine is.
Dani:
And it kind of carries over, right? So every morning I have a coffee and no matter where I am, I’ll incorporate that into my daily routine. Other ways are, if I want to meet people, I will make sure, you know, on certain days of the week, I will go to my co-working space or I’ll schedule dinner with friends. So all of these things that, you know, you need in your life, you’re able to carry with you and take with you while you’re traveling as well. But it’s just really important to be honest with yourself, what do I need? And then how do I make it work in this new location so that I feel at home so that I feel like I have a routine.
Dani:
And I guess I’ll share one more.
Laetitia:
Go ahead.
Dani:
Yeah. For a lot of people too, like a lot of my clients who are just starting their digital nomad journey, a lot of them mention community. It’s harder to meet people if you’re not the most extroverted, it’s very daunting before you go to a place. And if you don’t know anyone, you’re asking yourself, how do I make friends? How do I meet people like me? And I think the biggest thing for that, what I’ve realized is you need to figure out what your life is about. So what your business is, what your passions are, the more you live in alignment with your interests and passions, the more people you’re going to find who support you on that journey.
Laetitia:
Hmm.
Dani:
So in coworking spaces, you’ll meet other entrepreneurs in digital nomads. When I’m surfing, I’ll meet other surfers who are also trying to get better at surfing, right? So the more, you know yourself, the easier it will be to meet other people.
Laetitia:
Yes. Oh my gosh. It is so good because it is honest. It is authentic. And knowing you, I know that everything you shared here is gold for anyone listening, because we tend to think that when we travel, we just jump from one place to another. But what about staying for longer and finding your people and finding a place where you can really bring with you, the things that nourish saw, and I’m still waiting for you Danielle to come and visit us in Australia. Like honestly, the surf here is amazing, but that’s another topic like when is she coming?
Dani:
You just opened though. Right?
Laetitia:
I know we, we opened in December, right. As we are recording this way in July, you can come now we’re welcoming again. Yeah. It’s, it’s silly, but we were closed for such a long time. So yeah. It’s, it’s beautiful to share those challenges and some things that you learned about yourself in those, you know, in, in this journey of nomadism, like, did you discover something about yourself that you didn’t know before? Did you discover a new, did you created, did you create, sorry, a new arm in your business that wasn’t existent before? Like just share with you also, because when we travel, we expand, we open ourself to inspiration.
Laetitia:
We, you know, what, what are the things that came to you from this experience?
Dani:
Yeah. So I think one of the most beautiful things I’ve given birth to while traveling is my mastermind. Yes. Simply because that filled the gap where in the beginning I kept wondering like, how do I carry this group everywhere? I went, like, I made a beaut, like I met beautiful people, was able to create this beautiful community in person. But then over time I always had to leave. Right. And so I took matters into my own hands. And I was like, why not start my own community, my own online community, that I own and take with me everywhere. And that came from a gap. So instead of focusing on the problem, I saw the opportunity in congregating, a group of people who also wanted to travel, who also wanted to build their businesses.
Dani:
And yeah, it’s been running for a few years and that’s like one of my favorite parts of my business. It’s called momentum mastermind. And it’s just amazing. Seeing people go the same route from corporate to digital nomad. And it’s so great when you can see when other people are doing it, then you can too.
Laetitia:
Yes. And this is exactly what you described. It’s how you are magnetic. When you live in full alignment with your true self and you attract people that are willing to live the same lifestyle. And this is why, you know, when I came on your podcast and I was like, I want you Danielle to come on mine because I’m sure people will connect with you, those listening to this and being like, oh my gosh, I’m craving to travel again. Especially with now, COVID coming to an end. Lot of us are craving to travel. So yeah. Check out all the offer of Danielle, because it is really is the lifestyle of a Chi, the Chi bodies. Would you like to share with us something else that I didn’t ask a question about?
Laetitia:
Like, what do you wanna share with us? And then of course, I’ll ask you, what are you offering at the moment? But is there anything else that you’d like to cover that I haven’t asked a question about?
Dani:
Yeah. I guess one thing I would just like to add is if you do want to travel, I will say when you have your online business, your style of traveling is probably going to be different than what you’re used to. So I used to be in corporate. I had limited vacation days and my experience and my perception of travel was you had to be on the move. You had to experience everything in a short amount of time and it’s not conducive to routine. Right. But what you’re going to learn as you have all the time in the world, how you can design, not only your days, but your weeks and your months and your years, you might find that you really like a place and you get to extend for three months or six months.
Dani:
Like I came to this little village, not knowing what to expect. And now I think I’m gonna stay a few months. Same thing like before COVID I was always on the move, but then we were in lockdown in Brazil and I was like, well, why not just say in Brazil? Right? So you have a lot more flexibility. Don’t be overwhelmed with, I need to figure out, you know, the next year where I’m going to be, how I’m going to live and go with the flow, because that’s where all the opportunity and all the things that are outside of your frame of reference come into play. And that’s how you move your life from this level to the next.
Laetitia:
Mm. And this is so true because I have lived nomadic life just for about nine months when I was living in India. And it is so true. We were just guided by, oh, we actually like this little village, let’s stay in this place for two weeks, three weeks, a months. And then like, oh my gosh, I’ve already been here for two months. Let’s move on. But it’s just those moments where you allow this connection with peoples that live there with this land. And, and I just love that. So what is the longest time you’ve stayed in one place?
Dani:
So I think in the past five years, first is Bali. I was there for a year. And then during COVID, we were in lockdown in Brazil for nine months.
Laetitia:
Wow. That’s good. You’ve been a bit grounded for a year and nine months in your five year journey, but, or like all the rest was just traveling around. I love it. And oh, another question in talking into my mind, but what are your favorite places that you visited, which align with surfing,
Laetitia:
Surfing and fast working? Yeah. What did you say? Which places are your favorites?
Dani:
Surfing and fast internet. Those are our criteria. And I will also share with the audience, like my partner is British. So because of our different passports, I’m American. Yeah. Because of our different passports. Like we technically can’t stay in a place for longer than what our visa allows or what our, yeah. So he’s not allowed to stay in America and I can’t stay in England, which is why usually every three to six months we’ll move locations. And that’s why, you know, after Brazil, we were in Costa Rica and Hawaii and Indonesia and England, and we’re just on the move and it’s worked out really well, cuz he also has his online business.
Dani:
But for us surfing fast internet to criteria, Hawaii will always be a place that I go back to all the time where I’m currently at Indonesia, that’s our other favorite, but we’ve really just traveled the tropics and go where the there’s good surf. So we were in Mexico, also amazing surf there, Costa Rica all down that coast. We did a road trip earlier this year from England down to Portugal. So we stayed sometime in France, in Spain, down the coast was beautiful. Lovely culture, always love Europe. It’s a little cold in the water, which is
Laetitia:
Live. Yeah, it is. I’ve seen you with, you know, the full wetsuit when you were in the so I was like, yeah, I know what is all over there?
Dani:
And the booties favorites.
Laetitia:
Thank you so much, Danielle, for bringing your energy on the podcast and sharing all your light with listener. I just wanna give you the opportunity also to share with anyone listening, how they can find you connect with you. What are you birthing launching at the moment? You mentioned your mastermind, but share with us, for anyone wanting to go deeper with you.
Dani:
Oh yeah, for sure. So my Instagram is @thewanderlover. My DMS are always open. Can check out my website, the wanderlover.com , momentum mastermind is my four month mastermind designed to get you starting an online business and also scaling an online business. I also have courses and eBooks and resources on my website that you can check out as well.
Laetitia:
So go and check it out. She’s amazing. We connected on the DM on Instagram and since then we’ve been in touch and it is, it is. You’re such a beautiful soul. I, I really appreciate you deeply. Thank you so much for coming today from Indonesia and I can’t wait to see you in person one day. I know it will happen, will
Dani:
Happen. It will happen. Thank you so much for having me on the show.
Laetitia:
Thank you.
~~~
If you’ve enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you could leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps us spread The Wanderlover mission to those who need a dose of inspiration today.
