How to Run a Six-Figure Business as a Digital Nomad

So, you want to run a 6 figure business as a digital nomad? The first step is to throw the goal of 6-figures out the window. Yep, I said it. The “making 6-figures” part really doesn’t matter. The only monetary goal that truly matters when building a business is that your business (and income) can support the life you want to live. I personally wanted the option to live as a digital nomad and guess what ... I am doing that now! Does my business make 6-figures? Yes. Do I personally... no. Today I want to walk you through how to run a business as a digital nomad.

What is a digital nomad?

Digital nomads are remote workers who usually travel to different locations. They often work in coffee shops, co-working spaces, public libraries, or in my case ... a van. Digital Nomads rely on devices with wireless internet capabilities and mobile hotspots to do their work wherever they want. The idea is that you can work wherever you want.

Where will you work (and what will you need)?

If you are traveling around working, you have to ask yourself, where will you get your work done and what will you need to make it happen? In my case, we travel in our renovated van named Vangie (and if you want to watch our travel journey, check out our van channel, Katie & Dan in a Van). When we renovated our van, we kept this all in mind and made sure our space was set up for us both to work in our van. We have a dining area that can be used as a shared office, but then also turns into our bed at the end of the day. We also made sure we had plenty of outlets, so we can always make sure to have our laptops charged and we have something called a WeBoost, that helps boost our cell signal so we can use our unlimited data plans to provide us internet access. There are times we have a meeting at the same time and I do mine outside or in the front seat of the van, but we make it work!

Now, that’s our situation, right? You might have a different view on being a digital nomad, you might travel from Airbnb to Airbnb - which is totally a fine option if it’s in your budget. You would just need to make sure this Airbnb has internet access or that you will have a signal on your phone if you’re going that route.

How do I make money as a Digital Nomad (and how you can too)?

I have built my business to be run completely remote, which means as long as I have internet, I can work from anywhere. I am going to share with you the different income streams I have built that allow me to work from anywhere and even throw a few more ideas at you as well!

My Income Streams

Creatorly Media: This is my Social Media Content Creation Agency where we produce podcasts, YouTube channels, and Instagram to create content for influencers and business owners. I have been remotely running this business since 2020.
Content Creator: I create content on YouTube, my Podcast, and Instagram. With being a content creator, I make an income through Google AdSense, Affiliate Marketing, Digital Products, and Brand Partnerships. If you would like a future Podcast all about my various income streams, make sure to shoot us a DM on Instagram @creatorlymedia.

... but what if that’s not enough or you aren’t interested in all of those income streams? There are more options available.

Other Income Streams

Remote Corporate Jobs: There are so many corporate jobs offering remote positions nowadays, all you need to do is go to their website and click the jobs or careers tab to see if they have any open positions that are remote. The one thing to keep in mind with corporate jobs is that there is usually a little less flexibility on hours, so you will need to make sure you have reliable internet or service everywhere you go.

TaskRabbit: This is an online and mobile marketplace that matches freelance labor with local demand, allowing consumers to find immediate help with everyday tasks, including cleaning, moving, delivery, and handyman work. The great thing about this is that you can do it from anywhere, so even if you are just visiting an area during your travels - you can help the locals with these tasks.

Food Delivery Services: There are so many foods delivery apps out there now, DoorDash, UberEats, GrubHub, and more. If these apps are available in a city, you can usually deliver there if you are an approved driver with the app. Many of these food delivery drivers are making money as they travel all over their country.

Tutoring: You can tutor on really any topic - this can be through your own business or through places like Cambly, an English tutoring website. Cambly allows you to tutor at any time of the day based on your schedule. You can work as little or as much as you want.

These are just to name a few, there are so many options out there. If you just hit up Google and search for remote jobs or work-from-home jobs, you will be surprised at how many options you will find.

You’re on the road and not sure how this works! Now what?

Working while traveling can have its ups and downs, so here are a few tips to make sure things run as smoothly as possible for you.

Create a budget.

As a digital nomad, budgeting is one of the most important aspects of survival. If you are like me, we still have our home expenses, since we do own a condo, so we have to be mindful of that. As well as the cost of traveling to each destination, staying there, the activities we do there, the costs of working, and everything else you need to live - like food, water, etc. If you want to live comfortably, make sure you have a strict budget planned before ever hitting the road.

Plan for EVERYTHING!

When you are traveling, it’s crucial to have backup plan after backup plan in case of any emergencies. You can plan all day long, but I know from experience that not everything works out the way you planned. Things happen, right? You need to make some game plans for the inevitable bumps in the road (pun intended) you’re likely to hit.

Map it out.

It’s crucial to map out at least some of the trips beforehand. It's fun to experience some things spontaneously, but because of budgeting and working - we have to have some sort of plan. We need to make sure we will have cell service or wifi at a location before deciding to reside there or if the place doesn’t have service, we might have to drive to a local coffee shop or something to access their wifi for the day.

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Having the freedom to work from anywhere is... well... freeing! Living the digital nomad life isn’t for everyone- but imagine if you want to take a vacation, but didn’t want to miss out on the income, during your travels - having these remote options are good for that too. Maybe you just want to be a stay-at-home mom, some of these options are great for that lifestyle as well! Again, the goal isn’t 6-figures, right? The goal is creating a business or income that gives YOU the life YOU want to live. I hope this episode helps you get there!