digital nomadDigital Nomad anyone? Nomadic tribes move with their flocks and have no fixed abode.  The new Hunter-Gatherer has decided to leave the crops. He or she – or they – earn money and support a lifestyle while on the move.

The development of wifi in particular means that a continuous presence is possible on the web.  In fact customers and readers may not realise that the business owner is not sitting in a desk in the neighbouring town.

I first became aware of people living this lifestyle when I was in the Philippines six years ago. There were vast numbers of computers with internet connection available for hire by the half hour and every coffee shop was packed with people on smartphones and tablets.  One of the results of this is that the population is very web intelligent,  and the country has become one of the premier places in the world for outsourced web-based support.  The development of the mobile phone and the internet in a country that is hundreds of islands has made a huge difference in lifestyle and work opportunities.

Digital Nomad lifestyle

But web-based devices have made an enormous difference to all small businesses.  One of the most dramatic is that you now can work from anywhere.  I had never met anyone who had taken this step and embraced the digital nomad lifestyle until I met  Angela Sherman of Care to be Different.  So I invited her as a guest   on Marlow FM on my Friday afternoon Biz Buzz show, and asked her about her experiences.

Angela explains about her digital nomad lifestyle. Listen below (9 minutes)

 

She explains how her own experience of having parents in care led to her setting up her business.  Not only that but the whole experience may have contributed towards her digital nomad lifestyle.  She maintains contact with her customers and readers and they do not necessarily know where she is based.

 

Would you like to leave the desk and travel?  There are certain things to put in place first.  Angela has advice for anyone wanting to become a digital nomad.  One of the key factors is having a good personal and business support network.  She commented previously that buying good quality equipment and having reliable business support was fundamental.

 

Being a digital nomad is a fascinating aspect of Angela’s life.  She will be setting up a blog to record her experiences and deepen her connections with others including those who want to become digital nomads themselves.  Naturally, from a business perspective, it could become an additional revenue stream in time.

All recordings are reproduced with kind permission of Marlow FM and were part of an interview by Jean Wolfe for the Biz Buzz programme on Marlow FM on Friday afternoons 2:00 – 3:30.