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Welcome to Episode 32 of Mastermind.fm! Today masterminds Jean Galea and James Laws will be talking digital nomadism with David Hehenberger. David is the mind behind Fatcat Apps, a WordPress company helping bloggers, marketers, and business owners gain traffic and conversions with Fatcat plugins.
David and Jean both consider themselves to be digital nomads, while James prefers to keep his feet in one place for the most part. Listen up and we’ll dive into what digital nomadism means , how David and Jean got started with the nomad lifestyle, resources for others that want to travel themselves, and more! Shownotes are below but as always, tune in to hear the full story and all the exotic places these guys have been, and meet the shark that bit the internet (no really, you need to listen to this one)!
What is Digital Nomadism?
David defines a digital nomad as any digital worker who doesn’t have a home base or headquarters. The digital nomad travels from place to place, often living out of a suitcase, going wherever their business takes them and working remotely the whole way. James compares it to the spirit of entrepreneurism itself, moving from place to place as an entrepreneur moves from idea to idea.
Questions for David (& Jean!)
Getting Started as a Nomad
- How did you get started on WordPress, development, and the nomad lifestyle?
- (David started out in Austria and, after completing an obligatory stint in the military, hopped on a plane for Thailand one day)
- Jean, how did you get started being a nomad yourself?
- (Jean made his first move from Malta, sick of living on an island as a young man, to Spain)
- Are there resources that either of you (David or Jean) would recommend to anyone thinking about taking up the traveling lifestyle?
- Where are you right now David? Where are some of the other places you’ve traveled recently?
- Jean where are some of the places you’ve been in your travels?
The Nomad Lifestyle
- What are the best places for this kind of lifestyle?
- Is there space in digital nomadism for family? Can you do this with children?
- How to you remain productive without the typical daily 9-5 routine?
- Does it take some “settling in time” each time you arrive in a new location to become productive?
- How does the type of city you’re in affect productivity? Is it tough to work full time in a popular vacation destination, for example?
- This lifestyle sounds very expensive- is it as expensive as it sounds and if so how do you deal with that?
Working Nomads
- What kind of work are you doing right now, David?
- What do you think makes WordPress so well suited for the digital nomad lifestyle?
- Does the community that has grown up around WordPress make fitting in as you travel easier or harder?
- Is access to internet while traveling problematic?
- What is the experience like working with other people while traveling, finding partners to work with?
- How do you go through the hiring process as you travel?
- How do you put the word out that you’re hiring as you travel?
- What does “typical” office culture look like for a nomad team?
- How do you handle paying your team?
- What are some of your favorite productivity apps?
