Update: this post was originally written in 2018, and has been updated. The strategy still works and I am still using it in 2023, recently using the same strategy in Southeastern and East Europe. Read on for details, or click here for the full masterclass (use coupon code “#paidtotravel9900” for all the secrets) 😊
I’ve landed back in Thailand yesterday after spending six months in Europe, including hosting a retreat for digital nomads.
I’m loosely planning all of the places I want to visit and things I want to accomplish this year. As usual, I’m excited… and cautiously optimistic. The future truly is ours for the taking, the opportunities vast and limitless.
All we have to do is plan and execute.
I’ve been a nomad pretty much fulltime since 2009. It’s been a long and wild journey across five continents.
People often ask me for advice about how to live this kind of lifestyle. How to leave home, how to “make it,” how long it took to earn an income so that I could support my lifestyle.
The problem is, it really doesn’t matter what advice you give them. What people need is not more advice and information thrown at them, what they need is to do.
Speed of implementation is one of the biggest factors that separates the high-performing achievers from the also-rans.
If you pick up a piece of advice that’s good, act on it immediately.
You need to take action, make attempts, deal firsthand with the inevitable challenges and problems that arise, and strengthen your ability to respond and overcome.
You need to double your rate of failure. Take your idea and execute it. Mindstorm if you need to — write down everything you can think of on a piece of paper that will help you reach that goal.
No more learning or asking advice, just doing.
You don’t need to change or shake up everything in your life, just take steps 15–20% outside of your comfort zone. Then keep expanding your sphere of comfort, one step at a time.
I followed this ethos and it paid off handsomely.
In the last four months of 2017, going back to September 1st, my client base has doubled.
One of the ways that I was able to do that was through public speaking. In the past several years, I’ve hosted live workshops and talks across North America, Asia and Europe.
Public speaking, in my mind, is the best way to…
Earn money everywhere you travel and meet a bunch of cool, likeminded people at the same time! ✈️
Everyone wins.
How do you begin?
The first attempt I made to pitch myself as a speaker, I failed.
I followed a guru’s advice to the letter. I visited Meetup.com and tried to pitch the moderators of meetup groups on the website. Very few people returned my messages — and I was able to schedule zero workshops.
Not a single one.
Far too often, especially as far as marketing is concerned, we make an attempt, meet with failure, and deem the entire venture a failure.
In most cases, the strategy is actually sound — we just need to change one thing. Perhaps we need to change who we’re targeting. Perhaps we need to change our message to one people actually care about.
For creating a powerful message that motivates people I recommend the “Four AM test” which I discuss in detail in “Dr Growth.”
In my case, I decided to focus on a different target. Meetup groups are just hobby and interest groups and have virtually no incentive to schedule workshops, other than for fun.
So I switched up my targeting and focused on coworking spaces instead. Coworking spaces always need speakers and events to keep people coming back in through their doors.
They have a direct interest in providing as much value for their members as possible, so that members feel they are getting their full money’s worth.
Here’s how you can make this happen.
Simply Google “coworking spaces” in a given city or use coworker.com to find a handful of coworking spaces to reach out to, and offer to give a presentation on your topic of expertise.
You can also contact many coworking spaces directly through their Facebook pages.
You should try to mix in a workshop or two any time you visit a new city.
They bring interested prospects to you, and they are happy to run helpful events for their community and bring more people in the door.
I traveled all around Asia this year: Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Saigon, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Penang, and Chiang Mai… and gave one or two talks in each city I visited.
Not only did these workshops pay for the trips, but people also lined up afterwards pleading that they could work with me immediately.
These events also reinforced and boosted the confidence my current clients had in me, dramatically reducing turnover.
You can upload your slides to SlideShare, and use it as part of your sales presentation to new prospects. You can see an example of one of my presentations here.
This wasn’t the only thing I did that contributed to the increase in business, and there were other strategies which also paid off quite handsomely.
Using another strategy, I offered to help a friend who was offering podcasting editing services. He picked up more than a dozen new clients within a month… all for free and 90% on autopilot.
Now he’s off to the races… 🏇
I want to tell you about these and so much more. But I can’t do this only in the form of one Medium post.
That’s why I’ve published my “Be Paid to Travel Masterclass” teaching everything I’ve learned over the last 15 years of long-term travel☺
The course teaches how I use traveling as a core component to building businesses, and a particular strategy I use to get customers and clients while traveling, as well as all of my juiciest travel hacks to save money on flights, accommodations and more. 🙂
The course includes around 30+ detailed, in-depth videos teaching everything I’ve learned over many years for a wonderful price. And you can use the discount code #paidtotravel9900 to get 25% off. 😎
You can use these same strategies and tactics to market your own business while mixing in your own unique brand of secret sauce.
I’m not going to tell you the same things that a million other online blogs will tell you. Go check it out and if you don’t like it, just drop me a note and I’ll pay you.
If you feel like this is the year for you to claim your lifestyle freedom and get your online business “handled” — and also very profitable — then this may be the biggest step you can take forward.
I really, really want to help you succeed… and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. This will be a fun journey, let’s soar to new heights together!
Talk to you again soon.
Danny
Author, “Dr Growth”
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