Photo by K. Coles
Whoever said that leaving the rat race to set up and run your own business is easy, was lying (did anyone ever actually say that?) . It can be especially hard to adjust to, for those of us who came from large, corporate organisations where things like tech support are just a phone call away.
Can’t quite get your laptop to connect to the wireless signal? No problem, call tech support and they’ll sort you out. Need to change your hotel & flight booking? No problem, call travel services and they’ll sort you out.
When you start your own business, you’re pretty lucky if you can find yourself a good accountant and business bank account, yet alone any other support services. Take your business on the road to become location independent and your challenges can become even greater.
But don’t worry, this is where your support team comes in…
Your remote support team need not be a full time expense but being able to call on the following support as and when you need it, can be a business- and a lifesaver.
Tech Support
I would highly recommend you learn at least the basics so that you can troubleshoot your own laptop on the move – things like:
- How to configure internet connections (cabled and wireless) on your laptop
- How to install/uninstall/reinstall new software
- How to force quit/force shut down crashed software & hardware
If you can afford to use a tech support service, then it’s always good to have as backup support to call on whenever you have an technical emergency. A cheaper alternative is obviously a tech savvy friend or family member who won’t mind answering your calls for help.
If you’re stubborn/broke/short on tech savvy friends, then you need to become proficient in finding out and figuring out how to sort out your own technical troubles. Whilst the following may seem like basic advice, I am always amazed how few people know how to really use Google to find answers to their problems.
A simple way to find out how to troubleshoot some of your technical problems is this:
- Do a search for your problem on Google – it’s important to include any error messages you get or any specific keywords which help identify your problem. Often when people fail to find a resolution, it’s because they’re using the wrong terminology to search with, rather than a solution not being available.
- Within the search results, keep your eye out for links to relevant technical forums and forum responses related to your problem – these will often lead you to find an answer eventually.
- If you find a good forum, but the search result hasn’t linked you through to a specific solution – stay on the forum and search for your problem. Someone else is likely to have experienced the same and hopefully will have found the answer already.
Travel Support
Researching flights, accommodation & travel options are all tasks which a VA can save you huge amounts of time on. This kind of research can take hours and is one of the biggest unexpected time sucks of our location independent lifestyle.
If you can’t afford a VA (Virtual Assistant), there are a number of online services designed to help make your travel planning and research a bit easier. They include:
- TripIt – your free personal travel assistant
- Dopplr – helps you hook up with friends on the road
- The Little LIP Guides – tailored destination guides for Location Independent Professionals.
Website & Design Support
Alongside technical support to keep your work tools working, the marketing tools you use (website, branding, promotional tools, online profiles) for your location independent business are probably some of the most crucial components of your set up.
It is highly probable that you have at least one website, if not several, which may require management, updating and tweaking. If you don’t manage this yourself, then ensure the web design company you use provides a cost effective and efficient process for implementing any updates you need…and ensure they understand the importance of this to your nomadic lifestyle.
If they fail to provide the service and support you need, don’t hesitate to find a new one (if you need help with this too, just ask us, we can help or we know others who can).
Business & Marketing Support
Running your business online whilst living a nomadic lifestyle isn’t always a walk in the park. Alongside the typical challenges faced by every business owner, the additional challenge of running your business from foreign countries can sometimes tip you over the edge.
Build up a network of support – business mentors, coaches, VAs, mastermind groups – people who you can turn to for advice and additional support when times are tough and you need a pep talk or some practical help.
Use online networks and communities like LinkedIn, Twitter & Mastermind Groups to stay connected with entrepreneurial colleagues and prevent those feelings of being stranded and all alone.
Emotional & Emergency Support
Living thousands of miles from friends and family can be tough for some people, no matter how much fun they’re having. Sometimes you just need to hear familiar voices and spend time with people who’ve known you for years.
It is important that you unofficially nominate someone to be your emotional support when you need this – it needs to be someone who won’t say, “Well you do live in paradise, you can’t expect everything to go your way” and someone who knows how to get you back on track with a little push when you need it.
Along similar lines, you should also nominate your ICE (In Case of Emergency) contact – and plug their details into your cellphone. This is the person you know you can call at any time of day or night no matter what, who you know will sort things out and not fall over in a blind panic themselves.
This doesn’t have to be the person with the most money/financial resources – but it should definitely be the most resourceful person. For instance, my brother is mine – he doesn’t have the finances to bail us out of anything much but he would be by far the most effective at mobilising the right resources to help us out in any situation.
Travelling the world and running a business from anywhere is a blast but, unless you’re Superman or Wonder Woman, the chances are you can’t do it all alone…build your support team as you go and you’ll never need to. Who’s in yours?
If you’d like us to form part of your Support Team or you’d like some help with any other area of your business, check out the support services we offer as part of our business – designed specifically for solopreneurs & small business owners – location independent or not.
