Location Independent Logisitical Dilemmas and the Search for Solutions

For those who are new to the location independent lifestyle this is a little foray into the logistical issues of place and identity based on home, when the actual ‘home’ is arbitrary.

I recently decided to become a location independent ‘professional’.  In essence, trying to make a living doing work that has no relation to my geographic location.  As long as there is an internet connection and a computer, I am in business.

My lunchtime office in Walla Walla, Wa

That said, there are some essential business issues that must be addressed.  In a traditional business model, these factors would not be an issue at all, just a given.  What is my mailing address?  What phone number do I use?  And in what area code does that phone number reside? What state do I incorporate my business in and what is my official business structure?  Can I have an LLC and be totally free from the declaration of a  location?  Does my stated ‘location’ influence my potential business clients and will my existing clients be ok with paying their invoices through PayPal, since the issue of ‘the check’s in the mail’ doesn’t apply to someone with no address.

Many important questions with a multitude of answers.  By nature, I am an analyzer and problem solver.  I analyze everything to death and with the cornucopia of information that exists on the web, I’ve researched all these previous questions at length over the past 10 years or so that I’ve been freelancing.  Due to recent vagabonding events, I’ve reached a breaking point where nothing with my name and address on it is accurate- I don’t even have a driver’s license that is legible. (I was fortunate enough to get a drivers license from a defunct batch and all the ink has since worn off- I carry my passport as proof that I exist).  And sadly, I’ve not been able to decide on a state to live in long enough to commit to spending a morning with that state’s DMV office.  Sounds trite and irresponsible, but when you struggle the association of identity and geographic space, this is a big deal.
The major dilemmas of place & business

So, I’m going to tackle each of the above stated issues with a little insight and some links to helpful resources I’ve found on the web.  If you’re location independent, or thinking of spending extended periods of time on the road (i.e.. long documentary projects overseas- yes, we can dream) then the next few paragraphs are for you.  And please add your two cents to the comment section.

1.  The Mailing Address. This is a big one!  It effects everything from your bank accounts to the state in which you can get in-state residency should you choose to re-enter the protective umbrella of academia.  I have struggled with this for years!  But, with the recent movement of location independent living, there are options!  The obvious would be to find a state you like, in a city that’s bearable and a place you’d want to consider ‘hanging your hat.’ Assuming you’ve found that you then have two options- a PO Box with the USPS and a PO Box at a private company like Mail Boxes Etc.   While the latter is more expensive, they also have a physical shipping address for Fed Ex and UPS and can also forward all your mail once you land in a place for longer than a week.  While the USPS box is cheaper, there are two glitches; you need someone to pick up the mail while you are gone (or have a hold put on it) and a PO Box requires a drivers license from the state its located.

Recent technological developments have presented a third option, a mail service.  Businesses are springing up that deal directly with the location independent lifestyle.  Earth Class Mail is a service, that for a fee, will provide you with a physical address, get your mail, scan the envelopes for you and do one of three things for you after you open your email and see your scanned envelopes.  Recycle it, shred it (for a fee) or scan all the contents and email you the documents.  You can then have it shredded or forwarded to you.  Honestly, there are mixed reviews about this online, some love it, some hate it.  I am still not 100% sold, but I’m sick of not having an ‘address’ and of not being able to have all my official crap (banks, taxes, etc) reference the same address.

Personally, I’m leaning towards going completely digital with 97% of all my ‘paperwork’ and communications and I think a service like Earthmail helps me reach a paperless life.  But, at what cost remains to be seen.  Read more about a paperless work life here, several of my links came from this post on 4HWW.

2.  The Phone Number. Oyyy! That’s one I struggle with almost more than the mailing address.  I have a Blackberry (and a like/hate relationship with it) with a 5 year old phone number, and quite frankly, I’m about to cancel that and go to a prepaid phone linked to Google Voice.  I hate cell phones and would love nothing more than to be inaccessible by phone except for a few dear friends who I love to catch up with by phone and my family, of course.  So, there are multiple phone options for the location independent professional, here are a few I’ve researched/used.
~ Skype. Its free, its simple and I like it.  And for the cost of a latte, I get my own phone number at a location I choose.  If I’m in a location for more than a few months and want to market my business locally, I can get a local number for $2.95 a month.  This allows people without Skype to call me for free.  I can then return the call on my cell or the Skype phone.  They have a wide range of business services that I have yet to tap into, but I’ll be canceling my Blackberry in a couple weeks and I’ll update you on the Skype migration.
~ Google Voice. This is an interesting option.  I am personally on the fence for this one, though I did obtain an invitation to join and set up my phone number the other night.  This service is new and still in Beta, but essentially, it acts as a message center for your phone.  I don’t truly understand exactly what the service does (neither do alot of people- their forums and reviews are very mixed) but what I took away is that the number can forward your calls to a designated cell or land line and you can direct certain contacts to certain phones (i.e.. your client’s calls can go to voicemail, your friends to your home phone).  What I really like about this service is its ability to transcribe and email or SMS your voicemail to you.  While the conspiracy side of me wants to run away from this screaming violations of privacy, the entrepreneur in me thinks- great, I can give a number and receive all my messages by email.  Fabulous.  I am famous for letting voicemails pile up 10-15 at a time and then dreading the actual listening to all of them.  Voice communication is one of my business weaknesses, so I’m clinging to the hope that this will help alleviate my affliction.
So, for the time being, I’ll be using a combination of Google voice- forwarded to my Skype with all messages emailed to me once a day.  Simple, fabulous and hopefully, sustainable.

3.  OK, incorporate and in what state? There is no easy answer for this.  I have researched and wrestled with this for years!  And, as my sister might confirm, this is a question for a lawyer, not me.  But, for my purposes, the LLC seems to be the way to go, though when the ‘World Dominating Stewie (from Family Guy)’ pops into my head I start thinking a C Corp and world domination would be the best option. Seriously, take a second and watch this- wonderful!

Again, a topic for another day.  But, for me, an LLC makes the most sense, so, in what state?  Nevada and Delaware are options, for tax reasons but then I have to wonder if it might be easier to incorporate in the state I live in, then I remember I don’t claim a state of residency, so I have to wonder, does it matter?  And well, it probably doesn’t.  So, I don’t have any answers on this one, so I’ll post a few websites that may clarify some of the incorporation issues and let you follow the threads and decide for yourself.  While incorporating isn’t necessary, sole proprietorship and the self-employed are among the higher taxed individuals and are libel for anything that could happen in conjunction with the operation of their business.  Pre-tax dollars go farther if you’re incorporated.

4.  Getting Paid on the Road. This is a biggie!!  If you don’t have a mailing address or don’t receive your mail regularly, how are you going to get paid??  I recently stumbled onto invoice fulfillment services through PayPal and tried it out on one of my web site clients.  It took only a few minutes to create the invoice and email it to my client.  He was then able to pay it through his own Paypal account, which gave him the option of paying by check, credit card or Paypal.  Fabulous!  Paypal charges about 3% on the total and $0.30 per transaction, but getting paid quickly and efficiently is worth the fee.  But, if you invoice over $3000 a month there are some restrictions.  The Earth Class service  also has a check cashing service for its clients, but from my research it was a little pricey and difficult- but if you issue invoices often and are a high-roller, it may be a solid option for you.

5.  Perception of the Location Independent Professional. Well, this has been written about recently, so here is a link to the dialogue on a Location Independent Professional website.  I personally think that, at least for smaller businesses like mine, you are going to form a personal relationship of sorts with your clients and they are going to understand that you are nomadic, by nature.  In fact, they are usually rather supportive of your nomadic tendencies and are not deterred by your frequent leaving, as long as their work is taken care of.  That’s the key point.  You must maintain that working relationship and always keep the client informed that you are on the road but still accessible.  Notify them in advance of your schedule and finish all essential work prior to departure.  If that’s not possible, be sure that you stay connected and let them know your whereabouts in regards to their project.  I have answered emails from airports, trains, hostels, huts and on the streets of San Francisco while working on a project.  Your client will appreciate the fact that you are still tending to their needs as you are out experiencing the world.  Just maintain the same level of professionalism that you have at home and be sure to finish the project on time.  I’m still rather new at getting clients while on the road (most of my past client work is generated while in one location) so I can’t really speak to this just yet.  But as the tethers to traditional business methods are slowly severed and redefined, I’m sure this will change.

To wrap it up…finally!

The location independent professional has many issues to address in bringing this lifestyle to fruition.  Issues of location association and place are huge.  Taking that one step further, our personal identity based on these factors is also something that should be addressed, but that’s an issue for another time.

Please feel free to add your own resources and location independent tidbits to the comment section.