Location independent professionals take many different forms and this little walkabout has opened my eyes to the possibilities. While a majority of my research and activities to this point have involved computer based work, I have recently come to the obvious epiphany that spending too much time on the computer is unhealthy. Why not try to find the balance between computer based location independent work and trade based work?
We’ll dive into the options here, starting with the computer options for work and deviating into the hands-on vocations in a little bit.
Computer Based Location Independent Income Options
If you have a computer, understand how the Internet works and have an ounce of creativity, you can start an online based income generating “career”. Now, whether or not this endeavor can put food on the table and cover your traveling expenses as you wander about, free of location, is another question. Let’s look at the options.
1. Starting a Blog and Slapping some Ads on it.
Seems easy, right. Well, in theory, the concept is simple. Start a blog, write something meaningful and profound for your audience, build your traffic and slap some Google Adsense, affiliate marketing or private advertising in the sidebar and giggle all the way to the bank. Many people have worked hard and created something that both generates traffic for its advertisers and provides a valuable resource for its audience. Here are a few Big examples- though ads are not present on all of these- they still garner huge audiences, ProBlogger, HuffingtonPost , ZenHabits and 4HWW and here are a few smaller examples, Uncornered Market, Nerdy Nomad, Freelance Parent . Notice that each one uses some aspect of their passions and creates interesting content for people with similar interests and advertisers benefit from their traffic. I particularly love the ZenHabits advertising model. Rather than clutter the site with multiple ads, the author offers one spot for about $6K dollars a month on his home page and secondary pages. And he garners the traffic to justify charging that much. Fabulous.
2. Starting a Blog and Selling your Own Products.
Another method of generating passive revenue from the internet is to publish your own e-books or similar informational or artistic products and advertise them on your blog. The Art of Non-Conformity has done an excellent job of this, among others. Couple this concept with some affiliate marketing and you’re broadening your audience exposure and spreading your knowledge to those who can put it to good use. You might be thinking, “What the hell am I gonna write about?” Well, you have a talent, you have something about you that no one else can duplicate and you have spent at least a portion of your life in a job that requires some sort of brain power and skill. If not, well, that’s been addressed elsewhere in this blog, but its time for a new job. Take this knowledge and apply it in a unique manner to your blog. Do you spend your time at the office listening to your co-workers tell silly anecdotes at the lunch table that leave you with soda shooting out of your nose? Write them down and share them with your audience (but leave out the personal stuff like names). Do you know some obscure software programming language that took years to learn? Write about your knowledge and the odd problems you’ve encountered during your work. Are you a stay at home mom learning to knit while your kids are in school? Write about the process on a blog and share your progress with other crafty mothers. Write regularly for about a year or so, develop your voice and your style, build an audience, then publish all your content in an e-book. Put the ad on your site and use E-Junkie or something similar to sell your book.
3. Freelance, baby!
Are you a journalist or aspiring visual or written communicator getting downsized or never even getting your foot in the door? Welcome to the wonderful world of 21st century mass media. Fret not, mini-Hunter S. there are options. There are a multitude of options. Freelancing is a little cut-throat and unpredictable, but you can also work in your PJs and consume enough coffee for a small army while churning out articles for a content mill and paying your bills from the road. I know, because I’m doing it. Its not glamorous and at times I cringe at the poor use of my $20K dollar journalism degree, but hey, this $15 buck chuck content mill is feeding me and buying my next train ticket. I’m talking about an online content writing business and I freelance for one of the larger ones- who shall remain nameless. It took a little swallowing of my pride, but the act of developing a regular writing practice and business structure for my freelance writing has been invaluable. Such a position also builds your confidence if you’re just entering the freelance writing world and prepares you for bigger and better articles. And I know I can generate enough food money from anywhere in the world, if necessary. Scouring Craigslist for writing jobs and posting your resume and skills on E-Lance and Guru are also options for shoving your foot into the freelance door. Don’t quit your day job yet, but be diligent about developing the skills, both in writing and business, and you’ll be well on your way to building a location independent career that requires just your computer and an internet connection.
4. Selling your Wares to the Rest of the World.
Online marketplaces for all sorts of products litter the internet and allow independent minded folks to take advantage of making a living through a virtual store. Etsy, CafePress, Amazon and a gazillion other services exist for pimping out your products and artwork. Find an online forum of people in your industry or art world and see where they are selling their products online and what methods work best for them. Etsy is a wonderful place to sell your crafts and I’ve met three ladies this week who are making a part-time income from their crafting. If you are taking to the road, be sure you either have a small and light inventory, are selling digital assets (like photography prints from your online images) or use a fulfillment service to package and ship your products once they sell. A little creativity will take your store a long way while hitting the road. And don’t drop a bunch of cash on a e-commerce web site, create a wordpress blog using an e-commerce theme that links with a shopping cart from PayPal. Your site will look professional and be dynamic at a fraction of the cost of a complicated e-commerce web site from an expensive designer.
5. Consulting!
Consulting is an excellent way to take your hard-earned knowledge and make money from the road. Marketing this may become a challenge, unless you have a successful blog or Facebook friends in every city you travel to. But with a little research into your target market in future destinations of your travels or marketing Webinar’s online, you can provide consulting services to clients through the internet. Depending on your profession, you might be able to offer consulting services over the phone and with occasional in-person meetings throughout the duration of your consultation. Somewhere, someone wants to know how to do something that you are already an expert in, take advantage of your skills and help this person out! Consulting can open so many doors and future revenue streams.
A multitude of options exist for taking your income generation out of the mainstream and into uncharted waters- well, quasi-uncharted. Be creative, be bold and take action- the universe will respond with something fabulous and uniquely yours!
Part 2 to come shortly…
Built by Street Studios
Theme by Graph Paper Press
Subscribe to entries
Subscribe to comments
All content © 2010 by Storytelling from an Independent Traveler
