Latest / The Life-First Solopreneur / 33. How to Successfully Become a Location-Independent Solopreneur With Debbie Arcangeles
Transcript
- Debbie Arcangeles (00:00): What inspires me from all the interviews that I have done is these people taking risks, really failing a lot, and doing something with those failures. And learning from that. Intro (00:11): Bigger doesn't always mean better. Welcome to the One-Person business podcast where people who are flying solo in business come first. Specific tips and advice to find success as a company of one. Here are your hosts, Joe Rando and Carly Ries. Carly Ries (00:30): Welcome to the One-Person Business podcast. I'm one of your hosts Carly Ries. Joe Rando (00:35): And I'm Joe Rando, Carly Ries (00:36): I'm so excited for our guest today because she can give a glimpse into just a type of lifestyle you can pursue as a solopreneur. Debbie Arcangeles is the founder of The Offbeat Life, a podcast and website that helps individuals ditch the cubicle to become location independent. Her main focus is to provide meaningful and effective tools that will make location, independence and lifestyle, not just a detour. You can also check out her new video series called Trying Remote, where she tries new remote jobs every month and shares the good, bad and reality of these work from anywhere positions. To check out all these resources, you can visit theoffbeatlife.com. Debbie, welcome to the show. Debbie Arcangeles (01:20): Hey, Joe. Hey, Carly. Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here. Carly Ries (01:24): This will be a really fun one. Let's start way back in the beginning. Can you elaborate on your bio and explain what got you so interested in the location independent lifestyle? Debbie Arcangeles (01:35): Yeah, absolutely. So, I don't know, maybe four and a half, five years ago, I was still at my day job and it wasn't something creative. I've always loved being creative. I was a photojournalist, I was an art teacher, I was doing a lot of these things and then, I just failed a a lot of them, right? I started a few businesses, they failed, and I thought, why not just do a regular job for a while because these other things are just not working out. Then while I was doing that, I could pursue what I wanted to do as well. Because, you need a lot of money to live in New York City. So I did that and it ended up being almost a decade of me working a regular job. (02:19): I was just at the end, around maybe the sixth or seventh, maybe even five year mark, I started really being unhappy with what I was doing. At that time I also was pursuing my photography. I was documenting all over the world. I was meeting a lot of digital nomads. I would just talk to them, I would interview them and just try to understand how they were able to travel and also make money and make the sustainable, and not just a detour, right? Not just a two week vacation that you can do. So that really allowed me to see what life could be outside of the "normal life" that we are living or most of us are living. That's really how The Offbeat Life Podcast started, with that curiosity. I thought if I had all of these questions, maybe other people would have them too, and it would just be nice to share them with everybody and not just keep these, answers, and honestly secrets to myself. So that's how it all began. Carly Ries (03:24): So Debbie, you and I were laughing offline that we both are location independent, yet you're in New York and I'm in Colorado, and it's February. We could be in the tropics right now, But the point of it is, we can be where we want to be and it's nice, but there are so many solopreneurs that don't take that leap and that don't want to take that leap or people who wanna be solopreneurs. What kind of excuses do those people have that you've seen, and how can they overcome them? Debbie Arcangeles (03:51): Most of the time when I talk to people who wanna do this lifestyle, but they haven't taken the leap yet, is just of fear, right? And it could be a lot of things. Sometimes you kind of just make it up or you put that obstacle for yourself so you have an excuse why you shouldn't do it. The main thing that most people think about is making money. How can I do this? If I leave my job, then I won't be able to make a living and et cetera, et cetera. There's I'm afraid, what if it doesn't work out? What if I lose this job and it's not gonna be there? I say to all of that, if you have the chance and the opportunity and it's something that you really want to do, then just do it. Go for it. (04:36): When you're talking about income and money, you can always do a few things. You can either save before you leave, so it's not like a huge leap, right? Or you can actually find a remote job that can allow you to make money while you are traveling. So there are a lot of answers to these questions that you have. You just have to go out there and find it. I always find that the people who really want it, make it happen. So most of the things that come up is just at the end of the day, an excuse for yourself if you don't go out and see where life can lead you. Carly Ries (05:14): Yeah. if you want to dip your toes. Solopreneurs, since they run their own business, they're not necessarily looking to work for another company, but while they're saving, while they're trying to do all that, it doesn't hurt to work for another company while you're testing the location independence, while they're trying to grow your entrepreneurship, and your one person business from there. So that is great advice. Ffor people who wanna go off alone, what is the first thing they should think about when it comes to location independent lifestyle? And is it right for everybody or are there some people that it doesn't suit? Debbie Arcangeles (05:45): Yeah, absolutely. Like you mentioned Carly, you have to really dip your toes in it. One of the things that you have to think about is that just because your location independent, it doesn't mean you can just do whatever you want. There's still a schedule. You still have to think that if you are a solopreneur, you are going to have clients, you're gonna have meetings, you're gonna have to do all of these different things. So you need to have a schedule. And it's not just you gallivanting all around the world with no responsibility. So there is a lot of responsibility. If anything, it's actually a lot more than if you had a regular nine to five, because once the nine to five ends, you can do whatever you want with your life, right? But as a solopreneur, you may have employees to take care of. You may not do nine to five, you may do seven to 10, sometimes. So it's more involved, but at the end of the day, it's so much more rewarding if it is something that you really absolutely want to do. And then those hours start getting smaller once you have a team, once you are starting to create income and you have a whole system that you've created for your business, Carly Ries (07:01): Absolutely. What are some obstacles people face while being location independent, and how would you recommend they combat those? Debbie Arcangeles (07:08): One of the major things that you can really face is if you go to, for example, a different time zone, that's one of the things, right? Because there's certain clients that you have that you have to work around their schedule sometimes. And another thing is not being able to concentrate if you're constantly on the move. If you are a digital nomad, that will happen. Because you're in a different location, you want to see everything, but then you get distracted. Of course, you also have to create income, and that distraction can really be pretty bad for you. But I do say that there is a difference between someone who's location independent and someone who is a digital nomad. Now a digital nomad is somebody who constantly moves to different locations and they travel and then maybe they stay there for a few weeks, a month or so, and then they move on. But location independent just means that you can technically work from anywhere and you have the freedom to work from anywhere, but you can stay in one location. Like you and I are doing. I'm not constantly traveling. My husband and I go down south during the winter, and then we come back or maybe we'll travel for a few weeks or a few months, but we usually just stay in one spot. We don't gallivant around the world. Well, especially not with the pandemic . Carly Ries (08:36): Are there any hacks you would recommend people implement to make this type of lifestyle easier when they are on their go, whether it be tools, processes, et cetera? Debbie Arcangeles (08:46): Yeah, so honestly, it's all about experimentation and really figuring out what is right for you. Because sometimes what could work for me doesn't work for you. One of the things that I always found helpful is to create a schedule for yourself. I know that may seem really counterintuitive, especially when you leave the regular nine to five and you're kind of putting yourself in another schedule. But at the end of the day, it's a schedule that you are giving yourself and not what somebody else is giving you. So you have complete control over that. For example, if you're somebody who is a morning person and you wake up at 4:00 AM and then you end work at 2:00 PM you're good to go. Or if you're a night person, you start at 3:00 PM and you end at 11 or whatever it is that you want to do. That could be on your terms, on your schedule. (09:36): So really figure out what type of a worker are you, and take advantage of that. I always say, don't look at other people telling you, you have to be a morning person, you have to do these like morning rituals. If that's not something that you like to do, if that is actually a hindrance to you, don't do it. Do what feels right for you and experiment with that. Just take it with a grain of sand. Get people's advice, but at the end of the day, always try it out yourself first to get what is best for you. Carly Ries (10:08): That is great advice. I want to circle back. I'm so glad that you clarified the difference between a digital nomad and being location independent. But gosh, I hope we go back to 2019 days at some point in the near future. And let's say there are solopreneurs that are waiting for that day to come to really make the leap when we can travel again, when we can go all over the place. Do you have any travel tips for people running a one person business that might be on a tight budget when they first start getting started? Debbie Arcangeles (10:38): Yeah, absolutely. There are a lot of different options for you. I live in New York City and this is one of the worst places you could go to be a digital nomad because obviously it's very expensive here. But I would say look at places that are affordable, places that you like. If you like more tropical places, you can look at South America, Southeast Asia, even Eastern Europe. Obviously it's not tropical there, but it's just more affordable and your money is gonna go a long way. Also, I have talked to hundreds and hundreds of remote entrepreneurs, digital nomads, and I know that a lot of them are still, even through the pandemic, they've actually been traveling even through this whole situation. It's just been a lot harder. But you can still do it. (11:29): And I think right now, more things are opening up. So if you really wanna do it, if you have the will, there's a way, as they say. So I guess just do your research, see what you really love. Again, if you want to be in the tropics, go to those places. Go there on maybe a one way ticket. See if you like it, if you don't find another ticket somewhere else. So that's, that's really freedom. At the end of the day, you do have that freedom to bounce back and forth wherever you wanna be. Carly Ries (12:00): Now a quick word from our sponsor, (12:03): Sponsor (12:03): You may be going solo in business, but that doesn't mean you're alone. In fact, millions of people are in your shoes running a one-person business and figuring it out as they go. So why not connect with them and learn from each other's successes and failures. At Lifestarr, we're creating a one-person business community where you can go to meet and get advice from other solopreneurs. Be sure to join in on the conversations at community.lifestarr.com. (12:22): Carly Ries (12:22): So Debbie, I wanted to have you on because we are big about solopreneurs who are taking the leap into entrepreneurship for the lifestyle, not necessarily the money, but for just the freedom. And I thought you'd be so inspiring as you are so far in this episode. But like you said, you've talked to hundreds and hundreds of people who are living the location independent lifestyle. Do you have a story from one of your guests that is one of your favorites that you think would help inspire entrepreneurs wanting to take the leap? Debbie Arcangeles (13:00): There have been so many stories, and honestly, I feel like every time I talk to somebody, every interview that I have, really inspires me. And not just to travel, not just to do business, but to be better, to be a better person. I think the stories that really stand out to me, and there have been a lot of them, I can honestly say that, and I've been very fortunate to interview a lot of really inspiring people, is when I've talked to people who had these huge adversities. I've talked to guests who were really sick or they lost somebody in their life and it took them that tragedy to actually do something with their life, right? To start doing something that they actually love. One of the things that I learned from that, and what they told me too, is it's unfortunate that we have to get to that point where we have to be in a situation where there is a tragedy or something happens to us where we think we're about to die, that that's when we want to finally do something with our life. (14:04): And that really makes me think, what could we become if we actually just take a leap of faith on ourself and not necessarily because there is something that is a tragic, thing that happens in their life. I think a lot of people stay where they are because they wanna wait for that moment to push them. And sometimes there isn't, sometimes your life is just okay, right? There's nothing really bad, there's nothing really good. But at the end of the day, I think the worst thing that can happen, for me personally, is just to live an okay life. And I don't wanna live an okay life. I wanna live an incredible life that when I'm old, someday I can look back and say, I remember all of these things because I a risk. And that's really what inspires me from all the interviews that I have done. These people taking risks, really failing a lot and doing something with those failures and learning from that. So I think that's what really inspires me from that. Carly Ries (15:08): So I'm actually gonna go out of order here. Usually we end the episode asking our guests what their favorite quote about success is. But I feel like we're on such a motivation kick right now. I don't want to end it. Do you have a favorite quote about success? Debbie Arcangeles (15:22): For me, I can't think of it on top of my head, but honestly, for me, failure really leads you to success. That's what I firmly believe. That is what I have encountered. That's what has happened to me. And it's just changing your mindset once you really take that out of your head when you're thinking to yourself, Hey, I failed. I'm such a loser, or I can't believe I did this again. And I definitely used to think that, and I still do think that sometimes. But I definitely switched that up and I'm like, what can I learn from this situation? So I guess my favorite saying, I don't know if this is a quote, but failure really leads to success because without failure you're never gonna learn. And everything is just easy. I honestly think that is really boring when you're just winning at everything. , Carly Ries (16:15): Well, if it wasn't a quote before, it certainly is a quote now and you can take the credit for it. provided nobody else already has Debbie Arcangeles (16:22): . Exactly. We'll see Carly Ries (16:24): Well, and actually I can't believe this has gone by so fast. We are down to our last question now, which is, do you have any resources you think would be helpful for people who are running their own business who want to become location independent? Debbie Arcangeles (16:37): Yeah, absolutely. I'm just gonna put it out there. It's selfish, but you can go to TheOffbeatlife.com. We have a ton of resources there for people who want to start working remotely. Also it's kind of the digital nomad Bible. You can read the Four Hour Work Week by Tim Paris. Carly Ries (16:59): That is what inspired my husband and I, so right there with you, Debbie Arcangeles (17:01): . Exactly, another book that I think is really amazing is, How to Win Friends and Influence People. I think it's a really great way to understand relationships with people. Starting a business is not just about what you're doing. Most of it is really about the relationships that you're building. Whether with your client or with your team. So I think that's a really great book to go into. The last one that I would recommend, by David Goggins, I forgot the name of the book but it talks about really persistence and David Goggins is an incredible human being who went through so much with his life. I think that could also help somebody who maybe it's hard to take failure sometimes and switch your mind up when you read what David Goggins had to go through. How many failures he went through, and how he overcame that. Joe Rando (18:08): Is that called Can't Hurt Me. Debbie Arcangeles (18:09): Yes, yes. Carly Ries (18:11): Good to know. Yeah, I mean that's the lesson. All of these resources will be in our show notes. I'll have a link to that as well as your website and with your website, TheOffbeatlife.com. Can people find your social handles and everything on that too? Debbie Arcangeles (18:23): Yes, absolutely. You can find me on there. I'm mostly on Instagram and it's the same, it's theoffbeatlife. So I'll be there. You can send me a message or send me an email wherever Carly Ries (18:36): Perfect. Well this was such an inspiring episode for people that are looking to take that leap into location independence. She's a great resource. Again, you don't have to be a digital nomad to be a location independence, so keep that in mind. Debbie, thank you so much for coming on our show. We really appreciate you taking the time today. Debbie Arcangeles (18:58): Thank you so much Carly and Joe, I really appreciated being invited here. It was fun. Thanks Carly Ries (19:03): So much. It sure was. And, listeners, there you have it. To listen to other episodes and subscribe, be sure to visit lifestarr.com/podcast or anywhere you subscribe to your shows. We'll see you next time. (19:19): Closing (19:19): You may be going solo in business, but that doesn't mean you're alone. In fact, millions of people are in your shoes running a one-person business and figuring it out as they go. So why not connect with them and learn from each other's successes and failures. At LifeStarr, we're creating a one-person business community where you can go to meet and get advice from other solopreneurs. Be sure to join in on the conversations at community.lifestarr.com