The Chris the Freelancer Podcast | Interviews with

Nick Nerov is a pro Amazon seller who went from cleaning windows in Toronto to running his Amazon business from locations around the world like Thailand, Croatia and Colombia. In this interview, Nick and I discuss dating and culture differences across continents, living in Medellin and his own entrepreneurial journey up until this point. Check Nick out at his YouTube channel for more advice specially on Amazon. Talking Points [01:23] How Nick and his friends found their apartment in Medellin – a 5 bedroom penthouse in El Poblado [05:27] How to Negotiate the price of your AirBnB (or anything for that matter) [07:20] Nick runs through the list of where he’s been in the last year and how he chooses destinations [09:31] Nick reveals his dream destination and an interesting festival he plans to attend there [13:16] How Nick learned Spanish [15:35] The difference in culture and dating between Asia and South America [19:40] A brief history of the pickup industry in Toronto [23:31] What it’s like to come home after living abroad [25:00] Nick’s entrepreneurial journey from window cleaning to Amazon FBA [31:22] What happens when you start to make passive income and become a nomad? [35:05] Nick’s plan to expand his Amazon business and move directly to the source [39:19] Sourcing products directly in China vs sourcing online [44:47] Why most people fail to make money on Amazon and what made Nick successful [48:37] Nick’s final advice for succeeding with Amazon FBA Links Mentioned AirBnB Never Split the Difference (Book) Kanamara Matsuri (Penis Festival) Baselang Spanish Training Pimsleur Spanish Training David Bond The Game (book) Alibaba.com Poorly Made in China (Book) Nick Nerov’s YouTube Channel The post 20: From Cleaning Windows to Travelling the World | Nick Nerov on his Entrepreneurial Journey with Amazon appeared first on Chris, the Freelancer.

Julian Goldie is a freelance copywriter and level 2 seller on Fiverr. He’s also the founder of King Passive, a website to help freelancers succeed on Fiverr and make passive income. After meeting in Chiang Mai, Chris and Julian re-unite in Medellin after almost a year of travelling the world. Talking Points [01:09] Coworking spaces in Medellin [03:13] Cost of living in Medellin [04:29] The Language barrier in Medellin [07:50] Medellin for digital nomads [11:15] Julian’s experiences in Playa del Carmen and Bali [15:30] Chiang Mai Withdrawals and cost of living in Medellin (cont’d) [20:35] Julian’s journey to making money online and what he does now [26:35] Making money with Fiverr [31:19] Getting started on UpWork and how it compares to providing services on Fiverr [35:40] Our corporate experiences before becoming digital nomads and what motivates to travel [38:55] Our conversation returns to Thailand and living in Chiang Mai [42:01] Hitting goals as a nomad and what’s next for both of us Links Mentioned Tinkko Coworking Space La Casa Redondo (Coworking Space) CoworkingC and Coco Coworking Space in Las Palmas Pimsleur Spanish Training Program Duolingo and Rosetta Stone Selina CoWork Medellin Dojo Coworking Space in Bali Nomad Cruise Medellin Destination Report Fiverr and UpWork Julian’s Website – King Passive Stephanie DanForth (Interview on Fiverr and UpWork) Julian Goldie’s Fiverr Account The post 19: Julian Goldie on Making Passive Income with Fiverr + Medellin for Digital Nomads appeared first on Chris, the Freelancer.

Johnny FD is a location independent entrepreneur who has lived in Thailand for over 5 years before deciding to give up his apartment and travel the world as a true ‘nomad’. Well-known in the drop-shipping community, Johnny started out building and selling Shopify stores and nowadays, shares his experiences with nomadic life and online business through his blog JohnnyFD.com and his podcast, the ’Travel Like a Boss Podcast’. Stay tuned as we discuss what it’s like to retire at 35 and what Johnny has planned post-retirement. Be sure to check out Johnny’s latest course on how to create online passive income from a blog, brand, or audience! Talking Points [01:46] A little word about how the new season of the CTF Podcast will play out and how Johnny runs his own podcast [04:55] How Johnny met Sam Marks, successful e-cig entrepreneur and now co-host of the ‘Invest Like a Boss’ podcast [07:50] Announcing retirement at age 35, achieving financial freedom and finding motivation post-retirement [10:39] How more money does not necessarily mean more happiness [13:08] Making the decision to retire from eCommerce and continuing with blogging and podcasting [17:43] An introduction to Johnny’s latest course, Income Boss and what motivated him to ‘come out of retirement’ [21:42] Leaving Chiang Mai to travel to places like Bali, Ukraine and Gran Canaria. [24:30] Feeling the need for a home base as you become more nomadic [26:04] Redefining the definition of word ‘retirement’ [28:50] Johnny’s plan to travel less and spend more time in the US, Gran Canaria and Chiang Mai [31:08] Why Johnny and I love Gran Canaria as a digital nomad destination [32:41] The negative side to living in Bali and why Chiang Mai is such a good alternative [38:46] Australia for digital nomads – two big problems which hold Australia back Links Mentioned The Travel Like a Boss Podcast The Invest Like a Boss Podcast Sam Marks’ Speech at Nomad Summit Johnny’s Latest Course – Income Boss Nomad Summit My review video for Las Palmas Johnny’s Blog – Johnny FD.com The post 18: Retired at 35 | Johnny FD on Creating Financial Freedom Through Passive Income appeared first on Chris, the Freelancer.

After one month as Digital Nomads in Ho Chi Minh City, Denise and I discuss our experience in the city and recap the first season of the Chris the Freelancer podcast. To read my full evaluation of our time in Ho Chi Minh City including Cost of Living and Coworking reports, check out my blog post. Talking Points [1:46] Cost of Living for short-term nomads in Saigon and our experience renting in District 1 [4:31] Vietnamese cuisine and eating out [9:58] Getting around in Ho Chi Minh City with Uber and Grab vs hiring a moped [15:58] Coworking in Saigon including Dreamplex, WORK Saigon and Nest by AIA [20:01] My search for the digital nomad community in Saigon, a discussion on the digital nomad mentality and the reason why I’m so passionate about the movement [28:01] Final words on Saigon [30:32] Closing words on the Chris the Freelancer podcast and a goodbye for now Links Mentioned Nomadlist.com Living in Saigon Vlog Chiang Mai Digital Nomads Facebook Group Dreamplex, WORK Saigon and Nest by AIA Alex’s YouTube Channel Kokois Cafe Next Steps Sign up for the Chris the Freelancer Mailing List Check out ‘How I Learned to Code’ Stay in touch on Social Media:  Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest A Few of My Podcast Recommendations Travel Like a Boss Smart Passive Income Tropical MBA The post 17: Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) for Digital Nomads and Goodbye for Now with Denise Lazaroo appeared first on Chris, the Freelancer.

Gabriel is a talented young man from the UK that I met at Beachub in Koh Phangan. There he works with his brother/co-founder on an early-stage startup called Moju, a platform for companies to find Instagram influencers. I met Gabriel early on during my visit to Koh Phangan but it wasn’t until I overheard a meeting with a prospective client that I decided to ask him on the show. Talking Points [1:25] An introduction to Gabriel and his startup Moju, a platform for finding Instagram influencers [3:29] How Gabriel and his co-founder have sourced prospective clients to help gather feedback in the early stages of the business [5:15] A little on Gabriel’s background as a developer and entrepreneur [8:15] Why he decided to work on his startup from Koh Phangan in Thailand [11:08] Travel, living abroad and the story behind Moju [14:54] How Gabriel learned the skills to start his own business and the challenges and benefits of living and working remotely [18:54] The future for Moju and it’s founders Links Mentioned Beachub River City Labs Startup Weekends The Lean Startup Amazon Web Services Gabriel’s Startup – Moju The post 16: Gabriel Harper on Building a Startup on the Beach in Thailand appeared first on Chris, the Freelancer.

Recorded on the island of Koh Phangan in Thailand’s south, today’s episode is a discussion on what it’s like to be a ‘tropical digital nomad’, living and working quite literally on the beach. Guido and Marjet are really good friends of ours that we met during our time in Koh Lanta. An experienced developer and a translator, Guido and Marjet offer two very different perspectives on the location independent lifestyle and an important reality check for newbies. Discussion Points [1:31] Guido and Marjet attempt to ‘paint the picture’ of what it’s like to live and work on a tropical island [5:58] How Guido convinced his employer (a large bank in the Netherlands) to allow him to work from Thailand (hint: it wasn’t hard) and why being a developer is probably the best career for working remotely. [8:43] How Guido & Marjet easily became a part of the community of nomads on Koh Phangan and a comparison on Koh Phangan to other Thai DN hotspots, Koh Lanta and Chiang Mai. [14:54] The beginnings of Guido & Marjet’s digital nomad journey and how Marjet transitioned from bartending to becoming a location independent translator. [22:10] Guido and Marjet’s top tips for newbie digital nomads and the realities of living the digital nomad lifestyle Links Mentioned Beachub KoHub Nomadlist.com The article on Pieter Levels that inspired my own DN journey My bali recommendations – Dojo and Hubud UpWork.com Fiverr.com The post 15: Koh Lanta vs Koh Phangan for Digital Nomads & a Reality Check for Newbies with Guido and Marjet appeared first on Chris, the Freelancer.

To listen to the announcement, click play on the player below: Otherwise, read on… If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you’ll have noticed a very particular format. Each week, I’ve been interviewing a new digital nomad guest but now things are gonna change. To explain what I mean, I’ve got to tell you a short story about this podcast. A few months back when I decided to launch this podcast, I had met a bunch of nomads so far on my journey who I felt had interesting stories to share. Stories that could inspire you to take action and experiences to learn from. From listening to other podcasts as a newbie, I was frustrated at how little time the guest and host would talk about the journey which lead them to location independence so in my own podcast, I decided to make the journey the centrepiece. The reason I’m telling you all of this is because something needs to change. Ever since I started the podcast, I’ve become increasingly busier and my list of guests who fit my specific criteria has gotten smaller. The podcast takes me a long time to edit but at the same time, the audience growth has virtually been zero. Honestly, I was considering shutting down the podcast all together but in the end, I simply couldn’t do it as I know that some of you guys probably get a bunch of value from it. So here’s what I’m going to do: 1. I’m opening up the format. This doesn’t mean that the podcast won’t be about location independence anymore or that we won’t have digital nomads on the show. It just means that I need to be flexible with it. Instead of this particular format that I made up arbitrarily, I want to understand more about what you guys are after and make podcasts based off of that. I’ve realised that I got the strategy wrong with podcasting. Unlike YouTube where I get instant feedback on each video with which I can use to improve each time, I don’t do any of that on my podcast. So here is my first call to action. Please, please. If you want me to keep making this podcast, go to the show notes and leave a comment letting me know what you want to hear. This will be something that I do on each episode from now on. Even if you wanna just say that you liked it or hated it. I appreciate any feedback you can provide me. 2. I want your feedback So. Here’s the deal. If this podcast is going to work, I need it to be more interactive. If you like the show, please, please, leave a comment below. Coming up on the podcast we have some new episodes I recorded in Koh Phangan but after that, I’m open to your suggestions. Thanks so much for your support. I will see you on the next episode of the Chris the Freelancer podcast. Until next time, Chris The post 14: The Podcast is Changing and I Need Your Help… appeared first on Chris, the Freelancer.

This week, I sit down with Steph Danforth, the freelance designer who has been travelling the world continuously for the last four years with husband, Nick Danforth. From living in a van in the United States to sightseeing in Europe, Steph has built her career 100% on the road. In this week’s episode, we talk about Steph’s keys to success on UpWork and Fiverr and the life lessons learned after so many years of work and travel. Use this link to check out Steph’s course on Freelancing using UpWork and get 15% off on signup. Talking Points [1:23] The beginnings of Steph’s nomad journey with husband Nick over 4 years ago, starting in a camper van, sightseeing in Europe and living in China [4:31] From working in a coffee shop to starting an Etsy store [7:23] Dabbling in Web Design and transitioning completely into location independent work and financial independence [11:17] How Steph decided on her career path and learned to code / design websites [16:28] How she built the skill of dealing with clients as a freelancer and how it ended up making the difference [19:38] How Steph got started on Fiverr and her advice for others wanting to succeed on the platform [25:38] The importance of building reviews and reputation on Upwork and Steph’s tips for meeting and exceeding client expectations [28:38] An introduction to Steph’s course on Successful freelancing on UpWork [30:29] Steph’s favourite locations to travel, to work and to connect with the nomad community [34:22] How Steph and husband Nick decide on where to go next and the biggest learnings they’ve had on their journey [38:27] Breaking the stereotype of being married and what it’s like to travel with a partner [41:12] The next stage for Steph and Nick and how they’ve inspired others to live an alternative lifestyle Links Mentioned Digital Nomad Girls etsy.com, upwork.com, fiverr.com Skillcrush Nick Danforth’s YouTube channel (Formerly Home Sweet Globe) Steph’s Udemy Course (15% off) The post 13: Steph Danforth on Succeeding with UpWork and Fiverr appeared first on Chris, the Freelancer.

From convincing you to have a beer with him on a Friday night to enticing you to buy a product online, Craig Wilson is a born salesman. An entrepreneur for many years, Craig finally decided to move his business operations completely online to achieve location independence. In this week’s episode from Chiang Mai, Thailand, we talk about the journey so far as well as the next stage for the always excited Craig Wilson. To find out more about Craig, visit his website at www.craig-wilson.com Talking Points [1:34] How Craig got started in business, going to college and working at the South African World Cup [5:50] Catching the travel bug and how he built his own marketing business without ever needing to take a regular job [10:00] The fallacy of offline networking and getting leads online [13:47] Moving his business online to free up time and go location independent [16:49] The brewing idea of location independence and making the decision to come out to Chiang Mai [23:44] Meeting people in Chiang Mai and other locations and adventures on Craig’s list [28:34] Leveraging time and pursuing passive income [32:54] Craig’s top goals and new courses [35:46] Craig’s number one top tip for those wanting to live location independently Links Mentioned Chiang Mai influencers – Adrian Ingram, Johnny FD and Nick Danforth Punspace Huay Kaew Residence Ewan McGregor’s Long Way Down Startup Diaries Snir Alayof The post 12: Craig Wilson on Going Remote and Moving out to Chiang Mai appeared first on Chris, the Freelancer.

Riley and I first connected in mid April of 2016 when we met to do an interview after I discovered Riley through his YouTube channel. The young, always excited Riley now lives his dream as a location independent entrepreneur after successfully building an Amazon business with his friend and business partner Parker Morris. Listen as Riley divulges over an hour about his own story as well as a wealth of tips and knowledge for starting your own successful business on Amazon. Talking Points [1:51] Visiting home and avoiding tax & exorbitant expenses by being in South East Asia [5:04] Discovering his adventurous side, a trip to Phuket, saving up for his first business with partner, Parker Morris and moving out to Chiang Mai for the first Dropship Lifestyle Retreat [15:11] Catching the travel bug in Phuket, Thailand [17:49] The decision to pursue working online as a means to move back to Asia and the experience of blogging about online business before he even had his own [22:39] Why drop shipping didn’t work for Riley but Amazon did [29:54] How to deal with risk as an entrepreneur and the mindset it takes to succeed [36:54] How Riley learned the business of Amazon and how you can do it too [40:29] The Amazon Gold Rush [46:15] The work it takes day-to-day as an amazon seller [54:46] How Riley and his business partner share responsibilities [57:52] Riley’s favourite locations: Ho Chi Minh City & Chiang Mai, Thailand and his experience in the Philippines [1:04:52] Chiang Mai vs Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) for digital nomads Links Mentioned: Johnny’s Podcast – Travel Like a Boss Tim Ferris – 4 Hour Work Week Johnny FD’s my $200 apartment video Punspace Coworking Space Riley’s Blog – livinthatlife.wordpress.com Dropship Lifestyle Riley’s First Store – portablehottubuniverse.com Amazing Selling Machine (Now Brand Genisis)  Riley’s YouTube Channel Chiang Mai vs Saigon Video A Day in the Life in Saigon – Riley’s Channel The post 11: Riley Bennett on Building a Business on Amazon appeared first on Chris, the Freelancer.

Around 2 years ago, Dylan Wolff made a decision to challenge himself and go after a completely new career as a remote web developer. An internal auditor for years, he decided that he wanted to learn a new skill and travel the world. Today, he works full-time as a location independent developer for distributed Ruby on Rails consultancy. I’ve previously featured Dylan’s story on my website in my inspiring nomads blog series and most recently on my YouTube channel where we answered viewers questions on becoming a remote web developer. In this week’s podcast, we go deep into Dylan’s story, how he learned web development, how he scored his first job and how he now travels the world, working remotely. Talking Points [01:40] How Dylan came to the realisation that he wanted to work remotely and travel the world and the steps he took to make it happen [5:38] Starting from Square one and becoming inspired by Pieter Levels [11:16] Making the choice to pursue web development and finding a firm that supports remote workers [14:12] The resources Dylan used starting out and his top tips for finding the time to code while working full-time [23:49] Knowing when you’re ready to look for work and his first experiences entering the workforce [34:49] The challenge of working solo [36:49] How Dylan managed to score a job that allowed him to work remotely from the get-go and what he would have done if it hadn’t been that way. [42:59] Travel experiences as a digital nomad and plans moving forward [45:59] How Dylan balances work and travel and dealing with multiple time zones [51:18] He favourite locations in the world to work from Links Mentioned Pieter Levels Hastag Nomads NomadList.com Slack & Basecamp Treehouse, Code School, Code Academy Thinkful Michael Hartle – The Rails Tutorial Pimsleur My first public vlog – Moving Out to Travel the World Our video together – How to become a developer J Space – Jeju Island Nick’s Blog Post on finding your own rhythm Dylanwolff.com The post 10: Dylan Wolff on Becoming a Location Independent Web Developer appeared first on Chris, the Freelancer.

Click here for show notes http://christhefreelancer.com/podcast/raphael-szmir/ While most entrepreneurs in Chiang Mai are chasing passive income, Raphael is on passionate mission to help young people with their gap year decisions. His startup, Années Sabbatiques (literally Gap Years in French) is an online portal for discovering gap year opportunities. Despite his dedication to Années Sabbatiques, Raphael has achieved his lifestyle goal of location independence and regular vacation time. Listen as Raph and I discuss his path to location independence and  the experience of building a startup on the road. Show Notes [2:32] A life-changing Gap year in Australia, catching the travel bug and making the choice to pursue travel after graduation [6:22] Taking the first steps towards location independence [7:52] How Raphael built his career and made it work within his ideal lifestyle [12:26] The importance of having a mission and working with companies who share it [17:16] How Raphael built the skills that allowed him to be location independent, his transition into working remotely and how he makes his work, work for him [23:31] Doing work that fulfils while still making money [24:46] Raphael’s Startup, Années Sabbatiques [28:37] The challenges of building a startup on the road, how Raphael went about gaining client work and the one client ended up making all the difference [35:31] The advantages of finding work before leave your home country [37:42] Raphael’s travel journey so far and the transition from backpacker to digital nomad [41:36] Raphael’s favourite places to work remotely [43:14] Raphael’s top tips for those looking to become location independent Links Mentioned Love Affair Travel podcast Pieter Levels – 12 startups in 12 months Natalie Sisson – Suitcase Entrepreneur Années Sabbatiques – Anneessabitique.com Episode 5 with Chris Chui Dylan’s Story The post 09: Raphael Szmir on Having a Mission and Building a Startup while Travelling appeared first on Chris, the Freelancer.

Adrian is a young guy from Melbourne, Australia who’s completely replaced his income with Kindle Direct Publishing. Using the platform, he earns more than a few thousand every month without the need for much ongoing work. I was lucky enough to meet Adrian through Johnny FD but it wasn’t until he started his own Facebook group that we started hanging out. In today’s episode, we talk about Adrian’s story, want lead him into KDP and how it’s changed his lifestyle. Talking Points [1:45] Growing up in Australia, taking a gap year and deciding that university wasn’t for him [2:35] How Adrian got his start in online business [4:02] Adrian’s approach to selling on Amazon and his driving motivation to earn enough to leave his job [6:17] The surprising results of his second kindle account after some time off and how fast you can expect to replace your income with kindle publishing [12:28] Forex trading and his own course, Freedom Self Publishing [17:31] The various ways that Chiang Mai Digital Nomads make money [18:26] The origin story of the Facebook group, Chiang Mai Dropshippers [20:22] Discovering the Digital Nomad community in Chiang Mai [24:47] A discussion on other top Digital Nomad destinations [29:22] How Adrian uses his time freedom to focus on health, fitness and looking into new business opportunities [32:14] Adrian’s blog and YouTube channel, Driven Living with a discussion on ‘YouTubing’ in general [38:54] Adrian’s advice for getting started in online business Links Mentioned: Stefan James Pylarinos – Kindle Money Mastery Adrian’s Course – Freedom Self Publishing Chiang Mai Dropshippers FB Group Johnny FD’s Blog and Podcast Adrian on Johnny FD’s Podcast Kohub in Koh Lanta, and Beachub in Koh Phangan Adrian’s YouTube Channel – Driven Living Casey Neistat Timothy Marc Dan Kennedy Wealth Creation Seminar The post 08: Adrian Ingram on Crushing It with Kindle Direct Publishing appeared first on Chris, the Freelancer.