Money, Money Money

Now we are in Act 2 of our 30 day blog challenge we are getting down to the nitty gritty of how to make money online as a lifestyle entrepreneur. And Natalie hits the spot – it’s difficult to figure out ways I can make money that don’t seem scammy or out of kilter with my values

Online Admiration

Day 9 and I’m finally publishing on the right day, small miracles hey?

Today we were asked “Whose online business do you admire and why?”

My initial response

Erm…Amazon?

Because it’s one of the few places I shop online, because I don’t do much shopping, because I’m saving all my money to travel the world. But Amazon is competitive on price, offers free delivery and has reliable product reviews and is quick and easy to use once your purchasing decision is made.

What tools do i need to create my perfect lifestyle?

Back to the challenge today and we are talking about the tools and resources we need to create our perfect lifestyle, tools to maintain our mindset. Although Natalie recommends online tools like Penzu journalling, yoga and meditation apps, I prefer to work offline, there’s less distractions, (plus I have limited data!)

Blank Canvas

I work best with a blank sheet of paper, either a blank Word doc if I’m writing or a large sheet of paper and coloured pens for brainstorming I also make good use of post notes, real and digital, for jotting down thoughts and since upgrading to Office 13 I’ve been using the One Note notebook to collect ideas on common themes.

Hydrotherapy

I feel more energised and revitalised by a Jacuzzi, or spa pool, I can’t currently manage to fit this into my daily lifestyle, but sometimes even just a power shower can be enough to reset my mind.

Lists lists lists

I have a list for everything to help keep me organised, and I love crossing things off when completed. This helps me to keep on track as I often allocate timings to my lists too.

There’s nothing ground breaking or innovative in my ‘toolkit’ and I start to question myself and my productivity when I take a peek in my procrastination kit; there’s Faceboook, candy crush, endless cups of tea and biscuits, afternoon siestas, email checking, browsing blogs for inspiration… Until I read Curt’s post and realised that my lists are essentially a time management system and my documents, notebooks and post it notes are my content management system.

But my toolkit is far from complete and I’ll be adding to it throughout this challenge (as i hopefully start to develop a business model i can take out on the road with me). Following Curt’s advice again,  I need to create a contact management system. Since I don’t have a business yet, I don’t have a mailing list (something I need to add to my list) but I do have twitter lists and Hootsuite news feeds which need organising better to form the basis of my social media contact system.

I also need to overcome one of the biggest problems I face every time I sit and write a blog post - finding the right picture. I don’t want to trawl sites for free to use images so I would like to add an image creation system to my toolkit, and will be checking out some free software as recommended by Martina. 

What tools do you recommend that I should add to my toolkit?

The 30 Day Blog Challenge is run by Natalie Sisson, The Suitcase Entrepreneur. Join in and discover how to create freedom and adventure in life and business through location independence. Plus – enter to win prizes – including a $500 blog coaching session with Natalie!

If you’re following the challenge please drop by and say hello :) Leave a link to your blog and I’ll be sure to check it out!

Read Day 9 >>

Online Admiration 

<< Read Day 6 

My 9 point plan to living life on my own terms

What did you want to be when you grew up ?

I’ve already written my response to Day 3’s question on what freedom and adventure means to me, but I also wanted to go back and explore some of the other themes in Natalie’s blog post on reclaiming your childhood dreams of what you really wanted your life to look like.

As a kid had an active imagination and used to write out stories on my electric typewriter, (yes typewriter, yes I am that old). I would have made an excellent teen blogger, but the technology came a little too late and at too high a price for me. I dreamed of seeing my name in print on a book cover or a magazine byline. Even now I get a bit of a thrill when I publish a blog post, knowing that my words are out there in digital print. Probably one of the reasons why I was drawn to a career in marketing, and producing copy for e-mails, catalogues, websites, brochures, promotions... So I think this is still something I can pursue and build a business on. Of course I will also write a novel one day, one day when I have the time and freedom to write with a clear head, from a terrace or patio overlooking the beach or the mountains, where it’s peaceful and calm and inspiration can find me.

Zombie Apocalypse Adventure

You might have noticed that I haven’t blogged for a few days, not because I’ve given up on the 30 day blog challenge, but because I’ve been off on an adventure, and that’s what the challenge is all about right, creating freedom and adventure!

Here’s a little overview of what I got up to on my Zombie Apocalypse Adventure this weekend.

Situation: The Charnock Mansion is under zombie attack, the army have been called in, but after losing all his men Sergeant Chips calls on the Counter Zombie Unit for back up.

Have I got the right mindset to be a suitcase entrepreneur?

I’ve travelled solo a number of times, relocated to new cities, and even left my family, friends and partner behind to study in France for a year back in 2002. And despite flood of tears and pangs of intense loneliness at times, I’ve had some amazing experiences and met some awesome people along the way. I’ve already road tested some of my capabilities and know some of my limits – both physically and mentally.

But I’ve never run my own business, I don’t know what I’m capable of, or at works for me, how good I would be at winning new clients, or at charging them for the work I do. I’m no stranger to being out of my comfort zone but do I have the guts, perseverance, self belief, determination and bundles of energy required to become an entrepreneur? Can I create innovative products and services that make an impact and help others?

Why am I doing this again?

I love discovering new places and feel like my purpose in life is to see the world (hence my Bucket List of the World). When I go on holiday I always make an effort to visit places beyond my resort or local area, cramming in as much as I can in between soaking up some rays on the beach.  I didn’t get the chance to take a gap year to go travelling so even though I am in my thirties, I am child free and  mortgageless so the time to do it seems to be now!

I have even started to plan my route and build my budget through Eastern Europe to Dubai checking bus and train connections, accommodation options and cost of living. I have a vision off slow travel to make the most out of each stop not just hop from one place to the next counting a country as visited  because I passed through and spent an hour in the bus station!