For people who spend eight to 10 hours a day in the office, traveling seems to be a luxury that only the rich and famous can afford. How can we travel if we have to be at work from eight in the morning until six to seven in the evening? What kind of work will allow us to be our own boss without having to worry about a timecard? It is possible to travel the world and become a businessman. You only need to look at the hundreds of blogs littering the internet to know that others have done it and succeeded in it.
First, you have to find the right business. Look for someone selling a business because it is easier to take over a business that’s already up and running. Of course, you have to be on the lookout if there are any red flags in terms of finances, inventory, clientele, etc. If the business checks out, then make an offer for it. Considering the previous owner already has a staff in place, you can extend their contracts because they already know how to manage the business.
Taking over an already established business is the easiest route to becoming a traveler and an entrepreneur. However, this may not always work the way you imagined it. No, it’s not like you’ll never go home and check your business. You have to be there for the big events: product launches, quarterly inventories, and team meetings. Yes, you can join those virtually, but it matters for your employees to see you in action.
Time Management
If you want to travel and own a business, you have to manage your time well. If you need to hike a mountain in the afternoon, then make sure that you’re all good with your business meetings and reports in the morning. Don’t neglect your business because you think someone else is taking care of it back home.
That’s the biggest mistake you can make as an entrepreneur. Yes, you need to trust your people. But no, you cannot let them manage your business on their own. It is yours and not theirs. This is your responsibility.
Communication
You are going to do a lot of teleconferencing and messaging with your employees. They will report to you via teleconference. You will be presented with audit reports via the internet, too. If you’re not a good communicator, you will fail to guide your employees toward the goals of the company. As you learn the different languages of the places you visit, you must also learn that there is an internal language in the office.
Since you are not part of the office culture, you’ll be missing out on this. The only way for you to communicate your goals clearly is to make an effort to reach out to them. Don’t be left out of office gossip or updates about your employees’ lives. Make sure you’re still a part of the office family even though you’re always jumping from one country to the next.
Stress Management
Whether you’re on the job or on the road, stress will get to you. There are many things you can do to cut stress from your life, but the most important thing is to learn how to manage your stress. It can get overwhelming to be in a place that is new to you and then have to worry about a business back home. However, these are exactly the things that will teach you how to handle stress healthily.
Organization and Planning
You have to be organized all the time. You cannot jump on a plane today and expect everything to go well on the business front. Traveling and managing a business at the same time will challenge your organizational skills. If you are not a great planner, you may end up endangering yourself and your business while you’re trying to juggle these two very important things in your life.
So before you take on the heavy burden of being a traveler and an entrepreneur at the same time, make sure you’re great at these two things. Without thorough planning, you’re bound to get lost literally and figuratively. List down your plans both for your travel and business. Stick to the plan, yes, but also learn how to adjust as needed.
It is not impossible to see the world and manage a business. Thanks to technology, that’s now a thing. Entrepreneurs run businesses from the other end of the world. You just have to master a handful of skills first before taking yourself to Paris or Rome or as far as Rwanda.