Five years ago I set off with a vision of a dream job. It was one where I had a life outside of the office, which is not very hard to do. I also wanted to split my year between two states; Utah and Montana. Ok getting harder. I wanted to continue to ski and fish as much as possible. Even harder yet. I wanted to live in fairly remote places with good access to the outdoors and still run a profitable business. Impossible? I thought not and still don’t. Thanks to today’s technology the possibilities seem endless. Living and working in paradise has its ups and downs, but in the end if it is paradise to you then it is all worth it.
Challenges:
Technology
This is number one on my list for a few reasons. For many people living in paradise may be downtown in some city and that is all well in good. For many people paradise is defined by a beach, in the mountains or just plain solitude. Those clichéd places of paradise don’t often have the best technology that your normal city might have. Your picture perfect paradise may or may not be limited by technology. Define what is necessary for your business and determine your paradise spot based on those items that are absolutely necessary. You also may find solutions that you didn’t know existed. I don’t have a cell signal for 15 miles, but I figured out a way to make my cell phone work. Your particular spot in paradise might be partially restricted by technology but I bet you will be happy with where you end up.
Networking
Staying connected and growing your business network while living in paradise can be tough. While you may make some sacrifices by commuting a bit further to network you probably won’t mind. Also, consider other networking options like inbound networking. With today’s technology online networking has become increasingly common. In addition those that you are able to successfully add to your network will appreciate you and your business when they learn more about where you live and how you operate.
Growing
Growing your business from paradise can be tough. With today’s online acceptance though there are new avenues to help grow your business. Many business owners are becoming more accepting of the idea of remote or virtual work and therefore virtual selling. Using inbound marketing to your advantage can literally bring the leads to your door. Most likely you will still find yourself with those leads or customers that will just not budge and are stuck in their onsite ways. You will have a choice; ignore them as potential customers or figure out a way to deliver to them. You can deliver by having an onsite sales and operations employee where you home base is. That will allow you to service those customers that still need that face to face service. You can focus on driving inbound leads and growing remote business.
Sure working in paradise has its challenges. However, with today's technology the reality is you can work almost anywhere. I guarantee that if you can pull off working in what you consider paradise you will never be happier. You wake up happy and refreshed every day and can't wait to get to work. You feel great about yourself and you are proud. In the end it is a healthy move and it will have a very positive impact on your life and your business.
