Hey guys, while I know for some of you this will be news, but I recently moved out to Chiang Mai, Thailand to pursue my dreams of building a truly location independent business. Though it certainly has been an amazingly wonderful experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone, this isn’t a travel blog with Anthony Bourdain. We best get into the important aspects of why you should care.
The Entrepreneurial Alone
Before moving out to Thailand I lived with my parents. Having just graduated college as a 23 year old guy this wasn’t all that uncommon, especially for entrepreneurs looking to bootstrap a business and build something on the cheap. Really mom and pops can be a powerful, if humbling tool to make this happen.
There is one fatal flaw however and I for the life of me was utterly blind to the inescapable truth which isolated entrepreneurship brings. I worked tirelessly, day in and day out trying to build a business. I was blogging, podcasting and of course editing all my own episodes. I had consulting work, clients to please, guests to email and of promotion to get people interested in learning about Kickstarter and all that Art of the Kickstart could possibly do. In other words I was doing everything on my own.
Worse still I was stranded in my lonely little neck of the woods in Peachtree City, GA. I was isolated from others in the world of inventions, entrepreneurship and startups. And I know you have all been there. Parents, friends, colleagues and acquaintances cannot understand you, your lofty goals or all you are trying to achieve. From weird looks, glazed eyes or even outward anger, many(but not all) seem almost internally opposed to your vision of creation and business.
Even of those interested and excited about your plans, few offer anything of meaning. Words of encouragement, advice without experience or any number of other issues affront inventors, innovators and worldchangers when confronted with much of society.
These subtle yet unsupportive nuances and emotions are incredibly damaging for individuals looking to create and prosper. And unfair and harsh as it may seem, this is the way of the world. People aren’t intentionally adding strife or subduing your goals, it is merely the subconscious response to change we all avoid. Get outside these typical spheres of influence. See the world in a new light.
Honestly I was stuck in a rut with my business. Processes were stagnant, ideas and innovations seemed excessive and much of my effort was focused on merely maintaining the same path I’d been plugging along at. Foolish…I know now.
Success Accountability
Fast forward a week. Moving out to Thailand I knew things would need to change. I, as many other entrepreneurs do, recognized the need for change but complacency and the safety of sameness were holding me back. Before coming to Thailand I joined a membership site of high level, location independent entrepreneurs building legitimately awesome businesses. I put myself on the hook. I had to change and was taking the first steps to becoming a real entrepreneur, one worthy of the Dynamite Circle.
Back in the States I’d been working at least 60 hours a week and seeing little except in the areas of consulting. This would never be acceptable for myself in Thailand. While part of this personal adventure was to get around other amazing entrepreneurs and live in an extremely cost effective location I was still a journey I wished to enjoy. With temples, mountains, tigers and all sorts of incredible experiences, I knew I could not be only a workaholic. Life is too valuable to be wasted, even as an entrepreneur.
Therefore my first step after joining the DC and internally committing to building a real yet sustainable and livable business was to begin outsourcing podcast production and editing. The endless hours of editing which saw the seasons of Breaking Bad, Supernatural, Dr. WHO and too many other meaningless TV shows to count needed to end. My time is better spent interviewing guests, creating quality blog posts, consulting for clients or honestly just taking a little time to actually enjoy myself.
In addition to these immediate internal benefits on my personal outlook towards business and life I plan to build upon these with greater levels of accountability help. I once thought myself impervious to demotivational forces but as clear as day I now see that stagnation is procrastination in its own sense. Currently I am working to join a mastermind group with like minded podcasters and content creators to learn from others more experienced and awesome than myself. In its previous form Art of the Kickstart could never survive. I aim to make this the most powerful and sustainable site online for crowdfunding content, insight, and guidance. To achieve this I need to be able to at least afford some Ramen.
To make this a reality I have turned towards Kickstarter consulting. It’s been a slow and steady process but already I’ve helped three Kickstarter campaigns in their launches and copywriting I can certainly say it feels incredible to help campaign creators reach their goals and be able to build their businesses.
Coworking Creativity
Perhaps the most powerful and insight thing I have learned during my brief week whilst living in Chiang Mai, Thailand is the profound power of others. Upon arriving I joined the relatively renowned Punspace coworking space. For 3000 Baht a month, or $100US, I’m able to work in and around other amazing entrepreneurs from across the globe. It’s a centralized location of inspiration. From ecommerce, SEO, copywriters, podcasters, bloggers, freelancers and of course the physical product guys the crowd in and out of this place is amazing.
This has been the biggest benefit for me. Not only are the connections invaluable, but the free advice flowing out of others is amazing to witness. An accomplished copywriter, Stefan King gave me some killer advice on my campaign consulting page and literally the next day I got my first coaching client coming to me through the website(other clients weren’t through the site). Then JohnnyFD, a fellow podcaster and dropshipping guy gave me some great feedback on podcasting questions and save me days of wasted effort on the idea of creating voiceover blog posts.
It is unreal. And of course not all coworking spaces are as diverse and influential as Punspace but they all have one thing in common, people. Individuals who seek out coworking spaces are a bit off the beaten path. They are like you and me. They want something slightly different for lives.
I’ve found incredible support from everyone I’ve talked to here. Rather than raised eyebrows, obvious discomfort or straight up attacks on your ideas I’ve found support, amazing advice and constantly cool conversations. People are all doing their own thing and it makes for a memorable and exciting mix I have managed to repeatedly revel in.
At this point you might be wondering why all this talk of online business and such in a site focused on Kickstarter, crowdfunding and creating innovative products. The answer is entrepreneurship. Whether you build a business with a world altering idea you’ve created, develop a software or even open an ice cream parlor you are still an entrepreneur. As different as everyone of these individuals are, most every business owner has something special to offer.
DIY Maker Spaces
For specifically maker made assistance find yourself a Maker or Hacker Space ASAP. Creativity and innovation are infectious. I truly believe that. Being around others creating crowdfunding products or even simply building cool stuff will make you a more epic innovator yourself.
From advice on the best ways to prototype to tips and tricks on making products perfect you will find shops all across the globe where individuals are pursuing a passion of creation and toiling to make something special. Get yourself into these environments. Start down the path today. You will achieve so much more than you ever thought possible in your garage and gain great connections and friends excited in helping you succeed.
Although I’m pretty sure these links were posted elsewhere on the site it never hurts to have more access to amazing support networks and areas of pure creativity. Hopefully this will help you join a group of likeminded individuals and work together to build something cool. If there’s no local locations listed I’d search around on Google and Facebook a bit or even start your own. Here’s the best places to start!
An Overview
So yeah yeah yeah. You’ve heard this all before. We know you are probably the average of your five closest friends and acquaintances and yet we never do anything about it.
I can’t tell you stopping procrastination and joining a coworking space will suddenly start accelerating your business and vastly improving your life. I nor anyone else can promise you anything. But its been my experience. I would say get out their and join up with other inventors and entrepreneurs. What have you got to lose? Bet yet, what have you got gain 🙂
