BusinessBackpacker.com

Pat Flynn Rocks at Smart Passive Income & You Can Too!!

You ever see a cool new car -and all the sudden- you see it everywhere? That’s kind of how it is with Pat Flynn. I first came across him in an interview from John at JetSetCitizen.  After that, I saw him EVERYWHERE.  It makes you wonder… was the car there all along?  For the record, Pat has been there for quite awhile, and since I’ve realized how fantastic his information and business model is, I wanted to share it with you.  He’s got great blog tips, amazing downloads, and a fantastic newsletter (that doesn’t try to sell you anything!!).  Want to find out how he does it?  Read on!

Of all of the newsletters I’ve subscribed to, yours is my favorite.  How do you do it?

I’ve found your Income Reports very helpful.  A sizable amount comes from iPhone applications.  Please share a bit more about that.

One of your keys to success has been multiple income streams.  What tips do you have for the readers who want to grow this area in their business?

How do you manage your time between sites, products, and building applications?

If you don’t believe it can happen, it never will.

Be in touch with Pat!

Continue reading...

Want to See The World & Help it too? Interview with International Volunteer, Kirsty Henderson

As always, bringing you inspiring stories of adventurous folks that have dared to do different.  Many of you may have wondered if you could take your business online and do good for others.  Kirsty’s living the dream of helping others while her business pretty much runs itself.  Check out her story, and amazing resources below.

When you first thought about volunteering, what were your initial hesitations?

I had looked into volunteering long before I ever did it and the main thing stopping me at that time was the cost. Everything I found online seemed to cost loads of money which put me off of the idea completely. Once I found Hands On Disaster Response (http://www.hodr.org) (a free-to-volunteer NGO) and committed to volunteering with them in Bangladesh, I remember my main concern was whether the other volunteers would all be do-gooder types. It seems strange but my only real concern was being stuck in Bangladesh with a bunch of people who were no fun!

How did that change after experiencing it first-hand?

As it turns out, most of the people I’ve met through volunteering have been just a little crazy and a blast to be around. The people I’ve met have been some of the hardest working, most talented, intelligent and creative people I’ve known. They come from all over the world, have a wide array of backgrounds and skills, and have ranged in age from 18 to 78. The thing everyone has in common is a passion for what they’re doing and it makes getting along with everyone very easy. Some of the strongest friendships I have now have come through volunteering.

What unique experiences have you had volunteering that you otherwise wouldn’t have had just traveling?

I’ve been invited into many people’s homes in places way off the tourist trail in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Haiti and met and mingled with locals on a level that I’m not sure a tourist passing through could. I’ve been taken to a vodou ceremony with a Haitian friend of mine, stood on the sidelines at a football match in Haiti, been invited to weddings and funerals, had countless locals bring me snacks, tea and full meals on our breaks, and been welcomed into their communities with ceremonies and parties.

I’m sure any traveler who puts in an effort could encounter experiences like these but those travellers are rare these days with most opting to stick to the usual backpacker trail. Volunteering makes it easy to have these sort of experiences almost every day.

As a volunteer you’re also doing good work and seeing a local person thanking you for your help with tears in their eyes isn’t something you’re likely to see as a traveler.

How do you cover your expenses during your time volunteering abroad (flights, accommodation, food, travel)?

Most of the longer-term volunteering I’ve done has been with HODR who cover food and accommodation costs. HODR do disaster relief work which makes predicting their next destination impossible. I’ve been following them around for four projects from Bangladesh to Haiti, from Haiti to Indonesia and then back to Haiti after the recent earthquake. The airfares are my biggest expense but, once I get to the project, I don’t spend much at all.

I cover the cost of my flights and other expenses with money I earn online. I run a bunch of websites and get money from advertising, paid clicks and affiliate sales. When I’m volunteering and not spending much money I’m able to build my bank account back up before draining it again on another flight!

What types of projects have worked on?

I’ve done all sorts of things from teaching english to building schools to running wheelbarrows. The type of work we do depends on the type of disaster. In Bangladesh we built houses and playgrounds after a cyclone. In Haiti the first time the bulk of the work was shoveling mud out of people’s homes after four hurricanes struck at once, filling the city of Gonaives with mud. In Indonesia and Haiti this time, we cleared destroyed houses from people’s foundations so they could have their space back to put a shelter.

I’ve also painted a school, built wells, learned how to work with concrete, helped frame houses, taken photos, helped set up HODR with affiliate programs, put tin onto a roof, installed wooden signboards, and on and on. The work is generally really physical day in, day out but there are usually other things to get up to besides shoveling and wheelbarrowing and the things I’ve done only touch on the many possibilities.

How has volunteering helped you?

I’ve gotten so much out of my time as a volunteer that it sometimes feels like I get more than I can give. I’ve learned new skills, met people from all over the world, been able to practice new languages, gotten fit, had my mind opened through amazing conversations and, I hope, become a more well-rounded person in the process.

How have you made money online while traveling abroad?

I started a travel website (http://www.travoholic.com) way back in 2001 when few people were making money online. I worked at it on and off as a hobby for years and in 2005 I discovered Google Adsense (basically ads that I can put on my site that pay a certain amount per click). I realized then the potential for earning online and started a few more sites. I’ve currently got around 10 websites that make money through Adsense, affiliate sales (selling travel insurance, car rentals etc.) or through advertising.

The business pretty much runs itself which leave me with a lot of time to fill with traveling or doing volunteer work. I try to work on the road but the reality is that it’s pretty tough with dodgy net connections and a lot of distractions. When I’m in the mood to get a good amount of work done, I will stop in a city I like, rent an apartment, and work hard for a while. When I want to volunteer or travel, I will do that and spend only a small amount of time maintaining my sites.

If people are interested in volunteering abroad, what resources would you recommend?

Funny you should ask! I wrote an ebook called ‘The Underground Guide to International Volunteering’ that can be downloaded from my website (http://www.nerdynomad.com/volunteering). It’s a guide for people who want to volunteer but aren’t sure how to go about it. I talk about whether or not volunteering is for you, who would make a good volunteer, paying to volunteer, how to find free and cheap volunteering opportunities, give some practical advice and I also have a list of volunteering opportunities that have been tried and tested.

The ebook costs $14 with $7 of every sale being donated to HODR, a cause that is obviously very close to me and one I believe in a lot. If you’ve been thinking about volunteering and aren’t sure where to start, this ebook will help you.

((Author’s note:  I’ve had the pleasure of reading this eBook and would Highly Recommend it.  It is full of great information, links, and inspiring photos.  Click on the photo to see more.))

Got Questions for Kirsty?  Ask them in the comments section!!  Had a cool volunteering experience?  Share it Below.

Continue reading...

Interview with Robin Esrock: Travel Journalist, Blogger & TV Star of Word Travels

If you’ve ever dreamed of becoming a professional globe-trotter and getting paid to see the world, read on.  I’m really excited to share Robin Esrock’s story and how he went from traveling and blogging to getting published and then hosting a major travel show on television.  I’m sure you’ll find this success story as inspirational as I have…

You have a very exciting story about turning a seemingly unfortunate event into something positive.  Please share with the readers what got you started on your adventures traveling around the world.

I became a travel writer by accident, literally.  A car ran an intersection and piled into my bike, breaking my kneecap. I got $20,000 from insurance, looked around, and thought, what the hell am I doing with my life?   So I quit my job, packed things in storage, and bought a round-the-world ticket to visit every country I’d ever dreamed of seeing.

I started a blog called Modern Gonzo, in tribute to one of my favorite writers Hunter S Thompson, and set off to see, and share, the world.   This led to a column for the local newspaper, and 12 months and 24 countries later, I returned home to find I’d somehow become a popular travel writer.   Assignments and other newspapers followed – the Chicago Tribune, South China Morning Post, Sydney Morning Herald.  All the while, I’m jet-setting around the world, but sleeping on couches because hardly anyone makes a living solely as a travel writer.

I thought this would be a neat idea for a TV show, and brought in fellow travel writer Julia Dimon.   Stars aligned, Word Travels (wordtravels.tv) got picked up by a production company, then a network in Canada, then National Geographic worldwide.  Five years since that accident, I’ve been to nearly 50 countries (about 90 in total from previous travels), am seen on four continents on TV, and write for millions of readers.   It has been, I admit it, quite the trip.

How were you able to go from blogging to becoming a travel journalist?

Can you share some tips with other bloggers on how to get their writing published?

People ask me all the time – how do I become a travel writer?  It’s really quite simple.   Travel.  And then, write. You’d be amazed at how many people don’t travel and want to be a travel writer, or don’t write and want to be a travel writer.   If you keep a journal, diary or blog, you’re a travel writer, pure and simple.  Getting published and making a living – well, that’s another story.

Word Travels has taken me to some of the most incredible landscapes (Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Ethiopia) to do some of the most incredible things (heli-yoga, cat-boarding, the world’s highest bungy jump!), but it’s been hard work, and at the end of the day, we all wanted to make an intelligent, inspiring travel series that would stand out amongst the glut of yuck on TV, and we worked damn hard to make it so.   We wanted to be fair to each country, its people and culture, and time would always be a challenge.  I’d love to return to every place I’ve been with more time and more money, but than again, I could say the same for life in general.  There’s no wrong or right way to travel. Just the opportunities we get to see the world, and what we make of them.

Thanks, Robin, for a fantastic interview!!

Connect with Robin

www.moderngonzo.com – Robin’s pioneering travel blog, with stories, video, photos and tips from over 50 countries.

www.wordtravels.tv – the OLN/CityTV/Nat Geo Adventure series that follows the lives of two working travel writers.

www.youtube.com/moderngonzo – hilarious self-edited clips from Robin’s adventures

www.twitter.com/robinesrock – Follow Robin’s adventures on Twitter

Continue reading...

Interview with Mark Eckenrode, Eaten by Tigers

As part of the inspiring force to help you ‘take the leap of faith’, we will be conducting mini interviews featuring global entrepreneurs who have become “Business Backpackers”.  Because we are all busy traveling, working, and having loads of fun, it is a short list of questions that will hopefully give you a quick glimpse of others “Living the Life”.

This month’s  mini-view comes from Mark Eckenrode, marketing expert, writer, and author of the blog site Eaten By Tigers.   Mark has a knack for telling it like it is, and sharing his thoughts from around the world.  He is a great example of someone living an unconventional life with a business that will travel.  Mark is making money while he travels… read on to find out how you can too….

How long have you been working remotely?

I’ve been working abroad for a little over a month now which is something I kick myself for. See, I’ve had the capacity to work abroad for several years now but for some knuckle-headed reason have only acted on the opportunity recently.

Please break down where your percentage of income is coming from…

I used to do a lot more one on one consulting, but when I knew I was going abroad, I shifted more towards special products and focusing on the membership site.

10% one on one clients via Skype

50% special projects – writing copy and helping clients with one time projects

40% membership site – offering more information for Do It Yourself types that want to learn more

*Mark shared with me that he runs his membership site through WordPress with a plug in through WishList.  His members gain access to additional informative pages.  They pay through Paypal which interacts directly with Wishlist.  I found this site that has many tutorials on how to set this up for your own blog:  http://member.wishlistproducts.com/.  If you are looking at enhancing your site and adding a revenue boost to your online business… this looks like a great way to go.  I will be adding this feature for a low monthly rate, as well and hopefully can answer some of your questions once it is done!*

Where do you spend the bulk of your time?

As I’m traveling, the bulk of my time is spent editing other writers that contribute to my membership site. Working the membership site is far easier than sitting down on a client project so I’m looking to shift things more in this direction.  I’m still not sure yet what the ideal worktime-to-income ratio is just yet for traveling. This needs more research which means… more traveling

What challenges or difficulties have you had while working abroad?

Definitely the internet speed and reliability.  What is considered hi-speed in Thailand is molassas compared to the States.  Also, just after I got here, my notebook’s hard drive corrupted.  I had to decide if I was going to get another one, or just work remotely from cafés.

I opted to go the cafe route which has it’s own issues. Many times the cafe internet is down, computers are full, viruses are on them, a slow network, etc.

The great thing about being a digital nomad is that all you really need is a PC and the internet. Problem is, relying on just two things to run your business can really put you in a crippling spot if one fails you.

What tips would you share with others about becoming a Business Backpacker and taking their career on the road?

Before I left, I was well trained to ‘want what I was told I should want’.  It took me awhile to realize that all the things I thought I had to stay for, I didn’t need to stay for.  In the long run, none of those things really even mattered.

Now, by being a Business Backpacker, the things I value most in life dictate how I work rather than the other way around.

So, advice-wise, I simply invite folks to examine whether or not the path their currently on is in line with fulfilling their personal priorities and sense of fulfillment.

What has been your favorite country to work in / live in so far?

For reliability, the U.S. Technology is simply more dependable there.

To work AND live… in Thailand, of course. Since being in Thailand, I’ve reevaluated what it means to work and questioned how I want to work. Life experiences such as this are far more important than whether or not I get to work on time, send that email, or am “connected”.

It’s funny. Since the tech in the U.S. is so dependable and always there, it also acts as a trap. Folks, or at least I did, fell into the
trap of “If I have a connection, I should be working.” That’s complete garbage but such an easy thing to get caught in.

Being location independent helps you fulfill your purpose by being free of the trappings… such as an always-on internet connection.

Please share some encouraging words to the readers

Coming here was a gift to myself.  For the longest time, I thought I didn’t deserve it. If I wasn’t meeting some bullshit baseline for success then I’d say to myself, “You’re not where you should be with your numbers/goals. Work harder and then maybe then you will earn the chance to go.” And then the harder I worked, the loftier my goals got.  It was a horrible catch-22 where I never felt like I deserved to get up and go. I didn’t think I was worth it or merited it.

I think what I would share with the readers is to live your life, and do your dream. Your life is worth more than any stupid report, a management defined goal, or any other ball and chain that says it’s more important than getting out there and interacting with the world.  You are absolutely worth it!!

Thanks, Mark, for sharing and I look forward to hearing more from you as you go!  Be in touch with Mark…

http://eatenbytigers.com/

http://twitter.com/ChaoticMark

To check out his membership and business sites, link to it here http://www.retechsource.com and http://www.homestomper.com

**and… if you’d like to see the video interview Mark did while he was visiting me in Thailand, you can view it here: Words of Wisdom From The Business Backpacker

Leave your questions or comments for us B E L O W….

Continue reading...

Be Happy, Damn it!

Recently, I posted Overcoming Suffering and Achieving Lasting Happiness… Words from the Dalai Lama.  Today, I want to follow up with a quick list of things that will get you back on track to being happy…. damn it!  Hope this helps, and please add something that helps you in the comment area!

1. Take Responsibility for Yourself…without resentment.
2. Look at what you Already Have. Let go of the addiction to “What’s Next”.
3. Count Your Blessings. Make mental lists of how lucky or fortunate you already are.  Keep a gratitude journal.  When you are in a funk, find things you like… “I like that tree.  I like that flower.  That dog looks nice.”
4. Surround yourself with Positive People. If you find you are amidst others where the conversation is headed south, turn it around.  Make pacts with people to “stay up” and keep eachother going.
5. Know yourself and your grumpy times and Practice your Positive Attitude then! I’m super grumpy in the morning.  I have to do all I can to redirect my thoughts and stay positive.  After lunchtime, I’m fine, but my best practice takes place in the morning when I’m being Seniorita Grumpy Pants.
6. Look for what people ARE DOING instead of what they are NOT DOING. It’s easy to get off track by taking the good stuff for granted.  I did this in my last relationship…and, well, it’s over now.  Realize everyone else is going through their own struggle of trying to avoid suffering and achieve happiness and let’s all give eachother a break.
7. Learn when to Do Something… or Let it Go. Shantideva says, if we face a difficulty, “we should examine the nature of the problem itself.  If we find that there exists the possibility we could solve it… there is no need for anxiety.  If, on the other hand, we find that the nature of the problem admits to no solution, there is no point in worrying about it.  If nothing can change the situation, worrying only makes it worse.”  I’m pretty sure if I can master this one, I can rule the world… or something.
8. Realize when we are putting Our Expectations on other people or situations and STOP DOING IT. Bad Dog.  Go lie down.
9. Plan something fun. Maybe you’re sweating the small stuff because you are bored.  The brain likes to be active and sometimes it works against us.  Get crazy and plan an adventure.  Get excited about something and move back towards anticipation and enthusiasm.
10. Get outside your head and Help Others. It’s good to remember other people have problems, too.  Many have problems much worse than ours.  Get to giving and find a feel-good project that brings you and others joy.  Sometimes just moving about and interacting with others is enough to change your perspective.

Remember, Practice makes Perfect, so if you find yourself slipping into a Negative Nancy, just try to snap back as soon as possible to Positive Patty!  It’s your job in this lifetime to enjoy living your life as much as possible, so Reclaim Your Happiness Today !

Continue reading...

Interview with Cath Duncan, Mine Your Resources

As part of the inspiring force to help you ‘take the leap of faith’, we will be conducting mini interviews featuring global entrepreneurs who have become “Business Backpackers”.  Because we are all busy traveling, working, and having loads of fun, it is a short list of questions that will hopefully give you a quick glimpse of others “Living the Life”.

This month’s  mini-view comes from Cath Duncan, life coach, writer, and author of the blog site Mine Your Resources.   Her site is one of my favorites, and I land there often, whenever I need a ‘Pick Me Up’ or some inspiration for life.  Cath is a great example of someone living an unconventional life with a business that will travel.  She also has a wonderful charity project her and her husband are working on, learn more by reading Extreme African Adventures and How to Create More Meaning in Your Life.

What is your passion and how are you sharing it with the world?

I’m most passionate about Agile Living and helping people to develop the mind and life management skills that’ll enable them learn and change easily, so they can thrive in a high-change world and create the life they want.

The main thing that gets in the way of us learning and changing easily and being who we want to be is fear, so I love helping people to develop a positive, resourceful relationship with their fears. Fear is an incredibly resourceful emotion and it only expands when we try to ignore or fight it, so I teach people how to mine the resources in their fears, so they can create the life they want.

One of my main projects is the Bottom-line Bookclub, where I help people to accelerate, deepen and apply their personal development learning by providing learning programs that give them the Bottom-line on the highest-leverage ideas and the most effective change tools in the best personal development books.

I also coach people one-on-one through major changes they’re making or wanting to make, and I share a lot about how to learn and change more easily on my blog, Mine Your Resources and in the monthly free expert teleseminars that I host.

Where in the world are you now and how did you end up there?

I’m living with my husband, Andy, in Cape Town, South Africa for a few months and we’ll head off again in the new year. We’re still deciding our next location. We’re keen to live somewhere we haven’t lived before – there’s still so much of the world we want to see.

I work online, because that’s the most agile small business model I’ve found and it allows me to easily change my location and other big parts of my life and keep doing the work I love doing, without having to start all over again with building my business.

What would you say was the most challenging part of getting to where you are now?

I found it really hard to uncover what sort of work I wanted to do. Creating and working has always been very important to me – even as a child, I was unusually “productive” and created little projects for myself.

We’re taught to look at the different categories of jobs that already exist in the world, choose one to do for the rest of your life, and then go and follow the linear, pre-determined path into that job by doing the “right” training, starting in the “right” junior jobs to get the “right” experience, and then working your way up, making a life-long career out of it. I guess this process suits some people, but it didn’t work for me, and I think it’s rapidly becoming outdated in our high-change world. At some point I realized that I didn’t want to try to fit myself into a job because I couldn’t find one that I felt I could fit well enough into, and I realized that I needed to invent my own work and workstyle around the values that were important to me and the activities I loved doing.

That sounds simple and straightforward, but getting clear on my values and what I loved doing, and then creating a platform and the necessary scaffolding to make it possible to get paid to do it has been way tougher and has taken a lot longer than I’d thought it would. I didn’t realize that it was going to take so much soul-searching and I didn’t expect all the existential and identity crises that it triggered. And when it comes to setting up the systems and scaffolding to make a successful business out of the stuff I love doing, it’s been a relentless and steep curve of continuous personal and professional learning. It’s probably a good thing that I was so naive, or else I might never have taken the leap!

Inspiring words and advice for others interested in going global & putting lifestyle first…

1.) Live lean.

You don’t need all the “things” that the media says you need, in order to be happy, and that stuff just creates the pressure for you to work harder and longer so you can earn more money and buy that stuff you think you need. You can create a lot of financial freedom by dropping the desire for “building a fort” and collecting stuff.

2.) Realize that the quality of your life is all about the quality of your thinking.

The only way you can experience the world or decide what to create in the world is through your own thoughts, so your greatest resource is your own ability to think. Developing your ability to use your whole mind is the most important investment you can make. Don’t skimp on developing your thinking, and be willing to review and renew your thinking by questioning your assumptions often.

3.) Prioritize action over planning.

You can do all the research and reading in the world, but most of the things that’ll make the biggest difference in your happiness and success in life can’t be controlled or planned, and at the end of the day knowledge is worthless unless you use it and take action.

Connect With Cath:

http://www.mineyourresources.com/
http://twitter.com/cathduncan
http://twitter.com/bottomlinebkclb

and… Don’t forget to check out her Bottom-line Bookclub!  Cath is running a special till December 18th for a 2 for 1 six month gift subscription! Click below for details!!
Two-for-one 6-month Gift Subscription Special

Questions?  Comments?  Leave ‘em below!

Continue reading...

Interview with Andy Hayes, Inspirational Travel Blogger

My main passion is travel.  I find exploring foreign cultures and having unique travel experiences is what really gets me out of bed in the morning.  From sunrise at Stonehenge to sunset on the Hong Kong skyline, I’ve seen and done so many amazing things and I hope to be able to inspire and help others get off their armchairs and have their own unique experiences.  I have been doing this with my ever-expanding blog, Sharing Travel Experiences, where I am sharing an open conversation about great travel experiences, photos, and recommendations.  It has become pretty popular and I am loving it.

A side project has developed from this – I know and have met in the course of my travels many small businesses working in the travel industry – many of them just one or a handful of people – who have seen the popularity of my blog and others and want to know how to duplicate this success in their own business.  So, I am launching a separate community for those small businesses who want to learn, share information, and benefit from this ever-expanding world of the Internet.

Although I travel a lot (but not as much as some of my fellow travelers), I am based in cozy Edinburgh, Scotland.  It’s somewhat more cosmopolitan than some imagine, going well beyond the stereotypes of castles, ghosts, and men in skirts!  I love it so much I ended up writing a book about it – the Historic Walking Guide Edinburgh.  Before I lived here I was in sunny Amsterdam where I lived for many years.  Amsterdam is another place that defies its reputation; the sex, drugs, and rock and roll are confined to only small areas of the city, whereas you’ll find bohemian cafes, restaurants, and great atmosphere in the rest of town.  Walking along those gorgeous canals and hanging out in quirky cafes, I learned a lot about myself and about my passions in the world.  It was where I truly found the path that I find myself on today.

Breaking down those misconceptions that my ideas and my plans would never work was very challenging.  I had a huge mental block that said “things are the way they are and it will never change” but after getting some help and perspective, I realized that the only thing standing between me and my dreams was: me.  After that, it all came together very quickly – in some cases a little too quickly.  While I still have a very long path ahead on my journey and some days are better than others, I certainly feel like getting the ball rolling is one realllllly big push that you really have to prepare your energy for.  It is easy to be scared about what will happen next – because if you push, something will happen – but overcoming the fear and starting that inertia was difficult for me.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.  I wouldn’t be where I was today without a great support network so find people who will be supportive and who have knowledge that can help.  You might need a coach to help you get your feet off the ground, or a marketing or business coach to work out the finer points of your business model – Alex Fayle was instrumental in helping me with getting things going.  But really, you don’t know what you’re missing.  Come on in – the water’s warm…

Links:

My Book About Edinburgh – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0955928133?ie=UTF8&tag=sharinexperi-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0955928133

and newest additions…

http://www.travelonlinepartners.com – a new resource for small businesses in travel and tourism to get the help they need with online technology
http://www.sharingtravelexperiences.com – a relaunch of  his previous travel site.  Same great recommendations and experiences but now with hand-picked travel specials and a exclusive travel concierge

Alex Fayle’s website is http://www.somedaysyndrome.com

Continue reading...

Interview with Sharon Hurley Hall, Get Paid to Write Online

http://www.slideshare.net/sharonhh/sharon-hurley-hall-intro

Continue reading...

Interview with Greg Rollett, Rock Star Lifestyle Design

As part of the inspiring force to help you ‘take the leap of faith’, we will be conducting mini interviews featuring global entrepreneurs who have designed the life of their dreams. Because we are all busy traveling, working, and having loads of fun, it is a short list of questions that will hopefully give you a quick glimpse of others “Living the Life”.

Our third  mini-view comes from lifestyle designer Greg Rollett, who is running several cool projects at a time: Rock Star Lifestyle Design, Rock For Hunger , and Gen-Y Rock Stars.  Greg lives in Orlando, Florida and helps to inspire a variety of people to find a mission they are passionate about and share it with others.  He challenges you to “begin doing something that you not only love, but that makes a difference in the world.”

How did you know you didn’t fit in to conventional society?

I actually started my first business my senior year of high school and they let me out of school 2 hours early to do it. That first business, a record label, was really the first step towards doing something different. After high school I wanted to go to a music engineering trade school, but didn’t have the money. After 2 semesters of watching my friends in school I decided to give it a kick.

From there I got into Internet Marketing, SEO and all that good stuff that none of my friends or family understood a word of. I knew from there that I had found something fun and exciting that I could immerse myself in. Now a few years later I found my way into the Internet Business to let me work on Social Change stuff. I guess its a fun time to be someone like this!

What do you currently do & please describe a brief roadmap of the haphazard leaps of faith that got you here today…

I currently have way too much on my plate, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. My main sources of income come from social media consulting and 2 membership websites, one for young professionals and one for indie musicians. These sites allow me to do some of the things that I enjoy most in life which is teaching and helping others live the rock star lifestyle! It has also allowed me to be a part of an amazing group called Rock For Hunger, where I work the Homeless Lifestyle Design Program to help local homeless find a mindset and get back on their feet.

My roadmap keeps getting new stops, detours and fun rest stops along the way. Being married with a mortgage meant that I had to keep my day job until a replacement income came in. That part was tough to juggle, between long nights, no personal/family time and really just a burnout, I needed to start working smarter. I started turning down consulting gigs that were no longer fun and disassociated myself with some people that didn’t share my same vision.

Business plans were changed, business models were changed and ultimately I needed to create something that could run while I was out saving the world! I still don’t have everything figured out and I still have many business goals and ideas to continue my own rock star path.

Your most life changing travel place & why?

I am definitely not as cool as you and Cody and some of the LIP’s that I read about everyday. I mostly stay here in Orlando, helping my local community grow. When I do get out I love adventure sports and am planning a trip to Costa Rica for a week of volunteering and a week of surf camp.

The biggest life changing travel I have done would have to be my honeymoon trip to St. Lucia. Being on an island, seeing the cultures and having a chance to do things with no technology was just mind blowing. I honestly couldn’t see myself not checking my iPhone every 10 minutes, but the feeling of not having to rely on these devices and actually have personal conversations is a heartwarming feeling.

Encouraging words you would pass on to readers: If you could have had someone there when you took the leap of faith, what would you have needed to hear the most?

Through reading sites, books and talking to people over the last year or 2, I really changed my outlook and my life. When I was playing in a band I was always waiting for the weekend, for the next show. When I had a 9-5 it was the same way. That is not really living life. I work really hard, sometimes 60-70 hours a week, but they are for things that I care about, that I am using to make a difference and wouldn’t trade for the world.

Some other advice is that the lifestyle change wasn’t just mental. For me it took changing eating habits, getting back into fitness and working on my business that really aligned everything in the right direction. Most things can be taken in steps, as long as there is action and a desire to see the results of those actions.

Contact Greg!

Rock Star Lifestyle Design – http://www.rockstarlifestyledesign.com
Gen-Y Rock Stars – http://www.genyrockstars.com
Rock For Hunger – http://www.rockforhunger.org

& Keep on Rockin’ Your Lifestyle!!

Continue reading...

Interview with John Bardos, Jet Set Citizen

As part of the inspiring force to help you ‘take the leap of faith’, we will be conducting mini interviews featuring global entrepreneurs who have become “Business Backpackers”. Because we are all busy traveling, working, and having loads of fun, it is a short list of questions that will hopefully give you a quick glimpse of others “Living the Life”.

Our second  mini-view comes from John Bardos, author of the blog and websites Jet Set Citizen & YouCanTeachEnglish.com.  John and his wife are currently living in Japan and running their own English school, however, they  have a one year plan to free themselves from their small business and move to a new country.  Check out the following interview to see how John follows his own set of rules and encourages other lifestyle designers to ‘Stop consuming things and start experiencing life’.

How did you know you didn’t fit in to conventional society?

There is no reason why we should drive on the right side of the road or the left. The idea of getting a job and working at one company until retirement is only about three generations old and it is already dead. The concept of retiring at age 65 was created in 1935 with the Social Security Act in the U.S. Even that has to change because of the increase in average lifespans. Everything around us is just an idea. If you realize that, then it is easier to see that there is no set plan for life and we are free to do whatever we want.

I had many small jobs and little businesses since I was a child. Most of my friends didn’t work, but I always did. I never thought of it as being unconventional, I just made my own choices that perhaps were not common. I wasn’t the only one. Many people had jobs as children. My grandmother had to quit school in grade three to work on the farm.

In high school and university, many of my friends would go out drinking and partying every weekend. While that is fun on occasion, I didn’t want to spend every weekend like that. I wanted to focus on more productive tasks. I spent my time on pursuits I thought were more productive. I turned down many invitations to go out, and perhaps people thought I was strange, but I don’t think that following what everyone else is doing is “conventional.”

I attempted to start several businesses while I was in university and all failed. I graduated university at a terrible time, demographically . It was still at the end of the generation X boom so good job opportunities were scarce. Everybody started at the bottom with low salary jobs and slowly worked up the ladder. If I had graduated in the last decade, when jobs were plentiful, with many 20 somethings becoming executives of cutting edge companies, I probably would have worked at big firms and taken a more conventional job path. Those opportunities didn’t exist when I was graduating so I had to make different choices. I doubt I would have moved to Japan if I was making decent money in a job or from one of the businesses I started. In that sense, I also am a product of my environment. We all are. I don’t think I am doing anything strange, I think the rest of the world is crazy.

I knew I wasn’t going to work in a cubicle for some big company, so leaving to Japan was really the only choice I could make. I was in debt and had little chance of self-funding a business so I had to leave. It was the only way to restart. Basically, I took on a short-term consulting project and when it was nearing completion I bought a ticket to Japan for one week later. I finished up the project on a Thursday and arrived on a Friday. I didn’t have a visa, job or much money but I just went anyway because I needed the change.

I expected to be in Japan for only 6 months, so I didn’t really want to commit to starting a new business. However, after two years of teaching and no plans to leave, I told my self that if I am teaching anyway, I should start my own school. So many people are afraid to commit to anything just because they imagine some better opportunity will be coming soon. I believe we make our own opportunities and more often then not, they come from focusing all of our energies on one single job or business now. That is what I did. I managed to save some money and get some new Internet projects developed so that will fuel the next part of my life, when my wife and I leave Japan.

We have built a decent stable life here now, and that means it is time to change. Life gets boring quickly if you are not challenging yourself and taking risks.

My wife and I go to Europe, Asia and North America regularly and all are different. Traveling as a child with my family, made me realize that not everyone in the world lives the way we do. That diversity is great. Perhaps seeing communist Hungary as a child helped me to see how rich and spoiled Canadians were and helped me to choose my own path in the world.

The only real risk in life is dying or getting sick before you have a chance to do the things you want. When you start getting older and more and more of your friends and family get sick or die and you lose energy and motivation, you really start to understand how short life is. I don’t want to sound like a parent telling his children how tough life was in the past, but it is all true.

We live in a time of great affluence and opportunity. It is easy and cheap to travel around the world, start new businesses and even become famous if we are willing to put in the work and are able to commit our energies to a single focus. The greatest times in my life have been when I didn’t have much money, didn’t have many possessions and was working insane hours to accomplish something. The “good life” is not an easy life. Easy makes us fat and lazy.  Even if you completely fail, there are unlimited opportunities to start again. Our parents never had these opportunities. Our grandparents couldn’t even imagine this level of wealth and choice. There is no excuse for not attempting great things in life. The only barrier is our own fears, which are generally unfounded, and our unwillingness to do the work required.

So… Take The Leap, and Thanks for Reading!!

Get in touch with John:

Jet Set Citizen Lifestyle Design at the Intersection of Work, Play and Travel.

YouCanTeachEnglish.com Information and English Teaching Jobs around the World

Check out his interview with Viralogy!

John Bardos from JetSetCitizen.com – Life abroad is easier than it looks | Viralogy Blog

Continue reading...