RJ Macalanda once sold insurance 80 hours a week – until nodding off at the wheel convinced him to design a life around fishing.
In this kickoff episode, he tells Christoph Huebner and Palle Bo how a single Nomad Summit ticket became his launchpad, why TikTok turned him into the go-to consultant for global fishing brands, and the framework he uses to choose work that funds (rather than chains) his adventures.
Expect practical runway tactics, “build-in-public” wins, and a reminder that there’s always a bigger fish.
Key takeaways:
- Rock-bottom is optional – but urgency helps. RJ’s near-crash moment lit the fuse that pushed him to act
- Pick a date, build the runway. A firm travel deadline (Nomad Summit Chiang Mai, 2017) forced him to prep finances and skills
- Niche + underserved platform = leverage. Posting daily made him the “TikTok guy” in fishing and netted 100 k followers in four months
- Monetise credibility, not vanity metrics. Viral reach opened doors to premium brand consulting, factory tours, and paid global travel
- Design work around living. Today he maintains a four-hour workweek per client and guards time to fish off-camera
- Community compounds. Returning to Nomad Summit keeps him current, connected, and inspired by peers’ progress
- Who he serves now. Founders, inventors, and big-brand product teams who want social-first growth in outdoor niches
Relevant links:
- Nomad Summit events & tickets – https://nomadsummit.com
- RJ on TikTok (@officialfishboss) – https://www.tiktok.com/@officialfishboss
- RJ’s site – https://officialfishboss.com
- RJ on Instagram (@rj.mac) – https://www.instagram.com/rj.mac/
- Sponsor: Visit Estonia – https://www.e-resident.gov.ee/ and https://www.e-resident.gov.ee/nomadvisa/
- The Radio Vagabond (Palle Bo) – https://theradiovagabond.com/link-tree
- Episode produced by Radioguru – https://radioguru.co.uk
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