What if you could trade your 9-to-5 for a life of freedom, travel, and entrepreneurial success? That's the inspiring story of Niluka Kavanagh, the visionary founder of ImagineThat.
ImagineThat is the business school for digital nomads and solopreneurs. It is for ambitious but bored professionals who want to start offering their service independently online so they can a) work for themselves and b) gain location freedom. The ImagineThat Academy helps professionals such as lawyers, financial advisors, tech consultants, executive coaches and other specialists launch their own online service, work from anywhere and win their first client in 6 months or less. You no longer need to choose between career and travel. ImagineThat.
In this episode you'll learn how Niluka transitioned from a high-flying consulting career at KPMG to leading a tech startup and a public speaking business, all while living in seven different countries. Niluka's journey is packed with valuable lessons on finding your niche, leveraging your skills, and creating a sustainable income without being tied to one location.
You'll hear how the pandemic ignited the realization that location independence is possible, leading her to assist others in their quest for the same freedom. Niluka unveils actionable steps to identify online business market gaps and deploy effective marketing strategies tailored for digital nomads and solopreneurs. This episode is a blueprint for anyone who wants to break free from the conventional work setup and build a fulfilling, location-independent career.
But it's not all business; we dive into the human side of remote work too. From practical productivity tips to balancing work and life, this episode equips you with tools to avoid burnout and thrive on the move. Niluka shares personal anecdotes about the fascinating people she's met and the life lessons she's learned along the way.
Embrace the concept of work-life integration and see how betting on yourself can lead to unprecedented career and personal fulfillment. Whether you're a freelancer, founder, or aspiring digital nomad, this episode will inspire you to take bold steps toward creating a life you love. Tune in and start your journey to location-independent success!
If you are interested in what Niluka is doing and would like to join the Academy, you can find out more via the website or connect with her on LinkedIn.
You can also subscribe for updates and join the free ImagineThat community here: https://beacons.ai/imaginethatclub.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Alex (00:00):
Are you at an inflection point in your life and
struggling for ideas on what todo to start or grow your
location-independent career?
This series is all aboutuncovering opportunities that
await in the world of remotework and location-independent
businesses.
I'll be sharing case studies oflocation-independent
freelancers, solopreneurs,founders and leaders to give you
(00:21):
ideas on what they do and howthey're growing.
Founders and leaders to giveyou ideas on what they do and
how they're growing.
Imagine waking up in a new city, a new country or even just a
new coffee shop every week, withthe freedom to work from
anywhere in the world.
This isn't just a dream.
It's a reality that so manyhave achieved, and it's a
reality you can achieve too.
My name's Alex Wilson-Campbell,founder of the Remote Work Life
(00:43):
podcast, and this series isdedicated to those at an
inflection point in their lives.
Maybe you're feeling stuck in atraditional job, yearning for
more flexibility and autonomy.
Perhaps you're looking for away to balance your career with
your personal life, or maybeyou're driven by a desire to
explore the world withoutsacrificing your professional
ambitions.
Whatever your motivation,you're not alone.
(01:07):
Throughout this series, I'llshare case studies of
location-independent freelancers, solopreneurs, founders and
leaders who've successfullynavigated the transition to
location independence, fromdigital nomads to entrepreneurs,
we'll explore a wide array ofbusinesses that can be pursued
from anywhere.
Join me as we dive into thenuts and bolts of building a
(01:29):
remote work life, tacklingtopics like finding your niche,
leveraging your skills, creatinga sustainable income and
overcoming the inevitablechallenges along the way.
We'll also share the tools andstrategies that can help you
thrive in this exciting newlandscape.
So if you're ready to breakfree from the confines of a
traditional office to embark onsomething that matches your
(01:51):
goals, you're in the right place.
Today's guest is Niluka Kavanagh, founder of Imagine that.
After graduating from OxfordUniversity, niluka had a
successful career in consultingat KPMG, where she worked with a
number of global clients.
She then decided to take a leapof faith, going into
entrepreneurship and having twobusinesses of her own one, a
(02:14):
tech startup, which she took tomarket, and the other a
successful public speakingbusiness where she helped over
500 people improve theirpresenting skills.
Both these businesses were donefully remote, while living in
seven places around the world,from Valencia and Lisbon to
Chiang Mai and Da Nang.
After seeing it was possible towork for herself and work from
anywhere, she decided to createImagine that, dedicated to
(02:37):
helping other corporateprofessionals achieve the same.
Niluka has previously lecturedfor Edinburgh Business School,
trinity Business School, lis,and has had articles featured by
Cambridge University and theWorld Financial Review.
She is also the host of theYouTube channel Breaking
Boundaries with Naluka.
Thanks for joining us on theshow today, naluka, can you just
(03:00):
begin by telling us a bit aboutyourself?
Niluka (03:03):
I grew up in Buckinghamshire in the UK.
I studied at Oxford Universityamazing experience.
I then, in my early career, wasa consultant at KPMG in London,
worked with some big globalclients like Mastercard, tesco,
london Stock Exchange, andworked in a range of teams which
taught me so much, worked instrategy, customer commercial
(03:24):
management, learned a lot.
After that, I decided I wantedmore from my career, more for my
life, and I took a bit of aleap of faith.
I asked myself is it possibleto work for myself and is it
possible to work from anywhere?
So I decided to go intoentrepreneurship and during this
time I worked on two businessesof my own One, a tech tech
(03:44):
startup, which I took to market.
The other, an online publicspeaking business where I helped
about 500 plus people globally.
And I did all of that whilenomading in seven places around
the world.
And that led me on to create.
Imagine that, which I'm surewe'll talk more about today,
which is the business school fordigital nomads and solopreneurs
who want to Work from Anywhere.
(04:07):
You asked me what led me tobecome a founder.
I think it's maybe a bit cliche, but I've always loved to build
and create.
So even when I was at KPMG.
Even in my consulting days Iguess you could call it I was an
intrapreneur, an intrapreneur.
So when I was at KPMG, I builtKPMG Future Thinkers, which was
(04:27):
a tech initiative that broughtin speakers from the BBC, nutmeg
, hsbc, etc.
And also was one of thefounding members of KPMG BSU,
which was the behavioral scienceunit.
So I've always, even when I wasin corporate, loved to create
and build.
And then I have my own personalwebsite.
I have my YouTube channel,breaking Boundaries with Naluka.
(04:49):
Then, as I said, I had mypublic speaking business, help
me present, which I actuallystarted that while I was working
at KPMG, which was veryinteresting.
During the pandemic and evenwhen I was like 15, I was coming
up with this idea to createlike a clothing line and all of
this.
So I think I've always beensomeone who liked to build and
(05:10):
create.
So it wasn't necessarily onething that led me to become a
founder.
I think that's just who I amand I'd like to see the direct
impact of what I am doing.
I think maybe also I'm notafraid to go against the grain
and maybe be a bit different,and I think that is also common
of founders too.
Alex (05:27):
I'm intrigued to know more about the business.
So tell me more about that andtell me about the origins of the
business.
Niluka (05:34):
Absolutely so.
The first thing to say is thatI wasn't unhappy while I was at
KPMG.
This is really important.
This wasn't a story of burnoutor toxic culture or like I just
had to quit because I was sounhappy and down.
I actually was doing prettywell, I had been promoted
quickly, I liked my team, etcetera, et cetera.
(05:54):
But I think I just wanted more,and I say that imagine that is
for ambitious but boredprofessionals, because that is
me.
That was me a few years ago.
I felt very ambitious with mycareer, but I felt so bored, and
I think the pandemic reallyshifted my mindset.
It made me think look, if I cando my work in London, why can't
(06:15):
I take my laptop and do itsomewhere else in the world,
somewhere beautiful?
That really shifted my mindsetand I thought to myself if I
stay in London, earn more money,go up the corporate ladder, so
to speak, is that going to be it?
Is that all I am ever going todo in my career?
(06:37):
Not take any risks, not dosomething else?
And so I would say it was moreof a pull move than a push move.
What I mean by that is I waspulled towards doing this rather
than pushed away from somethingthat I hated, right.
So I had this hypothesis whileI was at KPMG Is it possible to
work for myself and to work fromanywhere?
(06:57):
As mentioned, I've always beenquite entrepreneurial, plus,
I've always liked to see theworld, but I didn't just want to
travel and stop my career.
I didn't just want to take asabbatical and travel.
I had never taken a gap yearbecause I wanted to move forward
with my career.
So I had this quite ambitiousgoal to see can I progress on
both?
Can I start building things andgo into entrepreneurship while
(07:21):
also sometimes working fromanywhere?
So, as mentioned, I worked ontwo businesses fully remote.
One was a tech startup and theother was my online public
speaking business and I nomadedin seven places across the world
, in Europe and Asia and Irealized, okay, this is really
interesting because during thattime, I also met a lot of other
(07:41):
people like me, whether theywere founders or whether they
were people working remotely andnomading and I thought, okay,
this is true, you can make moneyonline, work for yourself and
have location freedom.
Why do more people not knowabout this?
And I know that there arepeople out there like me a few
years ago.
They have an area of expertisethey want to do online.
(08:02):
Maybe they're a lawyer,financial advisor, tech
consultant but they need helpgetting there.
They need help knowing how do Iactually start an online
services business, how do Istand out, how do I
differentiate myself to winclients.
And then, of course, you havethe practical side of working
from anywhere, and that is why Iwork with providers in the
digital nomad space, whether itis digital nomad, tax,
(08:23):
accommodation, etc.
So I suppose I wanted to bethat voice, that voice that
could help people achieve thosetwo dreams at once to work for
themselves, to work fromanywhere, and to take their area
of expertise and start offeringthat online and, in turn, gain
location freedom.
Alex (08:41):
What inspired you to be location independent with your
work?
Niluka (08:46):
it's a good question.
I think three reasons first,personal reason.
Second, a wider societal reasonin terms of the shift in how
we're working and the future ofwork.
And a third, a commercialreason.
So the first personal reason isI simply wanted to see the
world.
I mentioned that I didn't justwant to take a gap year or take
(09:09):
time off to travel.
I felt like why do we have tochoose between our career and
travel?
Why should we have to settleand why do we have to wait until
we retire?
We didn't take a gap year.
Why do we have to wait until weretire to go to these cool
places or wait for three, fourweeks of annual leave to maybe
(09:29):
go abroad?
So I think the first reason wasa personal reason.
I knew myself right I'm at thestage in my life where I want to
be able to work from anywhere.
I want to be able to sometimestake my laptop and work in
another city or another placeand see the world, while also
progressing in my career.
Right, I'm getting my weekends,so in my weekends I can go and
(09:52):
explore cool places.
So that was the first reason.
Second reason wider societalreason, which is to do with the
world of work and how I can seeit changing.
So as many as one in threeprofessionals are predicted to
be digital nomads or have somedegree of location freedom by
2035.
That's according to theInternational Accounting
Bulletin.
The creator economy is set todouble in size to 480 billion
(10:16):
over the next five years.
That's according to GoldmanSachs and we're seeing more and
more countries starting toattract global talent.
Only I think it was a couple ofmonths ago Thailand introduced
the DTV visa, the DestinationThailand visa, which allows
nomads to live and work inThailand for six months for a
very modest fee.
So I think the second reason isI can see the world of work
(10:38):
changing.
I can see that we no longerhave to be fixed to one location
.
And then the third reason Iwanted to create Imagine that
and a location independentbusiness is because of
commercial reasons.
Right, huge potential in thisspace.
So online coaching andconsulting set to reach 350
billion a year by 2035,according to Forbes.
(10:59):
So huge market potential.
Secondly, by having a locationindependent business, you have
lower costs up front.
You're not paying for an officeand all of that.
That can obviously really drainyour finances.
I think the third reason is youalso have access to a wider
client base, so you're notlimited.
(11:21):
Although a lot of my clientsand a lot of the people in the
Imagine that community are fromLondon and maybe Amsterdam, I do
have also people from the US,from Canada, so that global
access to clients is reallyinteresting.
And I think also there is alittle bit of a hack here that
no one really speaks about,which is if you are working
(11:42):
online and you have a location,independent business, and you
are maybe charging out ratesthat are common in the US or the
UK, but then sometimes you areworking in Thailand or Bali,
your finances and your businessfinances are going to go further
.
So I think those are the threereasons personal reasons,
societal reasons in terms of theshift in how we are working
(12:04):
today, and then, thirdly, thatcommercial aspect.
Alex (12:09):
Did you face any challenges in the startup phase
and, if so, how did you overcomethem?
Niluka (12:15):
I think originally I didn't get my offer quite right.
I had too many options thisone-off session, this smaller
program, this ignition course,etc.
And I realized it's a littlebit like that jam analogy or
that study, if you've ever heardabout it where they gave
shoppers a couple of jam optionsand they were more likely to
buy than if they had like 20plus jam options.
(12:37):
So I realized, okay, I need tostreamline my offering a bit
more, and so I went back to thedrawing board and I spoke to
customers.
I took my own advice that I tellpeople who come through the
academy, which is go and speakto your ideal customer, and I
identify two key stages in thecustomer journey.
One is people who are wanting totransition out of corporate and
(12:58):
wanting to work from anywhereand start their own business,
but they don't necessarily havean online business idea or
they're not sure what area ofexpertise they should offer
online, and maybe they aren'tsure how to even transition from
the corporate space to being alocation independent solopreneur
.
So that was a really interestingdiscovery for me, and so that
(13:20):
is why I have the careertransition program, which is for
people who may feel lost,confused, unsure how to pivot,
unsure what their business ideashould be in, etc.
And then there's another groupof people, which are people who
are your financial advisors,your tech consultants, your
lawyers, who have an area ofexpertise.
They know that they can startoffering it independently, but
(13:43):
they don't really know how tostart.
They don't really know how todifferentiate themselves and
stand out, and so my missionwith everyone who comes through
the Imagine that Academy is thatby the end of the program, they
are ready to start their onlineservices, business work from
anywhere and win their firstclient in six months or less.
So that was definitely a biglearning for me.
Initially, I had too manyofferings, and then I went back
(14:08):
to speaking to customers andreally identifying where are
they in the customer journey,what are their pain points and
what can I do to help them.
Alex (14:17):
How did you identify the niche for your products or
services?
Niluka (14:21):
I think it was a little bit of that classic thing which
was I wish this had existedwhen I needed it.
So when I was in London and Iwas thinking about working for
myself and working from anywhere, I couldn't really find a
credible voice or service thatwould help me.
Instead, there is a lot ofsmoke and mirrors out there,
seen on Instagram, especiallyLinkedIn a bit less.
(14:42):
I mean the number of onlinebusiness coaches who are telling
you how to start a business,and then you look at their
background and they don't reallyhave much that is credible
behind them or it maybe feels abit disingenuous people selling
courses saying make 10k a month.
With my course on how to make10k a month, that ultimately
makes them 10k a month right,and then they sell themselves
(15:03):
off that claim so really has tobe taken with a bit of a pinch
of salt.
Then Then you also have thesedigital nomad coaches, which are
useful, but, to be honest, Ifigured out a lot myself when I
went nomading.
And then, of course, you havedropshipping, affiliate
marketing, these types ofso-and-so experts telling you
how to make money online.
So, in short, I saw that it waslike the Wild West out there,
(15:28):
to be honest, and so I saw thatit was like the wild west out
there, to be honest.
And so I saw two gaps.
One gap was hang on where isthe credible voice here, with a
professional background, whomaybe has come from corporate,
who is realistic on the topic?
And so I just didn't see that.
I didn't see that existed whenI wanted to take the leap of
faith.
I haven't really seen it since.
So I wanted to take myconsulting experience, my two
(15:49):
businesses and my nomadexperience to actually bring
some credibility into this spaceand actually help people, using
all the experience I have hadin my professional life working
with different clients and thenworking on my own businesses.
And what was interesting isthat at one of my masterclasses,
someone gave the feedback andhe said it's great to see
someone realistic, speakingsensibly, with a reasonably
(16:12):
priced offer that is practicaland useful.
My compliments.
And I read that and I was like,yes, okay, I've done something.
I think also another aspect interms of how did I identify the
niche was I saw a gap.
So there were a lot of onlinebusiness coaches out there.
There are a lot of digitalnomad coaches, but if you can
imagine a Venn diagram, imaginethat sits in the middle, so I
(16:36):
help a lot with the businessside and run the academy, but
then I also work with partnersto help with the more practical
aspects of being digital nomadtax, accommodation and that type
of thing.
So yeah, that's really how Iidentified the niche.
Alex (16:50):
How did you assess the demand for your products or
services in the market?
Niluka (16:56):
Well, a couple of ways, I think already I could see
firsthand when I was nomadingaround the world that there are
so many people who are nowlocation independent and so my
own lived and breathedexperience being around the
world, seeing other people notjust myself opting for this
different approach Okay, this isinteresting.
(17:18):
This was not the case five, 10years ago.
I think another way I assessthe demand for a business school
like Imagine that is I set up awaitlist on my Instagram
account, just a simple type form, and I thought, okay, let me do
a couple of posts, let me havethis type form, this waitlist,
in my bio.
Does anyone sign up?
And I was having people sign upwith no marketing spend.
(17:39):
That was interesting.
I also, obviously, did somemarket research.
I saw the trends in the futureof workspace those statistics I
mentioned before, the changingcustomer sentiment, future of
workspace, those statistics Imentioned before the changing
customer sentiment.
And, of course, I also know thatbusiness consulting and
coaching is quite an evergreenarea.
It's not an area that an AI botcan just do for you.
(18:00):
Yes, ai can help with tasks andautomation and a lot more than
that, right, but the actualdiscussion with someone about
their strategy, how they findtheir niche, how they find their
niche, how they identify theirideal customer, how they stand
out and brand themselves allthis type of things that I cover
in the Imagine that Academy.
That is something that I thinkis going to be relevant for a
very long time and, as mentionedbefore, online coaching and
(18:23):
consulting sector set to reach350 billion a year by 2035.
Obviously, that is great for meand with Imagine that, but it's
also great for my clients whoare coming to me wanting to
start coaching independentlyonline or consulting
independently online.
So, yeah, a couple of differentreasons as to how I saw and how
(18:43):
I assessed the demand forsomething like Imagine that.
Alex (18:47):
How did you attract your first clients or customers?
Niluka (18:53):
well, I have pretty standard way maybe, or something
that maybe isn't that unusual,and then I have a much more
unusual way that I will sharewith you.
So the more standardquote-unquote ways was through
linkedin and instagram.
I tend not to do much coldoutreach and I think, to be
(19:13):
honest, if you really havesomething where there is demand,
you won't need to do much ofthat.
People will come to you.
Obviously, though, you have tobe active and out there.
So I do use LinkedIn a lot.
I do a lot of storytelling onthere.
I talk about the experience I'vehad at.
Imagine that I talk about myown journey to building.
Imagine that I talk about theexperience I've had at.
Imagine that I talk about myown journey to building.
Imagine that I talk about someof the experiences I have had
(19:34):
through nomading, et cetera, andthat attracts my ICA, my ideal
customer avatar.
That attracts the type ofpeople who are like me a few
years ago when I was incorporate bored but ambitious,
wanting to work for myself andwanting to work from anywhere.
I do similar on my Instagram aswell.
Instagram, as you may know, ismore for video content, so I
(19:55):
create reels et cetera onInstagram, but the more unusual
way that I have attracted thosein the Imagine that Academy and
those in the community isthrough Meetup.
So I created a group.
This really surprised me.
I created a group on Meetupcalled the Business School for
Digital Nomads and I sent it toLondon and people just joined
(20:20):
that group, which was amazingbecause then I ran my
masterclasses there, et cetera,and people were reaching out to
me through the Meetup app orfinding me through the Meetup
app, and so that was veryunusual for me because it's not
really a very well-known way tomarket yourself, but I think,
for what Imagine that is tryingto do and what I'm trying to
build here, it really works.
(20:41):
So, yeah, that's how I wouldsay I've attracted my first
clients in the academy and thosein the community is through
LinkedIn, instagram, but alsothis group that I created on
Meetup.
Alex (20:52):
What steps did you take to launch the business?
Niluka (20:56):
So I did what I like to call the three C's research.
And we're getting a little bitmeta here, because not meta the
company, but meta in terms ofthe fact that what I'm speaking
about and what I did with myselfis also some of this is also
what I teach my clients to do,right, so I try to walk the talk
.
So I did what I like to callthe three Cs current trends,
(21:20):
competitors, customer.
So what are the current trends?
And I covered some of thatalready.
But I could see that the futureof work is changing rapidly.
I can see that for Gen Z, theyno longer just want to go to an
office and do the nine to five.
They no longer even just wantto work from home.
They want more.
They want some location,freedom.
But also the older generation,those who are perhaps a little
(21:43):
bit bored later on in theircareer and they just want a
change.
They are the type of people whoare now thinking well, you know
what, I've got a good amount ofexpertise under my belt.
Why can't I start consulting oroffering my service
independently online and go worka couple of months a year in
South and France?
So trends definitely in termsof our mindset to how we work
(22:06):
and the ways we should work.
Then, obviously, competitors.
So I mentioned previously thatgap right.
I didn't really see anyone verycredible offering a service
like this.
I saw that there were a lot ofonline business coaches and
digital nomad coaches, but Iwanted to be someone in between
(22:26):
and to help people not just withthe business side, but also
with the practical side ofnomading if they want that
location freedom.
So that was really interesting,doing my research in terms of
competitors and also seeing thatthere wasn't that sensible,
realistic, credible voice whohad done it themselves, who
could then offer that support.
And then the third C mycustomer.
(22:48):
So I went and spoke out to myideal customer avatar, my ICA,
and I mean my background at KPMG.
I really specialized incustomer, so that really is my
area of expertise in terms ofunderstanding the pain points,
the challenges, the needs, thedesires of people who are in a
situation where they do want tostart working for themselves and
(23:11):
working from anywhere.
So I did the three C's thecurrent trends, customers,
competitor, research.
I then went and created a waitlist.
So I started building acommunity.
I created my website, I startedto get a couple of the partners
on board, so the partners whoare offering that more practical
(23:31):
side of being a digital nomador having location freedom.
And then when I saw I had thatin place, when I saw, okay, I'm
getting people coming to mywaitlist, I'm getting people
following my accounts, I'mgetting people partners wanting
to work with me or wanting tofeature on the Imagine that
website, I then knew, right, Ireally have demand for something
(23:54):
here.
I really knew that there wassomething.
And then I went and launched,launched it soft launched it on
LinkedIn, my YouTube channel andshared my story and the reasons
why I launched the business.
So I think it's reallyimportant to say that when you
launch a business, there is alot that needs to go on before
you do it.
And really everything Imentioned there the three C's
(24:15):
research, the creating thewaitlist, the seeing if there
would be partners who would wantto you know, partner and
collaborate with me that was allreally about validation.
It was about seeing is theredemand for a business school for
digital nomads and solopreneurswho want location freedom?
Is there demand for it?
And I saw, oh my gosh, yes,there is.
(24:36):
And then that was when Istarted to go out more publicly
and more formally.
Alex (24:42):
What marketing strategies have been most effective for you
to grow your client base orgrow your customers?
Niluka (24:51):
well, definitely organic.
As I mentioned, linkedin hasbeen really good for me because
there are a lot of ambitious butbored professionals on LinkedIn
wanting to perhaps changesomething in their career.
I also have obviously run freemasterclasses and other lead
generation webinars, but overallI think the best marketing
(25:12):
strategy I could advise is givevalue.
Give value and make it aboutyour audience, not about you.
Speak to them in a way thatresonates and gets to their
point of challenge or their areathat they really want to change
in their life.
And think about your why, notjust your what?
So every brand stands forsomething.
If we think about Nike, itstands for action victory.
(25:34):
Every brand stands forsomething.
If we think about Nike, itstands for action victory.
Think about Apple stands forinnovation, chanel,
sophistication, elegance, right.
So there is a deeper why behindthe products they are selling,
and it's the same with me.
We'd imagine that.
What is the why behind myservice?
Okay, yes, I offer businesssupport and I help people start
their online service and, youknow, start consulting or
(25:57):
coaching independently.
But that's the what.
What is my why?
My why is about gaining freedom.
By doing that, you can gain thefreedom to work from anywhere.
You can gain the freedom towork for yourself, set your own
schedule, etc.
So my aim with everything I doin my marketing or I try to do
is to inspire people and toeducate them and show them an
(26:19):
alternative career path, one offreedom, one where you can work
for yourself and work fromanywhere.
So I think that's reallyimportant for anyone thinking
about their marketing strategy.
Don't just get fixed on thetactical and the specific
actions you're going to do, likeI'm going to post on Instagram
three times a week and do thisLinkedIn post five times a week
(26:42):
and maybe do some digitalmarketing or even some I don't
know outdoor advertising,whatever it might be right,
that's all great, but before youget to that, you need to think
about your why.
What is the deeper purpose orthe deeper aspect behind what
you are doing?
And again, that's something Ihelp with in the Imagine that
Academy with you know, even ifyou think about a financial
(27:04):
advisor who comes and wants tostart independently offering
their service, that's great, weknow what they're doing, but why
are they doing it?
And then that, of course, tiesinto your niche, etc.
So that is the overall thing Iwould say think about the why,
and that has been very helpfulfor me with growing imagine that
what sets you apart from yourcompetitors?
(27:29):
well, I think it goes back tothose two gaps.
I mentioned one gap in terms of, okay, there's a lot of online
business coaches out there,there are some digital nomad
coaches out there, but actuallycombining the business side with
the more practical locationindependent side has not been
done before.
So that is what I'm aiming todo with.
Imagine that, yes, there is theacademy, which focuses on the
business side of things, but ifpeople do want location freedom,
(27:52):
hey, here are some partnersthat can help with that.
I think also, what sets me apartis, as mentioned, my
professional background and,hopefully, the fact that I am
quite credible my academicbackground, my consulting
experience, my entrepreneurshipexperience.
I've also lectured at TrinityBusiness School, edinburgh
Business School, the LondonInterdisciplinary School.
(28:12):
I've had articles published byCambridge University, the World
Financial Review, etc.
So really trying to be thatcredible voice in an area where
there are a lot of get richquick schemes.
There is a lot of smoke andmirrors, unfortunately, when it
comes to how you can make moneyonline and how you can travel,
and I just want to be that voicethat people can relate to and
(28:34):
say, huh, okay, she was incorporate before.
She has done it, she's made itwork.
She has a credible backgroundin business.
She also has done some of thatpractical nomad side of things
herself.
Okay, I want to work with her.
That is what I think sets meand Imagine that apart.
I really do want to be thatbrand and that company that does
(28:56):
stand for freedom, but does itin a way that is practical and
sensible and isn't making thesegrand claims that we see all the
time on, particularly somewherelike Instagram, that are just
nonsense.
Alex (29:09):
How do you stay productive while working remotely?
Niluka (29:13):
I love this question because I get asked it a lot.
I get asked how do you get anywork done when you're living in
paradise?
So I have four tips for stayingproductive when you are working
remotely, particularly if youare working somewhere really
beautiful, right?
So firstly is do something yougenuinely enjoy.
Self-discipline is everything,and what helps with that Having
(29:34):
a genuine passion for what youdo.
So if you are doing somethingthat you really care about, that
decision of, hmm, do I want togo to the beach this morning in
Thailand, or do I actually wantto make progress in X area, is
easier, right, you know that youcan go to the beach when you
want, at the weekend or in theevenings or whatever, like.
I have to have that discussionwith myself.
(29:55):
But because I love what I'mdoing and because I feel I'm on
such a mission with Imagine thatit is much easier for me to
actually choose, no, I reallywant to work on this task or
this aspect of my business today.
I think the second tip forstaying productive is to just
have a solid work setup.
So find a co-working space,find a cafe with good air con
and Wi-Fi, don't just work fromhome all the time.
(30:17):
I think that's a big danger ifyou are working online, right.
So when you go to these placesa co-work space or a cafe that's
good to work in you can be inthe zone when you are there and
then when you step out you canenjoy your surroundings, etc.
And for me personally, thathelps a lot with separating work
and play, or work and travel.
Third tip I always give is tofocus on output first.
(30:39):
So this isn't new, but progressis measured on output and
results, not a set number ofhours, and I think that can
really help when optimizing yourschedule right and thinking
about what truly matters foryour business.
Five hours of deep work withairplane mode on is worth so
much more than eight, nine hoursof flitting between tasks,
(31:00):
being on your phone, feelingdistracted, etc.
So focus on deep work and focuson the output.
And then the fourth thing I'dsay that really helps with being
productive is to find otherlike-minded individuals.
So, for me, finding otherpeople who are not traveling but
they are working remotely right.
If you are someone who doesn'thave the location freedom of
(31:24):
working from anywhere but youare fully remote, I still
suggest that you go and findpeople like you who are in a
similar boat who are workingremotely.
When I was in Koh Samui inThailand, there was a startup
Samui group, which was great.
I met so many interestingpeople working on their own
projects, businesses, ventures.
They're all doing it online.
Lisbon, I had similar when Iwas in Da Nang.
(31:44):
Almost every cafe I went to Ifound other digital nomads there
and people with remote freedom.
So being around those types ofpeople really supercharges your
own goals and what you want toachieve.
So those are my four tips forbeing productive Do something
you actually enjoy, at least youknow.
I'm not saying you have to everyday jump out of bed, right?
I really disagree with that.
(32:05):
I mean there's always going tobe bad parts to anything you do,
but I think if you enjoy whatyou do 70, 75% of the time,
that's great.
Second thing is have a solidwork setup.
Find a co-working space or acafe or somewhere else to work
than just home.
Third thing is to always focuson output and that deep flow
state of work so that you reallyachieve what you want, but it's
(32:27):
not just about clocking in Xnumber of hours.
And then the fourth is aroundfinding those like-minded
individuals that I think thatyou can learn from and work with
, and feel productive andmotivated by too.
Alex (32:41):
Can you give me a high level view of the different
revenue streams within thebusiness and, if possible, what
they generate?
Niluka (32:50):
So I have my B2C revenue stream.
That is the Imagine thatAcademy.
As I mentioned, that currentlyis a three-month program that is
cohort-based At the moment it'slive cohorts, but eventually
that may become more of amembership or subscription model
and the goal of the academy isthat everyone who comes through
it by the end of it are ready tolaunch their online business,
work from anywhere and win theirfirst client in six months or
(33:12):
less.
And I focus particularly on thewhy.
So the why you, the who, who isyour customer?
And the what what are youselling?
Another aspect of the B2Crevenue stream is the career
transition support.
So I mentioned earlier, thereare people who aren't yet ready
to start an online servicesbusiness, but they know that
they want to transition out ofcorporate, they want to pivot,
(33:35):
but they're not quite sure howto do it.
So this is one to one, becauseit does require more tailoring
and everyone's career isdifferent.
And that is, as I mentioned,career transition support.
About four weeks currentlysessions just with me to really
think about that plan of action,to okay, how do you want to
work for yourself and how do youwork from anywhere, and what
(33:58):
are the steps to actually reachthat point.
Then I have a B2B revenue streamand that is my Imagine that
partners.
So this is really important tome to have those practical
providers who can provide thehelp and support when it comes
to the more logistical aspect ofhaving location freedom.
So the way that this revenuestream works is partners pay to
(34:21):
be listed on the website andthat is an annual amount, and
obviously on the Imagine thatwebsite they gain the brand
exposure.
So anyone who comes, even ifthey don't buy from them, are
gaining brand awareness of whatthat company does.
So that is a win for thepartners.
As well as that, I also have acommission and a referral scheme
in place so that if anyone doesgo and get I don't know digital
(34:44):
nomad tax advice throughImagine that or digital nomad
accommodation help throughImagine that, then I gain a
commission from that.
And I think also I'm going tostart introducing newsletter
features as well.
So as I build up the communityof people I have about 500
people in the community now as Ibuild up, as my newsletter and
(35:05):
my email list becomes bigger,then I definitely see partners
wanting to pay to feature that.
So I'm really enjoying havingboth those revenue streams, that
B2C angle, which is the academy, which is the cohort based how
do you actually start an onlineservices business and launch it
and then the career transitionsupport, which is for people who
(35:29):
not yet at that stage yet butthey need a bit of help moving
from corporate tosolopreneurship, moving from
corporate to location freedom.
And then the B2B revenue streamas well, which is working with
partners, and I really enjoyhaving both of those because,
ultimately, what I'm doing isthat business side, but also
that practical location freedomside, and that was really
(35:49):
important to me when I createdImagine that to be able to offer
both.
Alex (35:54):
What are some of the biggest challenges that you
currently face as a location,independent professional?
Niluka (36:01):
Well, no surprises here .
I would say, loneliness.
Sometimes it can be lonelyworking for yourself no big team
around you can also be lonelyworking remotely and being a
nomad, so it's like doubledouble the loneliness.
But luckily there are so manynomad groups, meetups,
entrepreneurial groups,co-living spaces, co-working
(36:24):
spaces that all help with this.
You do have to be active,though, and make an effort to go
out and seek those like mindedpeople.
It's not like you go to anoffice and you have to mingle
and make connections, right,because you literally sat next
to people in a meeting room orsat next to people on the desk
next to you, right?
You do have to be moreproactive, I think, when you are
working for yourself and doingso remotely.
(36:46):
But that's also why I'mbuilding the Imagine that
community, because I want tofoster and create those
relationships between people whocome into the academy.
What is really amazing is that,despite the loneliness, when you
do go out and meet people, it'sincredible the people you meet.
I mean, honestly, I have metpeople from such interesting
walks of life a formerAustralian politician.
(37:09):
A relatively famous Frenchinfluencer who's my friend, djs
around the world.
Someone who has sold hisbusiness in Silicon Valley and
he's now pursuing music fulltime.
Many, many, many businessowners doing incredible things.
So the people you do meet isreally really interesting, I
think, because when you takeyourself out of the corporate
(37:30):
bubble, when you take yourselfout of the status quo and you do
start gaining location, freedomand maybe working from anywhere
and nomading, you get to meetso many people who have very
varied and creative careers andbackgrounds and I think you will
bond over the fact that you'regoing against the grain in some
ways.
So it can be very lonelydefinitely.
(37:53):
The other side of that coin isthat when you do go out and meet
people, you are most likelygoing to create some incredible
connections from the experience.
I mean, honestly, I neverthought I would meet the type of
people I have met today.
Honestly, I never thought that.
But yes, I think that is thehardest part.
It can be lonely when you'reworking for yourself and working
(38:16):
from anywhere and nomading in anew place.
Of course, there's going to bea little bit of that loneliness
when you start out.
Alex (38:23):
What advice would you give to somebody looking to start
their own location, independentbusiness?
Niluka (38:28):
Just try, take the pressure off.
Think of it as an experiment,an opportunity to succeed or to
learn.
There's no such thing as fadinghere.
You know you're going tosucceed or you're going to learn
a lot.
When it comes to havinglocation freedom.
There are various ways to dothis.
What I do, and what Imaginecomhelps with, is the online
services business.
So I would be asking whatexpertise, skill, service area
(38:55):
of specialism do you have thatyou can deliver online that adds
value to others?
Now, if you can do it online,it means you don't have to be
fixed to one location and itgives you access to a global
marketplace of potential clients.
So again, just try start out.
Do some early customervalidation right.
(39:16):
Pick a destination, go forthree months.
If you want to nomad, go justfor three months.
See how you find it.
It doesn't have to be thisdramatic career or life change
and you shouldn't think of it asthat.
But make sure, if you arestarting a location independent
business, that you validate, alocation independent business
that you validate and you thinkabout the why, the why you.
(39:37):
Okay, what is it about you thatis going to make you stand out
and make people want to buy fromyou who is your customer, know
that, know your niche, knowexactly who you're targeting and
what is your offer and what'syour unique framework or your
business model right?
These are all things we coverin the academy, but overall,
break it down doesn't have to bethis massive thing.
(39:59):
I think the problem is peopleget very overwhelmed by
everything they have to do andI'm not saying it's easy, of
course not.
But honestly, if I thoughtabout everything that could go
wrong and every single aspectthat I would have to do, I
wouldn't have created.
Imagine that I wouldn't havecreated my first public speaking
business, et cetera.
You just have to move thepebble every single day and try
(40:21):
and don't think of it as thismassive thing that either is
going to work or won't work.
Just say to yourself right, I'mgoing to give this a shot,
let's see.
Alex (40:29):
Let's see how it goes and how do you maintain a balance
between work and life tohopefully avoid burning out?
Niluka (40:38):
it's funny because, since having location
independence, I felt like I needto holiday less.
I feel like I crave it less.
I suppose because I'm alsosomeone who does travel or work
from anywhere.
Right, I'm not just workingfrom home.
Sometimes I will work, maybe inanother country or another city
.
I feel like I'm no longerneeding that or craving that
(41:00):
holiday, and I'm no longercounting how many days of annual
leave I have left.
So that's really interesting.
But, to answer your question, Ithink I have good boundaries.
I know myself very well.
I've had periods in the pastwhere I've worked and worked,
and worked and worked and myefficiency just goes down.
It's like that efficiency curve.
Right.
At some point the number ofhours you do doesn't correlate
to your productivity or movingforward, and I know what that
(41:23):
threshold is for me.
I think it can be hard, though,as a founder and a business
owner, you're always on yourphone, even when you're on
social media.
You're looking at your ownbusiness social media account,
right, so you are always on.
But I try to carve out when Ifeel like I'm getting to my
limit, maybe an afternoon off,right, and that's the thing when
you work for yourself.
(41:43):
And I say this to my clients,those who want to coach or
consult independently.
When you work for yourself, youcan set your own schedule,
which is amazing, so that Ithink can really help with
having a balance.
But you have to be disciplinedwith yourself.
You have to know yourself, Ithink, as a nomad too.
Right, there is the work you'redoing, but also when you're
traveling you, you know you'relooking to explore the place.
(42:05):
So I'm going to Chiang Mai nextweek, right, and I'm like, oh,
that's going to be so cool.
I'm going to be in Thailand,like.
I'm going to beang Mai nextweek, right, and I'm like, oh,
that's going to be so cool.
I'm going to be in Thailand,like I'm going to be able to see
different things there.
But I know that if I just work,work, work and explore, explore,
explore, I'm going to burn out.
So one thing that I havelearned at the start of my
journey is I have to factor inrest, right, literal rest, just
(42:30):
relaxing, a short walk, watchinga movie, whatever it might be,
something that's going torecharge you.
That is very important becauseI think if you are always doing
work and play, right, you'realways working, or you're always
socializing or, in my case,maybe exploring new places, you
will still burn out.
You need that time to just rest, be away from everything, take
a moment away from your laptopand just have some downtime and
(42:52):
some time for your body and yourmind to recharge.
That really helps.
Alex (42:58):
And what are your goals and aspirations for yourself and
the business for the future?
Niluka (43:03):
I would say two things.
The first is to grow theImagine that community, this
community of people and thisnetwork of people who are
like-minded, who want more fromlife and their career, who don't
necessarily want to choosebetween career and travel.
They want to work forthemselves, they want to work
from anywhere.
When I started out, I didn'tsee this, which is why I created
it.
So I think that is a big goalfor me to build this community,
(43:27):
to show people that it ispossible.
Now there are a lot of nomadcommunities out there, but there
isn't a community for peoplewho are maybe currently in their
corporate roles, thinking aboutmaking this change and they
haven't quite got to the pointwhere they're going to do it
right.
So that community of aspiringsolopreneurs and aspiring nomads
(43:48):
.
I think the second goal I have,honestly, it's to inspire people
to change lives, to show peoplethat it is possible to enhance
their careers, to no longer haveto choose between career and
travel, to no longer have todeal with office politics, work
a nine to five, hate Mondays,count their annual leave, etc.
(44:09):
But instead create a careerthat is built around their lives
rather than a life built aroundtheir career, and it's why I'm
such a big believer in work lifeintegration right, because why
can't we create a career and alife that complement each other?
So I would love to be a biggervoice in this future of
workspace, a bigger voice interms of helping channel this
(44:32):
message and inspire people, likeI did a few years ago, to bet
on themselves, to take that leap, to start creating a career on
their own terms.
Alex (44:41):
That, for me, would be a real win that's it for today's
episode of the remote work lifepodcast, but if you're a
location, independent freelancer, solopreneur, founder or leader
and want to provide a casestudy for the Remote Work Life
podcast, get in touch with mevia LinkedIn using the link
below in the show notes.
Are you at an inflection point in your life and
struggling for ideas on what todo to start or grow your
location-independent career?
This series is all aboutuncovering opportunities that
await in the world of remotework and location-independent
businesses.
I'll be sharing case studies oflocation-independent
freelancers, solopreneurs,founders and leaders to give you
(00:21):
ideas on what they do and howthey're growing.
Founders and leaders to giveyou ideas on what they do and
how they're growing.
Imagine waking up in a new city, a new country or even just a
new coffee shop every week, withthe freedom to work from
anywhere in the world.
This isn't just a dream.
It's a reality that so manyhave achieved, and it's a
reality you can achieve too.
My name's Alex Wilson-Campbell,founder of the Remote Work Life
(00:43):
podcast, and this series isdedicated to those at an
inflection point in their lives.
Maybe you're feeling stuck in atraditional job, yearning for
more flexibility and autonomy.
Perhaps you're looking for away to balance your career with
your personal life, or maybeyou're driven by a desire to
explore the world withoutsacrificing your professional
ambitions.
Whatever your motivation,you're not alone.
(01:07):
Throughout this series, I'llshare case studies of
location-independent freelancers, solopreneurs, founders and
leaders who've successfullynavigated the transition to
location independence, fromdigital nomads to entrepreneurs,
we'll explore a wide array ofbusinesses that can be pursued
from anywhere.
Join me as we dive into thenuts and bolts of building a
(01:29):
remote work life, tacklingtopics like finding your niche,
leveraging your skills, creatinga sustainable income and
overcoming the inevitablechallenges along the way.
We'll also share the tools andstrategies that can help you
thrive in this exciting newlandscape.
So if you're ready to breakfree from the confines of a
traditional office to embark onsomething that matches your
(01:51):
goals, you're in the right place.
Today's guest is Niluka Kavanagh, founder of Imagine that.
After graduating from OxfordUniversity, niluka had a
successful career in consultingat KPMG, where she worked with a
number of global clients.
She then decided to take a leapof faith, going into
entrepreneurship and having twobusinesses of her own one, a
(02:14):
tech startup, which she took tomarket, and the other a
successful public speakingbusiness where she helped over
500 people improve theirpresenting skills.
Both these businesses were donefully remote, while living in
seven places around the world,from Valencia and Lisbon to
Chiang Mai and Da Nang.
After seeing it was possible towork for herself and work from
anywhere, she decided to createImagine that, dedicated to
(02:37):
helping other corporateprofessionals achieve the same.
Niluka has previously lecturedfor Edinburgh Business School,
trinity Business School, lis,and has had articles featured by
Cambridge University and theWorld Financial Review.
She is also the host of theYouTube channel Breaking
Boundaries with Naluka.
Thanks for joining us on theshow today, naluka, can you just
(03:00):
begin by telling us a bit aboutyourself?
Niluka (03:03):
I grew up in Buckinghamshire in the UK.
I studied at Oxford Universityamazing experience.
I then, in my early career, wasa consultant at KPMG in London,
worked with some big globalclients like Mastercard, tesco,
london Stock Exchange, andworked in a range of teams which
taught me so much, worked instrategy, customer commercial
(03:24):
management, learned a lot.
After that, I decided I wantedmore from my career, more for my
life, and I took a bit of aleap of faith.
I asked myself is it possibleto work for myself and is it
possible to work from anywhere?
So I decided to go intoentrepreneurship and during this
time I worked on two businessesof my own One, a tech tech
(03:44):
startup, which I took to market.
The other, an online publicspeaking business where I helped
about 500 plus people globally.
And I did all of that whilenomading in seven places around
the world.
And that led me on to create.
Imagine that, which I'm surewe'll talk more about today,
which is the business school fordigital nomads and solopreneurs
who want to Work from Anywhere.
(04:07):
You asked me what led me tobecome a founder.
I think it's maybe a bit cliche, but I've always loved to build
and create.
So even when I was at KPMG.
Even in my consulting days Iguess you could call it I was an
intrapreneur, an intrapreneur.
So when I was at KPMG, I builtKPMG Future Thinkers, which was
(04:27):
a tech initiative that broughtin speakers from the BBC, nutmeg
, hsbc, etc.
And also was one of thefounding members of KPMG BSU,
which was the behavioral scienceunit.
So I've always, even when I wasin corporate, loved to create
and build.
And then I have my own personalwebsite.
I have my YouTube channel,breaking Boundaries with Naluka.
(04:49):
Then, as I said, I had mypublic speaking business, help
me present, which I actuallystarted that while I was working
at KPMG, which was veryinteresting.
During the pandemic and evenwhen I was like 15, I was coming
up with this idea to createlike a clothing line and all of
this.
So I think I've always beensomeone who liked to build and
(05:10):
create.
So it wasn't necessarily onething that led me to become a
founder.
I think that's just who I amand I'd like to see the direct
impact of what I am doing.
I think maybe also I'm notafraid to go against the grain
and maybe be a bit different,and I think that is also common
of founders too.
Alex (05:27):
I'm intrigued to know more about the business.
So tell me more about that andtell me about the origins of the
business.
Niluka (05:34):
Absolutely so.
The first thing to say is thatI wasn't unhappy while I was at
KPMG.
This is really important.
This wasn't a story of burnoutor toxic culture or like I just
had to quit because I was sounhappy and down.
I actually was doing prettywell, I had been promoted
quickly, I liked my team, etcetera, et cetera.
(05:54):
But I think I just wanted more,and I say that imagine that is
for ambitious but boredprofessionals, because that is
me.
That was me a few years ago.
I felt very ambitious with mycareer, but I felt so bored, and
I think the pandemic reallyshifted my mindset.
It made me think look, if I cando my work in London, why can't
(06:15):
I take my laptop and do itsomewhere else in the world,
somewhere beautiful?
That really shifted my mindsetand I thought to myself if I
stay in London, earn more money,go up the corporate ladder, so
to speak, is that going to be it?
Is that all I am ever going todo in my career?
(06:37):
Not take any risks, not dosomething else?
And so I would say it was moreof a pull move than a push move.
What I mean by that is I waspulled towards doing this rather
than pushed away from somethingthat I hated, right.
So I had this hypothesis whileI was at KPMG Is it possible to
work for myself and to work fromanywhere?
(06:57):
As mentioned, I've always beenquite entrepreneurial, plus,
I've always liked to see theworld, but I didn't just want to
travel and stop my career.
I didn't just want to take asabbatical and travel.
I had never taken a gap yearbecause I wanted to move forward
with my career.
So I had this quite ambitiousgoal to see can I progress on
both?
Can I start building things andgo into entrepreneurship while
(07:21):
also sometimes working fromanywhere?
So, as mentioned, I worked ontwo businesses fully remote.
One was a tech startup and theother was my online public
speaking business and I nomadedin seven places across the world
, in Europe and Asia and Irealized, okay, this is really
interesting because during thattime, I also met a lot of other
(07:41):
people like me, whether theywere founders or whether they
were people working remotely andnomading and I thought, okay,
this is true, you can make moneyonline, work for yourself and
have location freedom.
Why do more people not knowabout this?
And I know that there arepeople out there like me a few
years ago.
They have an area of expertisethey want to do online.
(08:02):
Maybe they're a lawyer,financial advisor, tech
consultant but they need helpgetting there.
They need help knowing how do Iactually start an online
services business, how do Istand out, how do I
differentiate myself to winclients.
And then, of course, you havethe practical side of working
from anywhere, and that is why Iwork with providers in the
digital nomad space, whether itis digital nomad, tax,
(08:23):
accommodation, etc.
So I suppose I wanted to bethat voice, that voice that
could help people achieve thosetwo dreams at once to work for
themselves, to work fromanywhere, and to take their area
of expertise and start offeringthat online and, in turn, gain
location freedom.
Alex (08:41):
What inspired you to be location independent with your
work?
Niluka (08:46):
it's a good question.
I think three reasons first,personal reason.
Second, a wider societal reasonin terms of the shift in how
we're working and the future ofwork.
And a third, a commercialreason.
So the first personal reason isI simply wanted to see the
world.
I mentioned that I didn't justwant to take a gap year or take
(09:09):
time off to travel.
I felt like why do we have tochoose between our career and
travel?
Why should we have to settleand why do we have to wait until
we retire?
We didn't take a gap year.
Why do we have to wait until weretire to go to these cool
places or wait for three, fourweeks of annual leave to maybe
(09:29):
go abroad?
So I think the first reason wasa personal reason.
I knew myself right I'm at thestage in my life where I want to
be able to work from anywhere.
I want to be able to sometimestake my laptop and work in
another city or another placeand see the world, while also
progressing in my career.
Right, I'm getting my weekends,so in my weekends I can go and
(09:52):
explore cool places.
So that was the first reason.
Second reason wider societalreason, which is to do with the
world of work and how I can seeit changing.
So as many as one in threeprofessionals are predicted to
be digital nomads or have somedegree of location freedom by
2035.
That's according to theInternational Accounting
Bulletin.
The creator economy is set todouble in size to 480 billion
(10:16):
over the next five years.
That's according to GoldmanSachs and we're seeing more and
more countries starting toattract global talent.
Only I think it was a couple ofmonths ago Thailand introduced
the DTV visa, the DestinationThailand visa, which allows
nomads to live and work inThailand for six months for a
very modest fee.
So I think the second reason isI can see the world of work
(10:38):
changing.
I can see that we no longerhave to be fixed to one location
.
And then the third reason Iwanted to create Imagine that
and a location independentbusiness is because of
commercial reasons.
Right, huge potential in thisspace.
So online coaching andconsulting set to reach 350
billion a year by 2035,according to Forbes.
(10:59):
So huge market potential.
Secondly, by having a locationindependent business, you have
lower costs up front.
You're not paying for an officeand all of that.
That can obviously really drainyour finances.
I think the third reason is youalso have access to a wider
client base, so you're notlimited.
(11:21):
Although a lot of my clientsand a lot of the people in the
Imagine that community are fromLondon and maybe Amsterdam, I do
have also people from the US,from Canada, so that global
access to clients is reallyinteresting.
And I think also there is alittle bit of a hack here that
no one really speaks about,which is if you are working
(11:42):
online and you have a location,independent business, and you
are maybe charging out ratesthat are common in the US or the
UK, but then sometimes you areworking in Thailand or Bali,
your finances and your businessfinances are going to go further
.
So I think those are the threereasons personal reasons,
societal reasons in terms of theshift in how we are working
(12:04):
today, and then, thirdly, thatcommercial aspect.
Alex (12:09):
Did you face any challenges in the startup phase
and, if so, how did you overcomethem?
Niluka (12:15):
I think originally I didn't get my offer quite right.
I had too many options thisone-off session, this smaller
program, this ignition course,etc.
And I realized it's a littlebit like that jam analogy or
that study, if you've ever heardabout it where they gave
shoppers a couple of jam optionsand they were more likely to
buy than if they had like 20plus jam options.
(12:37):
So I realized, okay, I need tostreamline my offering a bit
more, and so I went back to thedrawing board and I spoke to
customers.
I took my own advice that I tellpeople who come through the
academy, which is go and speakto your ideal customer, and I
identify two key stages in thecustomer journey.
One is people who are wanting totransition out of corporate and
(12:58):
wanting to work from anywhereand start their own business,
but they don't necessarily havean online business idea or
they're not sure what area ofexpertise they should offer
online, and maybe they aren'tsure how to even transition from
the corporate space to being alocation independent solopreneur
.
So that was a really interestingdiscovery for me, and so that
(13:20):
is why I have the careertransition program, which is for
people who may feel lost,confused, unsure how to pivot,
unsure what their business ideashould be in, etc.
And then there's another groupof people, which are people who
are your financial advisors,your tech consultants, your
lawyers, who have an area ofexpertise.
They know that they can startoffering it independently, but
(13:43):
they don't really know how tostart.
They don't really know how todifferentiate themselves and
stand out, and so my missionwith everyone who comes through
the Imagine that Academy is thatby the end of the program, they
are ready to start their onlineservices, business work from
anywhere and win their firstclient in six months or less.
So that was definitely a biglearning for me.
Initially, I had too manyofferings, and then I went back
(14:08):
to speaking to customers andreally identifying where are
they in the customer journey,what are their pain points and
what can I do to help them.
Alex (14:17):
How did you identify the niche for your products or
services?
Niluka (14:21):
I think it was a little bit of that classic thing which
was I wish this had existedwhen I needed it.
So when I was in London and Iwas thinking about working for
myself and working from anywhere, I couldn't really find a
credible voice or service thatwould help me.
Instead, there is a lot ofsmoke and mirrors out there,
seen on Instagram, especiallyLinkedIn a bit less.
(14:42):
I mean the number of onlinebusiness coaches who are telling
you how to start a business,and then you look at their
background and they don't reallyhave much that is credible
behind them or it maybe feels abit disingenuous people selling
courses saying make 10k a month.
With my course on how to make10k a month, that ultimately
makes them 10k a month right,and then they sell themselves
(15:03):
off that claim so really has tobe taken with a bit of a pinch
of salt.
Then Then you also have thesedigital nomad coaches, which are
useful, but, to be honest, Ifigured out a lot myself when I
went nomading.
And then, of course, you havedropshipping, affiliate
marketing, these types ofso-and-so experts telling you
how to make money online.
So, in short, I saw that it waslike the Wild West out there,
(15:28):
to be honest, and so I saw thatit was like the wild west out
there, to be honest.
And so I saw two gaps.
One gap was hang on where isthe credible voice here, with a
professional background, whomaybe has come from corporate,
who is realistic on the topic?
And so I just didn't see that.
I didn't see that existed whenI wanted to take the leap of
faith.
I haven't really seen it since.
So I wanted to take myconsulting experience, my two
(15:49):
businesses and my nomadexperience to actually bring
some credibility into this spaceand actually help people, using
all the experience I have hadin my professional life working
with different clients and thenworking on my own businesses.
And what was interesting isthat at one of my masterclasses,
someone gave the feedback andhe said it's great to see
someone realistic, speakingsensibly, with a reasonably
(16:12):
priced offer that is practicaland useful.
My compliments.
And I read that and I was like,yes, okay, I've done something.
I think also another aspect interms of how did I identify the
niche was I saw a gap.
So there were a lot of onlinebusiness coaches out there.
There are a lot of digitalnomad coaches, but if you can
imagine a Venn diagram, imaginethat sits in the middle, so I
(16:36):
help a lot with the businessside and run the academy, but
then I also work with partnersto help with the more practical
aspects of being digital nomadtax, accommodation and that type
of thing.
So yeah, that's really how Iidentified the niche.
Alex (16:50):
How did you assess the demand for your products or
services in the market?
Niluka (16:56):
Well, a couple of ways, I think already I could see
firsthand when I was nomadingaround the world that there are
so many people who are nowlocation independent and so my
own lived and breathedexperience being around the
world, seeing other people notjust myself opting for this
different approach Okay, this isinteresting.
(17:18):
This was not the case five, 10years ago.
I think another way I assessthe demand for a business school
like Imagine that is I set up awaitlist on my Instagram
account, just a simple type form, and I thought, okay, let me do
a couple of posts, let me havethis type form, this waitlist,
in my bio.
Does anyone sign up?
And I was having people sign upwith no marketing spend.
(17:39):
That was interesting.
I also, obviously, did somemarket research.
I saw the trends in the futureof workspace those statistics I
mentioned before, the changingcustomer sentiment, future of
workspace, those statistics Imentioned before the changing
customer sentiment.
And, of course, I also know thatbusiness consulting and
coaching is quite an evergreenarea.
It's not an area that an AI botcan just do for you.
(18:00):
Yes, ai can help with tasks andautomation and a lot more than
that, right, but the actualdiscussion with someone about
their strategy, how they findtheir niche, how they find their
niche, how they identify theirideal customer, how they stand
out and brand themselves allthis type of things that I cover
in the Imagine that Academy.
That is something that I thinkis going to be relevant for a
very long time and, as mentionedbefore, online coaching and
(18:23):
consulting sector set to reach350 billion a year by 2035.
Obviously, that is great for meand with Imagine that, but it's
also great for my clients whoare coming to me wanting to
start coaching independentlyonline or consulting
independently online.
So, yeah, a couple of differentreasons as to how I saw and how
(18:43):
I assessed the demand forsomething like Imagine that.
Alex (18:47):
How did you attract your first clients or customers?
Niluka (18:53):
well, I have pretty standard way maybe, or something
that maybe isn't that unusual,and then I have a much more
unusual way that I will sharewith you.
So the more standardquote-unquote ways was through
linkedin and instagram.
I tend not to do much coldoutreach and I think, to be
(19:13):
honest, if you really havesomething where there is demand,
you won't need to do much ofthat.
People will come to you.
Obviously, though, you have tobe active and out there.
So I do use LinkedIn a lot.
I do a lot of storytelling onthere.
I talk about the experience I'vehad at.
Imagine that I talk about myown journey to building.
Imagine that I talk about theexperience I've had at.
Imagine that I talk about myown journey to building.
Imagine that I talk about someof the experiences I have had
(19:34):
through nomading, et cetera, andthat attracts my ICA, my ideal
customer avatar.
That attracts the type ofpeople who are like me a few
years ago when I was incorporate bored but ambitious,
wanting to work for myself andwanting to work from anywhere.
I do similar on my Instagram aswell.
Instagram, as you may know, ismore for video content, so I
(19:55):
create reels et cetera onInstagram, but the more unusual
way that I have attracted thosein the Imagine that Academy and
those in the community isthrough Meetup.
So I created a group.
This really surprised me.
I created a group on Meetupcalled the Business School for
Digital Nomads and I sent it toLondon and people just joined
(20:20):
that group, which was amazingbecause then I ran my
masterclasses there, et cetera,and people were reaching out to
me through the Meetup app orfinding me through the Meetup
app, and so that was veryunusual for me because it's not
really a very well-known way tomarket yourself, but I think,
for what Imagine that is tryingto do and what I'm trying to
build here, it really works.
(20:41):
So, yeah, that's how I wouldsay I've attracted my first
clients in the academy and thosein the community is through
LinkedIn, instagram, but alsothis group that I created on
Meetup.
Alex (20:52):
What steps did you take to launch the business?
Niluka (20:56):
So I did what I like to call the three C's research.
And we're getting a little bitmeta here, because not meta the
company, but meta in terms ofthe fact that what I'm speaking
about and what I did with myselfis also some of this is also
what I teach my clients to do,right, so I try to walk the talk
.
So I did what I like to callthe three Cs current trends,
(21:20):
competitors, customer.
So what are the current trends?
And I covered some of thatalready.
But I could see that the futureof work is changing rapidly.
I can see that for Gen Z, theyno longer just want to go to an
office and do the nine to five.
They no longer even just wantto work from home.
They want more.
They want some location,freedom.
But also the older generation,those who are perhaps a little
(21:43):
bit bored later on in theircareer and they just want a
change.
They are the type of people whoare now thinking well, you know
what, I've got a good amount ofexpertise under my belt.
Why can't I start consulting oroffering my service
independently online and go worka couple of months a year in
South and France?
So trends definitely in termsof our mindset to how we work
(22:06):
and the ways we should work.
Then, obviously, competitors.
So I mentioned previously thatgap right.
I didn't really see anyone verycredible offering a service
like this.
I saw that there were a lot ofonline business coaches and
digital nomad coaches, but Iwanted to be someone in between
(22:26):
and to help people not just withthe business side, but also
with the practical side ofnomading if they want that
location freedom.
So that was really interesting,doing my research in terms of
competitors and also seeing thatthere wasn't that sensible,
realistic, credible voice whohad done it themselves, who
could then offer that support.
And then the third C mycustomer.
(22:48):
So I went and spoke out to myideal customer avatar, my ICA,
and I mean my background at KPMG.
I really specialized incustomer, so that really is my
area of expertise in terms ofunderstanding the pain points,
the challenges, the needs, thedesires of people who are in a
situation where they do want tostart working for themselves and
(23:11):
working from anywhere.
So I did the three C's thecurrent trends, customers,
competitor, research.
I then went and created a waitlist.
So I started building acommunity.
I created my website, I startedto get a couple of the partners
on board, so the partners whoare offering that more practical
(23:31):
side of being a digital nomador having location freedom.
And then when I saw I had thatin place, when I saw, okay, I'm
getting people coming to mywaitlist, I'm getting people
following my accounts, I'mgetting people partners wanting
to work with me or wanting tofeature on the Imagine that
website, I then knew, right, Ireally have demand for something
(23:54):
here.
I really knew that there wassomething.
And then I went and launched,launched it soft launched it on
LinkedIn, my YouTube channel andshared my story and the reasons
why I launched the business.
So I think it's reallyimportant to say that when you
launch a business, there is alot that needs to go on before
you do it.
And really everything Imentioned there the three C's
(24:15):
research, the creating thewaitlist, the seeing if there
would be partners who would wantto you know, partner and
collaborate with me that was allreally about validation.
It was about seeing is theredemand for a business school for
digital nomads and solopreneurswho want location freedom?
Is there demand for it?
And I saw, oh my gosh, yes,there is.
(24:36):
And then that was when Istarted to go out more publicly
and more formally.
Alex (24:42):
What marketing strategies have been most effective for you
to grow your client base orgrow your customers?
Niluka (24:51):
well, definitely organic.
As I mentioned, linkedin hasbeen really good for me because
there are a lot of ambitious butbored professionals on LinkedIn
wanting to perhaps changesomething in their career.
I also have obviously run freemasterclasses and other lead
generation webinars, but overallI think the best marketing
(25:12):
strategy I could advise is givevalue.
Give value and make it aboutyour audience, not about you.
Speak to them in a way thatresonates and gets to their
point of challenge or their areathat they really want to change
in their life.
And think about your why, notjust your what?
So every brand stands forsomething.
If we think about Nike, itstands for action victory.
(25:34):
Every brand stands forsomething.
If we think about Nike, itstands for action victory.
Think about Apple stands forinnovation, chanel,
sophistication, elegance, right.
So there is a deeper why behindthe products they are selling,
and it's the same with me.
We'd imagine that.
What is the why behind myservice?
Okay, yes, I offer businesssupport and I help people start
their online service and, youknow, start consulting or
(25:57):
coaching independently.
But that's the what.
What is my why?
My why is about gaining freedom.
By doing that, you can gain thefreedom to work from anywhere.
You can gain the freedom towork for yourself, set your own
schedule, etc.
So my aim with everything I doin my marketing or I try to do
is to inspire people and toeducate them and show them an
(26:19):
alternative career path, one offreedom, one where you can work
for yourself and work fromanywhere.
So I think that's reallyimportant for anyone thinking
about their marketing strategy.
Don't just get fixed on thetactical and the specific
actions you're going to do, likeI'm going to post on Instagram
three times a week and do thisLinkedIn post five times a week
(26:42):
and maybe do some digitalmarketing or even some I don't
know outdoor advertising,whatever it might be right,
that's all great, but before youget to that, you need to think
about your why.
What is the deeper purpose orthe deeper aspect behind what
you are doing?
And again, that's something Ihelp with in the Imagine that
Academy with you know, even ifyou think about a financial
(27:04):
advisor who comes and wants tostart independently offering
their service, that's great, weknow what they're doing, but why
are they doing it?
And then that, of course, tiesinto your niche, etc.
So that is the overall thing Iwould say think about the why,
and that has been very helpfulfor me with growing imagine that
what sets you apart from yourcompetitors?
(27:29):
well, I think it goes back tothose two gaps.
I mentioned one gap in terms of, okay, there's a lot of online
business coaches out there,there are some digital nomad
coaches out there, but actuallycombining the business side with
the more practical locationindependent side has not been
done before.
So that is what I'm aiming todo with.
Imagine that, yes, there is theacademy, which focuses on the
business side of things, but ifpeople do want location freedom,
(27:52):
hey, here are some partnersthat can help with that.
I think also, what sets me apartis, as mentioned, my
professional background and,hopefully, the fact that I am
quite credible my academicbackground, my consulting
experience, my entrepreneurshipexperience.
I've also lectured at TrinityBusiness School, edinburgh
Business School, the LondonInterdisciplinary School.
(28:12):
I've had articles published byCambridge University, the World
Financial Review, etc.
So really trying to be thatcredible voice in an area where
there are a lot of get richquick schemes.
There is a lot of smoke andmirrors, unfortunately, when it
comes to how you can make moneyonline and how you can travel,
and I just want to be that voicethat people can relate to and
(28:34):
say, huh, okay, she was incorporate before.
She has done it, she's made itwork.
She has a credible backgroundin business.
She also has done some of thatpractical nomad side of things
herself.
Okay, I want to work with her.
That is what I think sets meand Imagine that apart.
I really do want to be thatbrand and that company that does
(28:56):
stand for freedom, but does itin a way that is practical and
sensible and isn't making thesegrand claims that we see all the
time on, particularly somewherelike Instagram, that are just
nonsense.
Alex (29:09):
How do you stay productive while working remotely?
Niluka (29:13):
I love this question because I get asked it a lot.
I get asked how do you get anywork done when you're living in
paradise?
So I have four tips for stayingproductive when you are working
remotely, particularly if youare working somewhere really
beautiful, right?
So firstly is do something yougenuinely enjoy.
Self-discipline is everything,and what helps with that Having
(29:34):
a genuine passion for what youdo.
So if you are doing somethingthat you really care about, that
decision of, hmm, do I want togo to the beach this morning in
Thailand, or do I actually wantto make progress in X area, is
easier, right, you know that youcan go to the beach when you
want, at the weekend or in theevenings or whatever, like.
I have to have that discussionwith myself.
(29:55):
But because I love what I'mdoing and because I feel I'm on
such a mission with Imagine thatit is much easier for me to
actually choose, no, I reallywant to work on this task or
this aspect of my business today.
I think the second tip forstaying productive is to just
have a solid work setup.
So find a co-working space,find a cafe with good air con
and Wi-Fi, don't just work fromhome all the time.
(30:17):
I think that's a big danger ifyou are working online, right.
So when you go to these placesa co-work space or a cafe that's
good to work in you can be inthe zone when you are there and
then when you step out you canenjoy your surroundings, etc.
And for me personally, thathelps a lot with separating work
and play, or work and travel.
Third tip I always give is tofocus on output first.
(30:39):
So this isn't new, but progressis measured on output and
results, not a set number ofhours, and I think that can
really help when optimizing yourschedule right and thinking
about what truly matters foryour business.
Five hours of deep work withairplane mode on is worth so
much more than eight, nine hoursof flitting between tasks,
(31:00):
being on your phone, feelingdistracted, etc.
So focus on deep work and focuson the output.
And then the fourth thing I'dsay that really helps with being
productive is to find otherlike-minded individuals.
So, for me, finding otherpeople who are not traveling but
they are working remotely right.
If you are someone who doesn'thave the location freedom of
(31:24):
working from anywhere but youare fully remote, I still
suggest that you go and findpeople like you who are in a
similar boat who are workingremotely.
When I was in Koh Samui inThailand, there was a startup
Samui group, which was great.
I met so many interestingpeople working on their own
projects, businesses, ventures.
They're all doing it online.
Lisbon, I had similar when Iwas in Da Nang.
(31:44):
Almost every cafe I went to Ifound other digital nomads there
and people with remote freedom.
So being around those types ofpeople really supercharges your
own goals and what you want toachieve.
So those are my four tips forbeing productive Do something
you actually enjoy, at least youknow.
I'm not saying you have to everyday jump out of bed, right?
I really disagree with that.
(32:05):
I mean there's always going tobe bad parts to anything you do,
but I think if you enjoy whatyou do 70, 75% of the time,
that's great.
Second thing is have a solidwork setup.
Find a co-working space or acafe or somewhere else to work
than just home.
Third thing is to always focuson output and that deep flow
state of work so that you reallyachieve what you want, but it's
(32:27):
not just about clocking in Xnumber of hours.
And then the fourth is aroundfinding those like-minded
individuals that I think thatyou can learn from and work with
, and feel productive andmotivated by too.
Alex (32:41):
Can you give me a high level view of the different
revenue streams within thebusiness and, if possible, what
they generate?
Niluka (32:50):
So I have my B2C revenue stream.
That is the Imagine thatAcademy.
As I mentioned, that currentlyis a three-month program that is
cohort-based At the moment it'slive cohorts, but eventually
that may become more of amembership or subscription model
and the goal of the academy isthat everyone who comes through
it by the end of it are ready tolaunch their online business,
work from anywhere and win theirfirst client in six months or
(33:12):
less.
And I focus particularly on thewhy.
So the why you, the who, who isyour customer?
And the what what are youselling?
Another aspect of the B2Crevenue stream is the career
transition support.
So I mentioned earlier, thereare people who aren't yet ready
to start an online servicesbusiness, but they know that
they want to transition out ofcorporate, they want to pivot,
(33:35):
but they're not quite sure howto do it.
So this is one to one, becauseit does require more tailoring
and everyone's career isdifferent.
And that is, as I mentioned,career transition support.
About four weeks currentlysessions just with me to really
think about that plan of action,to okay, how do you want to
work for yourself and how do youwork from anywhere, and what
(33:58):
are the steps to actually reachthat point.
Then I have a B2B revenue streamand that is my Imagine that
partners.
So this is really important tome to have those practical
providers who can provide thehelp and support when it comes
to the more logistical aspect ofhaving location freedom.
So the way that this revenuestream works is partners pay to
(34:21):
be listed on the website andthat is an annual amount, and
obviously on the Imagine thatwebsite they gain the brand
exposure.
So anyone who comes, even ifthey don't buy from them, are
gaining brand awareness of whatthat company does.
So that is a win for thepartners.
As well as that, I also have acommission and a referral scheme
in place so that if anyone doesgo and get I don't know digital
(34:44):
nomad tax advice throughImagine that or digital nomad
accommodation help throughImagine that, then I gain a
commission from that.
And I think also I'm going tostart introducing newsletter
features as well.
So as I build up the communityof people I have about 500
people in the community now as Ibuild up, as my newsletter and
(35:05):
my email list becomes bigger,then I definitely see partners
wanting to pay to feature that.
So I'm really enjoying havingboth those revenue streams, that
B2C angle, which is the academy, which is the cohort based how
do you actually start an onlineservices business and launch it
and then the career transitionsupport, which is for people who
(35:29):
not yet at that stage yet butthey need a bit of help moving
from corporate tosolopreneurship, moving from
corporate to location freedom.
And then the B2B revenue streamas well, which is working with
partners, and I really enjoyhaving both of those because,
ultimately, what I'm doing isthat business side, but also
that practical location freedomside, and that was really
(35:49):
important to me when I createdImagine that to be able to offer
both.
Alex (35:54):
What are some of the biggest challenges that you
currently face as a location,independent professional?
Niluka (36:01):
Well, no surprises here .
I would say, loneliness.
Sometimes it can be lonelyworking for yourself no big team
around you can also be lonelyworking remotely and being a
nomad, so it's like doubledouble the loneliness.
But luckily there are so manynomad groups, meetups,
entrepreneurial groups,co-living spaces, co-working
(36:24):
spaces that all help with this.
You do have to be active,though, and make an effort to go
out and seek those like mindedpeople.
It's not like you go to anoffice and you have to mingle
and make connections, right,because you literally sat next
to people in a meeting room orsat next to people on the desk
next to you, right?
You do have to be moreproactive, I think, when you are
working for yourself and doingso remotely.
(36:46):
But that's also why I'mbuilding the Imagine that
community, because I want tofoster and create those
relationships between people whocome into the academy.
What is really amazing is that,despite the loneliness, when you
do go out and meet people, it'sincredible the people you meet.
I mean, honestly, I have metpeople from such interesting
walks of life a formerAustralian politician.
(37:09):
A relatively famous Frenchinfluencer who's my friend, djs
around the world.
Someone who has sold hisbusiness in Silicon Valley and
he's now pursuing music fulltime.
Many, many, many businessowners doing incredible things.
So the people you do meet isreally really interesting, I
think, because when you takeyourself out of the corporate
(37:30):
bubble, when you take yourselfout of the status quo and you do
start gaining location, freedomand maybe working from anywhere
and nomading, you get to meetso many people who have very
varied and creative careers andbackgrounds and I think you will
bond over the fact that you'regoing against the grain in some
ways.
So it can be very lonelydefinitely.
(37:53):
The other side of that coin isthat when you do go out and meet
people, you are most likelygoing to create some incredible
connections from the experience.
I mean, honestly, I neverthought I would meet the type of
people I have met today.
Honestly, I never thought that.
But yes, I think that is thehardest part.
It can be lonely when you'reworking for yourself and working
(38:16):
from anywhere and nomading in anew place.
Of course, there's going to bea little bit of that loneliness
when you start out.
Alex (38:23):
What advice would you give to somebody looking to start
their own location, independentbusiness?
Niluka (38:28):
Just try, take the pressure off.
Think of it as an experiment,an opportunity to succeed or to
learn.
There's no such thing as fadinghere.
You know you're going tosucceed or you're going to learn
a lot.
When it comes to havinglocation freedom.
There are various ways to dothis.
What I do, and what Imaginecomhelps with, is the online
services business.
So I would be asking whatexpertise, skill, service area
(38:55):
of specialism do you have thatyou can deliver online that adds
value to others?
Now, if you can do it online,it means you don't have to be
fixed to one location and itgives you access to a global
marketplace of potential clients.
So again, just try start out.
Do some early customervalidation right.
(39:16):
Pick a destination, go forthree months.
If you want to nomad, go justfor three months.
See how you find it.
It doesn't have to be thisdramatic career or life change
and you shouldn't think of it asthat.
But make sure, if you arestarting a location independent
business, that you validate, alocation independent business
that you validate and you thinkabout the why, the why you.
(39:37):
Okay, what is it about you thatis going to make you stand out
and make people want to buy fromyou who is your customer, know
that, know your niche, knowexactly who you're targeting and
what is your offer and what'syour unique framework or your
business model right?
These are all things we coverin the academy, but overall,
break it down doesn't have to bethis massive thing.
(39:59):
I think the problem is peopleget very overwhelmed by
everything they have to do andI'm not saying it's easy, of
course not.
But honestly, if I thoughtabout everything that could go
wrong and every single aspectthat I would have to do, I
wouldn't have created.
Imagine that I wouldn't havecreated my first public speaking
business, et cetera.
You just have to move thepebble every single day and try
(40:21):
and don't think of it as thismassive thing that either is
going to work or won't work.
Just say to yourself right, I'mgoing to give this a shot,
let's see.
Alex (40:29):
Let's see how it goes and how do you maintain a balance
between work and life tohopefully avoid burning out?
Niluka (40:38):
it's funny because, since having location
independence, I felt like I needto holiday less.
I feel like I crave it less.
I suppose because I'm alsosomeone who does travel or work
from anywhere.
Right, I'm not just workingfrom home.
Sometimes I will work, maybe inanother country or another city
.
I feel like I'm no longerneeding that or craving that
(41:00):
holiday, and I'm no longercounting how many days of annual
leave I have left.
So that's really interesting.
But, to answer your question, Ithink I have good boundaries.
I know myself very well.
I've had periods in the pastwhere I've worked and worked,
and worked and worked and myefficiency just goes down.
It's like that efficiency curve.
Right.
At some point the number ofhours you do doesn't correlate
to your productivity or movingforward, and I know what that
(41:23):
threshold is for me.
I think it can be hard, though,as a founder and a business
owner, you're always on yourphone, even when you're on
social media.
You're looking at your ownbusiness social media account,
right, so you are always on.
But I try to carve out when Ifeel like I'm getting to my
limit, maybe an afternoon off,right, and that's the thing when
you work for yourself.
(41:43):
And I say this to my clients,those who want to coach or
consult independently.
When you work for yourself, youcan set your own schedule,
which is amazing, so that Ithink can really help with
having a balance.
But you have to be disciplinedwith yourself.
You have to know yourself, Ithink, as a nomad too.
Right, there is the work you'redoing, but also when you're
traveling you, you know you'relooking to explore the place.
(42:05):
So I'm going to Chiang Mai nextweek, right, and I'm like, oh,
that's going to be so cool.
I'm going to be in Thailand,like.
I'm going to beang Mai nextweek, right, and I'm like, oh,
that's going to be so cool.
I'm going to be in Thailand,like I'm going to be able to see
different things there.
But I know that if I just work,work, work and explore, explore,
explore, I'm going to burn out.
So one thing that I havelearned at the start of my
journey is I have to factor inrest, right, literal rest, just
(42:30):
relaxing, a short walk, watchinga movie, whatever it might be,
something that's going torecharge you.
That is very important becauseI think if you are always doing
work and play, right, you'realways working, or you're always
socializing or, in my case,maybe exploring new places, you
will still burn out.
You need that time to just rest, be away from everything, take
a moment away from your laptopand just have some downtime and
(42:52):
some time for your body and yourmind to recharge.
That really helps.
Alex (42:58):
And what are your goals and aspirations for yourself and
the business for the future?
Niluka (43:03):
I would say two things.
The first is to grow theImagine that community, this
community of people and thisnetwork of people who are
like-minded, who want more fromlife and their career, who don't
necessarily want to choosebetween career and travel.
They want to work forthemselves, they want to work
from anywhere.
When I started out, I didn'tsee this, which is why I created
it.
So I think that is a big goalfor me to build this community,
(43:27):
to show people that it ispossible.
Now there are a lot of nomadcommunities out there, but there
isn't a community for peoplewho are maybe currently in their
corporate roles, thinking aboutmaking this change and they
haven't quite got to the pointwhere they're going to do it
right.
So that community of aspiringsolopreneurs and aspiring nomads
(43:48):
.
I think the second goal I have,honestly, it's to inspire people
to change lives, to show peoplethat it is possible to enhance
their careers, to no longer haveto choose between career and
travel, to no longer have todeal with office politics, work
a nine to five, hate Mondays,count their annual leave, etc.
(44:09):
But instead create a careerthat is built around their lives
rather than a life built aroundtheir career, and it's why I'm
such a big believer in work lifeintegration right, because why
can't we create a career and alife that complement each other?
So I would love to be a biggervoice in this future of
workspace, a bigger voice interms of helping channel this
(44:32):
message and inspire people, likeI did a few years ago, to bet
on themselves, to take that leap, to start creating a career on
their own terms.
Alex (44:41):
That, for me, would be a real win that's it for today's
episode of the remote work lifepodcast, but if you're a
location, independent freelancer, solopreneur, founder or leader
and want to provide a casestudy for the Remote Work Life
podcast, get in touch with mevia LinkedIn using the link
below in the show notes.
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