November 23, 2024 • 37 mins
Kara Şahbaz is founder of the Untethered Minimalist, and transitioned from a holistic health coach to work in tech and automation. Kara's time in Saudi Arabia was a turning point, sparking her entrepreneurial spirit and leading her to become a digital nomad. You'll learn how her observations as a teenager influenced her commitment to finding joy in her work and how she overcame personal challenges like anxiety and agoraphobia to embrace a remote work lifestyle.
She discusses maximizing the benefits of remote work, especially when it comes to balancing professional responsibilities with family care. Kara also shares her holistic approach to productivity, emphasizing the power of consistent habits, protein intake, and gratitude.
She explains how minimalism at Untethered Minimalist is about more than just decluttering—it's about mindful consumption of media and energy. Her unique perspective not only resonates with those intimidated by tech but also offers practical strategies for achieving a balanced work-life dynamic.
As we wrap up, Kara's story serves as a powerful reminder of the value of untethering from societal expectations and embracing a lifestyle that aligns with one's passions and values.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, it's Alex once again from the Remote Work Life
podcast.
Thank you so much for joiningme In this series of episodes or
case studies.
I'm interviewing CEOs, foundersand location-independent
entrepreneurs to find out theirstories and to find out about
their businesses and how they'veevolved professionally and
personally.
And today I'm interviewing thefounder of the Untethered
(00:23):
Minimalist, cara Shatbaz, andshe is an automation strategist.
I started out by asking her todescribe a personal story or
experience that has influencedwho she is today.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
So there's several stories, I suppose, that come to
mind.
The one at the top would bewhen I was already living abroad
and I had taken a contract.
My background is actually as aholistic coach, a health coach
and teacher.
I had taken a job in the MiddleEast, which is really where I
(01:00):
wanted to live, and theopportunity that came to me was
a teaching role, to be the headof a department, the physical
education and health departmentfor middle and high school girls
, and the country was SaudiArabia, and it was during that
time that I had such a wonderfulexperience in the kingdom.
(01:23):
I loved my students, my parents,I loved living there and as I
was working and I had thiscontract which allowed for me to
be abroad and had set upeverything, from my visa to my
work situation, to my housing,to my insurance, to getting a
phone, to everything I realizedthat I wanted to continue
(01:45):
staying abroad, but with all thebureaucracy and just the I
don't know, I guess thechit-chat kind of cattiness of
working in this environmentwhere women were I don't know
how to describe it, I just theywere so gossipy and so I really
avoided that and also thebureaucracy and I didn't really
(02:06):
know if it had to do with justthis school or just working in a
school, because that was myfirst experience working in an
international school.
So I just realized that wasreally profound for me and I
said I want to continue livingabroad, but I do not want to
take a contract and then bebound to working in a company or
(02:27):
at a company.
I really wanted to go on my own.
So that was very pivotal for me.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
As you look back on your life and connect the dots
that led you where you are now.
What are those dots?
Speaker 2 (02:41):
So most of the dots, if you will, are definitely, I
would say, later as far as theentrepreneurial spirit and the
living abroad and working online.
But I would say, thinking backto one of my earliest memories
that would be a dot, that woulddefinitely be a connector, was I
remember being around a familymember I think it was my aunt
(03:04):
and I remember thinking howunhappy she seemed in her work
life and she's also a mother ofa wife and full-time mom and
worked full-time.
But I guess what I saw wassomeone who was working in a job
that she seemed she didn'treally like and thinking back,
maybe, maybe it was that justthat time in my life where I saw
(03:26):
other people doing work orthey're going to their jobs and
they didn't like them.
And that was really, I think Iwas around 14, maybe 13 or 14
years old.
So I remember that being areally big thing that maybe
consciously or subconsciously, Isaid to myself I always want to
enjoy the work I'm doing andnever just go to a job.
(03:47):
So that's really made a hugeimpact in terms of choices that
I've made, because money and abig salary is not a motivator
for me, especially if I'm notgoing to enjoy the job or the
environment, so that would be abig dot.
So that would be a big dot.
(04:08):
I think another big dot wasafter I had become an
entrepreneur as a holistichealth coach and nutritionist
and started my first company,which was holistic health
coaching for six months.
I also included teaching peoplehow to cook intuitive cooking
and exercise, Pilates andfitness and also personal
chefing.
So I did everything allinclusive for six months for my
(04:30):
clients.
I did that for 10 years andduring that time I is with all
the health knowledge I have andhave.
I ended up getting anxiety andthat anxiety turned into
temporary panic attacks, whichactually became agoraphobia for
about six months.
(04:50):
So I was really homebound andtrying to still run my business
and be present for my clients.
So that was really difficult.
Luckily, I've totally grown outof that and learned how to
manage that with lifestyle, andthat, too, has been a huge
marker and a dot that hasallowed me to continue to be an
entrepreneur and just be verymindful of my environment and
(05:11):
making sure that I'm surroundedby peace and calm at most times.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Why did you decide to become a leader in your chosen
niche?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
I chose to go into tech and automation, really from
piggybacking off after what Ihad said.
My first company was, which isHarmony Inside Out, which was
holistic health coaching for 10years.
Coming from the health coachingworld, coming from the
nutrition world and being also abit in the new age world and
(05:44):
using a lot of mindfulnesspractices, I can relate to other
health coaches and I was alsovery, very intimidated by tech,
by technology.
So if anyone out there islistening to this and you're not
a techie person, just know thatthere's hope Meaning.
(06:05):
I never foresaw myself gettinginto anything technological at
all working on the computer.
However, I got to a point whereI really I didn't like that.
I needed to ask someone else tohelp me with everything techie
wise, and when I found the workthat I'm doing now, I realized
that, just like anything else,when you can help someone do
(06:28):
something that they need helpwith and you can find
fulfillment in that, you canmake a business, be it a product
or a service, and businessowners get back time, and by
(06:50):
that I mean I help them automatetheir entire business and then
that helps them with sales, ithelps them streamline.
I do all the backend techiestuff so that they can really be
on the front end focusing ontheir clients.
So I always say that I canrelate to the health coach, I
can relate to the actor, I canrelate to the artist, I can
relate to the person who's supernot techie, because that's me
(07:10):
but I found that I had an innergeek, kind of nerdy tech person
living inside me and I reallyenjoy and I'm super, super
organized and I think that'spart of what helps blend and
glue everything together isbecause I'm super organized,
overseeing projects and being aproject manager and then being
able to delegate tasks and getprojects completed and have
(07:34):
customers happy with theirautomation and with their CRM
and with their sales funnels andwith everything moving in the
right direction.
I'm able to blend those twoworlds and make my particular
clients who I call my clientfamily happy with the results.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
What was the best advice anyone ever gave you, and
did you follow it?
Speaker 2 (07:56):
So everyone's probably heard this expression
how do you eat an elephant?
And the answer is one bite at atime.
So my grandfather used to saythat and not that was
necessarily advice given, butthat was definitely an
expression that was used a lotand to me it really does make
(08:18):
sense at really any juncture inour lives, no matter what kind
of part of the story we're inour own lives.
How do you do anything?
You do it one step at a time,and I think that it reiterates
how important it is to staypresent.
It also helps us not get aheadof ourselves and be thinking or
(08:39):
trying to think and live in thefuture and have the expectation
of I want this, I want to dothis, I want to go here, I want
this to happen, because we canreally set ourselves up for a
lot of disappointment when weare future living, and I think
in our modern world a lot ofpeople have this struggle
because they think, oh, I'mgoing to buy a house at this age
(09:01):
, or I'm going to have this kindof job, or I'm going to get
married at this age, or I'mgoing to have kids at this age,
or I'm going to do this.
We have this, I think modernworld, we can really set
ourselves up for a lot ofdisappointment by future living.
So, how do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.
Also, be where you are rightnow, right, go from where you
are, not from where you want tobe.
(09:21):
And then I think thiscomplements also not getting
stuck in the past, being able toforgive yourself, being able to
forgive others, being able tomove forward and not get stuck
in something that didn't happen,the minutia of the person who
gets stuck in the regret, orsomething like that.
(09:44):
I think that advice has reallyplayed well because, for me
personally, I have workedthrough my own challenges of
thinking of the past or gettingstuck in the future, or getting
stuck in the past or thinkingabout the future, and I really
am genuinely, nine times out of10, able to be really present,
stay in the moment and and begrateful and simply, yeah, not
(10:09):
just take things one bite at atime and one step at a time, no
matter what it is, no matterwhat the situation is.
So, yeah, how do you eat anelephant?
One bite at a time.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
And what made you choose remote work and how has
it benefited you and what?
Speaker 2 (10:24):
made you choose remote work and how has it
benefited you, so to speak alittle bit further.
How did I choose remote work?
Two main reasons when I hadthat experience, when I was
working for someone else.
So, basically, I'd had my 10year business, I closed up my
shop to go live abroad for oneyear teaching English, just to
support myself and have anadventure, and then I was going
(10:46):
to come back to America andstart my business again, but
that did not happen.
So I'd worked for myself.
And then I worked in a languageschool in Shanghai, china, and
that was amazing.
And then I took the job in SaudiArabia and I was working for
someone, and it was during thattime where I was like no way, no
(11:06):
, thank you.
I did not enjoy working forsomeone again and, like I said
earlier, I didn't enjoy thebureaucracy.
And so I knew I wanted to stayabroad.
I knew I wanted to work online.
So I knew I needed to gain someskills, gain some valuable
skills that I could then marketto help people, and I wasn't
(11:27):
sure exactly what that was goingto be.
I knew teaching was a viableoption, but scaling it was the
challenge.
So that's really how I knewwhen I've been a remote worker
since January 2019.
And but I've lived abroad since2015.
So the other thing is, like Isaid, being able to.
(11:47):
I'm one of five kids, so of allmy siblings, I'm really the one
who's built a life and alifestyle that I'm able to help
my aging parents out at thisjuncture, and a lot of people
wouldn't be able to do.
What I'm able to do right now,which is spend, instead of being
(12:11):
abroad more.
I'm spending more time withthem in the United States and
being able to help them with dayin and day out kinds of things,
while I'm still running mybusiness and helping my clients
and doing my thing, and so I'msuper grateful that I had built
this for myself prior to thistime.
I'd set myself up for successto be in this position.
So if anyone out there thinksyou know, remote work or being
(12:32):
an entrepreneur or digital nomadis all about like partying in
Chiang Mai, that's great,there's nothing wrong with that
know that there are actuallydeeper reasons why building a
whole work life with theinternet is so viable, because
something like what I'm doingright now I can be with my
parents, I can help them, andthis is something that, when I
(12:56):
started out I didn't think aboutnecessarily, but I realized
subconsciously I've beenbuilding this lifestyle for
years.
So yeah, those, it's like ahidden bonus.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
What are your best tips for organizing your day and
staying productive?
Speaker 2 (13:13):
So I love this question and, again coming from
the health coaching world, so Ireally use a lot of the tools
that I've taught my clients overthe years, the first one of
what I call my big threes.
So the first one is habits, thenext one is know your protein
and the third one is gratitudeattitude.
(13:33):
So I'll speak on habits.
There's a great I don't know ifit's an expression or it's just
a meme, or it's just a questionor even like a story and the
story goes if someone was todeposit like 10, 20, $50 million
in your bank account today,what would you do differently
tomorrow?
(13:53):
Or how would you live your lifetomorrow?
And I love this question.
I used to pose this question tomy clients when I was health
coaching, which is what wouldyou do different, meaning for a
lot of people, they might do acompletely different thing
tomorrow, like they might likehop on a plane and they might go
here, or they might go buy acar, or they might, you know
whatever.
(14:14):
And I always say you know thatyou're living your life with
depth and meaning and also withhealthy habits If you're already
doing the thing you do tomorrow.
If you had 50 million dollarsdeposited in your bank, meaning
what would I do?
I would I always?
(14:35):
I wake up, I make my coffee orsome kind of hot beverage, I I
read the Bible.
That's for me, that is the Godthat I worship.
I read the Bible, I get in theword and I pray and I journal
and for whatever you're personalspiritual connection or
(15:00):
whatever it is that you do, thatworks for you.
That is what I do and thatgives me a lot of peace where I
can simply know that's there forme every day, every morning,
that is my habit, with my coffee, and I start the day off with
my Lord.
That's how I start my day.
And then from there I take careof myself, my own needs first,
(15:23):
before I try to attend toeveryone else, meaning family or
clients or whatnot, and so Imight do a little exercise.
I journal, I will also set thetone for what kind of protein,
and I'm a big fan of eatingorgans and organ meat yes, I
said that like heart, liver,pancreas, kidneys, you name it,
(15:45):
but in usually capsule form.
So that's the know, yourprotein.
And the last one have agratitude attitude with
everything in life.
It's all about gratitude.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
So now I want to find out more about the company that
you're part of.
So can you please begin bytelling me more about the
company that you're part of?
So can you please begin bytelling me more?
Speaker 2 (16:04):
about the company that you're part of and its
origin story.
So the company I'm a part of ismy own.
I named it the UntetheredMinimalist and also Tech VA
Services.
But there's a meaning behindthe Untethered Minimalist.
I'm a big fan of NomadCapitalist Andrew Henderson.
I'm a big fan of NomadCapitalist Andrew Henderson, and
(16:27):
I am a minimalist at heart, notjust with stuff, but also with
life.
I will take stock and I didthis in the past.
But minimalism isn't just aboutstuff.
It's also about deciding whatdo we want to consume, whether
it's food, whether it'stelevision, whether it's gossip.
Whether it's television,whether it's gossip, whether
it's positive energy, positivepeople it's what do we consume
(16:48):
as people.
And so minimalism to me isn'tjust about stuff, although I do
find benefit with having lessthings, especially traveling and
being a digital nomad and I'msuper organized.
So for me, minimalism was animportant part of adding that
into the title.
And untethered means I'muntethered, not meaning I don't
(17:11):
care about life and people.
I deeply care about life andpeople but more about being
untethered from the expectationsof others.
I know that I can only controlmyself, my thoughts, my actions,
my reactions, and so I practicestaying untethered to the
expectation of someone else'saction or their reaction or what
(17:34):
they say or what they do orwhat they don't do.
So that's where the untetheredminimalist comes from.
That's the origin of the nameof my company and Tech VA
Services is I've talked alreadyabout this a little bit but
being able to help people whocome from, like I said, the
coaching background, the actingbackground, the teacher
(17:55):
background, the anythingnon-techie background.
I relate to that person becauseI am that person and I dovetail
that with finding this love oftech, finding this love of
automation and being able tobuild and run CRMs and help
people run their business with aCRM, streamlining everything by
(18:16):
automating it and then helpingthem building their sales
funnels and their email listsand social media.
Helping them building theirsales funnels and their email
lists and social media and then,if they have dream projects
like a blog or a YouTube channelor an ebook or building a
digital course or a membership,et cetera, so I'm able to help
them make.
Each one of my clients is verypersonalized in their own
company and their own dream, andso the origin is blending those
(18:41):
two worlds together so that Ican help my clients save time
and get back time so they canfocus on their lives and their
clients and themselves to bemore happy and positive.
And what's unique about thecompany my company, the
(19:08):
Untethered Minimalist, is that Iam not just the founder, I'm
not just a techie person, I'mnot just someone who wants to
make a bunch of money and I'msimply a.
I come from the health world.
I learned technology enough tothen blend those two worlds to
help my clients who,specifically, are most likely
coming from the health orartistic world or the acting
(19:30):
world that just anythingnon-techie and that person I can
really I can relate to and Ican really accommodate and work
with.
I can really accommodate andwork with and I think that's
what makes my company the mostunique is that I have the techie
as well background and so Iunderstand how to build things
(19:55):
and automate things and makepeople's lives a bit easier with
their own business so that theycan have more time back.
And I think that is what setsme apart from just someone in
general who works in tech or whobuilds CRMs and or can do all
the techie backend stuff to helprun and operate like an OBM.
(20:18):
I think you either have more ofa techie personality where maybe
you're not as much of a peopleperson that's not everyone,
obviously, I'm generalizing butthat maybe you just want to do
backend tasks and you don't wantto really chit chat and get to
know clients, and that can be.
I know that's been some clientfeedback where my clients have
(20:39):
said it's a pleasure getting ona Zoom call with me to talk
about backend tests that I'mgoing to do and how I'm building
out something in their CRM fortheir next launch or something.
And they'll say it's a pleasureversus being some awful
daunting task where it's justnot their forte and they don't
really understand certain thingsand I can make it a pleasurable
(21:01):
conversation and workingtogether and building.
They say that it's enjoyableversus an awful daunting task.
So I would say that's what setsme apart and that's what makes
my company unique.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
What's your philosophy on building a great
team?
Speaker 2 (21:18):
So my base philosophy with building a great team is
this I believe that, asfreelancers and entrepreneurs
and digital nomads, when we areworking for ourselves, that we
need to be paid first and weneed to bill up front and be
paid for the work up front.
(21:39):
And so I set the tone from thevery beginning.
I bill my clients at thebeginning of the month.
Most clients I do a build outthe first month and then we go
into a retainer fee and there'sa minimum required hours.
But I really don't work by thehour anymore.
It's simply I bill them basedon certain tasks and it's a
(22:03):
retainer every month, but I billupfront and I get paid upfront,
and I believe that the teamthat I've built I do the same
thing.
I pay them upfront for so manyhours and then, if they are
working on a project and theyhave to add additional hours,
they just let me know where I'mstill working on this and then
they say, hey, I just did theseextra hours and then I go ahead
(22:25):
and pay them for those as well.
So I know that psychologically,this is how I work better when
I have money in my account frommy client.
Money in my bank account iswhat I'm trying to say I am
psychologically and emotionally,I'm much more stable, I feel
much more productive, I'm muchmore motivated and I also want
(22:47):
to do a great job.
They've already paid me, sothat's always been a motivator,
from my very first client on,and that's how I've also built
my team is that I want them tobe super motivated to get the
tasks done and I want them toknow that they've already been
paid and most people you knoware going to feel much more calm
(23:09):
and relaxed and just simply doa better job and be motivated
when they're paid first.
And I know it's a completelydifferent story when you work
for a company.
You do work and then you getpaid two weeks later or you get
paid a month later and that'sfine.
That's one philosophy ofworking.
But as entrepreneurs since wereally have to protect ourselves
(23:30):
billing upfront and gettingpaid upfront and then that's how
I treat my team members theyget paid upfront and it's a win,
because I believe it reallyhelps with motivation working
every day.
Because, let's be honest, whenwe work online, there's a lot of
trust because we're not in thesame space, we're not in the
(23:52):
same office, and when you'reworking online, when you're
working remotely and you haveclients or you're building a
team, there is a lot of trust.
That has to be the foundation,and so when that's the beginning
, the foundation, we do our work.
We do it in a timely manner.
That's why asynchronous worksin so many instances, because it
(24:13):
doesn't matter what time zoneyou live in, what part of the
world, as long as you're gettingtasks done in a mindful amount
of time and getting the workdone.
That's really what matters, andso I'm just a big believer in
when we're paid up front, I'llas well with the world.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Can you talk me through the steps of your hiring
process?
How would you describe thecompany's success so far?
How?
Speaker 2 (24:41):
would you describe the company's success so far?
I describe the success of mycompany by several things by the
feedback that I get from ourclients.
That would be the first thing,and definitely my lifestyle.
If I am working and I'm able tohandle the flow of clients each
week, I'm able to finishworking at a certain time in the
(25:06):
day or later in the day so thatI can go to the gym or go swim
or do the things that I need todo.
If I'm able to take off whichis very important for me to be
able to take off my day of resteach week on the weekend, my day
(25:28):
of rest each week on theweekend, as long as my lifestyle
is balanced and that reallyfalls on my shoulders, and then
I feel like that's a sign ofsuccess Financially, as long as
I am hitting marks each monthand each year as I grow, to
accommodate this lifestyle andthen be able to put some of my
extra resources into growing thebusiness, having extra team
(25:50):
members and also building someof my other passion projects,
which one I mentioned earlierwas the tours that we do in
Anatolia modern day Turkey andknowing that I can then hire my
own virtual assistant to help mewith some of the other passion
projects that I have.
So those are all signs ofsuccess for me.
(26:12):
Having simply earning X andbuying this size house Like,
those are not measures, thoseare not markers for me that
relate to me.
For success, everybody'sdifferent, but I would say my
lifestyle, my client's happinessand knowing that then I can
(26:33):
continue to expand my passionprojects, or AKA, multiple
streams of income, those are allsigns of success for me.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
And what's next on the horizon?
Speaker 2 (26:45):
So what's next for my company, the Untethered
Minimalist, what's on thehorizon?
We have a new client that hasquite a few clients under them.
They all need help and supportgetting automated and simply
streamlining their business.
So that's one thing that'sexciting for the foreseeable
rest of 2024.
(27:06):
We should be staying prettybusy with a nice flow of new
clients each week and helpingthem and these clients all of
them help people be healthier,so that's really rewarding.
The other thing for theuntethered Minimalist is to I
really want to have a book,write my book, get that done
(27:31):
which would be titled theUntethered Minimalist and it
would be a story about myjourney abroad, living abroad,
being a digital nomad, my healthjourney and putting it all
together and how I got from A toB and also putting more time
into our tour business inAnatolia and doing these
(27:51):
biblical walking walk, the Bibletours.
And the other thing on thehorizon for the Untethered
Mentalist is digital courses.
So I have quite a few digitalcourses in mind some tech and
some health related courses andactually some archaeology and
anthropology educational courses.
(28:13):
So really getting some digitalcourses out into the world is a
huge goal for me and, of course,a huge bonus is to have that,
those extra streams of semipassive streams of income with
digital courses.
It's not a one and done, butsimply getting those courses out
in the world and sharing thatinformation and education with
(28:35):
people is a really excitingendeavor for me to take on.
So those are the things thatare on the horizon for us here
at the Undothered Minimalist.
Speaker 1 (28:46):
Is there a particular team or company whose culture
you admire?
Speaker 2 (28:51):
I would say one of the companies and founders who I
admire is I mentioned before isAndrew Henderson.
He's the founder and CEO ofNomad Capitalist.
I think because there's a blendof his entrepreneurial spirit
as an American when he wasliving in the United States and
(29:12):
then his love of travel andmeeting people from other
cultures and other parts of theworld and expanding his horizons
just as a human being.
Those two points I completelyrelate to with him.
He's gone on to expand thecompany.
I think there's a large base inArmenia and he's gone on to say
(29:35):
how wonderful his team membersare in Armenia and what a great
place to have as a base.
I think also Serbia Serbia andArmenia, I believe, are the two
places where he's just foundreally excellent team and remote
team workers and in-person teamworkers Everything that they've
(29:57):
done to help people simply opentheir eyes to being able to
live abroad, move abroad, maybe,change their tax jurisdiction,
acquire other residences, othercitizenships, acquire real
estate abroad, move theirbusiness completely, move their
family world, school theirfamily, their children.
(30:17):
So really he's been great ateducating people on steps
through his book, through hisYouTube channel, who may not be
able to afford his services, hisVIP services, but he's been a
great educator for me.
I've been following the NomadCapitalists since 2016, 2017.
And so watching their growthand what they've really I've
(30:40):
really admired their work andhis philosophy in life and
simply seeing the world asdifferent places that you can
move and create options.
Simply creating options byhaving another residence or
another citizenship, versus aclassic thing that we do in
North America as Americans,which is we can really get
(31:05):
Americans can really get stuckGeographically.
We're stuck in North Americaand there's also a mentality
that can go with that, whereAmericans, maybe partly
unknowingly and partly knowingly, stop thinking about the rest
of the world.
And in Europe, it's really easyto think about the rest of the
(31:26):
world because you're interactingwith so many other wonderful
humans.
So that's why I admire Not myCapitalist.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
And, as we begin to wrap up, what excites you about
what's ahead?
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Something that excites me about what's ahead is
simply building the untetheredminimalist and building our
client family in a verymethodical, realistic way.
I know how many clients, howmany new clients, we can take on
per month, and then how manythen will go into a maintenance,
(32:01):
monthly retainer maintenanceand doing that in a methodical
way where I'm not only motivatedby dollars but I'm motivated by
the quality that we're turningout and how many people we can
help and their success.
So that's what excites me aboutthe growth of the rest of this
(32:24):
year 2024, and then looking at2025, and then expanding my team
members as needed, and thenexpanding my team members as
needed, and then also continuingto live and travel in some
other places when I'm not in theUnited States, helping my
parents and helping my family,spending time where we love,
(32:54):
which is in the Middle East, andexploring more places that we
love.
I have, as I shared, a love ofarchaeology, anthropology,
geography and history, and so,for me, I have a deep interest
in getting my hands and feetinto the dirt and actually
walking and exploring differentparts of the Middle East, the
Levant and Asia Minor region,and biblical history and
(33:18):
archaeology is a deep interest.
So those are the things thatexcite me about our tour
business, which I mentioned,which is trips in Asia Minor.
(33:39):
In Asia Minor, and we do smallpilgrimage type, boutique tours
for those who want to simplyread their Bible and walk the
Bible with us together.
And whether you're a believeror not, if you love history, if
you love archaeology and if youdo love reading the Bible and
walking the Bible, you will lovethese boutique, small
pilgrimage type tours that wehave, where we simply we break
(34:02):
bread together, we share stories, we pray together and we have a
marvelous time simply beinghuman beings together in this
ancient part of the world thathas so much incredible ancient
human history, and so I'm reallyexcited about that.
And, yeah, just being a humanbeing in this time and in human
(34:25):
history is really fascinating,because there are so many things
going on with technology and somany different things going on
in different parts of the world,so I think it's an incredible
time to be alive as a humanbeing.
So bless all of you.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
And what do you like to do when you're not working?
Speaker 2 (34:47):
So, as I've mentioned , I don't really watch TV.
I like to watch and readbiographies and anything to do
with specifically ancienthistory, specifically
Mesopotamia, the Bronze Age, theStone Age, asia Minor in
general, anatolia, asia Minor,which is modern day Turkey,
(35:07):
anything to do with the Levant,the Levantine region, anything
to do with the Gulf countries,the Gulf region, which I used to
live in, saudi Arabia andKuwait, and I've spent a lot of
time in Bahrain and the UAE.
So my interest and passionreally lies with, as I mentioned
(35:29):
, archaeology, anthropology,geography and history,
specifically ancient history, inthose parts of the world.
I've been lucky enough to spenda lot of time in Southeast Asia
.
I lived in China and I've spentsome time in South America as
well, so there's lots ofdifferent parts of the world I
still haven't been but theMiddle East and actually also
(35:50):
Eastern Europe and the Caucasusarea.
That's what really is drawingme in now.
So studying and going andtraveling in those places,
trying their food, learning abit of their language, talking
to the locals, learning abouttheir history and their music
and their clothing, and anythingto do with the people and their
(36:15):
clothing and anything to dowith the people this is the
thing that really I spend themost time doing outside of work.
And lastly, I'll say I love tocook.
I cook intuitively.
I cook nose to tail.
I believe in using the entirepart of the animal.
I eat, pretty much like peoplehave for the last 5,000 years,
which is I eat.
I eat and cook a lot of meatand grass, fed, pasture, raised
(36:38):
type foods, type animals, andthen so I love to cook and make
cooking videos.
And I also love to do fitness.
I love to swim and do Pilatesand weight training and I love
to be with other believers and Ilove to read my Bible and, most
of all, I love to spend timewith my Lord Yeshua.
(37:00):
So that's what I do when I'mnot working.
Hey, it's Alex once again from the Remote Work Life
podcast.
Thank you so much for joiningme In this series of episodes or
case studies.
I'm interviewing CEOs, foundersand location-independent
entrepreneurs to find out theirstories and to find out about
their businesses and how they'veevolved professionally and
personally.
And today I'm interviewing thefounder of the Untethered
(00:23):
Minimalist, cara Shatbaz, andshe is an automation strategist.
I started out by asking her todescribe a personal story or
experience that has influencedwho she is today.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
So there's several stories, I suppose, that come to
mind.
The one at the top would bewhen I was already living abroad
and I had taken a contract.
My background is actually as aholistic coach, a health coach
and teacher.
I had taken a job in the MiddleEast, which is really where I
(01:00):
wanted to live, and theopportunity that came to me was
a teaching role, to be the headof a department, the physical
education and health departmentfor middle and high school girls
, and the country was SaudiArabia, and it was during that
time that I had such a wonderfulexperience in the kingdom.
(01:23):
I loved my students, my parents,I loved living there and as I
was working and I had thiscontract which allowed for me to
be abroad and had set upeverything, from my visa to my
work situation, to my housing,to my insurance, to getting a
phone, to everything I realizedthat I wanted to continue
(01:45):
staying abroad, but with all thebureaucracy and just the I
don't know, I guess thechit-chat kind of cattiness of
working in this environmentwhere women were I don't know
how to describe it, I just theywere so gossipy and so I really
avoided that and also thebureaucracy and I didn't really
(02:06):
know if it had to do with justthis school or just working in a
school, because that was myfirst experience working in an
international school.
So I just realized that wasreally profound for me and I
said I want to continue livingabroad, but I do not want to
take a contract and then bebound to working in a company or
(02:27):
at a company.
I really wanted to go on my own.
So that was very pivotal for me.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
As you look back on your life and connect the dots
that led you where you are now.
What are those dots?
Speaker 2 (02:41):
So most of the dots, if you will, are definitely, I
would say, later as far as theentrepreneurial spirit and the
living abroad and working online.
But I would say, thinking backto one of my earliest memories
that would be a dot, that woulddefinitely be a connector, was I
remember being around a familymember I think it was my aunt
(03:04):
and I remember thinking howunhappy she seemed in her work
life and she's also a mother ofa wife and full-time mom and
worked full-time.
But I guess what I saw wassomeone who was working in a job
that she seemed she didn'treally like and thinking back,
maybe, maybe it was that justthat time in my life where I saw
(03:26):
other people doing work orthey're going to their jobs and
they didn't like them.
And that was really, I think Iwas around 14, maybe 13 or 14
years old.
So I remember that being areally big thing that maybe
consciously or subconsciously, Isaid to myself I always want to
enjoy the work I'm doing andnever just go to a job.
(03:47):
So that's really made a hugeimpact in terms of choices that
I've made, because money and abig salary is not a motivator
for me, especially if I'm notgoing to enjoy the job or the
environment, so that would be abig dot.
So that would be a big dot.
(04:08):
I think another big dot wasafter I had become an
entrepreneur as a holistichealth coach and nutritionist
and started my first company,which was holistic health
coaching for six months.
I also included teaching peoplehow to cook intuitive cooking
and exercise, Pilates andfitness and also personal
chefing.
So I did everything allinclusive for six months for my
(04:30):
clients.
I did that for 10 years andduring that time I is with all
the health knowledge I have andhave.
I ended up getting anxiety andthat anxiety turned into
temporary panic attacks, whichactually became agoraphobia for
about six months.
(04:50):
So I was really homebound andtrying to still run my business
and be present for my clients.
So that was really difficult.
Luckily, I've totally grown outof that and learned how to
manage that with lifestyle, andthat, too, has been a huge
marker and a dot that hasallowed me to continue to be an
entrepreneur and just be verymindful of my environment and
(05:11):
making sure that I'm surroundedby peace and calm at most times.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Why did you decide to become a leader in your chosen
niche?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
I chose to go into tech and automation, really from
piggybacking off after what Ihad said.
My first company was, which isHarmony Inside Out, which was
holistic health coaching for 10years.
Coming from the health coachingworld, coming from the
nutrition world and being also abit in the new age world and
(05:44):
using a lot of mindfulnesspractices, I can relate to other
health coaches and I was alsovery, very intimidated by tech,
by technology.
So if anyone out there islistening to this and you're not
a techie person, just know thatthere's hope Meaning.
(06:05):
I never foresaw myself gettinginto anything technological at
all working on the computer.
However, I got to a point whereI really I didn't like that.
I needed to ask someone else tohelp me with everything techie
wise, and when I found the workthat I'm doing now, I realized
that, just like anything else,when you can help someone do
(06:28):
something that they need helpwith and you can find
fulfillment in that, you canmake a business, be it a product
or a service, and businessowners get back time, and by
(06:50):
that I mean I help them automatetheir entire business and then
that helps them with sales, ithelps them streamline.
I do all the backend techiestuff so that they can really be
on the front end focusing ontheir clients.
So I always say that I canrelate to the health coach, I
can relate to the actor, I canrelate to the artist, I can
relate to the person who's supernot techie, because that's me
(07:10):
but I found that I had an innergeek, kind of nerdy tech person
living inside me and I reallyenjoy and I'm super, super
organized and I think that'spart of what helps blend and
glue everything together isbecause I'm super organized,
overseeing projects and being aproject manager and then being
able to delegate tasks and getprojects completed and have
(07:34):
customers happy with theirautomation and with their CRM
and with their sales funnels andwith everything moving in the
right direction.
I'm able to blend those twoworlds and make my particular
clients who I call my clientfamily happy with the results.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
What was the best advice anyone ever gave you, and
did you follow it?
Speaker 2 (07:56):
So everyone's probably heard this expression
how do you eat an elephant?
And the answer is one bite at atime.
So my grandfather used to saythat and not that was
necessarily advice given, butthat was definitely an
expression that was used a lotand to me it really does make
(08:18):
sense at really any juncture inour lives, no matter what kind
of part of the story we're inour own lives.
How do you do anything?
You do it one step at a time,and I think that it reiterates
how important it is to staypresent.
It also helps us not get aheadof ourselves and be thinking or
(08:39):
trying to think and live in thefuture and have the expectation
of I want this, I want to dothis, I want to go here, I want
this to happen, because we canreally set ourselves up for a
lot of disappointment when weare future living, and I think
in our modern world a lot ofpeople have this struggle
because they think, oh, I'mgoing to buy a house at this age
(09:01):
, or I'm going to have this kindof job, or I'm going to get
married at this age, or I'mgoing to have kids at this age,
or I'm going to do this.
We have this, I think modernworld, we can really set
ourselves up for a lot ofdisappointment by future living.
So, how do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.
Also, be where you are rightnow, right, go from where you
are, not from where you want tobe.
(09:21):
And then I think thiscomplements also not getting
stuck in the past, being able toforgive yourself, being able to
forgive others, being able tomove forward and not get stuck
in something that didn't happen,the minutia of the person who
gets stuck in the regret, orsomething like that.
(09:44):
I think that advice has reallyplayed well because, for me
personally, I have workedthrough my own challenges of
thinking of the past or gettingstuck in the future, or getting
stuck in the past or thinkingabout the future, and I really
am genuinely, nine times out of10, able to be really present,
stay in the moment and and begrateful and simply, yeah, not
(10:09):
just take things one bite at atime and one step at a time, no
matter what it is, no matterwhat the situation is.
So, yeah, how do you eat anelephant?
One bite at a time.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
And what made you choose remote work and how has
it benefited you and what?
Speaker 2 (10:24):
made you choose remote work and how has it
benefited you, so to speak alittle bit further.
How did I choose remote work?
Two main reasons when I hadthat experience, when I was
working for someone else.
So, basically, I'd had my 10year business, I closed up my
shop to go live abroad for oneyear teaching English, just to
support myself and have anadventure, and then I was going
(10:46):
to come back to America andstart my business again, but
that did not happen.
So I'd worked for myself.
And then I worked in a languageschool in Shanghai, china, and
that was amazing.
And then I took the job in SaudiArabia and I was working for
someone, and it was during thattime where I was like no way, no
(11:06):
, thank you.
I did not enjoy working forsomeone again and, like I said
earlier, I didn't enjoy thebureaucracy.
And so I knew I wanted to stayabroad.
I knew I wanted to work online.
So I knew I needed to gain someskills, gain some valuable
skills that I could then marketto help people, and I wasn't
(11:27):
sure exactly what that was goingto be.
I knew teaching was a viableoption, but scaling it was the
challenge.
So that's really how I knewwhen I've been a remote worker
since January 2019.
And but I've lived abroad since2015.
So the other thing is, like Isaid, being able to.
(11:47):
I'm one of five kids, so of allmy siblings, I'm really the one
who's built a life and alifestyle that I'm able to help
my aging parents out at thisjuncture, and a lot of people
wouldn't be able to do.
What I'm able to do right now,which is spend, instead of being
(12:11):
abroad more.
I'm spending more time withthem in the United States and
being able to help them with dayin and day out kinds of things,
while I'm still running mybusiness and helping my clients
and doing my thing, and so I'msuper grateful that I had built
this for myself prior to thistime.
I'd set myself up for successto be in this position.
So if anyone out there thinksyou know, remote work or being
(12:32):
an entrepreneur or digital nomadis all about like partying in
Chiang Mai, that's great,there's nothing wrong with that
know that there are actuallydeeper reasons why building a
whole work life with theinternet is so viable, because
something like what I'm doingright now I can be with my
parents, I can help them, andthis is something that, when I
(12:56):
started out I didn't think aboutnecessarily, but I realized
subconsciously I've beenbuilding this lifestyle for
years.
So yeah, those, it's like ahidden bonus.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
What are your best tips for organizing your day and
staying productive?
Speaker 2 (13:13):
So I love this question and, again coming from
the health coaching world, so Ireally use a lot of the tools
that I've taught my clients overthe years, the first one of
what I call my big threes.
So the first one is habits, thenext one is know your protein
and the third one is gratitudeattitude.
(13:33):
So I'll speak on habits.
There's a great I don't know ifit's an expression or it's just
a meme, or it's just a questionor even like a story and the
story goes if someone was todeposit like 10, 20, $50 million
in your bank account today,what would you do differently
tomorrow?
(13:53):
Or how would you live your lifetomorrow?
And I love this question.
I used to pose this question tomy clients when I was health
coaching, which is what wouldyou do different, meaning for a
lot of people, they might do acompletely different thing
tomorrow, like they might likehop on a plane and they might go
here, or they might go buy acar, or they might, you know
whatever.
(14:14):
And I always say you know thatyou're living your life with
depth and meaning and also withhealthy habits If you're already
doing the thing you do tomorrow.
If you had 50 million dollarsdeposited in your bank, meaning
what would I do?
I would I always?
(14:35):
I wake up, I make my coffee orsome kind of hot beverage, I I
read the Bible.
That's for me, that is the Godthat I worship.
I read the Bible, I get in theword and I pray and I journal
and for whatever you're personalspiritual connection or
(15:00):
whatever it is that you do, thatworks for you.
That is what I do and thatgives me a lot of peace where I
can simply know that's there forme every day, every morning,
that is my habit, with my coffee, and I start the day off with
my Lord.
That's how I start my day.
And then from there I take careof myself, my own needs first,
(15:23):
before I try to attend toeveryone else, meaning family or
clients or whatnot, and so Imight do a little exercise.
I journal, I will also set thetone for what kind of protein,
and I'm a big fan of eatingorgans and organ meat yes, I
said that like heart, liver,pancreas, kidneys, you name it,
(15:45):
but in usually capsule form.
So that's the know, yourprotein.
And the last one have agratitude attitude with
everything in life.
It's all about gratitude.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
So now I want to find out more about the company that
you're part of.
So can you please begin bytelling me more about the
company that you're part of?
So can you please begin bytelling me more?
Speaker 2 (16:04):
about the company that you're part of and its
origin story.
So the company I'm a part of ismy own.
I named it the UntetheredMinimalist and also Tech VA
Services.
But there's a meaning behindthe Untethered Minimalist.
I'm a big fan of NomadCapitalist Andrew Henderson.
I'm a big fan of NomadCapitalist Andrew Henderson, and
(16:27):
I am a minimalist at heart, notjust with stuff, but also with
life.
I will take stock and I didthis in the past.
But minimalism isn't just aboutstuff.
It's also about deciding whatdo we want to consume, whether
it's food, whether it'stelevision, whether it's gossip.
Whether it's television,whether it's gossip, whether
it's positive energy, positivepeople it's what do we consume
(16:48):
as people.
And so minimalism to me isn'tjust about stuff, although I do
find benefit with having lessthings, especially traveling and
being a digital nomad and I'msuper organized.
So for me, minimalism was animportant part of adding that
into the title.
And untethered means I'muntethered, not meaning I don't
(17:11):
care about life and people.
I deeply care about life andpeople but more about being
untethered from the expectationsof others.
I know that I can only controlmyself, my thoughts, my actions,
my reactions, and so I practicestaying untethered to the
expectation of someone else'saction or their reaction or what
(17:34):
they say or what they do orwhat they don't do.
So that's where the untetheredminimalist comes from.
That's the origin of the nameof my company and Tech VA
Services is I've talked alreadyabout this a little bit but
being able to help people whocome from, like I said, the
coaching background, the actingbackground, the teacher
(17:55):
background, the anythingnon-techie background.
I relate to that person becauseI am that person and I dovetail
that with finding this love oftech, finding this love of
automation and being able tobuild and run CRMs and help
people run their business with aCRM, streamlining everything by
(18:16):
automating it and then helpingthem building their sales
funnels and their email listsand social media.
Helping them building theirsales funnels and their email
lists and social media and then,if they have dream projects
like a blog or a YouTube channelor an ebook or building a
digital course or a membership,et cetera, so I'm able to help
them make.
Each one of my clients is verypersonalized in their own
company and their own dream, andso the origin is blending those
(18:41):
two worlds together so that Ican help my clients save time
and get back time so they canfocus on their lives and their
clients and themselves to bemore happy and positive.
And what's unique about thecompany my company, the
(19:08):
Untethered Minimalist, is that Iam not just the founder, I'm
not just a techie person, I'mnot just someone who wants to
make a bunch of money and I'msimply a.
I come from the health world.
I learned technology enough tothen blend those two worlds to
help my clients who,specifically, are most likely
coming from the health orartistic world or the acting
(19:30):
world that just anythingnon-techie and that person I can
really I can relate to and Ican really accommodate and work
with.
I can really accommodate andwork with and I think that's
what makes my company the mostunique is that I have the techie
as well background and so Iunderstand how to build things
(19:55):
and automate things and makepeople's lives a bit easier with
their own business so that theycan have more time back.
And I think that is what setsme apart from just someone in
general who works in tech or whobuilds CRMs and or can do all
the techie backend stuff to helprun and operate like an OBM.
(20:18):
I think you either have more ofa techie personality where maybe
you're not as much of a peopleperson that's not everyone,
obviously, I'm generalizing butthat maybe you just want to do
backend tasks and you don't wantto really chit chat and get to
know clients, and that can be.
I know that's been some clientfeedback where my clients have
(20:39):
said it's a pleasure getting ona Zoom call with me to talk
about backend tests that I'mgoing to do and how I'm building
out something in their CRM fortheir next launch or something.
And they'll say it's a pleasureversus being some awful
daunting task where it's justnot their forte and they don't
really understand certain thingsand I can make it a pleasurable
(21:01):
conversation and workingtogether and building.
They say that it's enjoyableversus an awful daunting task.
So I would say that's what setsme apart and that's what makes
my company unique.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
What's your philosophy on building a great
team?
Speaker 2 (21:18):
So my base philosophy with building a great team is
this I believe that, asfreelancers and entrepreneurs
and digital nomads, when we areworking for ourselves, that we
need to be paid first and weneed to bill up front and be
paid for the work up front.
(21:39):
And so I set the tone from thevery beginning.
I bill my clients at thebeginning of the month.
Most clients I do a build outthe first month and then we go
into a retainer fee and there'sa minimum required hours.
But I really don't work by thehour anymore.
It's simply I bill them basedon certain tasks and it's a
(22:03):
retainer every month, but I billupfront and I get paid upfront,
and I believe that the teamthat I've built I do the same
thing.
I pay them upfront for so manyhours and then, if they are
working on a project and theyhave to add additional hours,
they just let me know where I'mstill working on this and then
they say, hey, I just did theseextra hours and then I go ahead
(22:25):
and pay them for those as well.
So I know that psychologically,this is how I work better when
I have money in my account frommy client.
Money in my bank account iswhat I'm trying to say I am
psychologically and emotionally,I'm much more stable, I feel
much more productive, I'm muchmore motivated and I also want
(22:47):
to do a great job.
They've already paid me, sothat's always been a motivator,
from my very first client on,and that's how I've also built
my team is that I want them tobe super motivated to get the
tasks done and I want them toknow that they've already been
paid and most people you knoware going to feel much more calm
(23:09):
and relaxed and just simply doa better job and be motivated
when they're paid first.
And I know it's a completelydifferent story when you work
for a company.
You do work and then you getpaid two weeks later or you get
paid a month later and that'sfine.
That's one philosophy ofworking.
But as entrepreneurs since wereally have to protect ourselves
(23:30):
billing upfront and gettingpaid upfront and then that's how
I treat my team members theyget paid upfront and it's a win,
because I believe it reallyhelps with motivation working
every day.
Because, let's be honest, whenwe work online, there's a lot of
trust because we're not in thesame space, we're not in the
(23:52):
same office, and when you'reworking online, when you're
working remotely and you haveclients or you're building a
team, there is a lot of trust.
That has to be the foundation,and so when that's the beginning
, the foundation, we do our work.
We do it in a timely manner.
That's why asynchronous worksin so many instances, because it
(24:13):
doesn't matter what time zoneyou live in, what part of the
world, as long as you're gettingtasks done in a mindful amount
of time and getting the workdone.
That's really what matters, andso I'm just a big believer in
when we're paid up front, I'llas well with the world.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
Can you talk me through the steps of your hiring
process?
How would you describe thecompany's success so far?
How?
Speaker 2 (24:41):
would you describe the company's success so far?
I describe the success of mycompany by several things by the
feedback that I get from ourclients.
That would be the first thing,and definitely my lifestyle.
If I am working and I'm able tohandle the flow of clients each
week, I'm able to finishworking at a certain time in the
(25:06):
day or later in the day so thatI can go to the gym or go swim
or do the things that I need todo.
If I'm able to take off whichis very important for me to be
able to take off my day of resteach week on the weekend, my day
(25:28):
of rest each week on theweekend, as long as my lifestyle
is balanced and that reallyfalls on my shoulders, and then
I feel like that's a sign ofsuccess Financially, as long as
I am hitting marks each monthand each year as I grow, to
accommodate this lifestyle andthen be able to put some of my
extra resources into growing thebusiness, having extra team
(25:50):
members and also building someof my other passion projects,
which one I mentioned earlierwas the tours that we do in
Anatolia modern day Turkey andknowing that I can then hire my
own virtual assistant to help mewith some of the other passion
projects that I have.
So those are all signs ofsuccess for me.
(26:12):
Having simply earning X andbuying this size house Like,
those are not measures, thoseare not markers for me that
relate to me.
For success, everybody'sdifferent, but I would say my
lifestyle, my client's happinessand knowing that then I can
(26:33):
continue to expand my passionprojects, or AKA, multiple
streams of income, those are allsigns of success for me.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
And what's next on the horizon?
Speaker 2 (26:45):
So what's next for my company, the Untethered
Minimalist, what's on thehorizon?
We have a new client that hasquite a few clients under them.
They all need help and supportgetting automated and simply
streamlining their business.
So that's one thing that'sexciting for the foreseeable
rest of 2024.
(27:06):
We should be staying prettybusy with a nice flow of new
clients each week and helpingthem and these clients all of
them help people be healthier,so that's really rewarding.
The other thing for theuntethered Minimalist is to I
really want to have a book,write my book, get that done
(27:31):
which would be titled theUntethered Minimalist and it
would be a story about myjourney abroad, living abroad,
being a digital nomad, my healthjourney and putting it all
together and how I got from A toB and also putting more time
into our tour business inAnatolia and doing these
(27:51):
biblical walking walk, the Bibletours.
And the other thing on thehorizon for the Untethered
Mentalist is digital courses.
So I have quite a few digitalcourses in mind some tech and
some health related courses andactually some archaeology and
anthropology educational courses.
(28:13):
So really getting some digitalcourses out into the world is a
huge goal for me and, of course,a huge bonus is to have that,
those extra streams of semipassive streams of income with
digital courses.
It's not a one and done, butsimply getting those courses out
in the world and sharing thatinformation and education with
(28:35):
people is a really excitingendeavor for me to take on.
So those are the things thatare on the horizon for us here
at the Undothered Minimalist.
Speaker 1 (28:46):
Is there a particular team or company whose culture
you admire?
Speaker 2 (28:51):
I would say one of the companies and founders who I
admire is I mentioned before isAndrew Henderson.
He's the founder and CEO ofNomad Capitalist.
I think because there's a blendof his entrepreneurial spirit
as an American when he wasliving in the United States and
(29:12):
then his love of travel andmeeting people from other
cultures and other parts of theworld and expanding his horizons
just as a human being.
Those two points I completelyrelate to with him.
He's gone on to expand thecompany.
I think there's a large base inArmenia and he's gone on to say
(29:35):
how wonderful his team membersare in Armenia and what a great
place to have as a base.
I think also Serbia Serbia andArmenia, I believe, are the two
places where he's just foundreally excellent team and remote
team workers and in-person teamworkers Everything that they've
(29:57):
done to help people simply opentheir eyes to being able to
live abroad, move abroad, maybe,change their tax jurisdiction,
acquire other residences, othercitizenships, acquire real
estate abroad, move theirbusiness completely, move their
family world, school theirfamily, their children.
(30:17):
So really he's been great ateducating people on steps
through his book, through hisYouTube channel, who may not be
able to afford his services, hisVIP services, but he's been a
great educator for me.
I've been following the NomadCapitalists since 2016, 2017.
And so watching their growthand what they've really I've
(30:40):
really admired their work andhis philosophy in life and
simply seeing the world asdifferent places that you can
move and create options.
Simply creating options byhaving another residence or
another citizenship, versus aclassic thing that we do in
North America as Americans,which is we can really get
(31:05):
Americans can really get stuckGeographically.
We're stuck in North Americaand there's also a mentality
that can go with that, whereAmericans, maybe partly
unknowingly and partly knowingly, stop thinking about the rest
of the world.
And in Europe, it's really easyto think about the rest of the
(31:26):
world because you're interactingwith so many other wonderful
humans.
So that's why I admire Not myCapitalist.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
And, as we begin to wrap up, what excites you about
what's ahead?
Speaker 2 (31:39):
Something that excites me about what's ahead is
simply building the untetheredminimalist and building our
client family in a verymethodical, realistic way.
I know how many clients, howmany new clients, we can take on
per month, and then how manythen will go into a maintenance,
(32:01):
monthly retainer maintenanceand doing that in a methodical
way where I'm not only motivatedby dollars but I'm motivated by
the quality that we're turningout and how many people we can
help and their success.
So that's what excites me aboutthe growth of the rest of this
(32:24):
year 2024, and then looking at2025, and then expanding my team
members as needed, and thenexpanding my team members as
needed, and then also continuingto live and travel in some
other places when I'm not in theUnited States, helping my
parents and helping my family,spending time where we love,
(32:54):
which is in the Middle East, andexploring more places that we
love.
I have, as I shared, a love ofarchaeology, anthropology,
geography and history, and so,for me, I have a deep interest
in getting my hands and feetinto the dirt and actually
walking and exploring differentparts of the Middle East, the
Levant and Asia Minor region,and biblical history and
(33:18):
archaeology is a deep interest.
So those are the things thatexcite me about our tour
business, which I mentioned,which is trips in Asia Minor.
(33:39):
In Asia Minor, and we do smallpilgrimage type, boutique tours
for those who want to simplyread their Bible and walk the
Bible with us together.
And whether you're a believeror not, if you love history, if
you love archaeology and if youdo love reading the Bible and
walking the Bible, you will lovethese boutique, small
pilgrimage type tours that wehave, where we simply we break
(34:02):
bread together, we share stories, we pray together and we have a
marvelous time simply beinghuman beings together in this
ancient part of the world thathas so much incredible ancient
human history, and so I'm reallyexcited about that.
And, yeah, just being a humanbeing in this time and in human
(34:25):
history is really fascinating,because there are so many things
going on with technology and somany different things going on
in different parts of the world,so I think it's an incredible
time to be alive as a humanbeing.
So bless all of you.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
And what do you like to do when you're not working?
Speaker 2 (34:47):
So, as I've mentioned , I don't really watch TV.
I like to watch and readbiographies and anything to do
with specifically ancienthistory, specifically
Mesopotamia, the Bronze Age, theStone Age, asia Minor in
general, anatolia, asia Minor,which is modern day Turkey,
(35:07):
anything to do with the Levant,the Levantine region, anything
to do with the Gulf countries,the Gulf region, which I used to
live in, saudi Arabia andKuwait, and I've spent a lot of
time in Bahrain and the UAE.
So my interest and passionreally lies with, as I mentioned
(35:29):
, archaeology, anthropology,geography and history,
specifically ancient history, inthose parts of the world.
I've been lucky enough to spenda lot of time in Southeast Asia
.
I lived in China and I've spentsome time in South America as
well, so there's lots ofdifferent parts of the world I
still haven't been but theMiddle East and actually also
(35:50):
Eastern Europe and the Caucasusarea.
That's what really is drawingme in now.
So studying and going andtraveling in those places,
trying their food, learning abit of their language, talking
to the locals, learning abouttheir history and their music
and their clothing, and anythingto do with the people and their
(36:15):
clothing and anything to dowith the people this is the
thing that really I spend themost time doing outside of work.
And lastly, I'll say I love tocook.
I cook intuitively.
I cook nose to tail.
I believe in using the entirepart of the animal.
I eat, pretty much like peoplehave for the last 5,000 years,
which is I eat.
I eat and cook a lot of meatand grass, fed, pasture, raised
(36:38):
type foods, type animals, andthen so I love to cook and make
cooking videos.
And I also love to do fitness.
I love to swim and do Pilatesand weight training and I love
to be with other believers and Ilove to read my Bible and, most
of all, I love to spend timewith my Lord Yeshua.
(37:00):
So that's what I do when I'mnot working.
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