In many instances it has something to do with excessive sitting and poor diet.

Working long, unsociable hours, on little sleep, fueling your body with crap food – just to get back to the grind isn’t healthy for you or your business.

New research shows sedentary behavior to be equivalent to smoking… It’s no wonder some entrepreneurs are incredibly unhealthy despite an OK diet. 

I recently stumbled upon a thread about an article I wrote in regard to entrepreneurs being unhealthy, and one of the replies helped me grasp something…

Many entrepreneurs, mostly those just getting their feet wet, are under the impression health is a necessary sacrifice now in order to live well later…

And they’re basing this on the notion;

“Entrepreneurs live like most won’t now in order to live like most can’t later.” 

Working harder at working smarter is one thing, but that has nothing to do with sacrificing your health. It’s important to understand the body wants every internal process to function in harmony.

When this happens, our energy, mental clarity and creative abilities operate at a much higher level.

As I mentioned in “Why Entrepreneurs Are Unhealthy & What To Do About It”, studies are showing successful entrepreneurs are healthier than most people.

They tend to eat more fruits and vegetables, exercise more, and take more self-responsibility.

Here’s what else they stick to…

20 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Immediately Improve Their Health

#1 Spend One Hour Outside Daily

Thomas Jefferson spent most of his waking hours at home working, but never failed to spend at least one hour outside per day.

Force yourself to go outside and get some fresh air, vitamin D and exercise. Just walk around the block a few times if you’re unable to venture to far from the computer.

#2 Improve What You Eat

In order to become the healthiest and strongest version of yourself, it’s ideal to eat nutritionally balanced meals with all natural, unprocessed ingredients.

These meals should consist of local and organic whole foods, herbs and spices.

I use a cool resource called Local Harvest to find farmers’ markets, organic family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in my area.

#3 Improve How You Eat

If you want to maintain healthy weight, high levels of energy and positive well being it’s critical to develop healthy eating habits!

I like to eat soon after waking up and stick to set eating times (ex: 9, 12, 5 & 8) throughout the day.

Also, thoroughly chewing your food and not drinking during and for up to an hour after a meal noticeably aids digestion.

#4 Improve Your Posture

Acknowledge how you’re sitting this very second. 

Are both of your feet planted on the ground? Is your chest up and shoulders back?

When you correct your posture, you allow your spine to rise and your chest to open, which eases tension and helps the breath flow more freely. The oxygen can now penetrate more deeply into your lungs.

As you begin to take these deeper breathes you activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is lowering your stress hormone levels, healing your brain, and stimulating recovery and digestion.

#5 Open A Window

The quality of our air has a huge impact on our health.

As entrepreneurs, most of us spend quite a bit of time indoors in front of the computer.

New research shows that more than 99% of the bugs living inside us aren’t harmful, in fact, they’re beneficial; assisting our digestion, metabolism, and immunity.

Interestingly, one of the easiest ways to build your microbiome (the bugs living inside you), is simply opening a window.

But there’s even a tasty way to do it… with Kombucha of course.

#6 Stick To A Sleep Schedule

Going to bed and waking up at the same time each day forces your your body’s “internal clock” to expect sleep at a certain time each night.

Go to bed and get at least 8 but no more than 9 hours of sleep and wake up at the same time every day (for me it’s typically 11pm – 8am).

I’ll typically dim the lights an hour before bed and sleep in complete darkness which helps me fall asleep and stay asleep.

If you’re on the computer in the evening, I recommend installing the f.lux app as you’re probably affecting the quality of your sleep.

#7 Start Your Day With A Walk

Make it a priority to go for a morning walk before you start working. This primes you for the day, helps you sleep and lowers your stress levels.

Some of my best ideas have occurred on my morning walks.

#8 Take A Break and Move Around

Sitting for long periods of time is linked to obesity, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and excess body fat.

Walking and exercise in general releases endorphins, which quickly creates feelings of happiness and euphoria.

Instead of just flying from one task to the next, walk around the park or at least stretch in between to-do list items. Simple stretching, lunges or even walking up and down the stairs a couple times is a great way to recharge and refocus.

#9 Take Weekend Vacations

Reserve weekends for yourself.

Even though you work for yourself, and don’t have a morning commute, weekend rest should still be a priority. But this doesn’t necessarily mean lounging all day.

Take short mini-vacations. Get in your car and drive a couple of hours to the beach or forest.

Even if you feel you didn’t get enough work done during the week, and want to make up for it on the weekend, enjoy the fresh air and refocus while away from the computer.

#10 Take Walking Meetings

As entrepreneurs, we’re constantly networking and meeting new business contacts. Next time, suggest a walking meeting instead of a sit-down.

I love to meet people and walk around a park. This has helped me settle negotiations and left lasting impressions on some great people I now call friends.

It’s also a great excuse to get outside and get the blood flowing a bit.

You might find some who think you’re a nut, but I’ve found most professionals appreciate this refreshing approach to meetings.

#11 Don’t Eat Lunch At Your Desk

Lunch is a great opportunity to recharge, network and even stretch the legs.

You’re definitely busy, but you’re not so busy that you have to eat at your desk. Make it a point to take a lunch break.

#12 Drink More Water

Make water your primary beverage – it’s far and beyond the superior choice for entrepreneurs.

A 2% decrease in water saturation in your body will noticeably slow your thought process and ability to remember. If you need flavor, try adding fresh fruit and/or citrus to make it more appealing.

#13 Get A Massage

Massage therapy has been used for hundreds of years as alternative medicine and a way to promote health and well-being.

A weekly deep tissue massage helps me maintain relaxation, sleep better and keeps my muscles healthy and flexible.

#14 Limit “Time-suckers”

Set email answering and social media updates to certain times. You can get bogged down answering emails or checking out stories on Facebook.

Aside from allowing your audience to expect content at a certain time, you’re able to get on and do what you have to without being sucked into a juicy controversy or losing sleep over some new conspiracy you saw in your newsfeed…

Limiting time-suckers will allow you to get more done, which frees up time to exercise, socialize or simply relax.

#15 Do Light Exercise Around The House

There’s really a point of diminishing returns when you’re working all the time.

Your brain gets locked down to one way of thinking, and you’re simply not as productive as you’d be if you’re blood was flowing and you were engaging your entire body.

Take short, frequent breaks and utilize them to exercise throughout your day.

20 minutes of extended exercise or an hour of walking per day is great. But it’s even better to get up frequently from your desk and move around even if it’s only for 10 minutes.

Again, the whole 33 minutes on with 10 minutes off, seriously works wonders.

#16 Hire A Virtual Assistant

As entrepreneurs especially those of us just getting our feet wet with this whole “running my own business” thing, often end up doing much of the leg work ourselves.

This translates into working long 14-hour days, resulting in mental and physical exhaustion. 

Outsourcing everything from office tasks to your social media presence can free up time to focus on health and the expansion and improvement of your business.

Here are 5 great resources to find reliable freelancers and virtual assistants to do just that:

AwesomeWeb.com

PeoplePerHour.com

IVAA.org

EasyOutsource.com

BestJobs.ph

#17 Challenge Yourself

Whenever you go out – to the store, the movies, or the mall – physically challenge yourself by parking farther away, taking the stairs and reaching with the opposite hand.

Each of these subtle actions results in stimulated muscles, increased blood-flow and calories burned.

#18 Find an Accountability Partner

A great way to stick to a workout program or healthy lifestyle is finding a partner.  Whether it’s someone to go to yoga class with or somebody to text “crushed my work out!”

Having an accountability partner will help you stay committed and allow you to see better results in return.

Check out these 64 awesome health and fitness apps by Greatist.

#19 Set A Work and Play Schedule

If you’re chained to your desk all day, think about incorporating hikes, tea, games, yoga et cetera into your regular breaks.

I’ve adopted a great method allowing me to remain productive yet active and grounded throughout my day.

Working in 33 minute and 33 second (33.33) intervals seems to be the magic productivity number for me.

After each session, I take advantage of a 10-15 minute break by conversing with strangers, walking around the park, practicing yoga, doing push-ups and meditating.

#20 Be More Social – In Real Life

Having a positive sense of community is nearly as important to our health as exercise because the division of work, feeling of association and togetherness all help establish a healthy atmosphere and mindset.

With no separation between work and home life, and no one to answer to, an Internet entrepreneur isn’t forced to keep his body moving, to keep his mind alert, to maintain his appearance, or to do anything that would be socially ideal.

Remember, the most successful entrepreneurs combine great health with great business!

The post 20 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Immediately Improve Their Health appeared first on How To Make Money Online.

You Do Not Have To Be an Unhealthy Entrepreneur

It’s no coincidence that a lot of entrepreneurs have health related problems.

As entrepreneurs, we often treat our bodies terribly in exchange for success.

We work long, unsociable hours, on little sleep, fueling our bodies with crap food – just so we can get back to what we were doing.

This isn’t a healthy lifestyle, nor is this is my idea of entrepreneurial success.

During the last four years, I’ve dedicated a lot of my time to understanding how the body works and what it needs to thrive at an optimum level.

I’ve tested hundreds of supplements, talked to dozens of doctors and spent a small fortune educating myself before writing this post.

I’m not a doctor and you should always do your own research, but this article does outline what works for me – everybody is different.

What Does The Body Want?

Simply put, the body wants every internal process to function in harmony.

In order to accomplish this, we need to provide our bodies with clean, sustainable nutrition and habitual physical activity. This goes a long way towards being successful in both health and business.

Health & Entrepreneurship Can Literally Go Together

The story of Jordan Rubin, CEO of Garden of Life, is a great example of the power of health & entrepreneurship working together.

This man was on his last leg, thin as a rail and suffering from numerous health conditions.

He decided he was going to take his health back into his own hands; ate a completely natural diet, returned to nature and started exercising the “right” way.

He re-gained a lot of weight, and eventually wrote a book about his story; It was called Patient, Heal Thyself.

He then went on to start a supplement company based on the experience and research he went through during his journey back to health.

To sum it up, he’s now a multi-millionaire, and it never would’ve happened if he hadn’t merged entrepreneurship and health.

Granted, Jordan’s story is unique, but it puts into perspective how focus and attention to detail with your health can translate into the same attention to detail and work ethic required to be successful as an entrepreneur.

Change What You Eat & Drink

Without a doubt, the most important thing you can do to start feeling better and instantly improve your health is change what you eat and drink!

Enhancing the quality and variety of food that goes into your body ensures that your immune system, metabolism and mental processes function at an optimum level. This is imperative if you’re going to have the mental capacity or physical energy required to run your own business for the long term.

CronoMeter is a free, user-friendly resource that I use to track all of my nutrition. With that said, it’s very rare that I don’t eat like a king – this is what I stick to:

• 100% organic.
• Local grown and shipped.
• Whole unprocessed foods.
• No added sugar.
• No soy.
• Get off the dairy.
• Balanced macro nutrients (carbs, protein & fat) and micro nutrients (vitamins & minerals).
  
• Drink plenty of water.
• Drink kombucha.

Improve The Way You Eat & Drink

It’s not just what you eat, but how you eat that can make a big difference.

There are a few solid eating tips I’ve picked up over the years that have helped keep my health bulletproof – I’ve listed them here:

• Eat soon after waking up.
• Set eating times (ex: 9, 12, 5 & 8).
• Chew your food thoroughly (ex: 36 times, once for each tooth).
• Don’t drink during and for up to an hour after a meal – it slows digestion. This is an interesting article on drinking & digestion – http://foodbabe.com/2012/02/19/be-unconventional-stop-drinking-with-your-meals
  
• Eat food fresh and immediately after it’s prepared to optimize nutritional value.
• Hydrate yourself – Mental processes are affected by as little as 2% dehydration. Not to mention, the most common cause of afternoon fatigue is dehydration (drink plenty of water, herbal teas, stock, broths & fresh homemade juice).

Improve Your Sleep

As an entrepreneur, I go to bed most nights, excited to find out what tomorrow brings.

The thing is, the more I think, the more I toss and turn and the longer it takes me to fall asleep. The way I see it, we have to sleep every day, for the rest of our lives; might as well be good at it.

Here’s what’s been working for me:

• Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day (typically 11pm – 8am).
• Sleep in complete darkness; make sure to black out your windows. This great article by Dr. Mercola talks about it here – http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/01/02/sleep-in-darkness.aspx
  
• Sleep in complete silence.
• Reduce blue light in the evening (install f.lux app, dim your lights, burn beeswax candles, turn off electronics).
• Get an adequate amount of sleep each night. Sleeping less than 7 hours per night can double the chance of coming down with an infection (deep sleep increases your body’s production of natural killer cells).
• Wake up to sunlight. I use a wake up to light alarm clock, at 7:30 it begins brightening up the room until 8am when bird noises begin.
• Eat two kiwi fruit before bed. Studies show that eating two kiwi fruit every day will improve the quality of one’s sleep by 40% and help you fall asleep 35% quicker.
• Drink a chamomile, passion-flower or peppermint tea before you sleep.
• Don’t eat dinner within 3 hours of going to bed.
• Sleep with socks on. A recent study has shown that cold feet are often a cause of interrupted sleep.

Improve Your Air

The quality of our air has a huge impact on our health. As humans we’re meant to live outside, breathing that lovely fresh air.

Not only is this a great opportunity to absorb some vitamin D3, but also it helps improve our immune system by enhancing our human micro-biome (the “good bugs” living inside us).

Here are some air quality habits that I live by:

• Keep a window open. This cool article explains the surprising benefits – http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-7936/why-you-need-to-open-a-window… 
• Use natural cleaning products.
• Burn beeswax candles to purify air. Beeswax is a fantastic medium for candles and produces negative ions when burned, which pulls positively charged particles out of the air (providing many benefits especially for allergy sufferers).
• Learn how to breathe properly (deep and consciously).
• Buy some house plants. A NASA study proved they’re great air filters and this video explains the benefits – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmn7tjSNyAA
  

Sitting Is The New Smoking – Even If You Exercise

Thomas Jefferson would get regular exercise amidst his several hours of daily study at his estate. He was one of the brightest minds to have ever graced history book pages, but he still made sure to get out and exercise each day.

There’s no getting around the fact that the more you sit, the worse health you’re going to have, the earlier you’re going to die, and it doesn’t matter how fit you are.

As Internet entrepreneurs, we spend A LOT of our time sitting in front of the computer. We run websites, write articles, and check stats for hours on end…

But what does all this sitting for extended periods of time do?

Well, for starters, sitting in front of a computer for such long hours increases our risk of depression, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

Plus, all that time spent at the computer expending mental energy without any physical activity just makes it harder to sleep at night. Combine that with the fact that most Internet entrepreneurs drink a lot of caffeine – which in itself creates a recipe for throwing everything out of whack.

You have to live an active lifestyle if you’re going to be healthy and successful as an entrepreneur.

The Life We Lead

Our daily habits can make or break our health and our business in the long run.

Creating a daily schedule that incorporates both health conscious activities and entrepreneurial tasks is a great way to remain productive and achieve success.

For example, as entrepreneurs we’re prone to sit for long hours while working, which in many cases translates into unsociable behavior.

Having a positive sense of community is nearly as important to our health as exercise because the division of work, feeling of association and togetherness all help establish a healthy atmosphere and mindset.

One of the most important things we can to do to maximize our health and productivity as entrepreneurs is to create a daily schedule and stick to it.

Now, you don’t want to feel like you’re a slave to your schedule so you must be productive and create time for fun.

Besides your eating times, some of the most important aspects to keep in mind when creating your daily schedule is to make time for breaks and utilize them to get up, move around and interact with other human life.

I’ve adopted a great method from master copywriter Eugene Schwartz that allows me to remain productive yet active and involved throughout my day.

What I do is set my timer to exactly 33 minutes and 33 seconds (33.33) – this seems to be the magic number for me.

From after breakfast until about lunch I work in 33.33-minute chunks with 10-15 minute breaks between “sessions.” I take advantage of these breaks by walking around the park, practicing yoga, meditating, watching funny videos or simply starting conversations with strangers.

By becoming aware of a few of the more common reasons why entrepreneurs and business owners are unhealthy you can avoid them and excel; here they are:

• Sitting long hours.
• Bad posture from sitting down all day.
• Working long hours.
• No “me time.”
• Don’t take breaks.
• Unsociable / lack of community.
• Eating food on the go.
• They eat sugar, dairy, gluten, yeast, processed food or soya.
• Bad sleep.
• Often burn candle at both ends of the stick (party hard).
• Travel all over the world, at times exposing us to infectious diseases.
• Little exercise.
• Mental exhaustion.

Are You, As An Entrepreneur, Doomed To Be Unhealthier?

You, as an entrepreneur, are actually poised to be a lot healthier than the regular working class folk, who unfortunately don’t really have much of a choice about their lifestyles.

They have to go into work every day, spend X amount of hours there, often under poor working conditions, and have to be cramped up in an office all day without taking any breaks outside.

The good news for you and I is that there was a recent study that showed entrepreneurs were actually healthier. They tended to eat more fruits and vegetables, exercise more, and take more self-responsibility.

The same traits that have made you such a great entrepreneur can be carried over to living a healthy lifestyle. If you put as much work into your body, as you do your business, you’ll be flying high.

Remember, a lot of people who live sedentary and unhealthy lifestyles don’t have a choice about their lives. They’re forced to work inside all day for a set number of hours and can’t even spend their days outside when it’s bright and sunny.

The idea of trying to be healthy, while being an entrepreneur, has to be taken to heart. The most successful entrepreneurs combine great health with great business!

Health by choice, not by chance.

-David Aston

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The post Why Entrepreneurs Are Unhealthy & What To Do About It appeared first on How To Make Money Online.

Sounds like an ideal vacation… but it’s an even-better job.

More and more people are making the decision to become a location-independent, traveling entrepreneur. Below I’ll walk you through how to become a “digital nomad” in five steps.

#1 Save up Money

Before you jump out of an airplane, you strap on a parachute. Before you hop on the nomad trail, you make sure that you have some cash saved up so that you can ride out the rough patches.

“Put your head down and put away some money,” advises Matt Wilson (Under 30 CEO). He continues, “You need some savings… as a buffer if you are going to make a long-term habit of living outside of the United States.”

How much Money Should You Save?

The answer depends on (A) the cost of living per month where you’re going, (B) the cost of travel to/from this location, and (C) how much your willing to go without luxury and security. You’ll also want to consider the travel cost of renewing your visa every 30, 60, or 90 days.

Let’s say I want to begin my nomad life in Costa Rica. I’m going to need at least enough money for the flight to and from Denver (about $600). Then I’ll need about $500 for the first month of food, lodging, wifi, and bus fare. Then it’s just a matter of how much I would want for luxuries (about $100) and a “rainy day fund” (let’s say $2800).

For this example, I would save up $4000 before buying my ticket to San Jose. Depending on where you’re at in life, that may seem like a fortune or chump change.

Given the risk of your laptop breaking, you needing medical attention, or your best friend getting married back home… it’s always a good idea to save up more money than you think you’ll need.

…or Don’t

“Leap and the net will appear.”

Zen saying

Like to take risks? Thrive under pressure?

If so, you don’t have to save up much money before you start. John Bardos of Jet Set Citizen had just $1000 dollars to his name when he arrived in Japan and began his life as a nomadic entrepreneur. Bardos hit the ground running and never looked back. He says, “It was easy because I had nothing to lose.”

Not having a financial safety net will motivate you to succeed, since you won’t have any other choice. Still, I recommend you have at least enough money for one month’s rent and transportation to get home at all times.

#2 Get the Essentials

Some items are no-brainers. If you’re a photographer, obviously you’re going to need your camera. Most everyone is going to need a laptop and a padded bag for it. Of course, you won’t forget your toothbrush.

Here are some essential items and resources that you may not have thought of:

External GPRS/EDGE/3G USB Modem

These little doodads plug into a USB port and turn a cell phone data network into an Internet connection. This vastly expands the number of locations you’ll be able to work while traveling.

Theft Protection Software

For most digital nomads, their laptop is their livelihood. But the value of electronic devices also makes them attractive to thieves.

If your laptop, tablet, or smart phone is ever stolen or misplaced while traveling you’re going to wish you had a way of locating it remotely. Prey anti-theft software is just that. Registering up to three devices is free and it only takes a couple minutes.

Online Backup

Services like Mozy offer regular cloud-based backups in case anything goes awry. For one computer, it can cost as little as $5.99 per month (about $72 per year).

External Hard Drive

As a video producer, my work eats up Gigabytes like PacMan eats dots. For me, an external hard drive is the cost of doing business.

But even if you don’t need an external hard drive for the storage, you should have one for a backup. Online backups are great, but you won’t always have access to a consistent, high-speed Internet connection.

You can pick up a 1TB external hard drive for under $100.

Pocket Notebook

When you’re hiking the Himalayas, you may not have your laptop handy. Ditto for when you’re laying on the beach.

But those are both times when you’re likely to feel inspired and creative. Always have a notebook on you and you’ll always be able to catch lightning in a bottle for your business – even when it strikes in the most remote of places.

A Grasp of the Language

A few important phrases in the native language goes a long way. I’ve personally used DuoLingo to sharpen up my Spanish. It’s amazingly robust (and free!) language learning software.

Unless you’re fluent, pick up a travel-sized phrasebook. Once you’ve settled in, look around for a tutor. One-on-one lessons are highly effective and may be surprisingly inexpensive.

Eliminate the Unnecessary

I just listed some of the things you’ll need to have as a digital nomad, but the list of things that you’ll need to lose is even longer. It’s important to travel light. You’ll probably have to shed the majority of your possessions unless you’ve got some generous friends/family with a big garage.

#3 Choose a Starting Location

Here are a few of the more popular countries for digital nomads:

– Thailand

– Cambodia

– Argentina

– Columbia

– Laos

– Vietnam

– Malta

– Costa Rica

There are hundreds of different factors to consider, but ultimately there’s no “best” country for digital nomads. Whether you carefully weigh your options or picking a starting location at random, the most important thing is having the right attitude (and a wifi connection, of course).

#4 Find a Reliable Location-Independent Income

Earning money is about providing value to others. The Internet has made it possible to provide value to people who live very far away from you, all around the world. It isn’t easy to do, but it is easier than ever before – thanks in part to sites like Income Diary that are completely devoted to teaching people how to make money online.

Many nomad entrepreneurs have single-person businesses that are based on providing a service (much like freelancing). This is the quickest path to being able to finance a nomadic lifestyle. If you’re interested in this path, I’ve written a guide on how to make money with a service business and another on how to attract leads and clients online.

Here are some of the more common fields for nomad entrepreneurs to take up:

The Written Word

The market for people who can write high-quality blog posts has never been larger. You could finance a modest lifestyle in many countries by writing four articles like this one per month. Of course, this job also requires an understanding of online publishing, SEO, photo-editing, and more.

There’s also work to be found transcribing, editing, and translating text.

Digital Media Specialist

If you’re a graphic designer, web developer, or software programmer, you know that there’s not much difference between working 10 miles away from your client or 1000 miles away.

Photography and video production are also well-suited to location-independence. Plus, you’ll surely find plenty of inspiring vistas to capture on your travels.

Remote Work Agreements

Increasingly, businesses are allowing their employees to work remotely. It saves on office space and can lead to higher employee satisfaction and productivity. If you’ve already got a good job and you don’t technically need to be on-site to do it, consider asking your boss if you can work remotely.

Passive Income

Developing a passive income takes more time but also offers a greater reward at the end. Create a great website, cultivate an audience of people who trust you, and you could one day make a six-figure income by selling ad space and products.

The List Goes On…

Nomadic jobs are only limited by your imagination. Nunomad’s list of location-independent careers includes everything from the bizarre (balloon artist) to the mundane (insurance agent) and everything in between (consultant, coach, camel trainer, radiologist, property manager, virtual assistant, English teacher, dancer, and importer).

#5 Hire a Virtual Staff

What’s the fun of traveling the world if you have stare at a computer screen eight hours a day, five days a week? Most businesses require daily attention to keep running smoothly – and if you’re on safari in the Serengeti, that’s just infeasible.

The solution: a virtual staff to pick up the slack.

I’ve never hired a virtual staff member myself, so this section is reinforced by one of the world’s leading experts on outsourcing, Tyrone Shum. Back in 2005, Shum started an online Dragonboat paddle business. Business was so good that Shum was working 60 hours a week. That’s when he decided to hire a virtual staff. Within six months, Tyrone was working just 10 hours a week.

Use a Virtual Staff-Finding Service

If hiring someone who lives in a different country to be a part of your business sounds like a daunting task to take on on your own, you’re right. Tyrone Shum told us about his misguided first attempt:

“When I first started, I spent weeks on end trying to find the right person, to negotiate the best price, the best working conditions, and all that kind of stuff. But in the end, they didn’t even stay.”

from Web Domination 20

After this, Shum turned to a virtual staff-finding service and he’s never looked back. He recommends Virtual Staff Finder: “They go through the whole process and you pay a one-time fee. They come back to you with three candidates, you meet them and find out if they’ve got the right skills for you, and then – bang – you’re up and away.”

Start with a Virtual Assistant

Eventually, you may want to hire a whole staff: programmers, designers, writers, and more. But Shum says that “the first position to outsource is a virtual assistant.” Virtual assistants can do anything from handling your emails to maintaining your blog to running your social media.

They give you more time to focus on growing your business – and allow you the freedom to go on adventures without the gears of your business grinding to a halt.

How much does it Cost to Hire a Virtual Assistant?

The price is always in flux. Shum told us that when he started the going rate for a full-time virtual assistant was “roughly $300 a month” but that the price had already crept up to $450/month.

More skilled positions, like web developers, will be a bit pricier.

Note: If you’re really serious about outsourcing, I recommend you check out our interview with Tyrone Shum in Web Domination 20. He goes into detail about his hiring process, his management style, and what he’s learned to look for in a virtual staff candidate.

Ready to Become a Traveling Nomad Entrepreneur?

Then book your flight and pack your bags! If you’re still not sure what you want out of your work and life, you may want to check out our page on how to get your ideal lifestyle as an entrepreneur.

Post Image Photo Credit: Claudio Vaccaro.

The post How to Become a Traveling Nomad Entrepreneur in 5 Steps appeared first on How To Make Money Online.

Every day of the year is a good day to be thankful.

People who feel grateful have “more energy, more optimism, more social connections and more happiness than those who do not” according to a scientific study in the Wall Street Journal.

On that note, I would like to share with you the 20 things that I’m most thankful for as an online entrepreneur.

#1 My Mistakes

Since I first became an entrepreneur two years ago, I’ve made hundreds of mistakes.

I wish I’d made more.

Even though my mistakes have cost me lucrative clients and long hours, they’ve also been necessary in order for me to learn and continue on my path. I wish I had made more because that would mean that I would have been pushing myself harder and learning more rapidly.

Yes, I would prefer to do everything perfectly the first time through. But that’s impossible. Instead, I’m thankful for my mistakes because they’re the stepping stones to success.

#2 The Internet

The Internet has made entrepreneurs more powerful than ever before. We can start virtual storefronts that never close and training programs that educate people while we sleep.

And if somewhere along the way we need help, we can always just Google it.

#3 PayPal

I don’t know if PayPal truly is the “world’s most-loved way to pay and get paid,” but I can say that it’s the world’s most popular. PayPal has become the international standard for online money transaction.

PayPal’s popular enough that it’s usually safe to assume that people you’re doing business with online will have an account through the site. I’m thankful for PayPal because it makes billing clients from all over the world a breeze.

In the last year, about 75% of my business revenue has come through PayPal.

#4 Being Able to Work from Anywhere

This summer, I went on tour with my band for about four weeks. While my bandmates all had to take work off entirely, I was able to manage my video business over email and write for Income Diary.

Working and maintaining an online business while traveling isn’t easy. Sporadic access to Internet, electricity, and your own personal energy means that productivity can be difficult to come by. Still, some entrepreneurs (like Cody McKibben) adopt the “digital nomad” lifestyle and run their businesses while traveling the world.

Someday, I’ll follow in Cody’s footsteps. Until then, I’m just thankful that I can get up and go whenever I want without having to quit my day job.

#5 Business Partners and Employees

Entrepreneurs don’t have to be lone wolves. Working with great people can be the most satisfying part of any job.

#6 Wikipedia

The first time I heard of Wikipedia, I thought it was silly. How could an encyclopedia be trusted if anyone could edit at any time?

My opinion sure has changed in the last ten years.

Today, Wikipedia is the world’s most comprehensive, up-to-date, and popular encyclopedia. I use it as a resource while researching nearly every article for Income Diary. Of course, I still check Wikipedia’s citations to make sure that the information is correct.

In addition to being a great resource, Wikipedia operates entirely without ads. They ask for donations every year in order to keep Wikipedia free and ad-free. If you’re as thankful for Wikipedia as I am, consider donating this year.

#7 Inspiration

Entrepreneurs are full of ideas. When the right idea strikes, it can keep you up all night imagining the possibilities.

While I’ve written previously about the importance of sticking with one idea and following through with it, I’m still thankful for every new idea I get. There’s a heady exhilaration to brainstorming a fresh business idea – and few things in the world are more fun.

#8 New Challenges

Most of my friends have a 9-to-5 job – and while they all take pride in what they do, they all have the same complaint too:  it’s the same thing, day after day.

Online entrepreneurs don’t have this problem. Their agenda on any given day changes depending on what stage of development their business is in. One day, they’re a writer, the next they’re a developer, and the day after that they’re a marketer, speaker, or custom support provider.

Wearing all these different hats is enough to make your head spin. And to be quite honest, sometimes I’ve craved the consistency of “normal” day job. But in the end, I love that my job as an online entrepreneur presents me with a fresh challenge every day.

#9 Social Networks

Social networks have revolutionized the way that we find out about new ideas and they’ve made it easier than ever for the right idea – the right product, business, or website – to gain a huge audience overnight.

#10 An International Market

I run a service business and one of my favorite things about running it online is that it gives me access to a worldwide marketplace of potential clients.

Just last week I got an email from a company based out of Hong Kong and within 48 hours I was on Skype with them discussing a potential video project. This is the type of opportunity that would never have been available to me only a few decades ago.

This international market has lead to more clients for me, but that’s just the beginning. Many entrepreneurs hire full-time employees from nations where the cost of living is far less and they’re therefore able to pay lower wages. Of course, if you’re selling a product, it’s also nice to have worldwide customer-base.

#11 Skype

Email is a great way of communicating online, but it has its limitations.

When I’m looking to get to know a client better quickly and to truly understand their project goals, there’s nothing better than a face to face conversation. Skype makes that possible even when my client works halfway around the globe.

Just as Paypal is the online standard for payment, Skype is the online standard for telecommunication. If my client engages in online business, it’s pretty safe to assume that they have a Skype account. In that case, having a meaningful back-and-forth is as easy as exchanging Skype ID’s and agreeing upon a time to chat.

Skype is also a great way to stay connected with long-time business associates. Michael Dunlop and I will occasionally check in over Skype and discuss my most recent Income Diary article or an upcoming business prospect. Setting my status to ‘available’ every once in a while is a great way to keep my business network healthy.

#12 Passive Income

In interviewing twenty of the world’s top online entrepreneurs, I was very impressed with how much money these people were making while they slept. Sure, it took years of work to build their online empires. But once up and running, some were making thousands of dollars a month without any regular effort on their end.

Since my business is as video service provider, I’m still working very hard for every penny that I earn. But the potential to one day earn a healthy stream of passive income is one of the most appealing aspects of being an online entrepreneur.

#13 Risk

Starting a business is a risky venture. There’s no guarantee you’ll ever turn a profit. If you do, you’re still just one wrong move from your business unraveling before your eyes.

Of course, with great risk there also comes the possibility of great reward. Personally, I’m thankful for the entrepreneurial risk in my life. It keeps things interesting, gets my adrenaline pumping, and often brings out my best performance.

#14 Learning

The older I get, the more I love to learn. Unfortunately, I’m no longer in school so I don’t get to sit in class all day any more.

Thankfully entrepreneurship gives me opportunities and incentives to learn every day. Online business is complex and always changing. Even if I mastered every skill tonight, I would wake up tomorrow with more to learn.

Entrepreneurs learn quickly because they often put themselves in positions where they have no choice. As Roy Ash, said, “An entrepreneur tends to bite off a little more than he can chew hoping he’ll quickly learn how to chew it.”

#15 Adobe Software

Since being founded in 1982, Adobe Systems has been creating much of the world’s best multimedia and creativity software including Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and After Effects.

These complex and powerful programs enable an individual to produce professional-quality images, designs, videos, and books – all with just their computer.

When I bought a suite of Adobe software for my company just under two years ago, it felt like we transformed from a small partnership into a full-on production studio. As we mastered the software, we became capable of completing jobs in-house that we would have had to outsource before.

If you don’t have any Adobe software, you can download a free trial of any of their programs here.

#16 Flexible Hours

When I was a little boy, I used to stay up all night writing and drawing. When it was time to get up for preschool in the morning, I had to be dragged out of bed.

Twenty years later, I still stay up all night writing and doing graphic design. The only difference is that I don’t have to go to preschool in the next day. I love that entrepreneurship allows me to follow my own body clock, work when I feel inspired, and go out to the park on days when the weather is just too perfect to pass up.

#17 WordPress

WordPress is the world’s most popular blogging platform on the Internet for a reason. It’s simply the best way to publish content online. Income Diary is a WordPress site, along with 16.7% of Alexa’s “top 1 million” websites.

#18 Cumulative Growth

A business doesn’t grow in a straight line.

The more clients you get, the more referrals you’ll receive. The more customers you get, the more word of mouth traffic you’ll receive. The more articles you’ve posted to your website, the more traffic you’ll receive month after month.

I love the feeling of building an asset that keeps giving me a better return on investment the more that I put into it.

#19 Friends and Family

There’s simply nothing more important to me, whether as an entrepreneur or as a human being.

#20 The Great Unknown

As an entrepreneur, my life is a blank canvas. I could go anywhere, do anything, fail or succeed at any number of ventures… the possibilities unroll before me endlessly.

I truly have no idea what my future holds. What an adventure!

What are You Thankful for as an Entrepreneur?

Let me know with a comment below.

If you haven’t started your own business yet, I recommend reading ’30 Reasons to Become an Online Entrepreneur’.

The post 20 Things to be Thankful for as an Online Entrepreneur appeared first on How To Make Money Online.

Now that I am, it’s hard for me to ever imagine going back to a normal job.

There are a lot of reasons why I love being an entrepreneur and I’ve listed my top 30 below.

If you’re thinking about becoming an entrepreneur, I hope reading this inspires you to take the plunge. If you’re already an entrepreneur, I hope it reminds you that you have a lot to be thankful for.

#1 You Can Work in Your Pajamas

When you really want to be comfortable, even business casual isn’t casual enough. Online entrepreneurs get to work while wearing sandals, sweatpants, and even their pajamas.

#2 It’s Low-Risk

“If you start with nothing and end with nothing, then nothing was lost.”

Michael Dunlop

Two decades ago, if you wanted to sell a product, you needed a store. If you wanted to offer a service, then you needed office space. If you wanted a platform to promote yourself with, you would have to pay for advertising space.

Starting a business was expensive and therefore risky.

But the Internet has changed things. Instead of paying tens of thousands of dollars a year for real estate, you can pay less than $100 a year for a domain name and hosting. Instead of paying thousands more on marketing, you can start a social media platform for free.

All of this doesn’t guarantee you’ll succeed, but it does mean that you can’t lose much by trying.

#3 Your Work is Your Own

When you work for someone else, all of your efforts go to helping a business that doesn’t belong to you.

As an entrepreneur, your effort goes to increasing the value of something (a business) that you own outright.

Getting a monthly paycheck is great, but it’s a short-term fix compared to developing an asset that can bring you wealth for years and years to come.

#4 There’s Never a Dull Moment

Companies like to hire people to fill one role. As an employee, you’re generally expected to do one thing and do it very well. This may be efficient, but it’s also boring.

Entrepreneurs just starting out don’t have this problem. Instead of filling one role, they must fill all of the roles for their company. In one day, you’ll work as a designer, writer, coder, salesperson, and maybe even janitor (somebody has to clean up).

Playing so many parts is daunting, but it keeps things interesting.

#5 You Learn Something New Every Day

Here’s another benefit to having the varied duties of an entrepreneur: there’s always more to learn.

Even if one day you were able to learn everything involved in making money online, you would wake up the next day and have more to learn. As an online entrepreneur, the better you’re able to keep up with up-to-date technologies, techniques, and trends, the easier it will be for you to be successful.

Personally, I love the sense of progress I get when I learn a valuable new concept or skill. I also like that I’m always challenging my mind and keeping it sharp.

#6 You Can Find Your True Calling

Most people know what they want to do for the rest of their lives by the time they’re five years old. By the time they’re 25 years old, they usually aren’t so sure.

If you’re looking for some clarity on the subject, then you may want to become an entrepreneur. Since it’s such a diverse and self-guided career path, entrepreneurship is a good way to find your true calling.

#7 You Can Beat the Rush

Driving to work with everybody else during rush hour is a waste of time, gasoline, and your patience.

As an online entrepreneur, your morning commute can be the walk from bedroom to your office. If you choose not to work from home, you can still avoid the rush by going to work an hour earlier or later.

#8 More Home Cooking

Employees don’t do a lot of cooking during their lunch break. It’s more practical to go out to lunch at a restaurant or bring a sack lunch.

But as an entrepreneur, you can spend more days working from home and therefore more lunches in your own kitchen. There’s nothing like home cooking: it’s often healthier, less expensive, and more satisfying.

#9 More Sunshine

I live in Fort Collins, Colorado and this last week has seen some unseasonably warm weather. Unfortunately, when I’m stuck inside working during a beautiful day, I tend to be distracted.

So I took mornings off last week to hike, bike, and play basketball. After getting a couple of hours of Vitamin D, I was ready to buckle down for work.

If I had a regular 9-to-5 job, that wouldn’t be possible. I would probably be stuck looking out the window all day.

#10 It Helps Build Your Network

The difference between achieving your wildest dreams and being left in the dust can be as simple as knowing the right person.

Some occupations are better at building your network than others. But you probably won’t make a ton of connections while working in the same office every day year after year.

Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, are always meeting new people. They have to reach out to potential clients, customers, and partners if they want to keep their business moving forward. All of that turnover helps entrepreneurs to have some of the biggest (and most lucrative) networks around.

#11 The Internet is Still Growing

As of December 2011, only 32.7% of the world’s population had Internet access.

In the next decade, that number will climb steadily as more and more people gain access. Meanwhile, those two billion of us who already connect to the Internet will likely be doing it more often, from more devices, for longer periods of time.

In other words, the Internet is a healthily growing industry. If you start an online business today, it will enjoy the benefits of that growth.

#12 We’re in a Time of Economic Transition

The last two decades have seen the sharp rise of digital technology and globalized trade. This has shaken up the world economy and left many industries depleted.

It has also created brand new business opportunities for entrepreneurs to capitalize on.

While bigger, older companies struggle to adapt to these changes, a startup can be built from the ground-up to solve today’s problems. A great example of this is Green-back Laptops, which turns a profit in a brand-new industry (recycling computers).

#13 It’s an Employer’s Market

Unemployment rates around the world are high. That’s bad news for employees, who are dealing with more competition and lower wages.

But it’s good news for entrepreneurs, who can benefit from hiring an eager, available workforce to help grow their businesses.

#14 You Can Create Jobs

If your business becomes successful, you’ll want to hire a few employees. The larger your business becomes, the more people you’ll need to hire.

Google was started by only two people but it now employs over 30,000. What would those 30,000 people be doing if it weren’t for Google? Maybe they’d working for another search engine, but they might also be out of work.

#15 It Makes Your Internet Habit Productive

If you’re reading this, I’m guessing you spend a fair amount of time online.

When you’re an online entrepreneur, browsing the Internet becomes part of your job: you benefit from reading relevant articles, networking with people in your industry, and sharing parts of your story on Facebook or Twitter.

If you’re going to be spending your time online anyway, you might as well be doing something productive.

#16 You Can Do What You Love

This may be the single best reason to be an entrepreneur.

Instead of fitting into a box designated by an employer, entrepreneurs can effectively create their own dream-job.

#17 You Can Earn Passive Income

Passive income is money that you earn on a regular basis without having to put in much effort to maintain it. One example of passive income would be the monthly rent check a landlord receives.

Just about everyone loves the idea of passive income because it means that you can make money while you sleep – and use the daylight to do whatever you like.

Because a good website can earn money without much maintenance, online entrepreneurs have the fast track to earning passive income. Some of the ways to do it are by hosting advertisements on your sites, selling products, and developing membership programs.

#18 You Don’t Have a Boss

A great boss is a leader, mentor, and a friend.

A bad boss is hell on earth.

If you don’t want having to risk getting a bad boss then you may like becoming an entrepreneur. You’ll still have responsibilities to other people, but you won’t have to be anyone’s personal underling five days a week.

#19 You Can’t Get Fired

One of the worst things about being an employee is that you never know when you could get the axe. Companies are always looking for ways to cut costs and annual salaries are one of their biggest expenses. Any day, you could go to work with a career and come home unemployed.

As an entrepreneur, you can lose clients, visitors, or followers, but you can never lose your job. Your future is in your hands.

#20 You Don’t Have to Quit Your Day Job

Making money online doesn’t usually happen right away. It takes time to develop a website, product, or following. Even the world’s most successful online entrepreneurs (think Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Page) didn’t earn money from their websites for years.

But even though becoming an online entrepreneur is a big time commitment, the time can be spread out over as many days as you like. So, you don’t need to quit your day job. You can keep earning a full-time income and build an online business with your free time.

#21 You Can Quit Your Day Job

At some point, your online business may become so profitable that your 9-to-5 job becomes obsolete. That’s when you put in your two weeks’ notice and become a full-time entrepreneur.

Other than winning the lottery, entrepreneurship may be the best way to never need a “real job” again.

#22 It Teaches You Self-Discipline

Entrepreneurs have to hold themselves accountable. If they don’t, nobody else will.

This is a challenge, but it’s also a great opportunity to flex your willpower. Being your own boss means that you get to practice motivating yourself every day to get things done.

Self-discipline is a rewarding habit. Practicing it daily makes you feel more satisfied and confident in yourself. Of course it’s also the best thing you can do for the success of your business.

#23 You Can Travel the World

When your office is online, you can work from virtually anywhere. As long as you’ve got a power outlet and a connection to the Internet, you’re set.

Some entrepreneurs (like Cody McKibben) take advantage of this and travel the globe year-round. These entrepreneurs are known as ‘digital nomads’. Others just use their location-independence to take the occasional long vacation.

There’s a big, beautiful world out there. Starting an online business gives you a better chance to experience it.

#24 You Can Listen to Your Body Clock

We all have a unique body clock that plays a role in our mood and energy throughout the day.

For me, every night at midnight a switch flicks on in my brain and I become extremely focused, creative, and productive. That time of night is usually when I do my best work.

If I had a typical 9-to-5 job, this productive window would go to waste. One of the big benefits of being an online entrepreneur is that you can listen to your body and work during the times of day when you feel most energized.

#25 You Can Work Four Hours a Week

In “The 4-Hour Workweek”, Timothy Ferriss discusses how to use things like outsourcing, drop-shipping, and Google Adsense to automate your business and work only four hours a week.

This is one of the great entrepreneurial dreams: build a business to the point that it runs without you.

Of course, you can’t start brand-new business, work on it for a few hours per week, and expect to be able to live off of the income. The road to the four-hour workweek is often paved with 50 and 60 hour weeks.

#26 It Encourages Efficiency

Another way to work fewer hours per week is to work more efficiently. The sooner you get today’s project done, the sooner you’ll be able to relax.

The same isn’t true for most jobs. Generally, you get off at the same time regardless of how efficiently you’ve been working. In fact, an hourly wage can actually encourage you to do things slowly because you know you won’t have to work as hard.

Personally, I prefer how entrepreneurship incentivizes efficiency.

#27 It’s Satisfying

It’s hard to define what gives us that sense of satisfaction, but we know it when we feel it. At the end of the day, we either feel happy, content, and satisfied or… we don’t.

In my experience, entrepreneurs are an exceptionally satisfied bunch. This is true even of those who haven’t yet seen very much success.

There’s something about working for yourself, following your own path, and controlling your own destiny that gives a person that happy, contented feeling at the end of the day.

#28 There’s Unlimited Growth Potential

With a traditional job, you move forward by receiving raises and promotions. These are good ways to get ahead, but they’re all incremental forms of growth. You’re not going to be the secretary one week and the CEO the next.

Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, can experience big breakthroughs and sudden leaps in success. You could make $100 one week and $10,000 the next.

The knowledge that your business could explode overnight is part of what makes being an online entrepreneur so exciting.

#29 You Can Influence the World

As an employee, it’s easy to feel like a cog in a machine. You’re producing results for the company, but you’re not making your individual mark.

Entrepreneurs build businesses that reflect their goals and values. Their businesses entertain, inform, and help people, and in doing that they shape the world.

#30 You Can Leave a Legacy

I don’t know the meaning of life, but I do know that we all want for our life to have mattered.

You don’t have to start a business to do that. Raising a family, becoming a teacher, or simply being a good friend are all fine ways of leaving a legacy.

But if you really want to “put a dent in the universe,” then you may want to become an entrepreneur.

That’s what gave Steve Jobs the platform to change the way we think about technology. It’s also what gave Bill Gates the opportunity to dedicate his life to giving back (through The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation).

Simply put, a business is a powerful thing. When you create one, you create the possibility to provide huge value for people all around the planet. Build your business to last and it will keep making a difference even after you’re gone.

What’s your reason?

Did any of these 30 reasons jump out at you and make you think, “That’s why I decided to become an entrepreneur?”

Or did I neglect to mention your favorite reason?

Either way, illuminate me in the comment section below.

And if you’re not yet an entrepreneur, I’ll give you one more reason become one: you can start right now.

Images Courtesy of

http://www.flickr.com/photos/visualpanic/,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinandelise/,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hlkljgk/,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/superfantastic/,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/schristia/.

The post The Top 30 Reasons to Be an Online Entrepreneur appeared first on How To Make Money Online.

The New Year is a fresh start.

The person you were last year no longer exists. All that matters is who you are on New Year’s Day and who you become by the end of the year.

January 1^st is a perfect time to make a personal change, but it’s also a perfect time for entrepreneurs to make big changes to their businesses.

The 12 resolutions below are for entrepreneurs hoping to help their business thrive in 2012.

#1 Resolve to Finish Every Project You Start

I’ve written previously about how most entrepreneurs have so many good ideas, that it can be difficult finish one project before starting the next one.

Don’t make that mistake this year. If you decide to develop a business, commit to seeing it through completely.

#2 Resolve to Start Charging Your True Worth

When trying to get your business on its feet, sometimes you have to charge less than your product or service is actually worth. It’s a good way to gain clientele and experience. But it’s not a good way to get rich.

Eventually, you’ve got to start charging clients for the actual value that you’re providing.

If you’ve been working for less than you’re worth, then 2012 is the year to make a change.

#3 Resolve to Keep a Clean Work Space

It’s hard to be productive in an environment that’s cluttered and disorganized.

Look around your work space right now. If it isn’t clean and controlled, then make a commitment now to maintain a focused work space for the next year.

#4 Resolve to Improve Work Systems

When Henry Ford implemented an assembly line in his factories in 1913, he completely revolutionized the automobile industry. By making the production system more efficient, The Ford Motor Company was able to produce more vehicles for less money – and profits went through the roof.

A business is only as efficient as the systems it employs.

Some systems are simple, like the way you organize your inbox. Others are very complex, like your step-by-step approach to completing a project over the course of a month.

We often create systems without much thought and then take them for granted once they’re established. As long as a system works, what’s the point in meddling?

But this is one thing where you really need to put in the extra time and make sure you’re doing things right. Take a step back and look critically at the systems you implement regularly with your business.

Systems are so important because their effect is cumulative. If you improve a system one time, that improvement continues to benefit you every time it’s implemented.

If you haven’t paid much attention to your systems lately, then make a point to focus on them in 2012.

#5 Resolve to Be Authentic

People are spending more time online than ever before. By now, they’re pretty adept at recognizing who’s being genuine and who isn’t.

2012 is a great year to tune out the voice in your head that tells you to pretend to be someone you’re not. Instead, communicate online with your authentic voice. People will take notice and respond.

#6 Resolve to Keep Track of Your Hours

How many hours are you putting into your business a week?

It’s not necessary to have a set schedule or to work eight hours every day. That’s part of the joy of being your own boss. But it is important to be aware of your work hours – and four hour days aren’t going to cut it (at least not at first).

When you begin to keep track of your hours, you start to understand where your time is going and how you could use it more effectively.

If you’re doing freelance work and you’re being paid by the project, this will also help you in pricing your services.

A Time Tracking Tool

There are many applications out there that help you keep track of how you’re spending your time on your computer.

Rescue Time is free software that automatically tracks which programs and websites you’re using throughout the day. Over the course of a few weeks, you begin to get a clear picture of how efficient your computer time is and how it compares to the work habits of others.

At the end of the month, take a look at the data. You may be surprised to realize how much of your time goes to work that doesn’t actually you earn you any income (like answering emails or being active on social media).

#7 Resolve to Redesign Your Website

Even if you’re website is up-to-date now, it won’t be in six months. The Internet keeps changing and the most successful online companies will continue to change with it.

Don’t risk becoming outdated. Make sure you update and improve your website at least once this year.

#8 Resolve to Eat Right and Exercise

Okay, okay – I know these are the two most cliché resolutions in the history of New Year’s. But they’re cliché for a reason.

Eating right and exercising are great resolutions for anyone who operates their own business. It will give you more energy and focus to make the most of your work day.

Of course, it will also make you healthier and it may even help you look better in the bathroom mirror.

#9 Resolve to Spend 20 Minutes Actively Learning Each Day

Solo entrepreneurs must be proficient in many different fields. In any given day, you may work as a designer, marketer, salesperson, and writer.

There’s not always time to master each of these skillsets. When you’re just starting out, sometimes all that matters is that the task is completed. Whether or not it’s completed perfectly is beside the point.

So entrepreneurs tend to become jacks of many trades, masters of none.

The good news is that means there’s a ton of room for improvement. And even if you’re getting by with your current ability-level, honing your skills will make for better and more efficient work.

That’s why it’s such a good idea to spend 20 minutes actively learning every day.

Ways to Learn

Podcasts

This is a great learning solution for the time-crunched entrepreneur. Maybe you’ve got a full-time job, run your business on the side, and you don’t have 20 minutes to spare.

Pop in a pair of headphones and start learning while involved in an activity that doesn’t require your full attention. Suddenly riding the bus, doing the dishes, and exercising are opportunities to become a smarter, better entrepreneur.

Video Tutorials

While audio is a great learning tool, actually seeing something is often the most effective way to understand it. There’s simply no substitute for watching a pro as they complete a task, talking you through every step of the way.

In the last few years, a huge number of quality video tutorials have been posted on YouTube. Simply search for a subject, press play, and start learning.

Video isn’t the best if you’re just looking for a few bits of essential info. You can’t skim a video like a written tutorial. But they’re an ideal method when you need to sit down and learn a process from front to back.

Books

Ink and paper may be old-fashioned, but a big “how-to” book is still one of the best learning resources available.

Even if all of the information within its pages is available online, that’s no replacement for having it right there in your hands. You won’t have to search the web for quality instruction and you can take it with you wherever you go.

A 500-page tome can set be pretty expensive, but the cost is small when you think of it as an investment in your business. Check out your local bookstore or Amazon to find a compendium on whatever subject you want to master.

Refresh, then Rest

If you really want to get the most out of your daily lesson, revisit it for a few minutes right before you go to sleep. If you read an informative article, skim through it again. If you learned a new technique in Photoshop, create something simple with it.

Not only will this reinforce what you learned the first time around, the new knowledge will sit at the fore front of your brain as you prepare for sleep.

Sleep is your brain’s opportunity to organize and store all of the knowledge it gains throughout the day. So you stand a better chance of actually remembering your daily lesson if you revisit it before you call it a day.

If you resolve to devote a little bit of time to learning every day for the next year, you’ll be see a huge improvement in the quality and quantity of your work by the end of the year.

#10 Resolve to Keep Your Resolutions

Every January, people across the world make resolutions to change the way they act.

Every February, many of those resolutions have been broken or forgotten.

It’s only over the course of the whole year that a change can have any real impact. But if you do stick to your resolutions, they will eventually become habits that will improve your life (and business) for years and years to come.

So, the most important resolution you can make is to really stick with whatever changes you decide to make this year.

What’s Your Resolution?

Let us know how you’re going to make 2012 the best year yet.

The post 10 New Year’s Resolutions for a More Successful 2012 appeared first on How To Make Money Online.

As an entrepreneur, you don’t have to worry about the conventional productivity traps.

But minus the 9-to-5 workday and an uptight manager breathing down your neck, it becomes absolutely essential that you master the art of self-discipline and make the most of your work time.

How to Be Surprisingly Productive

(1) Spend More Time Playing

One of the reasons why I love entrepreneurship is that it allows people to spend more time doing what they truly love.

That’s the theory, at least.

But if you let your never-ending to-do list weigh on your conscience, you may start thinking and acting in a way that lets real life slip through the cracks.

This ultimately hinders your ability to be productive, because you work better when you’re happier.

Work Hard, Play Hard

I recommend that you take at least one day off every week where you don’t allow yourself to even think about getting work done – then schedule that day to be jam packed with your favorite activities (i.e. hiking, jet-skiing, or spending quality time with a significant other).

By dedicating time each week to doing things that you truly enjoy, it will be much easier focus on the menial aspects of your industry.

(2) Take Lots of Breaks

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.

– Ovid

There’s nothing more important to your success than your commitment to working hard. But you’re not a machine (and even machines need to cool down every once and a while).

It’s more productive to work effectively and efficiently for 45 minutes than it is to spin your wheels for an hour. So it’s important to perceive when your mind or body is starting to feel overloaded – and give yourself permission to recharge.

Why Entrepreneurs Should Break Even More than Most

Entrepreneurs don’t just work within systems. They must create new systems.

They don’t just solve problems. They must anticipate and avoid them.

In other words, entrepreneurs are challenged daily not just to work hard, but also think hard – tactically, creatively, and laterally. Since entrepreneurs ask so much from their brains, it’s especially important that they allow them to rest throughout the day.

The Pomodoro Technique

One way to fit breaks into your work day is by using the Pomodoro Technique, which became popular with computer programmers in the late 1980’s. Wikipedia identifies the method’s five simple steps:

1. decide on the task to be done
2. set the pomodoro (timer) to 25 minutes
3. work on the task until the timer rings; record with an x
4. take a short break (5 minutes)
5. every four “pomodoros” take a longer break (15–20 minutes)

Though the method calls for a timer that you wind up manually, there’s a ton of free software out there that can help people get in pomodoro mode on their computer. One Google Chrome application actually blocks you from accessing distracting websites while you’re in 25 minute work zone (Strict Pomodoro).

(3) Expand Your Work Environment

As human beings, we are remarkably perceptive of our surroundings.

Our mood flows from the space we occupy. A clean, streamlined space can empower you to think and act with clear focus. A cluttered, loud, or crowded workspace can transform you into a distracted and unfocused version of yourself.

You’re probably already aware of the importance of having the ultimate workspace. But our environment is more than just four walls and a desk.

Listening Environment

Sound waves are vibrating around us at all times. While silence is golden, the right soundtrack can get your mind focused and your body moving – which will make you more energized to work.

Try out this 8tracks playlist of 30 instrumental tracks. It was designed to help people study, but I find it’s a great companion for the focused entrepreneur.

Smelling Environment

Smell is so powerfully linked to our memories that one whiff of a familiar odor can instantly whisk us back to a day that we thought we’d forgotten long ago.

So how can somebody use the smell-memory link to become more productive?

Try buying a candle or box of incense. Put it in your work space and light it only when you’re ready to put in some hard work.

Your mind will begin to associate that aroma with those productive memories. Once you’ve established the connection, then you can light the candle or incense whenever you want to trigger your mind to buckle down.

Thinking Environment

When you’re solving problems and communicating messages, all of the hard work is taking place in your brain. So if you want to be efficient in that space, you must keep your mind like a good desk: open and uncluttered.

It’s a good practice to take 20 minutes each morning to sit and clear your mind. You may never silence your stream of consciousness completely, but you will cultivate a mental calm that you can carry with you for the rest of the day.

(4) Do Things the Slow Way

Measure twice, cut once.

– English Proverb

Productivity is more marathon than 100-yard-dash.

Like runners sprinting out of the starter gates, we often think that we can maximize productivity by doing things as quickly as possible. But hurrying through tasks can cause frustration and unnecessary mistakes, which leads to more work in the long run.

So take a breath and take your time.

Learn How to Do it Right

Self-education will make you a fortune.

– Jim Rohn

When your job asks you to accomplish an unfamiliar task, it’s tempting to think, “I don’t have time to research this. I’m just going to wing it.”

But usually it’s more productive to take the half-hour and learn how to do your job better or more efficiently. The Internet is like a classroom that’s always open and full of free lessons – take advantage!

How to Make Slow Work for You

Try setting aside 20 minutes every day to get a better or more efficient in your niche. Since I make videos for a living, I usually watch a video tutorial or become better acquainted with time-saving Photoshop shortcut commands.

You can check out these IncomeDiary tutorials that will help you be more productive making money online:

• Money Making Strategies – What I’m Doing In 2011
• All The WordPress Plugins I Use On IncomeDiary
• How to Create a Website

(5) Get Less Connected

Man has been struggling to clear his mind and focus since the dawn of time.

But focusing has become more difficult than ever since the dawn of StumbleUpon, Facebook, and YouTube.

If your work doesn’t require you’re connected to the Internet, then disconnect from the network until the project is complete. You might be surprise by how much more powerful your computer can be without the web.

A Tool to Help You Disconnect

If you need the internet, but want to stay away from certain distracting sites, try StayFocusd (it’s a Google chrome extension that blocks distracting sites from your browser).

(6) Sleep More

Every entrepreneur has been guilty of burning the candle at both ends. But working late into the night only to wake up early in the morning can have a seriously negative impact on your work performance.

According to Harvard Medical School, inadequate sleep affects your mood, motivation, judgment, and perception – and I can’t think of four things that are more important to the day-to-day success of an entrepreneur.

Furthermore, since deep sleep is when your brain processes the prior day’s experience, shortchanging sleep can prevent you from learning and moving forward on your entrepreneurial journey.

How to Be a Productive Sleeper

Getting into a consistent sleep rhythm helps your mind and body to understand when it’s time to work and when it’s time to rest.

So, take a few moments right now and think about your ideal, eight-hour sleep schedule. Write it down.

Stick with that schedule for the next seven days and tell me if you don’t notice an improvement in your daily productivity. Your body and your business will thank you.

(7) Think of Productivity as a Cycle

People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing… that’s why we recommend it daily.

– Zig Ziglar

Productivity isn’t a faucet that we can turn on and off at will.

You shouldn’t expect to sit down at your desk, turn a knob in your mind, and immediately become super-productive.

Think of productivity as a process that you’re taking part in throughout your day. It’s part of the way you eat, the way you run errands, and the way you unwind.

Once you begin maximizing your productivity, you’ll find that it becomes easier and easier to be productive day in and day out. Just like any other habit, being productive is a cycle that tends to repeat.

The Power of Productivity

He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty.

– Lao Tzu

As an entrepreneur, you are the engine of your business. Everything – growth, client acquisition, revenue – depends on your ability to produce, day in and day out.

In other words, there’s a direct relationship between your productivity and the success of your company. Become twice as productive and you’ll soon be making twice as much money.

The Simple Joy of Being Productive

The idle man does not know what it is to enjoy rest.

– Albert Einstein

Being productive isn’t just important because it allows us to create more valuable, successful, and profitable businesses.

A productive day earns an entrepreneur a sense of contentment that no amount of money can buy.

Rejoice in a job well done – then get back up tomorrow and do it again.

If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.

– Bruce Lee

Your Personal Productivity Technique?

Since effective productivity habits are different for everybody, I would appreciate it if you shared any tips you’ve uncovered in the comment section below.

Images Courtesy of

http://www.flickr.com/photos/orcmid/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/becca/,

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/sadikot/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilspicys/,

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwarby/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/janlendl/,

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/npmeijer/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevensnodgrass/5548193945/.

The post 7 Surprising Productivity Tips for Self-Employed Entrepreneurs appeared first on How To Make Money Online.

Freedom!

Unfortunately, creating this kind of freedom-business — one that provides financial security, location independence, and personal fulfillment — can be a bit tricky, and seem nearly-impossible looking in from the outside.

There are a lot of moving parts, and unless you have a good deal of time to work it out through trial-and-error, it’s easy to miss something important and have the whole thing come crumbling down around you like a nudged pile of croissants in a French cafe display case.

Fortunately, I’ve had some time to make those mistakes and learn from them, and I’m going to share with you the fruits of my experience traveling full-time for two years, running a handful of businesses from the road, building my ideal lifestyle and accruing the income to sustain it.

From anywhere.

Set a Goal

Before you do anything else, it’s important that you establish what your end point is going to be.

Do you want to travel full-time? Just have the option to travel when you want? Perhaps just re-locate and not have to sit in an office? Is location somewhat arbitrary, and it’s most important that you can do something more fun for a living?

Dream big here, and don’t be afraid to get specific. If your ideal work-life balance is putting in ten hours of effort on the computer and then spending the rest of your day yachting in the Caribbean, unabashedly set that as your goal. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and these days we’ve got access to so many ways it’s unbelievable, provided you know how to access them.

This is also a vital step because it assures that you’ll be spending your time heading in the right direction. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met on the road who found themselves in a situation they thought they would love (spending all day on a beach in Southeast Asia, for example), only to realize that they were aiming for someone else’s dream, not their own (they prefer cold climates and hamburgers, not humidity, heat, and pad thai).

This goal may change along the way, but spending some time to make sure you’re walking in generally the right direction is time well spent.

Itemize Your Personal Assets

The next step is to step back and coldly take stock of your personal assets and list them out the same way you would itemize a closet full of possessions.

When I say personal assets, I mean everything from the money you have in your bank account to your passing knowledge of how to play the banjo. An asset is anything of value, and in this context, it’s anything of value that can conceivably bring you more value in the future. That money in the bank is earning you interest over time, and your above-average rendition of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ played on the ol’ five string could lead to your giving lessons as you travel, or writing a niche-dominating blog on banjo maintenance.

It’s important that you approach this step the same way that you would approach assessing the value of a car or house before committing to a down-payment. If the window is broken, take that into account, and if you really aren’t very good at web design, don’t add that to your list of personal assets.

On the other hand, if you come across something that you could easily improve upon that might have some value, spend the time or money necessary to acquire that upgrade. Web design courses can be had cheap or free online, and spending a handful of hours fleshing out that skill set could be very valuable down the line, increasing your personal value potential out of proportion with the time you invested in it (just as fixing a stuck window could increase a car’s value more than it costs to have the issue taken care of).

Build a Personal Business Plan

Once you have a list of personal assets, it’s time to figure out how you can utilize them to produce value other people will want to pay you for.

The way I like to approach this is to look at yourself and your life as a business, and build a business plan the same way you would for any new venture, though one that potentially has multiple revenue streams and straddles multiple fields.

I think the best way to explain this clearly is to give you an example of what my personal business plan looks like.

Taking stock of my assets a few years ago, I decided that my strongest value-producing skills revolved around branding, especially design, brand strategy and web development. I also had a background in writing (having worked as a columnist in the past), and I assumed I would be able to use that skill for something income-generating. My history of entrepreneurship (and all that entails) also seemed like it would be valuable in some way, so I figured that into the equation.

I had many other things on the list, as well, including playing guitar, professional photography and being an above-average yo-yoist, but I decided that these skills would be a lot tougher to turn into value that other people would pay for, so I put them on the back-burner. Also, I’m a lot more passionate about branding, design, and writing, while playing guitar is something I do for fun.

Eventually, I worked out a plan where I would be able to do brand consultation for clients from anywhere in the world, which was important, because the ideal lifestyle I identified included full-time travel. I would also provide design and web development services to some clients, but I would keep that to a minimum, and use those skills, along with my entrepreneurial chops, to build small businesses for myself around any niche I saw being underserved as I traveled.

It was only a few months before I had an online community, a t-shirt shop, a publishing platform and few ebooks bringing in revenue, each receiving an early burst of traffic from a blog I set up as a hub for my activities and to keep track of what I learned along the way.

Finally, when I decided I wanted to start traveling full-time, I was making a lot of money running a branding studio in LA, but I was also spending a whole lot on the overhead created by my lifestyle. Part of creating a personal business plan involves identifying liabilities (the opposite of assets), and my liabilities were mostly tied up in that lifestyle, so I determined that a good part of that lifestyle had to go if I wanted to achieve my new one. I got rid of my townhouse and high-end wardrobe, my five computers and my car, my hundreds of books. The space and upkeep requirements of these possessions were too much of a burden for my formula to work, so I eliminated them from the equation just as an office manager would remove the excess reams of paper or boxes of paperclips that never get used from an office’s monthly equipment order form.

Things you truly care about — and that are an important part of your ideal lifestyle — are not liabilities, they’re vital aspects of what you’re working toward. Anything beyond that, though, can be cut out of the picture and make the whole process that much easier. Tough choices to be made, definitely, but being your own business isn’t always easy!

Tell a Story

An often-overlooked step in creating a successful freedom business that allows you to travel is figuring out what your story is, and then communicating it as clearly as possible.

This is a fundamental facet of branding: figure out what you’re all about, refine a message from that, and distribute that message. Doing so brings like-minded people to you (so that you don’t have to hunt them all down), and can also result in surprising opportunities.

The story I’ve been telling since I started traveling full-time is that I’m a twenty-something serial-entrepreneur who moves to a new country every four months based on the votes of my readers.

Quick, simple, to the point; pretty basic concept, really. And that’s the response you want people to have, you want them to understand what you’re all about immediately, and then to ask questions to learn the details (“Why four months? What do you do there? What kind of businesses?”). This gives you the opportunity to tell them more about what you’re up to without force-feeding your story to people who aren’t interested (Seth Godin coined a great term for this approach: Permission Marketing).

Your story needn’t be gimmicky, and could be as simple as “I’ve worked as a garbage man in Nantucket my whole life, and I decided that I want to live in Boston and travel three months out of each year, so I started a custom three-piece suit business.” Super-simple, but something that will get people asking questions and doing what they can to help you achieve your dream; when you have a story to tell, people will want to be a part of that story, and will generally do what they can to help you reach your happily-ever-after.

Construct Platforms

The best way to tell your story to a larger audience and rally up support for what you’re doing is to build platforms from which to present it.

These days, building a platform is easy. You can build a website or even just head over to Facebook, create a profile, and boom, platform built. Time for a beer.

But wait. Before you crack open a cold one, note that although building a platform is easy, optimizing it can take a little work. Having a Facebook profile that is an incoherent jumble of messages is like having a billboard covered in random letters: it’s neat that you have one, but it’s not really doing anyone much good.

You want your platforms to express your story as clearly as you can express it verbally, and even more so, if possible. You’ll have to do this through the copy that you write for the different sections, the people, products and movements you align yourself with, and the media you post on your site or profile.

So if your story is that you’re a former teacher who is now selling pre-built art history courses to home-schooling parents while living in Rome, your profile should reflect this. Post stories to your wall about Rome, art, architecture, history, education and the like. Your photo album should be bursting with shots you’ve taken of your new home, and there should be links to where people can acquire your courses, testimonials of happy customers, and maybe a sign up form for your mailing list.

This doesn’t mean you can’t be yourself on your platforms — in fact, you absolutely should, or it’s not likely to be a very enjoyable experience — but if the first thing someone sees when they go to your site is a photo of a squirrel kissing a plastic dinosaur, or random quotes from random people about random things, then you’re not likely to grab the attention of a potential customer or co-conspirator quickly enough. They’ll move right along, assuming you’re just some person whose life in no way relates to their interests.

Take this to heart across all media that you utilize, including your websites, social media accounts and business cards. Own that story, and tell it in as many ways as you can, using what’s available to do so.

Improve Your Network

Once you have your story and platforms built, you can start to network.

Having a strong network can be just as valuable as having a massive bank account in that it gives you access to things you wouldn’t otherwise have access to, and increases the value of every asset you possess manyfold.

Your network can help you promote your ventures, give you feedback and help you refine your message, connect you with other people that might be able to help you get where you want to go, and help you more effectively utilize the skills that you have.

For example, when I started traveling, I wrote for my blog and for myself, and it wasn’t until six months or so later that people in my network started connecting me with writing gigs that I could use as another revenue stream.

The latent benefit of having a rounded-out network is that you’ll be able to connect with like-minded people, and surround yourself with inspiration and support. Having the right people cheering you on can mean the difference between folding under pressure and persevering despite great odds. It’s also a great way to be introduced to a new culture when you travel; these days I seldom arrive in a new country without already having a few invites and introductions through my network, which saves me the time I would otherwise spend ambling about, making silly mistakes and spending too much money in tourist traps.

Figure Out Your Income

A mistake I see aspiring freedom business owners making is to assume that they’ll scrap their current lifestyle, start traveling and figure out the whole money thing along the way. Surely someone will pay them for leading an interesting life, right?

Unfortunately, I generally meet these people as they’re on their way home after several months of amazing travel that has left them broke and looking for a new job back where they came from. Don’t get me wrong, it’s possible that you could make this work, but it’s just not terribly likely, and it’s a much better idea to be prepared financially than to try to deal with all the lifestyle changes AND financial instability at the same time.

Identify what kind of lifestyle you want to achieve, figure out your personal assets and business plan, and make sure you’ve got some income coming in (even if it’s just a trickle) before you hit the road. Trust me, you’ll be happy you did later.

Pave a Revenue Path

One tricky aspect of traveling and running businesses from the road is your revenue path; that is, how do you receive money? And where does it go once you receive it?

And how will you pay your dog-sitter from another country?

These are things that most people don’t have to worry about overmuch, because in a normal, non-travel-heavy life situation, you work, your paycheck goes into a bank account and then you spend that money. On the road, however, it can be tricky to even get paid, much less make sure that money goes where it should and is accessible when you need it.

You’ll need to take some time to figure out how to deal with several different eventualities before you’ll truly be ready for anything. Here’s what my revenue path looks like:

Anything I can do online, I do. Most of my businesses allow me to receive my profits through Paypal, Google Checkout or Amazon Payments, and once the money is in one of those account, I can pay for things online, send the money to other people, or transfer it to a bank account.

I have three bank accounts, one that has a killer checking account that allows me to remove cash from any ATM in the world without having to pay fees (Charles Schwab…and ATMs always give the best exchange rate when you travel, by the way), one that has a very high interest savings account (ING), and one that has brick-and-mortar locations I can go to when I’m back in the US and need in-person help, and a decent reward-generating credit card (Bank of America). I have each of these accounts hooked up to my online accounts (Paypal, Google Checkout, Amazon Payments) and to each other, so the money I have in one location can be in another within a day or two, at most.

When a client or customer for one of my ventures insists of paying me with a check (this still happens, especially for large amounts), I have them send it to an address in the US where one of my family members signs the check and mails it to my checking account (using bank-supplied pre-paid envelopes) to be deposited a day or two later. There are services that will do this for you, too, if you don’t have a friend or family member available in the country where you do your most business to receive and deposit your checks for you.

This system is INCREDIBLY difficult to set up once you’ve left your country of origin, as there will likely be paperwork to sign and submit to connect your accounts and different banks to each other, so make sure you get the pathways all set up and smoothed over before you leave. Take some time to familiarize yourself with the process, too, because you don’t want to accidentally send your money somewhere it shouldn’t be, or somehow lose it in transit.

Cope with Legalities

No matter how convenient it might be to ignore it, the law follows us wherever we happen to travel, and these laws are not just complex and confusing, but also different in every country, state, city, and block (okay, maybe not block, but still).

Before you leave, you need to make sure that you have proper paperwork filed for any business activities you happen to be undertaking, and a good understanding of what kind of business you can take part in wherever it is you happen to be traveling to.

In most cases, you can do online work from anywhere, but if you’re doing anything profit-generating locally, you’ll probably need to get the right kind of visa, file some paperwork and add an additional page or forty to your taxes for that year.

Speaking of taxes, you’ll want to make sure to pay them, on time and as accurately as possible. One of the worst things that can happen to you while traveling is to be audited; I haven’t had it happen to me personally, but I’ve heard plenty of stories of long-term vacations gone awry because of the tax-man come calling. Because of the strange nature of what I do for a living, I tend to overpay to hedge my bets, but getting a good CPA would probably achieve the same certitude for less money.

Pay Your Debts

I understand that this can be tricky, because many people (perhaps most, if we’re talking about Gen Y folk) are tens of thousands of dollars in debt, from school and their cars and whatever else seemed important enough to splurge on at that time.

I’ll tell you this now, and if you’re buried in debt it will suck, but it’s for your own good: pay off your debts before you try to dramatically change your lifestyle and travel more. I say this because if you’re traveling more frequently, you’re going to want to lower your monthly expenses, and if you have debt to pay off, those expenses will be high.

The smarter approach is to start working on your freedom business before you scrap your existing lifestyle to earn additional money on the side, and use all of it to pay your debt. Reduce your other expenses wherever you can. Get a cheap bottle of wine and drink it at home with friends rather than going clubbing. Make your own coffee rather than stopping by Starbucks. If you can knock an additional $100 or more off your debt each month, you’ll be surprised how quickly that debt will disappear.

Also, be sure you apply anything above the monthly required payment to the principle, not the interest, so that over time you’ll have to pay less (perhaps significantly less).

Stockpile a Buffer Fund

Preparing a lifestyle shift and getting ready to travel more can be stressful, and the risks you take can keep you on edge to a degree that it’s hard to enjoy the process, or even the new environment and lifestyle when you finally leave.

The best way to alleviate the majority of this worry is to build a buffer fund before you take off.

A buffer fund is a chunk of money that you can use to pay for expenses if your income takes a temporary dive, if it’s still growing when you set off, or if you simply haven’t budgeted correctly and need a few months to readjust your numbers once you experience the reality of your new situation.

The more money you can put in this fund the better, but I would recommend at least a few month’s worth of expenses. That way, if worse comes to worse, you can still afford to take a vacation, pay your way back home, and try again without harming your infrastructure or starting back at square one.

Enjoy or Change Direction

Finally, if at any point you find yourself not enjoying your new lifestyle or business, consider changing direction.

There will be difficulty, and I don’t mean you should radically alter your plan every time something isn’t easy or exactly what you had hoped for, but if you do all this work and then end up running a business with the same downsides as your old job, or are working so hard that you can’t enjoy traveling, there’s not much point to continuing along that path.

The nice part about setting up your lifestyle along these lines is that you have a very flexible framework that can be reshaped any time you like without having to start over. You’ll know your personal assets, be aware of which of those assets can make you money, have your business infrastructure in place and most of the logistics worked out, it’s just a matter of identifying your new goal and adjusting your ventures to help you reach them.

At the end of the day, remember that you have exactly one life to live, and if your current lifestyle doesn’t make you happy, anything that will get you closer to a lifestyle that will is more than worth the time and effort it takes to set it up.

The post 12 Tips for Creating a Freedom Business That Will Allow You To Travel The World appeared first on How To Make Money Online.