Is Chris Hughes the Coolest Digital Nomad Alive Today?

If you flew to Panama with a lot of debt, a little cash, no experience and nothing but a plan to make money online, would you still play it cool?

A common theme of this podcast is to explore transition. No one gives permission to do this stuff. It takes a leap of faith to make it happen. I love to ask how the most successful people made it happen.

My guest today is Chris Hughes (@whosChrisHughes). We met at KoHub one night. I dive into that story in the podcast.

Lots of people say that building a business is like jumping off a cliff and building an airplane before you hit the ground. For Chris, that plane was a Duck Dynasty Facebook fan page. Duck Dynasty caught him before he hit the dirt. He’s still flying. It’s a crazy story.

“Do the stuff you’re supposed too, before you do the stuff you want too.” – Chris Hughes

Travel Topics:

  • How Chris almost killed his friend [02:20]
  • Starting a life of travel [02:40]
  • The viral power of Duck Dynasty [03:35]
  • Using a Facebook Fan Page to buy a margarita [06:50]
  • Valet-parking cars for Orlando Magic [10:45]
  • Refusing job opportunities to keep your freedom [14:10]
  • Learning how to make money online [16:05]
  • On completing college for your parents [18:03]
  • Burning your ships and making the leap [22:38]
  • Being smart with your money [23:20]
  • Juggling for video games [25:20]
  • The benefits of Capitalism [29:05]
  • Leaving the surfing haven of Costa Rica [30:35]
  • Building systems for your business [33:30]
  • Making business work on Facebook [35:50]

Chris Hughes Talking Points:

Facebook | WhosChrisHughes

Music Credit:

Take Action:

What was your last important life transition?

Jeffrey Chernick: Tours as a Rock Star Drummer, Grows an International Business and has lots and lots of Fun

Jeffrey Chernick is a Rock Star.

He started in big finance.

Got out before it all burned down.

Off to Barcelona. Off to Malaysia.

Playing sold out shows with his band Story of the Running Wolf.

Still going strong.

Say hello to the ever so charming, Jeffery Chernick.

“Malaysia was awesome. I’d go partying and to really cool places backpack style, then put on a button down and go to meetings with 13 Malaysian businessmen.” – Jeffrey Chernick (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • 00.26 – Who is Jeffrey Chernick? What is his vision?
  • 03.15 – Transitioning for Lehman Bros to entrepreneur
  • 05.27 – How to learn the entrepreneurial skill set?
  • 08.35 – The ‘Big Phone’ call and what it sparked
  • 10.51 –  Backpacking in South East Asia and securing million dollar deals in Malaysia
  • 14.09 – Conference Events in Vegas and Barcelona
  • 17.08 – Cold Calling and it’s atlas like power
  • 19.30 – How to understand people and cultivate a persuasive message
  • 21.05 – Moments of awe for Jeffrey Chernick
  • 24.15 – Using an artistic mind to leverage powerful business moves
  • 29.40 – The power of thinking Big
  • 35.55 – How traveling has impacted the growth of Ride Amigos
  • 38.40 – Tips for quitting the job, building a business and traveling

Lovely Links:

RideAmigos | Facebook | StoryoftheRunningWolf

Take Action:

Do you think the artist in Jeffrey has helped him thru business?

Would you like to grow an International Business?

FoxNoMad: Tech Tips, the NSA and Cyber Security for Travelers

A computer whizz.

With a love for travel.

Managed to marry the two and create a successful business.

Helping travelers with their tech problems.

Writing about the fascinating places that his path crosses.

Say hello to Anil Polat, the FoXnoMad.

“When people ask me ‘”What can I do to be able to travel?'” I say whatever you are talented & passionate about & go from there.” – FoxNoMad (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • FoxNoMad tells us his opinion on the Edward Snowden case and how laws are not keeping up with modern technology
  • We get tech tips and computer security tips which are particularly useful to travelers
  • Why your computer should reflect you as a person
  • How he managed to maintain and grow his business to allow for his traveler lifestyle
  • Meeting the women of Yemen and understanding their life aspirations
  • Embracing the vulnerability that is given to us through travel
  • The misconceptions of being a location independent worker
  • Why travel gives us a deeper understanding of people
  • Why Eastern Europe is the way to go

Lovely Links:

  • Connect with Anil:

Fox Nomad | Twitter

Music Credits:

Take Action:

What would you consider to be your unique skills and passions?  Can you think of a way that you would be able to use these skills to become location independent, especially given the faster and better available internet.

Johnny Ward: From a Medical Research Lab Test Subject to a New Rich World Traveler

From a poor family in Ireland to an enterprising business.

With no technical knowledge.

This successful entrepreneur builds teams to grow his own businesses.

All the while enjoying the long term travel lifestyle.

Please welcome, Johnny Ward.

“Being broke is not an issue. There’s always a way.” – Johnny Ward  (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Money making as a medical research lab test subject
  • How Johnny managed to backpack for 2-3 years on little or no income
  • Why 99% of travellers give up and go back home
  • Johnny’s moment of realisation of how he wanted his life to be
  • How to grow a technical business, without technical skills
  • How to outsourcing works
  • Why being broke is powerful
  • How his passion got him to where he is today…. The New Rich World Traveler

Lovely Links:

  • Connect with Johnny:

Onestep4ward | Twitter | Facebook

Travel Tools:

Music Credits:

Take Action:

Write down a list of skills you can teach.

Now look at what tuition opportunities are in your local neighborhood.

Is this something you could earn a living from abroad?

If not, whats a better idea?

Let us know in the comments below.

Pat Flynn: Letting Go

Image Property of Pat Flynn

Pat Flynn was my most useful teacher. His blog, Smart Passive Income, is perhaps the best resource for anyone seeking to grown an online business these days.

His podcasting course was the backbone for what became my podcast production company. That’s a pretty amazing thing when you think about it.

Pat Flynn lives in San Diego with is family. Some might say that makes him a bit off topic for this show. To me, being location independent doesn’t mean you have to move to a new country every three months. It just means your independent of the need to stay.

Since recording this, Pat Flynn has gone onto even bigger and better things… he’s even traveled a lot. 🙂

This is a big one and an old one. I hope you enjoy this interview with Pat Flynn.

“Life beings at the end of your comfort zone.” – Pat Flynn (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Learn the concept of Pat’s book Let Go. Why adult elephants can be held captive with small chains.
  • Understand the mentality and tools that Pat uses to create
  • The importance of focusing on work that achieves your goals rather than “busy work”
  • How travel and new environments help Pat to think creatively
  • The benefits of a location independent business
  • Pat gives us a specific plan for building a location independent business
  • He shares a story of failure he hasn’t shared anywhere else

Pat Flynn’s Lovely Links:

Facebook | Twitter | Youtube

Music Credits:

Jodi Ettenberg: Tales of a Lawyer Turned Slow Traveling Global Adventurer

Image Property of Jodi Ettenberg

Sometimes life requires something more.

One can have an excellent job in a prestigious place.

Yet the call of exotic lands can be too much to bear.

After realizing this Jodi turned that passion into a powerful journey.

She has been on the road for five years and has only just begun…

Please welcome, the founder of Legal Nomads.

The lovely, Jodi Ettenberg.

“Opportunities come your way and you either go with them or not.” – Jodi Ettenberg  (Tweet It)

Travel Topics:

  • Jodi’s excellent packing guide
  • Explaining her lifestyle of living in SE Asia half the time and USA the rest
  • How Jodi went about leaving a well paid position at a law firm to travel the world
  • The transition between a lawyer turned slow traveling global adventurer
  • How 5 years of travel has led to a career she never expected
  • How to budget for travel on a per year basis
  • The origins of LegalNomads.com
  • How her passion for writing almost accidentally turned into a profession
  • On the importance of authenticity
  • The long term, community driven way to make money online
  • Why providing value is essential to entrepreneurs
  • On the value of sticking to what you care about
  • What captivated her about the Trans Siberian Railway
  • On the joys of being bench-pressed by giant Russian men
  • Her magnificent story of a “non-space view of the overview effect analog”
  • How slow travel works
  • Why Jodi made the decision to stay in Bangkok during the riots of 2010
  • How to question engineers as to the direction they placed their sniper wire
  • Even as a lone female traveler, she feels safer walking around at night than in much of North America
  • We discuss safety on a deeper level than I ever have before
  • How travel safety instincts can develop with time on the road
  • The value of avoiding attention when in a foreign country
  • On the challenge of being sick in a foreign country
  • How having a backup plan to a lifestyle of long term travel is a smart decision
  • On how building a worse case scenario and preparing for it can give you more confidence in your travels
  • Jodi’s entrepreneurial plans for launching food explorations of cities based on colors
  • Her plans to create a travel site to help those travelers with Celiac Disease
  • Advice to those who know they want to travel but are unnerved by taking the first step
  • How Jodi uses Twitter
  • All the other Lovely Stuff

Lovely Links:

LegalNomads | Twitter | Facebook

Travel Tools:

  • Planning a trip? Get Jodi’s preparation guide.

Music Credits: