Thoughts on Moving Country

I mentioned recently that Agi and I were leaving Bangkok and moving to Poland. Working remotely is great because we don't need to worry about our income but it's not all easy. Here are a few thoughts about what to consider when moving country.

Finding Accommodation

Unless you are the kind of remote worker who travels constantly you will need to find somewhere more permanent. Of course, you could opt to stay in hostels or Airbnb places but you're going to get a much better place at a lower price if you can find somewhere to rent for a while.

This is one of the big differences between Thailand and Poland so far. When we arrived in Bangkok and wanted to find somewhere to live we called a few agents. The next day we saw 5 apartments. We liked one and the deposit was paid, contract signed and keys handed over within a week. This is a symptom of the fact that Bangkok is a buyer's market. There are more apartments than people to rent them. As a result, a lot of apartments are sitting empty, meaning you can move in quicker and also negotiate a discounted rent.

Poznan on the other hand is a seller's market. When we arrived we found a decent number of apartments advertised for rent. Not as many as Bangkok but still a pretty good selection. We arranged viewings and found one we liked very quickly. However, there are not lots of apartments sitting empty waiting for you to saunter up and take your pick. Also the landlord would not budge on the price.

The apartment we chose was still occupied and would come available a month later. It's not that unusual but, if you have just moved to a new country, then you will need to pay for a hotel or something. If you work for a large company then they usually pay for your accommodation during this period. As a remote worker, and especially a freelancer, no one is going to cover this cost for you. This wasn't a huge problem for us because we were able to stay with Agi's parents until the moving date.

Take a look at where you want to move before you do so and find out about the rental market there. Are there a lot of apartments available? How long will you have to wait? Where can you stay in the meantime?

Moving Money

I talked in my Brexit post about the best ways to access your money when you are travelling. I would like to add a point about opening bank accounts. I have experience opening, or attempting to open, bank accounts in Thailand and Poland.

Thailand was extremely confusing because the information available online was... what's the word for it? Wrong. The staff in the bank itself had no idea what was and wasn't possible. I was told foreigners cannot open bank accounts, I was told you need this piece of paper, that piece of paper. In the end it was really easy. I took my passport to the bank and they opened the account. They didn't think they could... there was confusion and hand waving... they had to check with a manager... but it turned out they could!

Poland is actually a lot easier but you need to have a Polish ID number. Everyone has to register their residence in Poland. Foreigners automatically get an ID when you register. I am going through the process of this at the moment and I will get my number eventually but I can't get a bank account until I do.

Again, do some research before you move and find out what the requirements are. There may be things you can do up front to make the process smoother.

My Side Project

I mentioned in my last post that I was working on a side project. It is now live so I thought I would tell you what it and my plans are.

I have been working as a freelancer for quite a while and most of my work has come through Upwork. However, Upwork recently changed their fee structure. They now charge 20% on your first $500 with a client, 10% between $500.01 and $10,000 and 5% on anything over $10,000. This means that long term clients become better value but any short term clients are way less worthwhile.

Upwork's new fees were one of the reasons I wanted to try something new. Another reason is that I want to be more motivated and earn more consistent income; see my last post for more detail. Finally, I feel that I have established myself as a freelancer; I know what I offer and what I can charge. It's time to spread my wings!

All of this lead to me thinking of a way to find my own clients. The result? aut0m8.com.

What is aut0m8? The result of my plans to become an Infusionsoft Certified Partner; aut0m8 will offer Infusionsoft marketing automation for small businesses:

USING AUTOMATION WE STOP LEADS FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS, GENERATE MORE REFERRALS AND ELIMINATE REDUNDANT PROCESSES

I want to work with small businesses to understand their marketing needs and develop a strategy together. I will then build automated systems that deliver that strategy . The aim is to make my clients more money with a minimum of hands on effort from them. As it says on the website:

SAVE TIME, MAKE MORE MONEY, GROW YOUR BUSINESS

I have already started advertising on Google to find new clients. My goal is to transition away from using anyone else's platforms to find clients and develop a sustainable business of my own.

I will keep you up to date with the progress of this and we will learn together where this takes me. Get in touch if you would like to know more.

A Little Housekeeping pt 2

I wrote a post in January analysing my earnings progress through 2015. I said I would come back and update my progress. We're halfway through 2016 now so how am I getting on?

In January I totalled up all of the money I earned and all of the hours I worked to produce this wonderful chart:

This chart shows clear progress throughout the year but I seem to have plateaued at the back end.

I wrote a post a little while ago about my plans to invest in myself and my career as a freelancer, you can read it here. The main point was that I planned to become an Infusionsoft Certified Partner.

I completed my certification in January this year. It wasn't cheap and it wasn't a walk in the park but I passed. I can now call myself an ICP, which is shorter than Infusionsoft Certified Partner but unfortunately looks to some people like an abbreviation for Insane Clown Posse. If you've heard of the ICP (clowns, not software) then you'll know why that is a problem. If not, treat yourself to some idiocy here.

During 2015 I became more and more involved in Infusionsoft. I saw the potential for higher earnings if I became qualified so I bit the bullet and took the course. How did that work out for me? Did it help me break through that plateau at the end of 2015? Take a look at the chart below:

Yeah baby! The chart is heading in the right direction. You can see a summary of the key details in this table:

	2015	2016
Average hourly rate	$23	$36
Highest hourly rate	$32	$46

My average rate for the year to date is $36/hr so I'm consistently beating my best rate from last year. It's great to see that my investment in the Infusionsoft certification has lead to me securing higher paying contracts. To be honest, I am very pleased with my continued progress. However, I want to share another chart with you.

I have been tracking my total monthly earnings as well as my hourly rate and this tells an interesting story. I have spoken before about the variability that comes with being a freelancer and you can see the facts of the matter clearly in this chart:

Although my hourly rate has been slowly climbing, my total monthly earnings have been up and down like a yo-yo. Thankfully for me the amount has never dropped to a level that I can't live on. Essentially, a bad month is OK and a good month is awesome!

What all this means is that I actually work less hours to earn the same amount. Now, that's a nice situation to be in but what if I could manage a consistent number of hours each month? Then my total earnings would be increasing in line with my hourly rate. How cool would that be?

Not all of this is within my control. I have regular clients that provide a lot of work one month and not so much the next. However, I cannot wash my hands of all responsibility. If I was out there hustling every day for new clients then I would probably have that consistent level of work.

The fact that I am earning enough to live the lifestyle I want makes me kind of lazy about getting out there and hunting for clients. On the other hand, it does allow me time to focus on other side projects, one of which is nearly complete.

I think the lesson to take away is that my goal for the next 6 months should be to get a consistent amount of work. My side project is part of my plans to address that. I'll do another review at the end of the year to see if it was successful.

Do you have any thoughts on this? I'd love to hear them, drop me a line.

Living in Thailand & Japan

During our recent trip to Japan it was difficult not to compare things to Thailand. I lived in Japan from 2004 - 2006 and I have been living in Thailand for a year and a half. I thought I would share some of the differences and similarities.

Noise

Bangkok is noisy. There's no escaping it. The traffic never stops and it is frequently poorly maintained so motorbike and lorry engines deafen you. For all that I love it, there is a vibrancy to the streets that makes you feel alive.

Japan is quiet... to paraphrase every horror/action movie... maybe a little too quiet. If you enjoy peace and time to think then Japan is a great place to be. The only downside is that sometimes it really is too quiet. I only realised this when I found myself whispering to talk to people in public. It gets to you eventually.

Price

This is going to be no surprise but the price difference between living in Bangkok and Tokyo is huge! Here is the average differential according to numbeo.com:

When I was living in Japan I had a full time job so my earnings were proportional, as shown by the local purchasing power index. However, visiting there after living in Thailand was a real gut punch! That said, being a tourist in Japan isn't too bad. Similar to Thailand, people eat out a lot more often than Europeans, especially Britons. As a result, restaurants are cheaper relative to other costs. According to numbeo.com restaurants in the UK are 85% more expensive than Japan while other costs are more similar. This is great for me because I LOVE to eat out. During our trip to Japan we ate our way around the country and it was great!

Attitude

Thai people and Japanese people are both great but in completely different ways.

Japanese people will go out of their way to help you any time. I and others have asked for directions to somewhere and received a lift to our destination instead. Even for basic enquiries they really want to make sure you get a positive result. Japanese people are famously reserved but will be delighted and break into huge smiles if you attempt to speak the language.

There is also a completely different aesthetic. When I was in Japan I worked for Nova - at the time the largest English school in the country. I was hired in the UK and Nova's international branding on their correspondence was a conservative yellow lotus on navy blue. When I got to Japan I realised that the local branding was a maniac pink bunny rabbit. Check out the commercial... there are no words.

Thai people love to laugh and smile... which can be disconcerting at times. I have felt like I was being laughed at, only to realise that the Thai person was laughing to defuse a nervous situation. That probably says more about my own mental state than Thai culture! Thai people love to have fun and it's great to see so many smiles. Everybody from taxi drivers to shop owners will try to joke with you. This contributes to a great atmosphere.

These are just a few of my observations from having lived in both countries. I love them both and I hope I get the chance to live in other places too. Get in touch if you'd like to know more.

Infusionsoft for Freelancers

This week an article I wrote is featured on the Upwork Hiring Headquarters. As you probably know, Upwork is one of the largest online freelancing sites and the site that Agi and I use most. I'm really happy to be featured on Upwork as it has been my "home" for quite a while! The Hiring Headquarters is part of the Upwork blog with information for freelancers and clients. You can see a short excerpt below, head on over to the site to read the full article:

I was first introduced to Infusionsoft about 13 months ago through a client. Over the past year, I’ve learned the basics of this amazing tool and am now about to complete my Infusionsoft Certified Partner exam.

In this article, I’ll cover a little bit about what this powerful software is and what it can do for both small businesses and freelancers.

https://www.upwork.com/hiring/marketing/an-introduction-to-infusionsoft/