We no longer offer 1 on 1 digital nomad coaching –instead, we’ve got something for you that’s even better (and a heck of a lot cheaper) –our new digital nomad mastermind group is only accessible to those who join our email mailing list.
Digital Nomad Coaching that Isn’t All Bullsh*t? Right.
Do you have unanswered questions about the digital nomad lifestyle and how to generate a reliable online income?
If so, you’ve come to the right place.
Most aspiring digital nomads are determined to make it work, but fear they can’t trust themselves completely –“Am I wearing rose colored glasses, or can I actually pull this off?”.
That’s where digital nomad coaching may be useful for you. Validate an idea, or fill in the blanks with someone who’s got the experience you’re looking for.
“Google is Your Friend” They Said
Popular thinking dictates that every single human on earth with an internet connection can usually find the answers they’re looking for and won’t need a mentor of any kind. As in, every troll on the internet.
Is Google enough? –when there’s so much sh*t on the internet it’s hard to find a straight line from cubicle to tropical coworking space.
Sure, you could find it all online.
If that’s your way –your best smartest fastest choice. Personal coaching isn’t for everyone.
“Digital nomad” is a lifestyle, not a job title.
Search engines can fall short where people all have unique needs, interests, and situations. Sometimes it’s best to bounce off your thoughts against a seasoned nomad you kinda’ know and trust. No one reputable is going to help you make an online income for free, all in one place.
Search engines are full of shills, too. The digital nomad community isn’t exactly short on self-proclaimed high-on-their-own-supply gurus who’ve only been doing their thang for a few months to a year and have no prior career or body of work to speak of. I once met a 19-year-old “life coach”. Gag me with a spoon.
In other words, it’s hard to narrow down who you can trust in a sea of laptops and beach-side selfie bullsh*t hype.
No one should pay for information about how to become a digital nomad, there is no quick fix you can buy. Which is why I wrote a guide and started giving it away for free. If you download it maybe you won’t have to read the rest of this page.
“Digital nomad” is a lifestyle, not a job title. I’m not selling information, I’m selling my time while saving you weeks (or years) of your own.
So –Why Choose the Hobo with a Laptop?
Surely you want to know a little about me before I make a case for digital nomad coaching. My skills and experience are what makes our engagement worthwhile.
Related: How to Overcome 30 Realistic Obstacles to Becoming a Digital Nomad
Mike’s been a digital nomad in his own country in one capacity or another since he was 18, and he’s currently in his sixth year of living abroad in Asia.
Experience to Draw From
Since 2013, he’s continued along a path of random –he became a best-selling author, copywriter/ghostwriter for leading brands, and an influencer marketing specialist.
In his personal life, Mike’s overcome severe health problems on the road, spent some time in a Bangkok hospital –and kept his businesses afloat with a particularly reliable virtual assistant he later met and married –that’s Oshin; Mike’s full-time life, travel, and business partner. And down the line, he’ll start a digital nomad family –something he’s really passionate about.
Why Are We Doing This?
I finally caved under the amount of requests we get to offer advice and coaching to our readers. I’d been doing it for free for years, but now it’s beginning to take up more time than I can afford so I decided to start charging for it.
Lifestyle and Career Coaching for Digital Nomads
Mike (and Oshin) of Hobo with a Laptop are available to provide personalized coaching sessions around your needs; the following topics are just a few examples of where our personal experience shines –click on one you may be interested to cut right to the chase and learn more about it:
- Where do I start? How can I become a digital nomad?
- How do you make work, work when you’re living abroad?
- I have XYZ skills, what should I do?
- I’ve got special health/diet needs or concerns –is travel possible for me and how?
- I really want to monetize my blog, how do I do it?
- What WordPress plugins do you use?
- How can I improve my sales game?
- How do I hire or become a virtual assistant?
- How do I get Pinterest to help drive traffic to my blog?
- I’m just starting out with cryptocurrencies –ummmm, how?
What to Expect
I talk fast, I speak passionately, I’m sometimes not the most politically correct person and you’ll probably need a few cups of coffee under your belt to have a discussion with me.
I’ll never take a call where I won’t have what you’re looking for. If you’re not satisfied, ask me to refund your money no questions asked. I vet every call in advance so we don’t waste eachother’s time with a brief questionnaire. I need to know who you are and where you’re at in life, what you do (or did) for a living, where you’ve been, and where you want to go before we speak. This is to tailor my input and how I deliver it.
If I don’t take your call, I’ll probably refer you to someone I think is best suited to you. Never take this personally –at least I didn’t take your money.
Lastly, don’t hesitate to prioritize as many digital nomad FAQ as you can into one personal coaching call in advance and we’ll take them on point for point until we run out of time.
You In?
Let’s get in touch; tell us what’s on your mind and we’ll get back to you within 42 – 72 hours to arrange our next steps.
In most cases, we’ll kick the process off with a questionnaire.
Need more proof? Check out the comments.
Digital Nomad Coach FAQ
Alright so I mentioned a few areas where I can help out –if you don’t see something here, don’t hesitate to contact me to see if I can help you though, you never know.
Here’s a handful of digital nomad FAQ’s I’m asked on a regular basis during personal and/or career coaching sessions.
Where do I start? How can I become a digital nomad?
As you already know if you read Digital Nomad Escape Plan –I’ve got this covered in a lot of detail. But, you may still have questions, or even fears, that will need to be addressed before you take the leap. You already know how I did it, but every situation is unique so this is where you can get personalized advice on how to become a digital nomad.
How do you make work, work when you’re living abroad?
How do you work remotely? How do you work remotely when your laptop dies –3 times in the course of 4 years (and not panic)? How do you find a virtual assistant and then properly help them help you? What tools do you use to work remotely? What if I lose my remote job while I’m abroad?
If any of these concerns sound like you, I’ve been there.
I have XYZ skills, what should I do?
Alright, this is one area where I often give advice people don’t want to hear. Making money online is a pain in the ass when you’re just starting out, building your book (clients), and trying to figure out how much work is actually involved. I stomp rose colored glasses on these calls with a lead boot.
But I can help. These calls are best suited a year in advance of your leap, not weeks.
I’ve got special health/diet needs or concerns –is travel possible for me and how?
While this article isn’t the best story (it’s pretty terrible to be honest) it demonstrates where I’ve been. And it wasn’t pretty. And I haven’t really talked about it since. However, I’ve been incredibly active when it comes to health-related on-the-ground-in-Asia research.
Not only did I weather the Thai hospital system, I also learned a lot about how to make Paleo/keto work while traveling. While I don’t take any prescriptions, I can also help you figure out how to keep them up over the long term (there’s a chapter in my book about this, so read that first).
I really want to monetize my blog, how do I do it?
I created a web design blog once, I got web design clients. I did it again with travel/influencer marketing. And now Hobo with a Laptop provides an income that’s nothing to sneeze at after only 5 months.
I know how to make your blog attractive to sponsors, drive traffic, where to plug damaging SEO holes, and which affiliate programs tend to be worthwhile as you grow (they don’t all work straight out of the door, and some have traffic requirements). I’m also a big fan of leveraging our website to get free stuff.
While I’m not into income report sharing (it’s not a pissing contest, don’t they Photoshop those anyways?) I know what I’m doing and I can help. And I have personal reasons for not doing so.
Everyone’s situation is different and I won’t take your call if I don’t think I’m the right fit for your unique situation.
What WordPress plugins do you use?
This is just a common filler question but still incredibly useful. I write about a lot of what we do under the hood here, but 15 minutes over the phone will fill in the gaps and cut down your research time.
Bloggers will rarely tell other bloggers what’s working for them because they’re viewed as competitors.
How can I improve my sales game?
Pushy sales d*cks aren’t respected because they’re too old school –respect is earned today by asking the right questions and painting a solution that’s tailored to the unique needs of a customer.
That means identifying the right customer by understanding their struggle well enough to know you’ve got the right solution to their problem, and then clearly demonstrating that on paper with a team that can deliver on it.
My strengths lay in identifying the right customer, and “giving great proposal”. I’ve written dozens of proposals over the years and sold over 2 million dollars in solutions.
Project proposals are your most potent tool in the sales arsenal, backed by a clearly outlined and documented planning process. If you ever need help with project planning or proposal writing I can help.
The majority of proposals I’ve written were for complex web development and ecommerce projects, however I’ve been able to port my skills over into other niches, such as new museum exhibit proposals, internet marketing, search optimization, and events.
If you’re starting out as web developer, SEO consultant, designer, or any other type of online business, I can probably help. Writing proposals is still something I do today to earn an income remotely, and I’ve written for some pretty big iron.
How do I hire or become a virtual assistant?
I’ve hired several and I married one. Between my wife and I, we understand the ins and outs of both sides of the coin.
If you’re an internet entrepreneur, the key is to leave nothing to “common sense” because that’s subjective. Everything needs to be documented before you hire one because you can never let them see you bleed. Your VAs need to know they’re working for someone as organized and reliable as you need them to be. The idea of a “super VA” is a Hollywood delusion, it’s on you to help them shine.
And VAs –you’re in a higher pay grade if you come to the table with process documents in hand to build from, just in case your next employer is overworked and under-prepared. You don’t need to sell your soul on Upwork to earn your rating first if you can market yourself properly and back it up with a clearly defined process. In my books, Upwork is a dirty word.
How do I get Pinterest to help drive traffic to my blog?
Why is Pinterest even on this list? Glad you asked. When you’re starting out, you’re going to be in the Google sandbox for what? Nine months? It takes a month or two to start seeing results with search engines like Pinterest. We’ll tell you how to navigate Pinterest and what to expect from it.
I’m just starting out with cryptocurrencies –ummmm, how?
This is a new topic I recently started blogging about and I can’t shut my mouth about it. And a massive surge in traffic on those posts demonstrated to me there’s a gap that needs to get filled.
If you’re just starting out with crypto, I’ll tell you what you need to know to get going as soon as we get off our call. Just bare in mind I’m not a certified trader, I’m a hobbyist whose made a little money with it.
This post makes for great reading before we get on a call, it might just answer your questions and save you some money better spent on your first Ether coin.
“Alright, I’m Interested.
What’s it Going to Cost Me?”
I won’t be coy. We don’t have any hooks like memberships or subscriptions. Every call is a one-off, and we keep billing simple. Payments are made in advance via PayPal, once your questionnaire is approved for a call. Any brief discussion we have before the call via email or chat won’t cost you a penny.
For every call, I’ll need to do some research –so here’s how we bill:
- 30 minutes research, scheduling: $25 USD
- 60 – 90 minutes on a call: $100 USD
That means your first 60 – 90 minute call will run you $125 USD. Subsequent calls won’t be charged for research.
If you see value in that, great. If you think it’s too expensive, I won’t budge on the price –that’s my minimum, and I don’t haggle.
Quite often I have to leave the village I’m in and rent a hotel room with a strong internet connection nearby.
The price keeps you serious, and justifies me not doing other things with my time (and probably being awake and working at an ungodly hour).
It’s an opportunity cost, for the both of us.
In Summary
I’d be honored to coach you through this amazing transition in your life and I promise to not hype it up or leave you without actionable advice.
If you’re not satisfied with our discussion I’ll give you a full refund for our last call, no questions asked.
You’ve got nothing to lose other than your own precious time.
You In?
Let’s get in touch; tell us what’s on your mind and we’ll get back to you within 42 – 72 hours to arrange our next steps.
In most cases, we’ll kick the process off with a questionnaire.
Need more proof? Check out the comments.
Do You Know Me Already?
Do us both a solid –leave a comment below. Tell everyone a little about our business relationship, I’d really appreciate it.
11 comments
I’ve known Michael through work for a while now, but recently got time to really concentrate on his website and read about what he does and how he does it in more details. And I’ve gotta say, that sounds awesome! I can see how Michael and his wife can be a huge inspiration and help for entrepreneurs.
I’m sure, on a day-to-day basis modern nomad’s life isn’t all white beaches and cocktails, but rather there’s plenty of hard work on Michael’s end. Yet I wanted to thank him for showing us that a digital nomad lifestyle is an option and one can make it happen with enough effort.
So thanks and good luck! You guys rock! Things like your site make people like me want to travel and explore more. And that is a lot!
What do you want from a digital nomad lifestyle site? With all the websites out there, very few shine like Hobo With A Laptop. Mike and Oshin are not fly-by-night newbies. With years of walking the talk, they’ve compiled a ton of knowledge including scads of free downloads and tools for digital nomads and travelers in general. I dare you not to find at least 5 needed downloads once you poke around a bit. You’re totally gonna have to bookmark the site. And whoa – a live consult with Mike about your online presence, branding and business plans is worth every cent. There’s a realness that comes across in every aspect of what they’re up to. Thanks, guys !
Really appreciated, Aaron –and great conversation last night. Look forward to bumping into you when we head back to Thailand!
Mike’s passion and determination is infectious. One conversation will leave you brimming with motivation and he’ll also deliver the goods with strategies for channeling your motivation into results.
He strips away the usual glamorous BS surrounding the hype over the digital nomad lifestyle and isn’t afraid to go balls deep into the gritty stuff. His methods are to the point and effective.
After having my first conversation with him about my lacking social game and blatant ignorance of SEO, I overhauled my site, tweaked the living daylights out every on page factor I could and became a much better blogger in the process. This resulted in me writing an entire article on some of the changes I made just to pay the love forward. I’ve even had some really decent SEO’s compliment me on the article, even though I didn’t know anything about it just one week prior.
That conversation led to a series of guest posts, WordPress theme changes, really good link building strategies and also helped me hone my craft as a writer. It sounds like a cliche, but I’m writing this from an airport lounge in Bangkok because I’m now a digital nomad, and I blame Mike.
Have a quadruple shot coffee, take a bit of crack if need be, sit down, shut up and listen to Mike.
Toby –man, speechless. I lol’d all over myself. Thanks very much, and I really love the diction 😀 Look forward to meeting you in person, in Thailand, in a month or so!
Mike is one of the hardest working and most professional experts I know in his field of expertise. I haven’t met many people as committed as he is to success for his clients. If you are committed and want to take your blog to the next level and monetize your online presence, Hobo with a Laptop is your man. He has and is helping me tremendously even from around the globe. Thank you!
Our first celebrity testimonial, thanks Tomm!
Tomm’s been on a number of television spots, cult martial arts flicks, NCIS Los Angeles with LL Cool J, and on the cover of Men’s Fitness (and others). I’ve been helping him further his personal brand on the internet recently.
Videos below are smaller for mobile-friendliness:
We met on a flight to Canada after he won the 2016 National FMA stick fighting Championship, where he was representing Team USA in the World Championships on the island of Cebu in the Philippines. Click here to learn more.
You’re the first blogger that’s ever answered me personally. I’m just starting out launching a travel blog and I love reading your content. It’s honest, accurate and it’s so refreshing to read something that isn’t written in over-complicated marketing language.
And I fully appreciate the honesty in your replies, honest feedback and constructive criticism are both key to me progressing positively.
Such great discussions, Layla. I’m happy we connected. Look us up when you leave New Zealand, I’d love to pick up where we left off.
Thanks a lot, for everything. Your advice really got me a good jump start in freelancing. @ about $1500 a month from 0 when we first started speaking. And still growing.
Absolute pleasure, Steven. It has been surreal watching you go from sleeping in a car to becoming a digital nomad since we first spoke, and I cannot wait to meet you in person in Bangkok in a month or so. You got some serious passion, keep kicking ass and taking names.