Public Health Consulting as a Digital Nomad
Today’s guest post is written by Whitney Bateson, MPH RD, owner of Whitney Bateson Digital Strategy.
When I decided to start my business in 2018, never did I think I’d end up doing it from around the world, but here I am! I currently operate a digital marketing agency for health, food, and nutrition professionals and businesses, and since October 2018, have been doing it exclusively from outside the United States.
It’s been a wild year and a half, and I’ve learned a lot along the way. While the “digital nomad” lifestyle may not be for everyone, if you’re wanting to learn more about how (and why) one goes about living and working 100% remotely, this blog post is for you.
My (Brief) Story
First, a little about me and why this worked for my business: I offer digital marketing services, a completely online product. I launched my business a few months before I started my travels (therefore had done some in-person networking and selling), and had previously developed a network within the health and wellness community (it was by no means large, but I did have one!).
I kicked off my digital nomad life through a travel program called Remote Year. They’re a community-building, travel-arranging, fun-loving company aimed at helping remote workers explore the world. They organize 4 to 12 month programs where you and 30-50 other “Remotes” go to a different country each month. I selected a 12 month program and kicked off in Lisbon, Portugal in October 2018, finishing in Mexico City, Mexico in September 2019. Once you’ve completed your program, you become a “Citizen” and are welcomed to join other travel programs or tap into more Remote Year resources and events around the world.
And one more important piece of background: I also hired a business coach as I launched my business and prepared for my Remote Year trip. It helped tremendously - both for building a solid foundation for my business before leaving, and for providing emotional support during a very scary time (packing up your life in a suitcase for a year, while building a business, can be a little anxiety-inducing).
Becoming a Digital Nomad… Is It For You?
There is no “easing into” this lifestyle - it hits you all at once, and it can be a lot. I’ve definitely had many days where I was tired of the language barriers, living in other people’s apartments, not being able to eat my favorite foods, or being out of touch with friends and family, and just wanted to go home. But those moments have been outweighed by the delicious new foods I’ve eaten, the smiling locals I’ve encountered, the friendships I’ve made, and the countless experiences I’ve been lucky enough to have.
Back at home in my condo in DC, I really loved my routines and familiar surroundings. Everything was comfortable and known. When you live in different countries, nothing is familiar, and this can be a shock to the system. I would say that if you love routine and predictability, digital nomading may not be for you - but I have somehow survived! While it’s not always fun to race to find the nearest grocery store so you can have breakfast tomorrow morning, or use Google translate to sign up for a gym… in a way, it is.
You May Consider Being a Digital Nomad If...
You’ve been feeling like exploring the world would enrich your life and you can’t come up with truly valid reasons for not doing it
You have a business or job that can be performed remotely
You have a can-do, positive attitude and some level of flexibility
You have some solid self-care and support systems in place to get you through the tough times
Would I Do It Again?
Absolutely. As I mentioned, there have been challenges. I’ve had to deal with internet connectivity issues, power going out during my work day, time zone changes while serving US-based clients (hello, Asia!), not to mention the emotional ups and downs of traveling in foreign countries and being away from home.
But overall the experience has allowed me to lead, what I feel, is a much fuller life. Work is still a major part of my life, but so is LIVING my life. Each day presents a new set of surprises and opportunities. Things as small as having lizards crawl by me while I’m working, to taking a long weekend to go on a safari in the African bush, to having to defend our villa in Bali from a troop of curious monkeys… these are experiences I could have hoped to have in a lifetime, and I had them in 1 year.
I don’t spend my money on things as much (nowhere to put them!) and instead spend it on experiences - and continue to save a hefty chunk of it too (living outside the US has its financial benefits as well). I feel pretty confident in my travel abilities at this point - after Remote Year ended we were on our own (though I’m traveling with my boyfriend, a fellow Remote), and I feel I can research flights, cities, and accommodations like the best of ‘em.
Want to Do It Yourself? Here Are My Tips:
Lay the foundation for your business before you leave (such as setting up an effective website!), and make strategic in-person networking a priority a few times a year (for example, I always come back for FNCE (Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo), the annual dietitian conference).
Offer services that translate well to being delivered remotely. And push the envelope a bit too - virtual meetings and trainings can be more time and cost-effective than in-person, and get comfortable being on video calls to maintain a personal connection with clients.
If you haven’t traveled a lot before, consider a program like Remote Year or WiFi Tribe where they handle much of the logistics for you. Speaking from my Remote Year experience, they also provide tips and resources to help you prepare.
And if you need even more help preparing (like I did), consider a course like Nomad Prep. I had a monthly to-do list for the 3 months leading up to my departure to get everything done - from renting out my condo, changing insurance, figuring out cell phone service, and more (it was a lot - but doable!).
Establish some self-care practices and make them a priority - even when you don’t want to, don’t have time, don’t need them… do it. For me, self care means eating well, exercising, getting ample sleep, and meditating daily. Setting a morning routine and deciding the hours I wanted to work before heading to a new time zone also helped.
All in all, if you’re considering partial or full-time remote work and don’t know where to get started, I hope this post has helped give you some direction. It may seem like an insurmountable task, or maybe foolish or irresponsible, but I’m here to tell you it’s possible and it can actually have a positive impact on your business.
If you’d like to follow along with my journey, you can follow me on Instagram @whitneybateson, and of course if you need to prepare your business for your next move - whether it’s designing your website or developing your marketing strategy, be sure to reach out to me - I’d love to support you.
About Whitney:
Whitney Bateson, MPH RD is a dietitian-turned-digital marketer and owner of Whitney Bateson Digital Strategy. Whitney is on a mission to help health and nutrition entrepreneurs and businesses connect with their customers and confidently grow their businesses by offering website design services, social media and SEO strategy, and marketing training. Her company is based in Washington, DC (where she lived for 10 years before starting her digital nomad lifestyle) and serves clients from across the United States.
Connect with Whitney on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.