If you’ve ever wondered how to work fully remotely and travel the world, you’re in the right place.
Today, I’ll show you exactly how to build a location-independent business that frees you from your 9-5.
Sound good? Read on to learn more.
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6-Figure Coaching Business so you can achieve more freedom!
Key takeaways:
- Creating a location-independent business gives you the freedom and flexibility to work from anywhere.
- The best business ideas are coaching, consulting, or freelancing, although you have lots of other options besides. But these business models allow you to work with just a laptop and an internet connection.
- Take the right steps to build your business, such as defining your goals, researching your market, creating an offer, and finding clients.
What is a location-independent business?
A location-independent business operates remotely.
That means no office or set schedule – you can build a successful business from wherever you want!
It’s a growing trend, with 16% of US companies operating fully remote.
But being a location-independent entrepreneur looks different for everyone.
For example, my course and coaching business gives me the flexibility to balance travel and spending time with family.
Others, like my friends Demir and Carey Bentley at Lifehack Method, are fully digital nomads.
But is it right for you? I’ll help you find out!
What are the benefits of starting a location-independent business?
There are many benefits to starting a location-independent business.
They are:
- Freedom and flexibility: Creating a remote business gives you the freedom to live and work in your own time, wherever you want in the world.
- Unlimited profitability: There is no limit to how much you can earn if you choose the right business model.
- Minimal overheads and startup costs: Online businesses have low operation and equipment costs. In some cases, all you need is an internet connection.
- Working for yourself: If you’ve ever fantasized about becoming your own boss, starting a location-independent business will be a great fit for you.
If this sounds good to you, then read on to learn how to get started.
How do you start a location-independent business?
Ready to build your location-independent business? Follow the steps below.
1. Define your goals
Question: What do you want your business to look like?
When I decided to become an entrepreneur, flexibility and freedom were the most important benefits to me. That’s why I chose to build a location-independent coaching business.
That said, I don’t live a full digital nomad lifestyle. I would rather be at home with my dog, Falco.
But I have the flexibility to travel when I want while still staying close to my family.
Now I’m asking you: Why do you want to be location-independent?
Do you want to live abroad, travel part-time, or just have a more flexible lifestyle?
Nailing down these goals will help you determine your business, which is what we’re going to talk about next.
2. Decide on a business idea
How do you find the best business idea for you?
It’s easier than you think!
Ask yourself:
- What is your background and experience?
- What are your skills?
- What are your values?
- What are people willing to pay for?
Your best business ideas will combine your skills with market demand, but make sure to focus on a specific niche.
Doing so lets you connect with your ideal audience and provide them with the quality services only you can offer.
Coaching, consulting, or freelancing are great options, and you can get started with minimal startup costs and monetize your current skills.
Eventually, you can even expand to selling courses.
That’s what I did. My course and coaching business now makes over eight figures and takes up less than 20 hours of my time each week.
3. Research your market
To start selling your services, you need to figure out the best audience for them.
In many cases, your ideal client is similar to you.
My ideal client is like me 10 years ago – a millennial woman in corporate America wishing she could quit her 9-5 and live a more fulfilling life.
Being similar to your audience helps them resonate with your story, which in turn builds the foundation for a trusting relationship. In fact, 67% of customers say they need to trust a brand before buying.
So, how do you get to know your target market?
Try this:
- Read online forums
- Reach out to people in your network
- Interact on social media
The more you understand your audience, the more value they’ll find in your offer.
4. Create an offer
Now that you know what you want to do and who you want to help, you need to create an irresistible offer.
My advice? Keep it simple. To get started with coaching or consulting, I recommend offering a three-month package for $1,500.
In freelancing, your package will depend on what you do. For example, virtual assisting tends to be hourly, but graphic design is priced per project.
However, if you take the “productized” approach, you can create simple packages that are easy to sell. (More on that in this article.)
5. Find your first clients
To find your first clients, I recommend choosing one or two of the following strategies:
- Pitch yourself as a guest host on podcasts in your niche
- Inform your network about your new business
- Create valuable content on social media
- Search job boards like Upwork (useful for freelancers)
But it can take time to find them.
That’s why I recommend you build your business on the side until you have enough clients to go full-time. In other words, stay in your 9-5 until you’ve doubled your income.
6. Start creating content
I’ve published content daily for a decade now. But it wasn’t always so easy for me – in the beginning, it felt like a chore.
So, I started creating content about things I actually wanted to share, and my perspective changed.
Along with that, I focused only on platforms where my audience hangs out, like YouTube.
I suggest you focus on one main platform in the beginning and create content your audience will resonate with.
As your platform grows, because you’re location-independent, you’ll start to attract clients from anywhere.
👋High five to that.👋
Get the Ultimate Guide
for building a
6-Figure Coaching Business so you can achieve more freedom!
7. Create a client-attraction system
Once you’ve started working with a few clients, you’ll want to build a sustainable marketing strategy.
Some creative ideas include:
- Referral schemes
- Collaborating with other business owners
- Email marketing
- Posting on Pinterest
- Hosting webinars
- Guest posting
I recommend focusing on one or two methods until you’re making six figures.
After that, you can build an automatic client generation system with SEO or paid ads.
Paid ads are a good starting point to scale your business fast. However, they’re not as profitable as other options because you need to keep pouring money into ads to get results.
Plus, if you don’t know much about social media ads, you’ll have to go through a lot of trial and error or outsource to a competent freelancer.
My favorite way to grow SEO is by blogging. Over two years, I built my SEO to become a six-figure marketing channel – now, it’s one of the main drivers of my course sales.
Here’s a video to learn more about SEO and blogging:
8. Build a flexible business
Now that you’ve built the foundation of your remote business, you can optimize your time with online tools.
I prefer to keep my coaching calls to specific days, so I use Calendly to simplify booking meetings.
Calendly automatically shows clients your available call slots in their timezone and sends calendar invites with your Zoom link. That way, you can take client calls from wherever you are.
Next up: Business ideas.
25 profitable location-independent business ideas you must know
What business ideas work well for location-independent entrepreneurs?
Lots! Let’s take a look.
1. Consulting business
I’m a big fan of consulting and coaching as a location-independent business.
Why?
Because you can use your existing skills to help clients achieve their goals, and all you need is an internet connection.
Plus, there are so many consulting niches you can choose from.
For example, my student Mara Freilich is a former lawyer turned consultant for students who want to get into top law schools.
2. Coaching business
Similar to consulting, coaching allows you to profit from your knowledge and experience. You just need to find people who are willing to learn from your experience. Then, you can create a profitable business from anywhere, just like me.
Here’s how to start a coaching business in just five hours a week:
Plus, you can scale your business with online courses (which we’ll talk about shortly).
3. Freelancing business
Freelancing is an excellent location-independent choice if you can deliver your service online.
Popular freelancing ideas include:
- Writing
- Video editing
- Graphic design
- Voice acting
Because you only need Wi-Fi and a laptop to deliver your service, this is a highly profitable business model.
I recommend it to any of my students who want to use their existing knowledge but don’t want to try coaching or consulting.
4. Online courses
Building an online course business is a popular choice for entrepreneurs, and it makes sense.
Creating and selling one online course to dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people means more profit than one-on-one services.
That said, I recommend starting with coaching, consulting, or freelancing before you create your first course. This will give you insight into what your audience needs so you can create a course that sells.
If you’re curious about online courses, watch this:
5. Teach online
Teachers and tutors, this one’s for you.
Teaching online is flexible and always in demand.
For example, there are over 1.5 billion English language learners in the world, so tutoring English is a popular choice. But you might need a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) qualification.
But that’s not all. There are many students looking for tutors in subjects like math and science, too. For those, you typically need a degree or equivalent to join a tutoring platform.
The application process is simple, and you can fit lessons around your lifestyle.
Some popular platforms include:
6. Digital products
Want a passive income option? Selling digital products is great for that.
You could sell:
- Planners
- Software templates (like Canva and Notion)
- Stock photos and videos
- Ebooks
- And more
The downside is that digital products don’t sell for much, so you need a large audience to make it profitable (or a lot of products). That’s why I recommend starting with a service business so you can build authority in your niche, then start selling to your audience.
7. Ecommerce business
Selling products online can be profitable and fun to build if you have a product you’re passionate about.
But this business model does have some drawbacks you’ll want to be aware of.
For one, you need to build up inventory and storage, which can be expensive.
Also, to make your ecommerce business independent, you’ll need to factor in production and shipping costs, too.
However, if you hire a team to manage things on the ground, you can focus on what you enjoy most and build the kind of life you want at the same time.
8. Social media manager
Got a gift for social media? You could become a freelance social media manager, either for a business, brand, or influencer. And because social media platforms are global, you can get started from wherever you’re located.
9. Virtual assistant
As a virtual assistant, you help business owners remotely.
Your tasks might include things like:
- Inbox management
- Customer support
- Scheduling
- Bookkeeping
- Running social media accounts
You can even sell hourly packages that allow you to work with many businesses at once and scale your business.
Tip: If you want to travel at the same time as working as a virtual assistant, keep time zones in mind and work at times that align with your clients’ operating hours.
10. Sell on marketplaces
If you want to make ecommerce a little easier and travel-friendly, selling on marketplaces is the way to do it.
Whether that’s Amazon, Etsy, or niche marketplaces like Art Finder, you can advertise and sell your products to a ready-made audience.
However, marketplaces, like any other online platforms, usually take a commission from your sales. Factor that into your expenses so you’re prepared when they happen and still building a profitable business.
Get the Ultimate Guide
for building a
6-Figure Coaching Business so you can achieve more freedom!
11. Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is where you create content and recommend products from other businesses.
When someone purchases the product using your link, you earn a commission.
It can take time to build up traffic, but it can be a good source of passive income.
When choosing this option, make sure to research the commission rates for various sites and, if possible, sales for the products you recommend.
More sales equals more commissions.
12. Content creation
With over 200 million content creators around the world, making money on social media is an attractive business model if you want to be location-independent.
You can even make your location-independence a key part of your brand.
Content creation is one of my favorite parts of running a business. But making content creation your entire business can be difficult.
I recommend following experts like Ali Abdaal to learn how to grow a following.
Read my guide on how to become a content creator here.
13. Agency
If you’ve been a freelancer for a while and have built up a trusted client base, creating an agency is a great way to scale.
Essentially, you hire more freelancers to work for your company while you manage the client relationships.
The more you outsource client work, the more flexible and free your business becomes.
For example, I co-founded a marketing agency, Zalstrom, because as a business owner, I saw the need for a results-driven agency.
14. Freelance writing
Freelance writing is a good option if you have a talent for words.
Writers work in multiple areas, such as:
- Copywriting
- SEO writing
- Grant writing
- Resume writing
- Technical writing
Online job boards like ProBlogger and Freelance Writing Gigs are good places to start if you’re considering this route.
15. Photography business
If you’re a photographer and want to travel, why not do both?
Photographers can easily shoot around the world by offering event or portrait services. I recommend building a strong presence on social media to keep you booked and busy.
16. Arts or handmade products
Building an art business can be tough but you can do it from anywhere.
As long as you have the equipment you need and a good social media presence, you can sell your art to a global audience. You can offer pre-made pieces or custom ones, too.
Top tip: Look into creating digital prints to avoid shipping fees.
17. Translation business
Do you speak several languages? Try freelance translation or interpretation.
It’s flexible, simple to start, and pays well.
You can find translation jobs on freelance platforms like Upwork and Fiverr.
18. Bookkeeping business
Bookkeeping is when you help businesses track and manage their finances.
Every business needs this service, whether in-house or outsourced.
For the latter, as long as you have an internet connection and degree.
19. Video editing
55% of people watch videos every day. As a result, video marketing is booming right now.
If you have video editing skills, you’ll find thousands of freelance jobs available on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr.
Create a showreel to show off your skills, and you can start pitching to clients today.
20. Graphic design
Graphic designers can easily take their businesses on the road.
As long as you have the software and equipment you need, you can serve clients wherever you are.
Take Katie MacLeod, for example, who is a freelance graphic designer and travels the world while doing it. If you want, you can do the same!
21. Customer support
Do you have experience in customer service or are passionate about it?
If so, know that there are plenty of businesses of all sizes looking for remote customer support workers.
As long as you know your way around popular customer service platforms (like Zendesk), you’ll be able to find roles.
22. Paid advertising consulting business
Paid advertising consulting can be a profitable business.
My own digital advertising consulting business freed me from my 9-5.
Because of my background, hard work, and determination, all of which led to great results, I was able to build it to six figures in just four months.
I recommend it to anyone who has prior experience with paid ads or is willing to learn.
23. AI consulting
AI is booming right now. If you have a background in tech, this is a great opportunity for you.
Tech consulting or development is not only flexible, but it is also highly lucrative.
The average AI consultant makes over $195,000 per year.
24. Financial coaching business
Financial coaching is an option if you’re skilled with numbers and personal finances. You can help people audit and manage their finances online, freeing you from staying in one place.
For example, my student Ryan helps people invest in real estate. Thanks to his business, he was able to quit his 9-5 and travel a lot.
25. Online therapy
Therapy is one of the most flexible online businesses you can start.
For example, Dr. Sonia Jaeger provides online counseling for clients across the globe while she travels.
If you don’t have the qualifications to deliver online therapy, you can research local counseling courses or consider life coaching instead.
Get the Ultimate Guide
for building a
6-Figure Coaching Business so you can achieve more freedom!
What’s next?
And there you have it! That’s how you build a location-independent business.
However, building a profitable and sustainable business (without wasting years in the process) can be overwhelming.
I should know.
It took me years to start and grow my own business.
That’s why I put together a roadmap to help you get to your goal faster.
In my free blueprint, I’ll teach you how to build a fulfilling, flexible freedom business from scratch. Download it now!
Read more:
Best (Fully) Remote Business Ideas from Home
