Owning a business comes with its share of perks and pitfalls. To run it successfully, whilst on the abroad, can be a serious head-scratcher. Of course, there are great benefits to being a nomadic entrepreneur such as having a large network of people across the globe, being able to relish the opportunities that a new city offers as well as discover some incredible places away from bustling cosmopolitan cities. Below are some few challenges and some recommendations on how to run a business while travelling the world;
- TECHNOLOGY
Technical issues are a common hurdle for entrepreneurs running their business abroad. Different countries have different policies and work regulations. When it comes to technology, one can be faced with different compatibility issues between a site and the host servers when trying to run script coded instructions. It helps if one is tech-savvy and knowledgeable on web hosting, coding and programming to do proper surveys before travel and be able to troubleshoot problems with ease.
- SECURITY
When abroad, we are either with our computers, smartphones or tablets in an attempt to be always connected. What we are unaware of is the vast exposure to online insecurities we face. We casually surf on free WI-FI in airport lounges and restaurants opening up ourselves to serious risks. A private virtual network (VPN) is highly recommended to detect malicious bugs and malware that can quickly bring down a site in a matter of seconds, ruin online presence and compromise customer’s personal information. A VPN creates a private network from a public internet connection to provide privacy and anonymity. A VPN is easy to use; simply download and install an anonymous VPN on your device, then start it up when you connect to the internet. VPN will protect all your internet traffic and is the best investment you can make for your business.
- MOBILITY
The modern world is mobile. People who are often on the road are often concerned with what gadgets to carry so make sure they don’t miss any work. Another concern is also how gadgets will be always charged. To be honest, 80% of work can be done on one’s mobile phone. Be it in emails, calls, social media, manage meetings, is all in your pocket. All you need to do is make sure you have a backup power back to make sure your phone never runs out of juice.
- SERVER RELIABILITY
Server crashes are issues faced both from a physical locality or abroad. Unfortunately, when it comes to web hosting, servers tend to crash and go down at some point. This can be caused by too much traffic on the website or presence of a script that the site doesn’t like. The best way to go around this is to choose a web host with high up-time reliability and occasionally back-up your website to your local computer or third-party secure storage.
- MANAGING OPERATIONS
Regardless of location, an entrepreneur must be able to stay on top of things in all aspects of their business. This can range from managing teams, marketing, lead generation, making sales as well as hiring and firing. It’s paramount to purchase various business tools that can assist in business operations such as Slack, Zendesk, Deputy, Skype to make sure everyone is always connected and operations run in a timely and organised way.
- FLOW OF COMMUNICATION
The primary focus of operating a business when abroad is communication. Communication can make or break the flow of business. There are communication tools that one can buy for their business that makes the whole communication process effective. Zoom and google hangouts have been a favourite go-to for nomadic entrepreneurs and those that choose to work remotely.
- TIME ZONES
The world is one global community. It can be a hard experience when abroad to try to create strong business relationships when business hours don’t match. The etiquette of working across different time zones is proper scheduling. Plan meetings when most team members are having their regular 9-5 to avoid inconveniencing the majority. This helps bond remote teams and creates empathy between the staff.