Ep. 049 Behind the Scenes with a Digital Nomad: What It’s Really Like to Live & Work in Bali with Amanda Kolbye

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You guys have heard me talk a lot about what life is like as a work-at-home mom or “mompreneur.” But my guest today is a reminder that there are lots of ways to live the “Laptop Lifestyle” (which, by the way,  is also the name of her signature program.)

Amanda Kolbye is an international business coach for service-based entrepreneurs and coaches. She helps entrepreneurs scale their online businesses by establishing a personal brand and utilizing social media marketing. Amanda has 3+ years of professional sales and marketing experience. She specializes in marketing, Instagram, launching and sales. She also travels around the world full time and connects with and supports many other digital nomads who are living the laptop lifestyle.

 Listen in to hear about her journey from corporate job to digital nomad, how she stays focused while living and working in exotic locations, why she chose Bali as her current home, and how she’s created a personal brand that allows her business to be fluid and adaptable. This conversation was so fun and has me dreaming of sunny coworking spaces and palm trees. Let’s meet Amanda.

The Journey from Corporate Job to Digital Nomad

At the age of 23, Amanda was working a 6-figure job and moving up the corporate ladder. It was a great job, but when she looked at the path ahead, she knew she had to get out.

As an Enneagram Type 3, Amanda knew that to create a new life, she needed a plan. She got certified to teach English, sold everything she owned, and moved to Thailand. She had studied abroad there in college, and knew that she could teach English online and earn enough to live there.  

Amanda learned that teaching English was not her forté, so she tried several other pursuits before setting up a design business. Within a week she was booked out, and within a month was earning $5k a month.

People began approaching her for business advice, so she pivoted into coaching and has been growing ever since!

How to Stay Focused While Travelling the World

For the first 6 months after Amanda moved abroad, she felt really scattered. She was travelling too much and feeling frustrated. Her biggest recommendation for aspiring digital nomads? Prioritize the business first, especially in the beginning.  

Now she makes sure to create a lot of structure and routine in her days so that she can have the freedom to live in exotic places without risking her business.

 Why Amanda Chose Bali as Her Current Home 

As Amanda shares, Bali is one of the top digital nomad hotspots in the world. She describes Chengdu as a utopian society that was built around the needs of digital nomads.

She has the benefits of a coworking space, a top-notch gyms, and a community of digital nomads from around the world.

The Structures and Systems That Amanda Swears By

Time management is key to Amanda’s success! Time-blocking and creating schedules allows her to stay focused on her tasks, while still giving her the flexibility that she desires. 

A super organized Google Drive is important to Amanda and she uses Asana to communicate with her team.

Creating a Brand That Will Grow with You

A personal brand is the foundation of your business and one of the coolest parts of having an online business!

Amanda recommends doing a deep-dive at the very beginning of your business to understand and solidify your personal brand. How will you use your story to connect with your ideal clients?

As a virtual assistant, your business will grow and change a lot over time. You might begin to add new offers and services, begin coaching other virtual assistants, or start scaling by offering digital products or courses.

Establishing a clear personal brand will allow you to make shifts in your business without having to completely reinvent yourself with each step. In her exclusive training for Support Squad members, Amanda  is sharing strategies for establishing and evolving a captivating personal brand. 

You’ll learn:

• The elements that make up a personal brand
• Common misconceptions about personal branding
• How to use your story to find themes that will connect with your ideal client
• A process for uncovering a personal brand that will evolve with your business
• Bringing intention to your messaging based on your current offers & services
• Choosing whether to “morph” or “step” when it comes to evolving your business

Click here to preview her training.

If you want to dive deeper into our thriving virtual assistant community, here’s what’s coming up in the membership this month:

Our theme is Personal Branding and international business coach Amanda Kolbye is sharing strategies for establishing and evolving a captivating personal brand.

To help you on your journey of self-discovery, this month one of our bonus goodies is 30 journal prompts made especially for virtual assistants.

I’m also going to be sharing a simple Content Planning System that makes it super easy to batch and repurpose content that illuminates your personal.

And of course, we’ll have 2 live group coaching calls and you’ll get access to all the past content in the membership area.

 Get instant access when you sign up for a free 14-day trial.

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