The life-style of a digital nomad isn’t all it’s cracked as much as be.
Rachel Pregunta and her associate, Ruben Arribas, began touring collectively in 2013 with no matter they might keep it up their backs. They couch-hopped and stayed in hostels, at all times on the lookout for the following alternative to leap on a airplane to a brand new vacation spot.
Pregunta, who nonetheless labored her 9-to-5 job in digital advertising and marketing, inspired Arribas to begin a weblog to share his earlier adventures—like a five-month biking journey from Spain to Finland—and their present nomadic travels.
In tandem with the weblog, Pregunta began an Instagram account (@Gamintraveler) and grew it from zero to 130,000 followers. The pictures and tales from their travels have introduced them to Indonesia, France, Argentina, Greece, Iceland, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, and extra. They’ve additionally developed partnerships with hospitality companies and began a social media company for solopreneurs and content material creators.
“Individuals will see possibly 5 p.c by means of Instagram pictures and the whole lot, however there’s a variety of work behind it,” Pregunta says.
The work that made their way of life and enterprise attainable comes from Pregunta’s unrelenting want to study—a trait she didn’t develop on an unique journey however at a desk in entrance of a keyboard.
One thing Greater
Pregunta wasn’t a lot of a traveler earlier than she met Arribas. Really, she loved exploring the web greater than a metropolis hundreds of miles away.
“I’m extra the web marketer particular person, and he’s the traveler,” Pregunta says. “So at one level, I simply thought, ‘Let’s combine our two passions collectively, and possibly we are able to do one thing greater.’”
She needed to proceed working remotely in digital advertising and marketing, so between sketchy wifi indicators and remodeling her schedule round flight occasions, Pregunta made her nomadic imaginative and prescient a actuality.
Listening to Arribas’s 10 years of journey tales impressed Pregunta to begin a weblog. Once they joined the web journey area, there was already a sturdy group of bloggers, however Instagram was beginning out and much from the polished platform it’s right this moment.
“We undoubtedly simply posted selfies or random photos [with] no styling,” Pregunta says.
“Then I found foundr, and this complete new world opened up.”
In 2016, Pregunta turned one of many earliest college students of the Instagram Domination course taught by foundr CEO Nathan Chan. She found the course after being kicked out of a unique entrepreneurial course as a result of journey bloggers weren’t their perfect college students.
“The large shifts in my life are at all times after I spend money on one thing I’m actually afraid to do,” Pregunta says. “Instagram, as an alternative of simply being a approach of driving new visitors to the location, really turned a unique channel and medium all by itself.”
Leaping In With Each Toes
Outfitted with the methods from Instagram Domination, Pregunta obsessively grew their account.
“The web is only a huge factor. It’s simply an enormous place, and you’ll simply get bombarded by a variety of info,” Pregunta says. “Now, right here’s somebody who has a course and who has laid out the method for you.”
One of many first items of recommendation provided within the course is to create a tone, particularly with the primary 9 items of content material in your profile.
“I’m the sort of particular person [who] after I attempt one thing, I do know I’ve to leap in with each toes […] The enjoyable half is when you’ve established that, you’ll simply proceed sharing your story.”
After reaching 5,000 followers, Pregunta and Arribas began receiving inbound messages from inns, resorts, and journey companies seeking to associate. Their first unsolicited reward was a world cell lens startup that gave them a lens to make use of on their travels. Again then, Pregunta says phrases like “influencer,” “microinfluencer,” and “noninfluencer” didn’t even exist.
“They have been so completely happy to work with lots of people, which is an effective factor within the influencer area and inns,” Pregunta says. “So so long as it’s an change of power, and naturally, in case you are actually prepared to offer what you possibly can to them, then they are going to be very completely happy to host you.”
Pregunta says that these days, folks getting into the social media journey trade assume they want a big following or portfolio to succeed in out to companies, however the way you contact them is extra essential than your resume.
“Consider your first electronic mail virtually as an elevator speech,” Pregunta says.
“It’s a must to be concise, however on the identical time, let the corporate know in two to 3 sentences what you’re able to ship to them so concisely that they know precisely who you’re.”
Similar to creating a distinctive promoting proposition for a product, Pregunta advises leveraging what makes you distinctive and connecting with a enterprise that matches that area of interest. She says that being a multicultural couple—Pregunta is from the Philippines; Arribas from Spain—is the principle purpose companions have chosen them as a result of they join with their audience.
Pregunta says that the primary message will set the tone for the connection however to be prepared for rapid follow-up.
“It’s a must to assume how many individuals could possibly be reaching out to that property,” Pregunta says. “Be sure to have your hyperlinks prepared within the electronic mail, after which simply allow them to determine in the event that they wish to work with you or not.”
Pregunta’s systematic components continued to snowball. They stopped getting free invitations to unique places and began getting paid to journey. Their company partnerships expanded, together with an airline and worldwide fee switch facility.
However Pregunta needed greater than new locations. She was seeking to faucet into her old flame—digital advertising and marketing.
A Preventing Probability
Pregunta says that almost all of her associates have conventional company jobs, however she’s stayed in social media and digital advertising and marketing due to its fast-paced nature.
“What I really like about social media and digital advertising and marketing is that one thing new is occurring day-after-day. And even if you happen to have been doing properly final week, one thing is launched this week, after which everybody might be on the identical stage once more,” Pregunta says. “So that you at all times have a preventing probability.”
As @Gamintraveler’s followership climbed to 6 digits, Pregunta began leveraging the social media expertise she always discovered for influencers like her. So she began an company specializing in Instagram progress for solopreneurs.
“Rising an Instagram is an virtually full-time job, particularly if you happen to’re one particular person,” Pregunta says.
“The larger the Instagram account, you’ll must take your expertise to the following stage.”
She rapidly added 20 to 30 purchasers, working tirelessly between journey stops. However the load of managing purchasers’ accounts whereas maintaining @Gamintravler related was exhausting.
“I might at all times have this concept that an entrepreneur has an incredible life, particularly whenever you watch social media,” Pregunta says. “You’ll at all times see superb entrepreneurs having an incredible residence life after which an incredible enterprise life. And you then have a look at your life. My residence life is loopy.”
So she bought a mentor, Daniel DiPiazza, a startup advisor and foundr teacher (see video under).
“He was the primary particular person to actually inform me you’re working with too many individuals as a result of your worth is low,” Pregunta says.
By charging charges on the appropriate worth and matching purchasers to her talent set, Pregunta might stability her company and unencumber time to expertise the locations she was touring to as an alternative of staying on her laptop computer all day.
“I might at all times inform them that if the power is matching, in the event that they really feel like they wish to work with me and vice versa, then if it’s a superb match, we are able to work collectively,” Pregunta says. The matching power has ensured that Pregunta’s core purchasers not solely commit financially however have stayed along with her year-over-year. “In case your mindset and angle usually are not prepared, you will be unable to deal with [growth].”
Loving the Platform
The previous three years have been troublesome for the journey trade. In 2020, Pregunta stayed residence and targeted on the company. Since then, she’s slowly constructed their journey muscular tissues again, but it surely’s clear that the habits she’s developed are why she’s nonetheless in enterprise after the trauma of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I believe it’s following the method, and this isn’t just for Instagram however in a variety of issues that you simply do in life,” Pregunta says. “However the factor about following a course of and being affected person with it’s you’re creating that behavior and mindset on the identical time.”
Pregunta encourages fellow social media entrepreneurs to not fear about having hundreds of followers within the first few weeks of a brand new account or marketing campaign.
“Simply develop the behavior of loving the platform—loving who you’re, the way you seem, and the way you give worth.”
She says it’s not too late for the journey weblog trade or any trade that makes use of visible instruments like social media for progress.
“If you consider companies, there are at all times new clothes manufacturers,” Pregunta says. “And now the great factor is you possibly can simply begin being you and begin constructing from there, and you’ll undoubtedly discover your folks.”
So is the digital nomad way of life all it’s cracked as much as be?
Effectively, in some methods, it’s.
Like Pregunta, you should be keen to study habitually, all whereas reserving flights, traversing mountains, and having unforgettable adventures.
Preserve Studying: How A lot Do Consultants Make?
The way to Pitch a Enterprise Accomplice, per Rachel Pregunta
- Preserve it brief and candy—not more than two or three sentences.
- Ask what they’re making an attempt to unravel (attain a brand new viewers, launch a brand new product, capitalize on a pattern).
- Share your distinctive worth proposition (UVP). What makes you totally different as an influencer, content material creator, or entrepreneur?
- Join the dots between your UVP and their viewers.
- Lay out what you’re in a position to ship for them. Be particular.
- Be prepared with a follow-up electronic mail with hyperlinks to your work, charges, and the rest they may ask for.
- Be you. Your electronic mail messages ought to replicate your model as a lot as an Instagram caption.
Get the identical course that helped Pregunta launch her enterprise.
