Tag: Collaboration

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Thriving on the Move: Top Tips for Successful Digital Nomads

The digital nomad lifestyle offers a unique blend of professional fulfillment and global exploration. But selecting a career that embraces flexibility and adaptability is crucial. This article explores innovative career paths and practical strategies to help you succeed as a digital nomad, ensuring your work-life balance remains intact while you traverse the globe.

Discover career paths and strategies to thrive as a digital nomad while maintaining work-life balance on the go. Image: Freepik

Diversifying Your Freelance Income

In the ever-evolving world of freelancing, relying on a single income source can be risky. By diversifying your freelance gigs, you can create a stable income stream and mitigate the risks associated with market fluctuations. Engaging in multiple opportunities not only boosts your earning potential but also provides a safety net during slow periods. For instance, if you’re a graphic designer, consider offering web design services or digital marketing consultations. This approach broadens your client base and increases your chances of landing high-paying projects, fostering long-term success in the gig economy.

Managing a Variety of Currencies

Managing finances across different currencies is a crucial skill for digital nomads. Utilizing multi-currency accounting software can simplify the process of invoicing and receiving payments in various currencies. This software helps with currency conversions and mitigates risks associated with foreign exchange fluctuations. By automating these processes, you can reduce the risk of errors and focus more on your work, ensuring a smoother digital nomad lifestyle.

Utilizing Cloud Storage for Seamless Collaboration

Cloud-based storage platforms are essential for digital nomads who need seamless access to documents and collaboration tools from any location. Services that offer robust security and user-friendly interfaces are ideal for both personal and professional use. These platforms allow multiple users to work together on documents in real-time, enhancing productivity and teamwork. By choosing the right cloud storage service, you can overcome the challenges of remote work and maintain efficient communication with your team, no matter where you are.

Becoming Remote Accountant

Pursuing a degree in accounting can be a game-changer for aspiring digital nomads. By enrolling in an online accounting program, you can develop specialized skills in managerial accounting and accounting research. These programs are designed to fit your busy schedule, allowing you to work full-time while advancing your education. With the growing demand for accountants, especially those with certifications like CPA or CMA, you can significantly enhance your career prospects. Check this out to equip yourself with essential financial expertise.

Leveraging Digital Tools for Networking

Networking is vital for digital nomads and leveraging online platforms can enhance your professional growth. Virtual networking communities offer vibrant spaces to connect with like-minded individuals, exchange insights, and seek advice. These platforms not only facilitate professional connections but also provide emotional support, which is crucial for combating isolation. Additionally, online learning resources enable you to acquire new skills and languages, enhancing your adaptability and cultural immersion. By integrating these tools into your routine, you can expand your network and continuously develop your skills.

Ensuring Health Coverage

Ensuring you have the right health insurance is crucial when traveling as a digital nomad. Each country has its own healthcare regulations, which can impact the type of insurance you need. Opting for international health insurance that aligns with global standards can provide comprehensive coverage, ensuring you meet diverse legal requirements. This not only helps you avoid potential legal issues but also ensures your healthcare needs are covered, allowing you to focus on your work and travel adventures.

Creating a Budgeting Plan

Becoming a digital nomad requires meticulous financial planning. Establishing a comprehensive budget that accounts for essential expenses like accommodation, food, and transportation is crucial. Utilizing budgeting apps can help you track your spending and stick to your financial plan. Additionally, travel hacking techniques, such as using credit card points or frequent flyer miles, can significantly reduce travel expenses. By adopting these strategies and maintaining a disciplined approach to your finances, you can enjoy the freedom of the digital nomad lifestyle while ensuring financial stability.

Maximizing Productivity with Coworking Spaces

Coworking spaces offer digital nomads a reliable workspace with essential amenities, allowing them to stay productive and connected no matter where they are. Additionally, these spaces foster networking opportunities, connecting remote professionals with like-minded individuals and potential collaborators. Discover the perfect blend of productivity and comfort at UNOVA Coworking, where you can enjoy high-speed Wi-Fi, free coffee, and flexible workspaces tailored to your needs. Visit us today and experience a workspace that feels like home, without the distractions!

The digital nomad lifestyle is a thrilling adventure that offers unparalleled opportunities for growth and exploration. By choosing adaptable career paths, diversifying income streams, and honing essential skills, you can excel in this dynamic environment. With the right strategies and tools, the world becomes your office, and every destination a new chapter in your professional journey.

Questions or comments? Have any additional tips or resources to share? Reply below or reach out to Courtney Rosenfeld.

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6 Tips for Putting Together a Great Remote Team

Photo via Pexels

Eliminating the need for office space (and office small talk), remote teams are flexible, dynamic, and effective. You get the very best staff from anywhere in the world, and they get to work on their own terms. It’s a win-win situation, but many companies are still reluctant to take the leap. How do you know you are building a solid team? How do you trust your staff? Here are a few tips on how to overcome these questions and start building your remote team.

Use the Freelance Market

The easiest way to build a remote team is to use freelancers. You can find freelancers for almost anything nowadays, from web and software development, to IT and networking. Job boards like Upwork make it very easy to put together strong, reliable remote staffing firms. Using freelancers is also a good way to find employees you trust. Part-time jobs can be great for freelancers who want a stable gig, while full-time remote roles are increasingly common.

Before starting, you should inform yourself about the legal rights of freelancers. In particular, you will have to watch out for misclassification, which is when a business hires someone as a contractor when they should be an employee under the law.

Diversity Is Key

Diversity is important in any team, but it is downright foolish not to take advantage of the global pool of talent you have access to when you hire remotely. A 2017 study looked into how companies build successful, culturally diverse remote teams and attempted to build a framework for this. Elements of this framework include effective coordination across time zones and a focus on building trust and understanding across cultural gaps.

Get the Right Tools

If you want a cohesive remote team, you will need to invest in a few tools. Some of the best collaboration tools out there include Slack (the industry standard for team communication), Trello (great for project management), and Google Drive (free, convenient file management).

Don’t Neglect Mental Health

Freelancing and other forms of remote work can be extremely empowering, but they also have their downsides. Isolation, loneliness, and the stresses of self-employment can all take a toll, which is one of the reasons why one-quarter of freelancers have experienced depression. Commit to being supportive of your remote workers by creating a culture of openness around mental health, checking in regularly, and promoting a healthy work-life balance.

Give Regular Feedback

With remote working, there are few natural opportunities for feedback. This can lead to a team that feels disconnected, unmotivated, and inefficient. The best way to avoid this is to schedule regular feedback for all remote workers, whether its a bi-weekly email or a monthly Skype chat. Whatever format you use, follow the key strategies for effective feedback: make it concrete, talk one-on-one, and always end on a positive note.

In fact, make sure to show your appreciation for your team’s strengths and successes as often as possible. There are many small ways to do this, from remembering birthdays to offering training support and giving employees real opportunities to give you feedback.

Build Company Culture

Company culture is an intangible and elusive term, but it’s one that companies have been chasing for decades. A good company culture reinforces your company’s values and gives your workplace a distinct energy while bringing your employees together.

As you can imagine, company culture can be very hard to foster within a remote team. Zapier, a tech company with a mostly integrated team, has a great blog post on how they do this. Among others, they use tools like Slack to encourage fun interactions between employees, as well as perks programs to keep them motivated and occasional in-person team meetups when possible.

The internet has revolutionized workplaces in many ways. Without a doubt, one of the biggest is eliminating the need for a physical workplace at all. This can be a scary concept for employers, but it shouldn’t be. Remote working can benefit everyone involved. Just build a team and company culture that values employees, and they will return the favor by working hard.

Questions or comments? Have any additional tips or resources to share? Reply below or reach out to Tina Martin at ideaspired.com.

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Happy International Coworking Day!

Coworking as a movement, a business solution, and a supportive global community turns 13 years old today!

It was on August 9th, 2005 that Brad Neuberg opened the first collaborative workspace in San Francisco and dubbed it “coworking.”  What started as a tiny community office space in a converted Victorian in San Francisco has grown 
More people currently cowork than there are people living in all of Costa Ricato 1.74 million coworkers in 2017, with an expected 5.1 million members by 2022.  To put that number in perspective, more people currently cowork than there are people living in all of Costa Rica!  That not only means that memberships across the globe are making a statement in and of themselves, but that coworking will most definitely impact the future of work as we know it.

What Brad, a software developer at the time, wanted was “the freedom and independence of working for myself along with the structure and community of working with others.”  Coworking allows members to experience the energy of being surrounded by like-minded individuals from different businesses, industries, and trades which benefits the professional worker in a way that a traditional office simply cannot.

Naturally then, on this day every year, coworkers and coworking spaces across the globe take a moment to celebrate their independence as well as their discovery of all the dreams that can come true when you’ve got a solid community in which to create and collaborate.  Check out some of the Coworking Day events here!

Brad Neuberg, coworking founder
Photo courtesy of coworking.com

Brad created this model by which people from all walks of life could work together.  But this is not a one-size-fits-all model, of course.  Brad invited those who liked the coworking concept to share and remix it, to make it their own.  What differentiates coworking spaces from any other office space is a commitment to the five values of coworking:  Collaboration, Community, Openness, Entrepreneurship, and Sustainability.  With these core principles as a foundation, coworking aims to create a happy, helpful community of workers whose success and knowledge rubs off on those around them.

Happy #InternationalCoworkingDay!!!

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Coworking in the news

Coffee and UNOVA Coworking Website

Last week’s blog post discussed UNOVA’s definition of coworking and why we decided to open a coworking space in the Buffalo Southtowns.  The coworking concept especially appeals to us because it provides independent professionals the flexibility and freedom of a “have it when you want it” workspace, plus a supportive business community, all in a polished work environment.

But don’t just take our word for it – check out any one of these news sources to learn more about coworking and its positive effects on the worker, the company, and the community:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’d love to hear from you – what’s your favorite part of coworking?

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So what is “coworking” anyway?

Coworking Adjectives Infographic DeskMag

The term, simply put, refers to people working together. Traditionally, a “coworker” would refer to another person who works in the same office in the same profession. But with the changing labor market, more and more individuals find themselves working from home, making a living as self-employed freelancers, or entering the market as an entrepreneur or small business owner.

A coworking space, then, provides a common workspace for all individuals – regardless of their industry, age, and experience – to come together and get their work done. Equipped with all of the necessities of a traditional office (think desks, copy machine, WiFi, coffee…) a coworking space is intended to give you everything you need to have a productive work day, without the distractions of home or a coffee shop, and without cost of renting your own office.

Sound good? I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet!

If you have ever worked from home, the reality often is far less cool than imagined. In my experience, I start by allowing myself to press the snooze a few too many times, cutting into my productivity right off the bat. Then I decide to ‘save the time’ and just stay dressed in my pajamas, subconsciously leaving me unmotivated (not to mention in socially unacceptable attire – I am officially NOT leaving the house!) Last, I continually step away from my real work to, say, wash the dirty dishes I see out of the corner of my eye, or do that load of laundry I’ve been meaning to get to. Not to mention I’ve got up to four cats crawling on my keyboard! At the end of the day – which is way past my usual bedtime and didn’t include a healthy meal – I may have checked off some items on my work to-do list, but I spent the majority of my day bouncing from task to task with little progress to show for it.

In a traditional office environment, sure there are distractions – loud conversations at the water cooler or chess games going on in the breakroom – but those same people have similar deadlines to meet and a boss breathing down their necks to ensure they stay on task. A coworking space provides that much-needed social interaction to keep you productive and stimulated throughout your ‘work day’ (whatever hours you choose), but without the disruptions or diversions of home or a coffeehouse.

So for me, the best part of a coworking space is the social network you can develop. By immersing yourself in a coworking environment, you now have any number of people to ask for advice on your latest assignment or have them proofread a carefully worded email to an important client. You’ll not only have a crowd to celebrate your big wins with over a beer (or wine, or cider, even at 4pm – who’s stopping you?), but you’ll also have a shoulder to cry on if the project you’ve been working on goes belly up. When you rent a desk or an office, you gain self-motivated coworkers who will support you professionally in a way that you simply can’t find when you work from home or in a corporate office.

Coworking is not only sharing equipment, ideas, and knowledge, but about belonging to a community of like-minded professionals who understand that when others succeed, we all succeed.

 

Coworking infographic courtesy of DeskMag.com

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