You Can Live & Work in Thailand Thanks to Online Income Streams
Work from anywhere with my 3-year roadmap
Five years ago, I was lost.
I’d just graduated with an economics degree and was working as a prison officer. I hated every second.
After quitting, I failed a business, cleaned toilets, and stumbled into SEO. This is the industry I’ve been working in ever since.
But this is just half the story.
In October, I’ll be ready to move to Thailand and live as a digital nomad. I’ve built multiple income streams. I’ve proved I can make money online.
It didn’t happen overnight, though. I’ve been creating content — week in, week out — for the last three years. I made my first £1.86 online through affiliate income.
Soon, my dream of working from anywhere will come true.
Here’s how yours can too.
Year 1 — Throw Sh*t
Step #1: Find unofficial mentors
Derek Sivers, Sam Laliberte, Tim Ferriss, Louise Croft, and Lex Fridman. These are my unofficial mentors.
They don’t know they’re helping me.
Through their content, they’ve taught me more about life than three years at university.
Here are a few questions you should ask when choosing yours:
- Whose life do you want to recreate? What is about their lifestyle, relationships, and finances that’s so appealing?
- Do they have hidden advantages you might not be aware of?
- What are the habits, rituals, and routines that have helped them design their dream lives?
Study their books, watch their videos, and listen to their podcasts. The answers are out there.
Consider launching your own podcast so you can invite these people on. I’ve chatted with both Sam and Louise through mine. It’s no surprise I want to be a digital nomad, just like them.
You don’t breadth.
You need depth.
Step #2: Put yourself out there
“You sure about this, Scott?”
My mum looked confused. Did I really want to make protein bars using crickets? (Yes — crickets as in insects.)
And did I have to make them in the kitchen?
Here’s the thing. I wasn’t sure about this. I had no idea if this business would work, but I thought it would be fun to try.
So that’s what I did.
Every single day, I posted on Twitter and Instagram. The steps I was taking. The mistakes I made.
I visited factories, pitched to supermarkets, and brought my followers along.
For 365 days.
One year in, I had a choice to make. If I wanted this to happen, I would have to invest money. And lots of it. But my heart wasn’t in it. I didn’t believe in the product.
ScottBar was no more.
That’s okay, though. The project gave me content, which opened the door to opportunity.
Such opportunities include making online courses, podcast coaching, and writing for clients.
Act like you don’t need the money.
It has a way of finding you.
Step #3: Get a job and keep your costs down
You’re the CEO of your life or someone else is.
In year one, work for a company. The pressure’s off. You’re free to build stuff on evenings and weekends without worrying about bills.
And if you can resist spending more, you’re golden.
You’ll need the green stuff for later.
Year 2 — Grind, Baby
Step #4: Keep throwing sh*t
Look at what’s working.
Do more of that.
If it’s not working yet, don’t give up too soon. Your first 100 pieces of content may suck. Have the humility to start at zero.
We all do.
Consistently put out content on one platform for two years.
If you like videos, start with YouTube. If you prefer audio, launch a podcast. If writing’s your thing, write on Medium.
It doesn’t matter which you choose.
You’ll be putting in the hours and improving your skills.
It’s not just me saying this. One of my favourite YouTubers, Ali Abdaal, preaches consistency.
He goes one step further. Ali says you shouldn’t think about making money until you’ve put out one video a week for two years.
Produce, improve, repeat.
Step #5: Email people
I reached out to a writer. I love his work.
We now help each other with projects.
Whenever I can, I reinforce bonds. It’s not because I want anything. It just feels nice.
I keep notes in an Excel doc. I reach out to friends. I message people if we haven’t spoken in a while.
Anyone can write a birthday message, but how many people take the time to send handwritten cards?
Details matter.
Take it one step further and email people. Derek Sivers is the master of this. He only has one call-to-action when guesting on podcasts:
“I usually tell people to email me…
“I answer every single one... Feel free to email me if you have any questions or anything, or just to say hi.”
Email people you admire. Here’s one I sent to Natalie Brunnel — host of the Coin Stories podcast.
I love her show and wanted to tell her:
The purpose of this isn’t to get anything. Nor is it to “build your network”. It’s to have fun.
These conversations can lead to interesting places.
Just don’t expect them to.
Step #6: Make your first online course
I launched my first course in November 2020.
I’ve since made $2,700 from seven Udemy courses. This isn’t as much as I hoped. My goal was to make $1,300 a month by the end of 2021.
However, making a Udemy course is still worthwhile, and it can change your life.
Doors swing open.
I now work with Zero to Mastery: a global academy of 500,000+ web developers.
Someone from their team found my courses. He asked if I’d like to collaborate. After some back and forth, we agreed to work together.
Our first course went live in September 2021. It’s made just under $1,200 to date. With the upcoming launch of my next course, I’m hoping to grow this to $1,000 a month.
Also…
You’ll prove to yourself you can make money online.
This is HUGE.
I still remember the day a complete stranger bought my course. It was magical!
Once you’ve sold a course, you can sell another. The jump from $10 to $1,000 isn’t as big as you might think.
If you’re not sure where to start, I’ve got you covered here.
Year 3 — Ignite!
Step #7: Monetise your skills
If all goes well, you’ll be making money online.
It doesn’t have to be loads. Just enough to get going. If you can cover your bills, even better.
One way to monetise is by freelancing.
Jay Clouse has some great tips to find clients. However, if you’re putting yourself out there, people will find you.
This lady reached out to me on LinkedIn:
When someone reaches out, jump on a call. This will help you understand what they’re looking for and how you can help.
I also asked her lots of questions, such as the tone of voice she was looking for.
“I like your newsletter. Write like that!”
After 20 minutes, we agreed on actions. She was going to email me examples of newsletters she’d written in the past. I was going to email her a proposal by the end of the week.
I found a template online and copied it. I then put together this ugly-looking Google doc. I figured she wants to work with me for my writing skills — not my designs.
With pricing, I followed Michael Ellsworth’s advice: charge your “happy price”.
He recommends a series of gut checks.
For example, my first client wanted one blog post per month — 500 to 1000 words. I considered all the steps (writing, research, etc) and asked myself how long this would take.
Next, I considered an hourly rate that would make this worth my time.
Slide up and feel the energetic shift. You want to go from “not worth my time” to “yeah, I’d do that”.
Here’s my proposal template in case you’re interested.
Step #8: Treat it like a reversible experiment
This October, I’m flying out to Chiang Mai!
I’ll live here for two months.
In December, I’ll come back home. I’ll have time to reflect. If the experiment goes well, it’ll be more permanent in 2023.
Whilst I’m there, I’ll be working on projects that excite me.
Step #9: Relax for the same result
When you’ve got a cold, you’re kinder to yourself.
You don’t try to cram as much in.
You listen to your body.
So here’s a trick: embrace this way of living, even when you’re not ill. You’ll perform just as well — if not better.
Here’s how Derek explains it:
“A few times a week, I’d get on my bike and go as fast as I could for the fifteen-mile loop. I mean really full-on, 100 percent, head-down, red-faced sprinting.
“I’d finish exhausted and look at the time: forty-three minutes…
“One day, I decided I would do the same ride, but just chill. Take it easy, nice and slow… dialing it back to about 50 percent of my usual effort.
“And ahhh… what a nice ride. I was relaxed and smiling and looking around. I was barely giving it any effort…
“When I finished, I looked at the time: forty-five minutes…
“So apparently all of that exhausting, red-faced, full-on push-push-push I had been doing had given me only a 4 percent boost. I could take it easy and get 96 percent of the results.”
— Derek Sivers
“I could take it easy and get 96 percent of the results.”
Takeaways
By October this year, I’ll be ready to make the jump.
It’s taken three years of hard work.
And it’s not all been fun. In the evenings, I used to spend hours creating courses, and recorded podcasts during lunch breaks. From what I hear, though, this is what you have to do.
Sinem puts it beautifully:
“You can only work smart if you’ve done the hard work first.” — Sinem Günel
Here’s a summary of my three-year roadmap to help you work from anywhere:
Step #1: Find unofficial mentors — Look at what they’re doing, not just what they’re saying.
Step #2: Put yourself out there — Be humble. We all start from zero.
Step #3: Get a job and keep your costs down — Let someone else be your CEO. Learn from them. They’ll make mistakes. You can be the CEO of your life later.
Step #4: Keep throwing sh*t — Look at what’s working. Do more of that. And don’t give up too soon.
Step #5: Email people — Strike up conversations with people. It can be fun! Just don’t expect anything in return.
Step #6: Make your first online course — Once you’ve made $1 online, you can make $10,000. The jump isn’t as big as you might think.
Step #7: Monetise your skills — Freelancing is a great way to start.
Step #8: Treat it like a reversible experiment — You don’t have to move forever. If it doesn’t work out, fly back home.
Step #9: Relax for the same result — It’s possible to take it easy and get 96% of the results.
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