The Chris the Freelancer Podcast | Interviews with Digital Nomads about Location Independence, Travel and Online Business Christopher R Dodd | Digital Nomad Freelancer & Entrepreneur

Nick Nerov is a pro Amazon seller who went from cleaning windows in Toronto to running his Amazon business from locations around the world like Thailand, Croatia and Colombia.

In this interview, Nick and I discuss dating and culture differences across continents, living in Medellin and his own entrepreneurial journey up until this point.

Check Nick out at his YouTube channel for more advice specially on Amazon.

Talking Points

[01:23] How Nick and his friends found their apartment in Medellin – a 5 bedroom penthouse in El Poblado

[05:27] How to Negotiate the price of your AirBnB (or anything for that matter)

[07:20] Nick runs through the list of where he’s been in the last year and how he chooses destinations

[09:31] Nick reveals his dream destination and an interesting festival he plans to attend there

[13:16] How Nick learned Spanish

[15:35] The difference in culture and dating between Asia and South America

[19:40] A brief history of the pickup industry in Toronto

[23:31] What it’s like to come home after living abroad

[25:00] Nick’s entrepreneurial journey from window cleaning to Amazon FBA

[31:22] What happens when you start to make passive income and become a nomad?

[35:05] Nick’s plan to expand his Amazon business and move directly to the source

[39:19] Sourcing products directly in China vs sourcing online

[44:47] Why most people fail to make money on Amazon and what made Nick successful

[48:37] Nick’s final advice for succeeding with Amazon FBA

Links Mentioned



* AirBnB

* Never Split the Difference (Book)

* Kanamara Matsuri (Penis Festival)

* Baselang Spanish Training

* Pimsleur Spanish Training

* David Bond

* The Game (book)

* Alibaba.com

* Poorly Made in China (Book)

* Nick Nerov’s YouTube Channel

Julian Goldie is a freelance copywriter and level 2 seller on Fiverr. He’s also the founder of King Passive, a website to help freelancers succeed on Fiverr and make passive income.

After meeting in Chiang Mai, Chris and Julian re-unite in Medellin after almost a year of travelling the world.

Talking Points

[01:09] Coworking spaces in Medellin

[03:13] Cost of living in Medellin

[04:29] The Language barrier in Medellin

[07:50] Medellin for digital nomads

[11:15] Julian’s experiences in Playa del Carmen and Bali

[15:30] Chiang Mai Withdrawals and cost of living in Medellin (cont’d)

[20:35] Julian’s journey to making money online and what he does now

[26:35] Making money with Fiverr

[31:19] Getting started on UpWork and how it compares to providing services on Fiverr

[35:40] Our corporate experiences before becoming digital nomads and what motivates to travel

[38:55] Our conversation returns to Thailand and living in Chiang Mai

[42:01] Hitting goals as a nomad and what’s next for both of us

Links Mentioned



* Tinkko Coworking Space

* La Casa Redondo (Coworking Space)

* CoworkingC and Coco Coworking Space in Las Palmas

* Pimsleur Spanish Training Program

* Duolingo and Rosetta Stone

* Selina CoWork Medellin

* Dojo Coworking Space in Bali

* Nomad Cruise

* Medellin Destination Report

* Fiverr and UpWork

* Julian’s Website – King Passive

* Stephanie DanForth (Interview on Fiverr and UpWork)

* Julian Goldie’s Fiverr Account

Johnny FD is a location independent entrepreneur who has lived in Thailand for over 5 years before deciding to give up his apartment and travel the world as a true ‘nomad’.

Well-known in the drop-shipping community, Johnny started out building and selling Shopify stores and nowadays, shares his experiences with nomadic life and online business through his blog JohnnyFD.com and his podcast, the ’Travel Like a Boss Podcast’.

Stay tuned as we discuss what it’s like to retire at 35 and what Johnny has planned post-retirement.

Be sure to check out Johnny’s latest course on how to create online passive income from a blog, brand, or audience!

Talking Points

[01:46] A little word about how the new season of the CTF Podcast will play out and how Johnny runs his own podcast

[04:55] How Johnny met Sam Marks, successful e-cig entrepreneur and now co-host of the ‘Invest Like a Boss’ podcast

[07:50] Announcing retirement at age 35, achieving financial freedom and finding motivation post-retirement

[10:39] How more money does not necessarily mean more happiness

[13:08] Making the decision to retire from eCommerce and continuing with blogging and podcasting

[17:43] An introduction to Johnny’s latest course, Income Boss and what motivated him to ‘come out of retirement’

[21:42] Leaving Chiang Mai to travel to places like Bali, Ukraine and Gran Canaria.

[24:30] Feeling the need for a home base as you become more nomadic

[26:04] Redefining the definition of word ‘retirement’

[28:50] Johnny’s plan to travel less and spend more time in the US, Gran Canaria and Chiang Mai

[31:08] Why Johnny and I love Gran Canaria as a digital nomad destination

[32:41] The negative side to living in Bali and why Chiang Mai is such a good alternative

[38:46] Australia for digital nomads – two big problems which hold Australia back

Links Mentioned



* The Travel Like a Boss Podcast

* The Invest Like a Boss Podcast

* Sam Marks’ Speech at Nomad Summit

* Johnny’s Latest Course – Income Boss

* Nomad Summit

* My review video for Las Palmas

* Johnny’s Blog – Johnny FD.com

After one month as Digital Nomads in Ho Chi Minh City, Denise and I discuss our experience in the city and recap the first season of the Chris the Freelancer podcast.

To read my full evaluation of our time in Ho Chi Minh City including Cost of Living and Coworking reports, check out my blog post.

Talking Points

[1:46] Cost of Living for short-term nomads in Saigon and our experience renting in District 1

[4:31] Vietnamese cuisine and eating out

[9:58] Getting around in Ho Chi Minh City with Uber and Grab vs hiring a moped

[15:58] Coworking in Saigon including Dreamplex, WORK Saigon and Nest by AIA

[20:01] My search for the digital nomad community in Saigon, a discussion on the digital nomad mentality and the reason why I’m so passionate about the movement

[28:01] Final words on Saigon

[30:32] Closing words on the Chris the Freelancer podcast and a goodbye for now

Links Mentioned



* Nomadlist.com

* Living in Saigon Vlog

* Chiang Mai Digital Nomads Facebook Group

* Dreamplex, WORK Saigon and Nest by AIA

* Alex’s YouTube Channel

* Kokois Cafe



Next Steps



* Sign up for the Chris the Freelancer Mailing List

* Check out ‘How I Learned to Code’

* Stay in touch on Social Media:  Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest



A Few of My Podcast Recommendations



* Travel Like a Boss

* Smart Passive Income

* Tropical MBA

Gabriel is a talented young man from the UK that I met at Beachub in Koh Phangan. There he works with his brother/co-founder on an early-stage startup called Moju, a platform for companies to find Instagram influencers.

I met Gabriel early on during my visit to Koh Phangan but it wasn’t until I overheard a meeting with a prospective client that I decided to ask him on the show.

Talking Points

[1:25] An introduction to Gabriel and his startup Moju, a platform for finding Instagram influencers

[3:29] How Gabriel and his co-founder have sourced prospective clients to help gather feedback in the early stages of the business

[5:15] A little on Gabriel’s background as a developer and entrepreneur

[8:15] Why he decided to work on his startup from Koh Phangan in Thailand

[11:08] Travel, living abroad and the story behind Moju

[14:54] How Gabriel learned the skills to start his own business and the challenges and benefits of living and working remotely

[18:54] The future for Moju and it’s founders

Links Mentioned



* Beachub

* River City Labs

* Startup Weekends

* The Lean Startup

* Amazon Web Services

* Gabriel’s Startup – Moju

Recorded on the island of Koh Phangan in Thailand’s south, today’s episode is a discussion on what it’s like to be a ‘tropical digital nomad’, living and working quite literally on the beach.

Guido and Marjet are really good friends of ours that we met during our time in Koh Lanta. An experienced developer and a translator, Guido and Marjet offer two very different perspectives on the location independent lifestyle and an important reality check for newbies.

Discussion Points

[1:31] Guido and Marjet attempt to ‘paint the picture’ of what it’s like to live and work on a tropical island

[5:58] How Guido convinced his employer (a large bank in the Netherlands) to allow him to work from Thailand (hint: it wasn’t hard) and why being a developer is probably the best career for working remotely.

[8:43] How Guido & Marjet easily became a part of the community of nomads on Koh Phangan and a comparison on Koh Phangan to other Thai DN hotspots, Koh Lanta and Chiang Mai.

[14:54] The beginnings of Guido & Marjet’s digital nomad journey and how Marjet transitioned from bartending to becoming a location independent translator.

[22:10] Guido and Marjet’s top tips for newbie digital nomads and the realities of living the digital nomad lifestyle

Links Mentioned



* Beachub

* KoHub

* Nomadlist.com

* The article on Pieter Levels that inspired my own DN journey

* My bali recommendations – Dojo and Hubud

* UpWork.com

* Fiverr.com