How to work from a mobile office while having 25 employees
Two weeks as a digital nomad in the office-free office
Who doesn’t want to get around in the world, experience different cultures, and still be productive at work every day? Well, that’s what I did in June. Two weeks in office-free office. In this post, I will write about my findings from this period, and show why it is actually not all that complicated. But, this kind of work needs to be well-organized and carefully planned out. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Here’s what I’ve learned in the last few weeks:
Week 1: Work & surfing in Galicia, Spain
From Galicia, I have with my FastBill co-founder René, surfed, worked and made some important decisions. To make this a little clearer, here is some background. FastBill has 3 locations with over 20 employees now. René works in Frankfurt and I work in Hamburg. I am also working on other projects together with 4 freelancers, and they are scattered from Berlin to Texas.
The surf-week was actually long overdue. But first the work conditions were met, otherwise it would have been “only” vacation.
Week 2: Airbnb Office in Thessaliniki, Greece
The impetus for this week was private because it was my father’s birthday and I wanted to visit my parents. Since they were having a vacation in Greece, I wanted to come for a weekend. To avoid the unnecessary stress of traveling, I decided at short notice to fly from directly from Spain to Greece. I’d use the weekend to work with WiFi in an apartment that I’d booked through Airbnb. The planning was done quickly, just as it should be. In the evening I explored with my brother, who was already there. I experience a pure, unadulterated Greece … not as a tourist but as someone who “works” there.
That’s how I’ve always imagined it. Work during the day as normal and enjoy the evening in a new and exciting environment somewhere special in the world.
5 prerequisites to establish that you can organize a mobile office
Why did I not do this sooner? Quite simply, I didn’t meet the prerequisites until now.
1. Empower your employees to do what you need them to do Sounds logical, and it is. You can only be physically removed from your daily routine when every employee has the power he needs to carry out job responsibilities. If the entire organization hinges on you, make yourself free and give a wide berth to your employees. It is important to involve your team and a partner (my girlfriend, for example) in your plans well in advance of executing them. Especially new employees have to be able to work without daily supervision or encouragement (read: must be self-starters). Be sure the work conditions are checked for each employee:
- What do the employee need from me?
- Are all tasks/objectives clear?
- Are there any questions?
- How and when will we be in contact?
- What is important during my absence?
The key is to make the daily work, despite your physical absence, as normal as possible. You should also reflect. If one of your team members cannot work without you, it is usually advisable to assign him a higher level of responsibility.
A good way to stay up-to-date is daily updates from the employees. For example, emails in which important passages that may require a response are highlighted in color (note: colors do not work on the iPhone, rather bold highlight).
The handling of important decisions, which might not be on the list before you leave, must be clarified beforehand.
2. Must-have tools and structural needs One thing should be fairly clear, but it isn’t in the boonies: stable WiFi is a necessity. For example, my Airbnb host in Greece had a DSL line installed for my arrival. The alternative is a UMTS stick. Regardless, your tools and apps have to work internationally. This is why VPN Tunnel (ex: Tunnelbear used for iOS) must include a fully fictional access home or abroad.
I planned differently for the two weeks. For the time in Galicia, we had strategic plan with a to-do list created in advance. Things that we needed to talk about regarding the everyday operations of our business. In order to remain flexible and quickly find a good surf spot, we decided to rent a car that was four hours away from Porto (in Portugal because it was cheaper — around 15–20€ per day). We hired our surf equipment locally.
We limited our luggage; I had my compact and really great Minaal backpack. For mobile internet during the time on the road, we booked data passes with Telekom (2.50€ to retrieve mail 10 times) then the time to the surf spot became our work time. That was enough time for checking the mail, also. I had two conference calls via Skype, as well. Only one call did I need to move due to insufficient time.
3. Make the important meetings happen I’m not a fan of meetings, I’ve never been. My few years in a group scarred me for life. However, sometimes it makes sense to organize a formal meeting, whether it is with a customer, a partner, or colleague. I still try to keep my calendar as empty as possible. If you are like me, try your best to manage your meetings better by refraining from the unnecessary ones and keeping the calendar tight to accommodate the truly important ones.
4. Be available In order to avoid the “fun vacation,” complaints…be available. I call colleagues in other locations everyday and I follow-up from my mobile office. In Greece, there was a hour time difference, this time in my favor. But the stationary office knows I am available by phone and I account for the extra costs that involves.
5. Take unusual working hours into account? This is not 9 to 5 work! Anyone who surfs, knows surfing is dependent on the rhythm of nature. So plan on unusual working hours, if you don’t want to miss a killer wave. Balance is crucial — for all the fun and adventure, the work cannot fall by the wayside. In Spain, we were living a very unusual working model.
A typical day looked like this:
- 8:00 — Wake up, get going, check mails
- 9:00 — Breakfast
- 10–12:00–2 hours working
- 12–17:00 — Surfing (with arrival and departure)
- 17–20:00–3 hours working
- 20–21:00 — Dinner
- 21–23:00–2 hours working
Total, we had seven highly productive work hours per day. Better still, we were free from the typical daily distractions; so, this meant we did concentrated work and none of it was “in the office.” We focused our time on important things that needed to be done. We stuck to a strict philosophy — limited Facebook to a mere nod and no after-eating downtime.
When there is more to do or more that should be done, you must allow for unusual working hours to accomplish that. We used, for example, rainy days for this. In Thessaloniki, my working hours did not differ from those in Germany. Here I started at 9 o’clock and at about 18 o’clock went out on the streets of Greece.
How was it to work in the mobile office?
After people asked me “why” and the answer was so simple: because I can. I love to travel and explore different countries. Just thinking about the open road makes me feel free in my head. Free for new, possible, and important things. When one is home and in familiar surroundings, it is good and important to get out. Escape from your everyday life, out of your fixed daily patterns and thoughts, and out of your messy situations.
It didn’t cost much, not as much as you probably think. Comparing the cost of food and evening activities with those in Germany, and if we include the week surfing including the apartment with it, then it’s probably still cheaper than renting a conventional seminar room of a business hotel (which is quick times in the four digit price range). For me a good deal!
Travel time is working time
An iPad is not enough! Most of the texts I write the go with my iPad mini and a mini keyboard. This text, for example, was done in the plane over Italy. It’s fine, but for normal work? It’s simply not enough. You are out of a normal working environment (without the ease of a laptop) and many things simply cannot be done this way.
My conclusion: it works!
One thing is certain for me: working as a digital nomad is possible. Even if you work in a larger team, it is feasible in the short term even without a week of planning … if you are careful and well-organized. Truly, it should provide you with an office-free office without any obstacles. In FastBill, for example, we make this work. I commute on a regular basis for one week to HQ in Frankfurt. The crucial point is that your team really must be 100% behind you and your idea. It’s even better if they find it desirable
There is only one major downside: to be on the road for two weeks without my girlfriend. That was the biggest compromise. This is an unfortunate fate shared by most digital nomads. But that’s another topic …
