Roughly two years ago while I was working on oDesk from Thailand, I had an incredible opportunity to get introduced to @ChrisGuillebeau through Twitter. Chris is the author of the book "The Art of Non-Conformity," whose I was a big fan of. This book and oDesk were two biggest factors that inspired me to start living the digital nomad lifestyle.

At that time when I was in Thailand, I was fortunate enough to contribute as a case study his new book "The $100 Startup." I'm glad I made it to the print edition, and I'm very happy to announce that the book is officially out today. The book's website is 100startup.com and it's available in hardcover, Kindle and Audio-book editions.

Blending the best of Ferriss's The 4-Hour Workweek with Fried and Hansson's Rework, this book by a young visionary who is creating a social movement shows readers how to have it all--by creating a micro-business on the cheap that generates enough income to support a life of meaning and adventure.

Chapter 4:
"The Rise of the Roaming Entrepreneur"
(excerpt)

A description of Bernard Vukas's work space is typical of roaming entrepreneurs: "I work from anywhere, anytime. Time zone and location are irrelevant. All my property fits in a single backpack, including the laptop," he told me in an email from a beach in Koh Tao, Thailand, where he was living on an indefinite basis. Bernard is from Croatia, which has nice beaches on its own, but he wanted to see the world.

Bernard helps companies that use Microsoft Office applications to process large amounts of data, creating or modifying extensions that make the data easier to manage. Bernard started by pricing at a decent wage by Croatian standards but much lower than what North American companies were used to paying. That worked well in helping him establish a client base and a good reputation, but the best business decision came when he tripled his rates for new clients.

One day, Bernard made $720 on a big project. Reflecting on the amount's significance, he wrote: "Many people on a minimum salary in Croatia are getting this amount in one month. People who get double that amount are considered well paid. To have it all come in on a single day is unheard of." Bernard might return to his country of origin at some point, but it was hard to imagine him ever returning to another way of life.

Digital nomads and roaming entrepreneurs come in all packages, and it's hard to get away from their infectious stories. As I interviewed business owners (of all kinds) and put the word out for more submissions, I kept hearing story after story that sounded like those of Brandon, Kyle and Bernard. I'd continue to cast the net for more traditional businesses, but kept thinking: This is a great business model. Why would you want to do anything else?

For more info about the book see 100startup.com and:

http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/the-100-startup-is-live/

I would like to thank oDesk C.E.O Gary Swart for his endorsement on oDesk's blog:

Full story is available in "Thanks For A Great Year, oDeskers!"

Last year was huge for me. I started the year 2011 in Bangkok in a wild way: I had just increased my oDesk hourly fees to $100/hr and left Croatia to see if it was possible to live the digital nomad lifestyle. I was influenced by two books: “The Art of Non-Conformity” by Chris Guillebeau, and “The Four Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferris. When I left Zagreb, I was already in my third year of being unemployed locally, and working full-time on oDesk. I am still not looking for work in Croatia, and I discourage anyone anytime from working locally. Freelancing is a vital component of being location independent and being able to travel, earning a good living and still having enough time to explore life and do what you love.

Greatest things that happened to me last year

• I got to replace the cold Winter in Europe with Summer in Thailand, in duration of 6 months! Bangkok was unforgettable: the nightlife, great food, great CouchSurfing friends.
• I got to travel to Bangladesh for the Freelancing Conference and eASiA ICT event, and I got to meet with a community of freelancers and I absolutely loved it!
• I learned that I’ll be featured in an upcoming book by Chris Guillebeau as unconventional entrepreneur. The book is coming out in May on Random House.
• Got to fly to Philippines and Bangladesh for free!

I am most proud of these accomplishments

• Receiving recognition from the community of freelancers in Bangladesh for my work.
• I was able to maintain my hourly rate on oDesk of $100/hr for one year, and keep customers happy.
• I was able to keep up with my workout schedule consisting of Beachbody hybrids (P90X and Insanity).

Greatest lessons I learned last year

• How to get awesome contracts and work remotely by using oDesk 
• How to get free airline tickets and travel anywhere
• CouchSurfing!

Goals I want to achieve this year

• Identify and hire key members for Officeworks, a start-up that I'm launching
• Maximize sales on oDesk, and repeat my success on Elance
• Automate my finances as advised by Ramit Sethi in "Building a Bullet-Proof Financial System"
• Travel to Australia
• Finish one round (90 days) of P90X2

Thanks to Chris Guillebeau for his motivation to write the annual review and thorough exposition in "How to Conduct an Annual Review."

Thanks to Benny Hsu from "Get Busy Living" for providing the Annual Review worksheets. 

Bangladesh Association of Software & Information Services (BASIS) invited me to Bangladesh Outsourcing Conference 2011 and eASiA 2011 as a speaker, to present to an audience of students and freelancers. I wasn't prepared for the excitement that I would see there, or for the sheer number of freelancers that are working through oDesk in Bangladesh. The organizers have thoroughly prepared this event, including the awards ceremony and gala dinner. This could easily stand shoulder to shoulder with other ICT conferences anywhere else in the world. 

I met with best freelancer of the year 2010, Alamin Chowdhury, who is doing SEO for clients such as Toyota. Matt Cooper, VP of Marketplace Operations at oDesk, was the keynote speaker for our session. He was cool to talk to, and I asked him for his oppinion on accessing high-end contracts that are available in the marketplace.

(Picture: Yeafesh Osman, Honorable State Minister, Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology, Government of Bangladesh presenting the award, and Fahim Mashroor, Senior Vice President of BASIS in the background.)

(download)

Click here to download:

my-visit-to-bangladesh-outsourcing-conference-easia-2011-lGCtCaaBwAakvpazrrdh.zip (1.12 MB)

It was a privilege to meet with Fahim Mashroor and other distinguished members of BASIS, and hanging out at their office. I also enjoyed speaking with Marjanaul Hassan at Business Innovation & Incubation Centre and Academy of Management & Science, visiting their headquarters and eating with their employees.

I'm very excited to have met many freelancers that work on oDesk, most of whom are now friends on Facebook. I am especially grateful to Alamin Chowdhury, who went extra steps to make me feel at home introducing me to the leaders in the community, and his friends and customs.

Thanks To

• Fahim Mashroor, Senior Vice President of BASIS
• Erica Benton, MarComm Manager of oDesk
• Alamin Chowdhury, Best Freelancer 2010
• Matt Cooper, VP of oDesk Marketplace Operations
• Hassan Tanvir Mansur, my first Bangladeshi friend
• Anir Chowdhury, Policy Advisor, Prime Minister's Office, Bangladesh
• Roya & Nicole, ticket agents of Etihad Airways, Frankfurt desk