#06 | David Finkelstein | Proves the Digital Nomad Lifestyle Isn't Just for Millennials

Guest Bio:

David Finkelstein proves the digital nomad lifestyle is not just for millennials! David is the Founder and CEO of Instantcard, the largest online supplier of photo ID cards for the corporate marketplace. Learn how David began a new lifestyle by joining Remote Year in this powerful episode. We discuss how David runs his business from anywhere in the world and has built both a team in a physical location as well as a distributed team and so much more!

Links Mentioned:

• InstantCard- the largest online supplier of photo ID cards for the corporate marketplace. InstantCard offers Cloud-based service plus physical ID cards
• Selina Coworking in Medellin, Colombia

Show Notes:

• David Welcome to the Nomad on FIRE Podcast! 00:30
• David’s Background and how he began the digital nomad lifestyle 00:50
• Why David founded his company Instantcard 02:05
• Managing a partially distributed team and how to foster a team environment when part of the team is remote, and part is in a physical location 04:45
• How many companies are ill-prepared for the gig economy and remote work trends 09:15
• David’s advice for hiring people on Upwork 12:00
  • Have applicants sent over examples of similar work performed
  • Ensure high rating on both the freelance and hiring side
  • Start with a small test project
  • Be quick to move on if someone doesn’t meet your expectations
  • How is their communication? How much guidance do they require? How many questions do they ask?
• David discusses the pros and cons for him of the digital nomad lifestyle 17:15
• The power of separating work and play into “boxes” 24:30
• Envisioning the digital nomad lifestyle with less traditional remote roles 27:30
• David’s future travel plans 29:30
• David’s #1 piece of advice for aspiring digital nomads 31:40
• David’s advice for testing out the digital nomad lifestyle 33:40
• David’s #1 Takeaway from our talk 35:15
• And much more...

Significant quotes:

• “How the Gig economy can allow much greater flexibility ” 03:50
• On discussing running his business while being fully remote- “We just had our second best month ever” 04:18
• “ I think people are attracted to companies with that kind of flexibility, so it’s been a good recruiting tool as well” 06:07
• “They’re not aware of how they’re business model is likely to be blown apart as a result of virtual work tools” 09:30
• “The incredible amount of flexibility that is enabled of hiring people on a project basis, on a part-time basis on an as-needed basis provides a huge amount of flexibility compared to the traditional process of hiring a full-time employee” 09:44
• “Once you choose this digital nomad lifestyle its a great opportunity, but there’s also an opportunity for distraction” 19:40
• “I would encourage you to first start working remotely from home” 31:45