Hello Sonia, could you tell us about your profession and how you operate?
I work as a market developer for tech companies, most of which are active in the ecology sector. For my clients, I create strategies for acquiring sales leads (potential customer contacts, also known as prospects) and Go-to-Market strategies (product launches). What is specific about the way I operate is that all my work is done remotely and online, and 80% of the time from a country other than the geographic location of the client organisation.
I am what is known as a Digital Nomad, because as well as working from abroad (even though I’m French), I am on the move regularly, changing my destination and place of residence 4 or 5 times a year.
Where do you work from and where are your clients’ companies based?
I have been working from the Balkans (particularly Bulgaria) for several months and from the Canary Islands. Across Europe as a whole.
I am in the process of stabilising a new administration model, but my aim is really to travel the world for several years, while maintaining professional stability and regular clients. I would like to open my horizons up to the rest of the world, and I plan to visit Turkey soon, then Thailand and South Korea.
My clients are mainly in France, Austria and Brazil.
How did you come to hear about SAGE?
A chance meeting with Jean-Roch Sergent, who works for the Freelance.com group, in a professional Networking circle. When I met him, I told him I needed to secure my business by streamlining invoicing and payments. It was in response to my questioning that Jean-Roch talked to me about international freelance administration, which I knew absolutely nothing about, and about SAGE.
As well as enabling me to secure the financial aspects of my contracts with my clients and regulate my income, I quickly realised that international freelance administration would also make it easier for me to move around the world, in terms of security, social protection and retirement.
More specifically, in your case, what does it mean to be a Digital Nomad?
It means I can satisfy my immense curiosity and explore different places and ways of life. Being a digital nomad means I can work from anywhere, or almost – a good internet connection is a must nowadays – and divide my time among a number of countries, but living in a more engaged way than as a passing tourist. I have the time to make connections, to immerse myself in the local regions, their way of life and really get to know the local people. I also have a driving passion that connects up the dots: mountains. I love mountains. More generally, I have three main asks: Hiking in the mountains, being close to a river and finding, at my destination, a community that understands me. So the presence of a Digital Nomad Hub is fundamental in my choice of destination.
Becoming a Digital Nomad is not something you can improvise. How did you become one yourself?
Out of opportunism.
During the period of Covid, when the second lockdown was announced, I did not want to stay at home and do nothing, so I volunteered at a hospital. I really needed to be out of the house and become involved. In the volunteer team, I met someone who had gone abroad during the first lockdown, to a Coliving space (a new community living model).
At the same time, still during lockdown, I discovered home working like everyone else, and my team and I found it was a perfect fit. So I decided to spend two weeks in a Coliving space in Portugal, and that was a revelation.
When you work remotely, there is less stress, less tension among colleagues, more flexibility and sense of well-being. Coliving allows you to be surrounded by other professionals who are also working remotely. With them, we share and collaborate in a new way. You learn from others, but without the competitiveness you might experience with colleagues in the same company. Knowledge is passed on among people with no filter, generosity is the order of the day, and your professional countenance is not the same as it would be on company premises. The principle of the Hub is excellent for this. Since then I have learned three languages, acquired a wide range of skills, honed my talents and made new friends of different nationalities.
How do you manage the administrative side of things, particularly visas?
Most countries allow people to stay for three months as tourists. So I move around for three-month periods, outside Europe. Otherwise, SAGE can provide me with the proper support. And with international freelance administration, you travel with your paycheque coming from abroad, so the immigration authorities don’t see you as a potential threat to the local workforce.
In conclusion, what would you say to those who are still hesitating about becoming a digital nomad?
Well, if your job permits, give it a try. I have realised that since I adopted this way of working life, I’m much more effective and fulfilled.
“Living a life where there is no need to take holidays any more” … Yes please!!!! I work every day, but less. And this “Slow” adventurous way of exploring the world is much more rewarding than when I used to work in Paris for 5 days and plan weekends in European capitals, going too fast and travelling badly.
Today, I thrive on my mobility. It is what makes me happy.
And for the administrative, security and financial aspects, SAGE takes care of everything for me behind the scenes.
All I have to do is find my clients and the rewards for my assignment, but that is the basis of self-employed status: you choose who you want to work with. The perfect combination!
You have been informed!
