The Remote Roadmap: 5-Step Journey to "Escape the Cubicle" & Be Free
There's a typical journey we all take on the road to being remote; which part are you on the road?
We live in a time where working remotely is more possible than ever. For many of us, once we realize location independence is attainable, there’s no going back to the office.
After working remotely myself for 10 years and trying all types of different remote work things, I’ve found there’s a typical journey most of us take.
My Story
Let me rewind just a bit and share a snippet of my journey:
10 years ago, I was “let go” from my job as a wine shop manager. It was actually a pretty good gig. I tasted and sold wine all day. So, when I was fired, it was a bit devastating.
After having a good cry, the next day I went to Google and typed in, “How do you make money online” and the rest was history. I discovered the world of freelance writing and never looked back.
I tried all types of writing gigs from copywriting to article & blog writing and editing. I landed on resume writing because I saw the consistent need and realized I was pretty good at it.
The first year, I completely replaced my income from my retail job. Over the next 24 months, I tripled my wine shop income 300%+ and had my first 6-figure year. Going remote changed everything for me.
The income is great, but there are other priceless perks, too. I’ve been able to pack up my laptop and work remotely from cool locations around the world, like Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Belize, and Costa Rica. Remote work really unlocks a whole new world.
Now, I get to help others build a remote career, too, whether it’s landing a remote job or launching a freelancing business.
The journey looks a little different for all of us, but the roadmap can help guide us along the way.
The Remote Roadmap
Let’s dive into the typical roadmap most of us take when we decide to “go remote.”
(1) Land a Remote job
The first step most of us take is finding a company who hires remote employees. God bless these companies that understand the benefits of remote work.
Since the pandemic in 2020, more companies opened their minds to hiring remotely. Fast forward to 2023, smart companies realize that in order to retain high-quality talent, they need to offer remote or hybrid work environments.
The best way to transition into a remote job is by leveraging remote job boards and LinkedIn for networking. You’ll use the remote job boards to make a master list of companies who hire remotely; then head to LinkedIn to network your way into an interview.
I share this exact method in my Remote Blueprint Guide and also in our upcoming Work Anywhere Club. When you join the club, you’ll have all the resources you need at your fingertips to land a remote job, from job listings sent to you weekly to resume templates, scripts, and masterclasses.
(2) Become a Freelancer
For many, working remotely for a company is all they need. They’re completely satisfied with a steady paycheck and the ability to work from anywhere. Honestly, this is amazing and works for many people’s lifestyles.
For others, they realize they’d like a bit more flexibility and decide to become freelancers. They narrow down on a single skill and advertise their services to clients.
Services can range from freelance writing to virtual assistant work, web development, coaching & consulting, tutoring, social media management, graphic design, etc. Honestly, the opportunities are endless.
It’s important to get clear on a few key things when you start freelancing, including what your main skill will be, how you’ll price competitively, and how to market yourself.
I share exactly how to launch a freelancing business in 30 days and get your first $5K months in my upcoming masterclass: Zero to Freelance. When you join the masterclass, you’ll be given a roadmap for getting started the right way.
(…because there are so many mistakes that can be avoided when you learn from someone who has been there and done that.)
(3) Outsource & Hire Out Services
Ok, so now you’ve started freelancing and you’re making good money. This is the life, right? You get to work anywhere you want, decide what clients to work with, and you bring in nice income.
However, there’s one common problem that tends to happen after a few years of freelancing. It’s called burnout.
It’s real. Ask any veteran freelancer, and they’ll tell you a story or two about how they hit burnout and had to basically shell up at home for a month to recover. It’s cool, we’ve all been there.
The next phase in our roadmap is outsourcing our services to junior freelancers. At this point, it’s more like an agency. Clients hire us at a premium and we connect them with our freelancing team to deliver the services.
This allows us to scale a bit, increase income, and step back from the day-to-day work. It’s a nice alternative to 1on1 freelancing.
(4) Turn Services into a Digital Product
After burnout hits, we also start thinking about how we can turn our services into a more passive income product. We daydream about sitting on the beach with a margarita in hand while getting notifications of course & e-book sales.
This is definitely possible when we put in the hard work. But, the work is worth it. Almost any service can be turned into some type of product. Let’s explore this…
Take resume writing for example. Instead of offering 1on1 services, you could provide a DIY e-book guide & template so clients can update their own resumes for a fraction of the cost.
Perhaps you’re a social media wiz. You create a content calendar template that clients can use to plan out their own content for 30 days.
Or, you provide SEO services. You could create a course that shows clients how they can improve their own website’s SEO rankings on their own.
This allows you to increase your 1on1 services to a premium; for those who don’t want to pay the premium, they can grab your digital product.
(5) Grow a Community
Lastly, we turn all of this into a community. At this point, we’ve probably built a bit of a following. We’ve been growing our 1on1 clientele; we have raving fans from our courses & digital products; and we’ve built up a social media presence.
Now, we can bring our people together into a community.
Platforms like Circle and Mighty Networks have grown significantly because people realize community is key. Perhaps you build a community around your course or the community is the product itself.
For example, you might have a community of people who are growing their website’s SEO. The community allows people to connect with each other, ask questions, jump into weekly virtual meetups, and feel more connected.
This is why I’ve created the Work Anywhere Club (coming in August 2023). It’s a community of people who want to build a remote career. We send our community:
Weekly remote jobs and access to a 24/7 remote job board
Slack community to ask questions and connect
Resource vault with masterclasses and templates
Remote Job Search Crash Course to get your remote career jumpstarted
Ongoing support and monthly virtual meetup chats
Community is important. Sometimes we learn better when we’re able to do it alongside someone else.
It’s easy to feel disconnected when you work remotely or are going at remote job searching alone. The Work Anywhere Club solves that problem.
In Conclusion…
This roadmap helps us understand where we are in our remote career is a normal part of the journey. If you’re reading this, you’ve likely got a burning desire on the inside to be remote.
You know that you have the skills to do it, you just need the right tools, resources, and community to make it a reality.
Which part of the journey are you on? Let us know in the comments and let’s start the conversation.
Coming Soon: The Work Anywhere Club
We’re busy working behind the scenes to create a special little community for our remote work friends.
When you become a member of the Work Anywhere Club, you’ll be an official tribe member here at Escape the Cubicle. Membership includes:
Access to our 100% remote job board 24/7 (with special access to remote gigs before they hit the board)
Access to the Remote Resource Vault with mini classes, resume templates, LinkedIn guides, and everything you need to jumpstart your search
Private Slack Community for networking, connecting, asking questions, and getting ongoing support
Keep an eye out for our soft launch. Just hit “reply” to this email if you’d like to be on our early access list.
When you’re ready, here’s 3 ways we can help:
Remote Job Search Blueprint: Grab this comprehensive e-book to jumpstart your remote job search. I’ve outlined the exact approach I give my clients to find a remote job in 45 days or less (with recruiter scripts, included!) Grab it
Freelancing Masterclass: Want to become a freelancer in 2023? Join the upcoming Zero to Freelance Masterclass where we’ll show you how to narrow down on your profitable skill and get your first $5K months. Secure your seat
Join our Facebook Group: We’ve been slowing growing over in our Escape the Cubicle Facebook Group. Join us there