7 Things You Absolutely Need to Be Able to Run a Global Business

From the beach...

7 Things You Absolutely Need to Be Able to Run a Global Business

What’s the pinnacle of success for any business owner? Creating enough passive income so you don’t have to work again? Maybe.

But most of the business owners and entrepreneurs I work with are doing what they love, so their work-life is not about retiring as the destination. Unlike the employees who work to retire, my clients work to live - instead of live to work.

Because it doesn’t really feel like work when you’re in the flow and doing what you love, helping others, changing lives, and being friggin’ awesome.

But how do you do it whilst sitting on a beach in the sunshine?

Here are the seven essential tips I’ve identified this week whilst running a global business from a beautiful sunny beach in Plakias, Crete.

First up, you need a business model that allows you to do it. If you’re a taxidermist, you’re stuffed. If you’re a plumber, you’re sunk. If you run a coffee shop, you need to wake up and smell your own stock.

Right, enough of these puns, because the second essential tip may indeed allow you to travel, even if you are up to your arms in other people’s sh*t (that’s a plumber by the way).

You can, of course, create and run a business that does involve your presence, ONLY IF you have a team that can take your place when you’re away, and for this, you need a great team and you need to be able to trust them.

I often say that the definition of entrepreneurial success is when you can walk away from your business and leave it for a period of time, and the business stays the same or grows as a result. A great team will allow you to do this.

The third tip is that you need systems and tools in place to allow your team to be able to do their job well whilst you are away. We use three main tools in our business: Asana as our project management tool, Slack is our communication tool and Kartra is the agency tool that allows us to build client acquisition funnels for our clients and keep a track of the data.

And of course, we use Zoom, which takes us nicely to tip 4. You have got to have a decent internet connection to make this all happen.

I am currently sitting next to a beach bar in the sunshine, writing this blog post, and listening to Rob Moore’s recurring income summit whilst streaming live cricket on the laptop, so I guess Beach Bar, Plakias has decent wifi…

I am doing some coaching calls this week but they were designated for yesterday and a week from now once I return. Could I stay here all summer and do them? Yes, I could. In fact, I could do them anywhere where a decent wifi signal is present and I have my notes available.

The last 3 tips are ones that aren’t always required, but they’re my preferences.

I am terrible with time zones. Especially when Easyjet announces on arrival that we’re only 1 hour ahead of London when we’re actually 2 hours ahead. That caused some fun on days 1 and 2. Fortunately, Google calendar has a lovely tool that allows you to auto-timezone wherever you are.

On that basis, tip 6 is about being able to accept setbacks when they happen and gracefully go with the flow. We’re in Crete right now. They are the masters at this.

We met a couple at the airport who’d had their flight canceled and were in hour 11 at the airport having gone through security, with no idea when they might be getting their flight rescheduled. Setbacks.

Now, sometimes, circumstances are outside of your control. You just have to accept it. And having a wonderful partner at your side is a big part of this and is my final tip. Yup, a forgiving partner like Donna is a life saver.

“You never turn off do you”? She asked me on night 3. “I don’t consider this work” I replied as I finished another audiobook at double speed. She’s a wonderful asset to have in an entrepreneurial journey and she keeps me grounded. Love you, Babe.

So there you have it, 7 tips for running a business on the beach.

I hope you found this useful, but drop me a line and let me know what also works for you.

In the meantime, have a great week, learn heaps, love loads, and then pass it on.