Remote work from scenic locations: Benefits for women entrepreneurs
In the past three years, we’ve seen an explosion in the popularity of remote work, thanks largely to the pandemic.
While working from home was once the exception, many companies around the world have seen the benefit of using a remote workforce, and continued the practice long after lockdowns ended.
Business owners and freelancers also embraced the increased freedom that remote working offers. And that doesn’t just mean working from home: being untethered from an office frees us to work from anywhere we like, including scenic locations that once up on a time would have been reserved for holidays only.
As a result, the so-called ‘laptop lifestyle’ has become much more the norm for entrepreneurs.
In this article we explore the freedom that remote working from scenic locations allows us, and in particular the benefits to women entrepreneurs.
Better work-life balance
The traditional concept of a 9-5 day spent stuck behind a desk in an office has long gone – and good riddance! Today female entrepreneurs get to decide what hours they want to work and from where, giving them a far more healthy work-life balance.
For example, if you have school-age children you can decide to work during their term time, and just keep your business ticking over the school holidays. This means you’re free to work from pretty much anywhere with them, and can embark on both national and overseas adventures. There’s plenty of family holiday accommodations around the world with good WiFi to choose from.
This is something I have done in the past, when my son was small. I’d rise early in the morning and check any emails that need actioning, then set aside an hour or two to catch up on work in the afternoon when we returned home from the day’s activities, when he was worn out and happy to play quietly. This meant I was able to be full present with my family when exploring a new destination, and still earn money.
Lower business overheads
One attraction of being able to run your business from anywhere, is reducing your business overheads. If you live in a city, rent and many other expenses will be at a premium. But if you travel outside your city, or even to another country, you can often live and work for much less.
That’s why you’ll see people sharing their experiences of working from far-flung locations such as Thailand or Bali. And while working from the actual beach isn’t always practical (sand and glaring sunshine aren’t compatible with working on a laptop I have found), many of these destinations have co-working hubs for travellers.
So you can decide on your work hours, and find somewhere with good WiFi, quiet workspaces and maybe even air-con. Then, once you’ve completed your to-do list you can throw on a bikini and hit the beach. Sounds pretty good to me! I’m already planning a trip to Malaysia and Indonesia next year and have had no problem in locating places with the facilities I need to work while away.
And the best part about this (apart from the weather, beach and food)? Thanks to the lower overheads you can enjoy a better quality of life. You can either decide to dial your work down a little, so you spend less time working and earn the same money, or keep working at your usual rate and grow your savings.
Increased productivity
There’s a good reason why famous writers hole up in remote cabins when they’re working on their next bestseller. When you’re working at home there are many distractions you need to ignore – everything from the pile of washing to friends asking to meet for a coffee. But when you relocate somewhere else, you leave those distractions behind.
So if you have a big project or launch coming up, and you want to power through work, choose somewhere quiet and you’ll find your productivity increases significantly.
Access to a global talent pool
Many female entrepreneurs need help to run their businesses – from virtual assistant and social media managers, to content creators and developers. And the great thing about being able to work remotely is that you can also access a global talent pool.
Just as technology affords you the freedom to work where you like, so you can find others doing the same. No longer do you need to scour your local directories and personal recommendations to secure help. Today you can find almost anyone online to help you virtually.
And again, just as you can save money by working from a location with lower overheads, you can find people to help you who too have lower overheads, meaning you can get help from less than you might have paid in your home city.
Reduced gender bias
When I first started freelancing, way back in 2007, it was common for companies to want writers to physically work from a desk in their office. This made no sense; I could do the work as well (if not better) from home. Plus the lack of commuting meant I could spend longer each day working for them, which gave them better value for money.
When I had my daughter in 2009, committing to a city and spending an entire day at work in an office was no longer feasible. As a result, I lost most of my regular clients and needed to find new companies to work for.
This was a common issue faced by women who were the primary caregiver (and one of the reasons why I launched Talented Ladies Club in the first place). But thankfully today things are a lot different today.
Thanks to the general acceptance of remote working, today companies are happy to hire freelancers and businesses who aren’t around the corner or who can be physically sat in their office. They recognise the benefit of being able to hire the very best people and companies for a project, wherever these people are.
This has had a significantly positive impact on women, in my opinion. And has enabled female-run businesses and freelancers to compete far more equally with men.
Where will you work?
I hope you have found this article helpful, and maybe even inspiring. The days of having to work where you live or where your customers or clients are physically based are over. Today, you can work wherever in the world you like – within reason. So, where is your dream work destination?
