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Nick Hasche Interview: On Being a Digital Nomad and On Being a part of Zero Grid
Being a Digital Nomad and Being a part of Zero Grid
There will always be different episodes in your life wherein
you’ll dream of starting something new. Of course, the colourfully chaotic
depth of this idea is determined by the experiences and exposures that inspire
you to do so. In my case, for example, doing a start-up that is related to
travel has always been a lurking whale of wonderment that I am interested to be
part of, in any way possible.
Zero
Grid is the answer to my perennial pondering. Zero Grid is a
start-up company that massively supports a lifestyle in which we can work from
anywhere, be anywhere, and not be confined by traditional limits or norms —
where we have to be "on the grid" all the time. Zero Grid aims to
prompt ourselves that there are no limits to where we can
go, and what we can do. I am glad I have collaborated with this one – perhaps you can also join,
and find a new beginning in your departure from your grid by getting to know
this grid!
Nick Hasche is the all-cool-Australian-German guy behind Zero
Grid who collaborated with me on this. Not only does Nick work with the
founders of Zero Grid closely, but he is also a full-time traveller and digital
nomad. It truly is advantageous to work in a company that caters to a team of
remote workers, because it gives you the leverage to travel all travel a lot.
Can you tell us a little
bit about yourself and where you are from?
Nick: I was born
and raised in Sydney, Australia. With two German parents, I am also very lucky
to have a German passport.
My life used to be quite different. Although, a more appropriate
description would be ‘normal’. I worked hard during high school to make sure I
got the best grades possible. I planned to study at University and so wanted to
increase my chances of getting into the best courses.
I ended up doing reasonably well, and in 2007 began to study both
Mining Engineering and Finance. 6 years later I graduated with both degrees and
went off to work for one of the major global mining companies as a Mining
Engineer. By society’s standards, I was doing great!
People were pretty shocked when I quit my job after only 11
months. My work colleagues and bosses certainly weren't all that impressed. But
I had learnt something very important very fast: I would never be happy living
a ‘normal’ life - that is, having a career, getting married, having kids, etc.
I could already see how the next 5-10 years looked. What is more boring than
that? Life is for living, not existing.
Clearly with the ‘digital nomad’ movement, I am not alone with
these ideas.
The most important realization I have had was the importance of
lifestyle. I used to think that I had to find a great job so that I could
eventually have the financial freedom to travel. This is completely flawed.
Instead, I now realize that the number one priority is lifestyle. A career
should be chosen which compliments and allows for the dream lifestyle to occur.
In my case this meant earning my income online so that I was free
to travel continuously. So, I taught myself SEO and Internet Marketing while I
traveled. In 2016 I joined Zero Grid.
What is it like working in
a start-up company such as Zero Grid? The Good, The Bad, The Funny
Nick: I am very
fortunate to work for Zero Grid. When I came across the company, what really
struck me was how aligned the brand and my own beliefs were. We are a travel
accessories brand that believes in pushing the limits and questioning the
status quo.
The two Founders are long term, passionate travelers, and decided
to start the company to scratch their own itch. They noticed that a lot of the
travel accessories available were not designed thoughtfully for the serious
traveler. The durability was generally quite low, and many of the designs were
lacking. As a result, all of Zero Grid’s travel gear is incredibly durable and designed in a smart way to cater for
those travelers who spend months at a time on the road.
Working for Zero Grid is fun not only because it aligns with my
personal passion, but because we all work remotely, it allows me to pursue my
travel aspirations. Last year I traveled to Australia, Thailand, Germany,
Sweden, Denmark and France all while working a ‘normal 9-5’. This year I will
be in Thailand again, travel through Europe in the summer, possibly go to
Morocco and Iran, and go back to Asia towards the end of the year. Next year I
plan to visit Canada, the US, Central America and South America.
Despite this level of travel, I am able to maintain a high level
of work output. Being a travel company, it is encouraged to go explore the
world. By using Slack and Trello, our team is able to
communicate effectively, despite the fact that we are usually distributed
across various countries around the world.
The only negative about this kind of distributed work force, is
that we don’t experience the same social interaction. I spend my work time
alone with my laptop. This can at times be a bit of a bummer. But on the other
hand, my overall social life is great. Having the freedom to travel allows me
to visit my friends around the world. I also travel with my girlfriend, so I
always have her company.
Tell us your typical day
at work.
Nick: My typical
day varies. It really depends on where I am in the world and if my priority at
the time is work or experiencing wherever I am. Generally though my days looks
like this:
530 am - Wake up and start to work. Yes, I get up that early. I am
a morning person and prefer to get as much work done as possible in the morning.
6am - 12pm - Work for Zero Grid
12-1pm - Lunch break
1-5pm - Work for my own business.
5 - 930pm - Free time, then bed.
I do about 50 hours of work per week split across Zero Grid and my
own business. Weekends are mostly free for exploring wherever I am and enjoying
myself.
Apart from your day job,
do you have other passion projects you are currently involved in?
Nick: Working
for Zero Grid is my ‘day job’. I do around 30 hours a week, but this is
flexible. The rest of the time is spent on my own business, which is building
websites and monetizing the traffic via the Amazon Associates Program. In other
words, Affiliate Marketing.
This is very successful for me and in fact currently generates
over 80% of my total income. I am able to grow this business despite spending
less time on it by systemizing activities, and outsourcing very effectively.
In the future I will transition most of my income into passive
income and focus my time on humanitarian issues. As cheesy as it sounds, my
main goal in life is to make a difference in the world and make some kind of
long-term, measurable positive impact.
Any advice for people who
would like to work in a start-up company?
Nick: The best
way to find work with a Start Up is to provide value. This means you really
need to have various skills to offer. The best way to develop these skills is
to take action and try and build something yourself. Even if whatever you do
fails, you will be exposed to all kinds of things that will be helpful for a
Start Up. This is especially true with any online business. If you have ever
tried to set up a business online, whether it be blogging, e-commerce, drop
shipping, affiliate marketing or something else, you will have been exposed to
many various skills and processes which will be useful to a Start Up. Most
importantly, you’ll have the right attitude.
The other important aspect is to continuously educate yourself.
Even if you don’t actually know that much about a particular industry, if you
read about it every day, even for just 10 minutes, you will very quickly
develop a sound general knowledge about it. The best way to do this is to use
Feedly or something similar, and aggregate content around the relevant
industries.
Lastly, sign up to Upwork and create a profile for yourself. Put some
effort into a good profile, and there is a good chance that you will in time be
invited to interview for various jobs.
[SINGAPORE TRAVEL] Read the rest of Explore Singapore Travel Blog Series:
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