Working remotely as a web designer
Can you run a small business from abroad?
I tried it for a month
For the month of April, I stayed at a totally idyllic co-living villa called Nesting Away.
Nestled in the Italian countryside close to Orte (about an hour north of Rome) it felt like the perfect place to dip my toe into the digital nomad lifestlye.
When I pivoted from jewellery design into web design, part of my plan was always geographical flexibility and to be able to travel and work at the same time.
Up until now that's just been an idea floating around my head (and my google search history).
Now it's a reality.
Why web design? And why now?
Non of this was an accident, it was all part of the plan.
After spending 15 years tied to a physical studio space full of tools, materials, stock, packaging and allll the physical kit that comes with making things by hand. I had started to crave a life that allowed me to travel at the same time as working.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE making jewellery and I haven’t given up my studio - that’s all still there and I plan to keep making. But I didn’t want it to be my sole income anymore. I want the freedom and flexibility to pack a bag with my laptop and still earn money whilst I do it.
Web design made sense to me as a career pivot. It’s the part of running a business I’ve always enjoyed and I get a total buzz out of helping other small business owners with their business goals.
Meaningful humans doing meaningful things is totally my jam.
The experiment
Coming to Italy for this month was a bit of an experiment.
I didn't know if it would work for me. If I ‘could’ work whilst travelling.
Would I get distracted by the fun stuff and not get my work done? Would I be able to pull myself away from work to join in the fun stuff?
Over the last month I've taken days and afternoons off to go wine tasting in Tuscany, swam in hot springs, make pasta (with a legit Italian Nonna), had long late lunches with new friends and many an afternoon/evening aperitivo…
BUT.
I also got all my work done, I kept up with my client calls, I'm up to date with my to do list (pretty much) and I've got work scheduled in for next month too.
How I made it work
I am a creature of habit so I kept my routine pretty much the same as at home - up in the morning, 15 minutes of yoga, get myself dressed, breakfast, then into work. (my morning routine is pretty simple!!)
I know I do my best thinking in the mornings, so I kept the important brain work for then. The afternoons were where I gave myself flexibility. Some days I'd get back to my laptop after lunch. Other days, if people were heading somewhere or there was some good chat happening on the terrace I’d flow that way.
I track my hours pretty closely, and I was doing roughly the same amount of deep work each day as I would at home.
Which confirmed something I'd long suspected: work fills the time available (that’s Parkinson’s Law if you want to look into that thought more)
Sitting at your desk longer doesn't mean getting more done.
In the past I've allowed myself to get buried in work and at times struggled to come up for air (or make enough time for the fun stuff)
The realities of self employment right?
But maybe it doesn't have to be that way…
The prep that made it possible
A few things I sorted before I left that made the whole thing run smoothly:
I scheduled my Instagram posts and emails before I went (I do this a month in advance anyway, so no extra work there).
I still run my jewellery business alongside web design, so I put an out of office on those emails and switched my jewellery shop to extended delivery times - my web design email stayed as normal
I planned my project schedule deliberately: a new web design project started a week after I arrived, and the next one kicks off a week after I'm back. That gave me a settling-in period at both ends without any gaps in client work
I didn't tell my clients in advance. Not to be sneaky - but because I didn't want them to think the work would be affected, or feel like they couldn't reach out as normal.
Once we were on calls I'd mention it, and they were all brilliant about it. But I wanted to earn that trust first, not ask for it beforehand.
What I'm taking back home to Glasgow with me
My month in Italy, testing out the digital nomad waters, has confirmed the way that I want to run this business - life first, work woven through it rather than consuming it - is actually possible.
Not as an idea. As a thing I've now done.
The rollercoaster of self employment is real. But maybe it doesn't have to be all consuming.
I wanted to write this down partly as a reminder to myself of what I’ve already achieved with my business and also as an inspiration to anyone who’s been wondering about doing something like this.
I say just go for it… and if you need a little advise or a wee push to do it, feel free to get in touch and I’ll happily give you a nudge in the travelling direction.
And if you want to go stay at Nesting Away, you can find out all about it here. It’s a really wonderful place that now and forever will have a little piece of my heart ❤️
