The Traveling Entrepreneur: Tracy Sodd
Welcome to The Traveling Entrepreneur! Each Monday, we'll feature a different entrepreneur who spends at least part of their working hours on the road. Learn their tips for working from anywhere, what they'd do differently if they had to start their business over again, and their favorite place to travel (so far). Enjoy!
Meet Tracy Sodd!
Q. Can you tell me a bit about your business?
A. I work with nonprofits, startups, and small businesses across the country to maximize their digital presence and their use of digital tools.
Q. What is your favorite thing about being self-employed?
A. Ooooh, only one thing? I'd say the freedom to move, work, live, enjoy, be passionate about what I do, take on new projects, focus on the things I love, take walking meetings, and make a difference in my own life and others' lives with all of my choices. It's absolutely amazing.
Tracy in Salt Flats, Utah
Q. What is the most challenging aspect of your business?
A. Developing new relationships and the cadence of interactions for new contracts. I have to prove myself and develop trust with every new work project without ever meeting face-to-face with anyone I'm working with.
Q. If you had to start your business over from scratch today, what would be your top three priorities?
A. I would do exactly what I did all over again. I started my business by accident. I had people call me who needed something small done here, and then a little more there, and then progressively larger and larger things. I did so many side projects for free because they were fun that they eventually turned into a full-time gig.
Tracy in Playa Amarillo, Nicaragua
Q. Do you travel frequently while maintaining your business?
A. Yes!
Q. Are there any tools or resources that allow you to work from anywhere that you would recommend to other entrepreneurs?
A. The things I couldn’t live without: an unlimited data tethering plan on my cell phone, a Chromebook (they're indestructible and dirt cheap), and every Google web app ever made.
Q. What has been your favorite destination so far?
A. That’s such a hard question, but I’d probably have to go with Torres Del Paine, Chile.
Tracy in Torres del Paine, Chile
Q. How does traveling enhance your current business?
A. It keeps my head fresh. I see new things, new ways of living, new ways of advertising, new problems, and new solutions to those problems with every trip. I never feel stagnant in coming up with creative ideas for my clients’ problems.
Q. What advice do you have for people who want to travel while they work?
A. Find something that either A: you love to do with every fiber of your being OR B: something that pays well enough that you don’t have to spend too much time doing it. Traveling while working can be incredibly stressful if you are required to "put on" your professional self while in the midst of a beautiful adventure. You might come to resent your work, which poisons the entire experience.
Machu Picchu, Peru
Tracy is a marketer specializing in all things digital. She has an eclectic background, ranging from small businesses in New York City to scrappy startups in Texas and Washington D.C., and large international nonprofits. She has an absurd number of certifications from MOOCs, as well as two Masters degrees. She has also spent nearly five years of her life “on the road” in Europe, Southeast Asia, East Africa, Central America, South America, as well as North America, and plans on reaching her two remaining continents (Australia and Antarctica) within the next couple of years. Visit her website at http://www.electricforkmedia.com/ or find her on Instagram.
If you're a globe trotting entrepreneur, and you'd like to be featured (or if you know someone who might), please email me at nicole@nicolehunteditingandwriting.com.
