Matt Bowles: My guest today is Ally Archer. She is a location, independent freelancer, travel blogger, and the author of the book, Infinite Entrepreneur, how to break free from monotony and launch a digital limitless work from anywhere business. The book blends travel narrative with business how to design to guide aspiring or current digital nomads on starting and running an online freelance business from anywhere in the world. She also runs the Go Seek Explore travel blog. She hosts the Limitless Nomads Podcast, and she has now been to over 45 countries.

Ali, welcome to the show.

Ally Archer: Thank you so much for having me. I’m so excited to be here.

Matt Bowles: I am so excited to have you here. You are doing some really amazing stuff, and we’ll dive into that.

Let’s just start off though by setting the scene and talking about where we are recording this from today. Unfortunately, we are not in person, but we are on the same continent. I am actually on the East coast of the United States today. I’m in Charlotte, North Carolina. And where are you?

Ally Archer: I’m currently home in San Diego, California.

Matt Bowles: San Diego, California. Have a lot of love for SoCal. As you know, I was based in LA for about seven years, right before I became a full-time digital nomad. So, I would regularly do things like hop on the surf liner train. And go from LA down to San Diego and hang out in your amazing city on your amazing beaches.

And I thought that was one of the coolest things that I would actually recommend to people like, what should I do when I come to LA? And I’m like, take the surf liner train, because there’s not many train experiences in the United States that are usually promoted in the way that they are around the world.

And I was like, this is amazing because you just take the train. It goes right down to the beach. You have a view of the ocean the whole way down. And then all of a sudden, you’re in San Diego, you can hang out there for the day. And then came back to LA. So, I’m a big fan of San Diego.

Ally Archer: I know. I love it. And I love the train too. I always say that because I feel like people don’t think about train experiences in the US like you were saying, and I use the train. I have family in orange County. I’ll go see people in LA or sometimes I fly out of LAX cause it’s easier hub to get flights from. And it’s just so beautiful because you get to go along the coast and the views are spectacular.

I’m actually taking the train tomorrow. I’m going to a music festival in Orange County. So highly recommend it if you’re traveling or living in SoCal.

Matt Bowles: So, Allie, talk a little bit about where you grew up and as you were growing up, when you think back, how did your interest in world travel initially start to develop?

Ally Archer: So, I was actually born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and then I grew up in Seattle. So, we moved when I was pretty young. I grew up in the Seattle suburbs and my family, we actually just didn’t travel growing up, but we would travel around the US to see family. We would go to Arizona to see the sun for once in our lives, get some much-needed vitamin D.

Cause if you’re not familiar, the Pacific Northwest is pretty gloomy, pretty rainy and cloudy. Most of the time, that’s why I live in Southern California the exact opposite to get that sun, but yeah, we didn’t travel growing up. It just wasn’t really something that people really did or talked about and when I travel, I mean travel internationally. So when I was in college, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Florence, Italy, and I’d never been to Europe, um, no one in my family had been to Europe yet, and so it was just such a different experience, an opportunity, and I ended up getting so excited immediately, the idea when someone was like, hey, we have these opportunities to study abroad.

And I immediately was like, yes, that’s what I want to do. That sounds perfect. And I ended up doing a six-week study abroad program in Florence after my sophomore year. So, between my sophomore and junior year of college, it was just such an eye-opening experience that positive culture shock. And I think being 19 years old, being my first time going overseas is so different than if I had done it growing up for my whole life.

And I feel like I had this huge appreciation. And like I said, positive culture shock of seeing something that was so different. I’ll never forget leaving the airport and being on the bus, going to the hotel in Rome, we had our opening tour for four nights in Rome before moving on to our campus in Florence.

And I remember looking out the window and my mouth was open like, oh, this is so cool. That’s cool. The streets are amazing. And then everyone’s like, it’s just a street. It’s just a building, but it’s beautiful. It’s kind of dirty, but it’s orange and yellow and all these different colors. And it was so different.

And I think that that experience opened me up to just seeing a new perspective on the world and understanding that there’s so many different ways you can live your life and all these different cultures, and I’m just so grateful for that experience. Travel is one of the best things you can spend your money on.

And I feel like the best thing that I spent my money on was going on this study abroad, because that was such a pivotal moment in my life. My life would be so completely different right now. My whole life revolves around travel. So, I’m super grateful for that experience.

Matt Bowles: I relate to what you’re saying so much, Ali, because when I was a junior in college, I went to study abroad in Ireland, and being independent at that age, in a totally foreign country, is such a profound impact. It was amazing.

And so, I studied abroad for my entire junior year. I was based in Dublin and then my roommate and I were both Irish Americans that were both over there studying abroad and it was both our first time in Ireland. And we decided that we were going to take the entire winter break, which was like a month offer over Christmas and new year’s and all that, and at the time you could get a Euro rail ticket.

Which gave you unlimited hop on hop off between maybe 17 countries or so. And you could just spend however much time you wanted in one country, then jump back on the train and go to whatever next one you wanted to, and then spend as much time as you wanted to jump back on. And that was such an eye opening, amazing, powerful, impactful experience, especially at that age, completely transformative.

So, I encourage everybody, if possible, definitely try to do whatever you can to study abroad because it has the potential to completely change your life and, in your case, obviously, impact your future trajectory. So, let’s talk a little bit now about what impact that did have on you when you came back from that, and then what your career or professional trajectory was from that point.

Ally Archer: So, after that I got home and immediately, I was like, oh, I just want to go back to Europe. That’s the feeling. Sometimes you get when you travel somewhere and you’re like, that was so amazing. I just wanted to keep going and going and going. It just went by so quickly. And I just kind of fell back into the typical routine.

And I had two more years of college left. I was on my trajectory that most people are on of graduating with a bachelor’s degree. I was studying marketing PR. I thought I would either work for magazines or magazines were kind of falling away at that point already. So, I thought I was going to work in other PR marketing, something creative, work at an agency.

And after I graduate, I’m going to get a job. And then I’ll probably, maybe I’ll go back to Italy in a couple of years when I can afford it. And I have vacation time. And then it wasn’t until the end of my senior year of college, where I had this huge, massive pull to go back to Europe. And I use the term in my book.

I say, when you’re homesick for somewhere that wasn’t your previous home, Like I felt homesick for Italy. I couldn’t shake the idea of not going back. And then my bank account laughed at me and was like, girl, you’re trying to go back to Europe. And so, I ended up trying to find a way to kind of switch around the system, kind of hack the system and think about, well, instead of getting a job, which was my plan, then suddenly sounded so draining to think about sitting in a cubicle with maybe no windows every day for 40 hours a week.

When I knew that I was young, I was 21 years old and I was like, okay, I have the time in my life to travel. I don’t want to wait until I’m 60 years old or wait a few years to save up to go someplace for a few days. And so, I found a way to switch things around with getting a travel job. And that led me to look for jobs in Europe.

And I ended up finding a job at this study abroad company that take American students to different countries on the weekend. So, if you’re based in Italy and then Thursday through Sunday, you travel to different countries and you’re working the whole time. It’s like 24 seven style work environment, because when you’re a home in Italy.

You’re promoting trips, you’re doing events. And then when you’re traveling, obviously you’re running the trips. You’re a tour guide who leads all the trips too. So, it was a lot of work, but it was so much fun. It was so perfect for me being right out of college. I ended up getting that job. It was like, just had a leap of faith. Cause I knew it would start in August.

Then I took this job working at these international education conferences in Washington, DC and New York city over that summer, right after I graduated. And I was like, I think this Italy got jobs going to work out. And then it did. And after I did that, I was like, wow, there’s so much of this world that I want to see.

There’s so much I want to do. I knew that I wanted to make travel a priority. And at that point, one of my dream jobs is working in admissions at a university. And I ended up getting a job working at admissions in a university. And that was really great for that time period. But I was getting really creative and strategic around working on my vacation time, because I only had 10 days per year.

So, I would use long weekends and holidays and unpaid vacation time to work and travel and do these short-term travel jobs just to kind of pay for travel. And it got to a point where I was like, I can’t, this is so limited. I need to go back to that lifestyle that I had before where I am incorporating travel as much as I can and balancing both.

Matt Bowles: All right, so before we go any further, let’s talk about Italy, because this is one of my favorite countries in the world. I try to go through once a year if I can, but as frequently as possible. And so, going all the way back to that European trip I told you about that I did on my study abroad year, we were like, okay, what locations are our top priorities?

Where do we want to go from Dublin? Our first location, we flew from Dublin to Rome and that’s where our trip started, and our first four cities were Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan. And so, from there I was completely hooked on Italy as well. And I need to come back to this country. And so, I’ve now gone back a number of times.

I’ve done the Amalfi Coast. I’ve done the Cinque Terre. I spent a month in Sicily, which was amazing. We were in Ortigia, the old city of Syracuse in Sicily, which was just incredible, and then I just recently went back. When I was starting to travel again from the pandemic, I basically not traveled in over a year during the pandemic.

And I was like, all right, I need to emerge from the pandemic in style. Where do I want my very first international trip to be after the pandemic? And so, I hit up a friend of mine who’s a very good travel buddy of mine. Shout out to Jen McGee, who Maverick Show listeners know, because she’s been on the show.

And I was like, I’ve been doing some research, and I found out that the International White Truffle Festival is in Alba, Italy. And I was like, that sounds pretty insane, pretty epic, pretty over the top. What do you think if we make our very first trip post pandemic? And so, we went, we flew into Milan, we took the train to Alba, Italy, and we just posted up there for a month, which is not only the place where they have the International White Truffle Festival, but it’s also the base of the Barolo and the Barbaresco wine regions.

And so, we just spent a month just eating food and doing wine tours and like hanging out in vineyards and all that kind of stuff. And so, Italy is just amazing. It has so many different places that are so diverse and so culturally distinct and have so much of a distinctly yet rich and complex history and all of that.

So, I find Italy fascinating. I find it amazing. I go through as much as I can, but you have actually done the tour guide thing there, and you’ve actually been based there. You’ve studied there. You’ve had all of these different pieces of your life that have sort of continued to lead you to Italy and to immerse on a deeper level there.

So, I want to just get some of your highlights for you. What are some of the things that have been your most amazing Italy experiences? And for people, let’s just say that have never been to Italy, it’s on their bucket list, and they want to go. What are some of the top things you’d recommend people should do?

Ally Archer: Wow, where do I begin? Well, first I want to say entering back after pandemic travel in style with the Truffle Festival. That sounds super wonderful. It sounds so cool. I love that. But yeah, when it comes to traveling Italy, there’s just so much, and I think you want to prioritize what you’re doing based on what type of traveler you are and how much time that you have, because I know so many people that they have, 7 to 10 days and they try to pack in every single thing they want to get.

Rome and all the history and then they want to go to the Amalfi coast, and they want to spend one night in Cinque Terre and then they want to go to Florence and then in Milan and Venice and then the mountains and there’s just so much beauty in Italy that I think that’s amazing.

But you really want to prioritize the highlights that are going to be the most for you and just do multiple trips because it’s always great to come back. You can always go back to Italy because it’s just such a beautiful place. So, I think if you’re someone going in the summer and you love Mediterranean summer, that’s my favorite time to be in Europe is European summer.

Mediterranean Europe is like my favorite vibe mood to be in. And if you want beaches, I think Amalfi coast is gorgeous. I would recommend Elba Island, which is off the coast of Tuscany. I’d recommend Matera and then maybe some time in Tuscany and going wine tasting. I think if you’re really interested in history, obviously Rome.

You cannot skip Rome. It’s like a walking textbook. It’s just incredible. And then people say Florence, which is the capital of Tuscany, is like a walking museum, like an art museum. If someone’s going to Italy, what would I recommend? Cause there’s so much I’d recommend, but I think it depends.

Do you want beaches? Do you want history? Choosing what your main priorities are and what you’re most interested in about Italy and Italian culture. And then what do you want to experience the most? Whether that’s food, history, landscapes, beaches, outdoors.

Matt Bowles: Yeah, and the other thing that’s cool about Florence is its proximity to other places you can literally even just do as a day trip, right? If you want to go see the leaning Tower of Pisa or you want to go to Siena or Lucca or any of these places, you can just do them and do overnights or whatever, or just kind of do as a day trip. So totally agreed, Florence is just a super magical base.

You have since though, been to a lot of other places. You’re in 45 plus countries now. So, let’s talk about some really different types of cultural experiences that are quite different from Italy. You and I have both spent time in El Salvador. I was just there last year. I was based in San Salvador for about a month. I went out to the beach, but I spent most of my time in the city. I had a blast. You also have been to El Salvador. What was your experience like in El Salvador?

Ally Archer: I loved it. It was such an unexpected place to travel on my list because previously I had been wanting to travel because I know some people that have been there. They said, it’s fantastic. The beaches are incredible.

The locals are really friendly, but they did have a reputation for not having the best safety track record. And I know that when you look at mass media and the mainstream media everywhere in the world is dangerous. But it was so safe when I went. And I actually found a YouTube video from this girl that solo traveled there and she’s like my solo trip to El Salvador and I was like, oh, that’s really interesting.

And so, I was watching it. I’m like, that looks great. That looks beautiful. I’ve always wanted to go. And I just had this need to go to El Salvador. I need to go. And this year it was super rainy and cloudy in California. I don’t know if you saw any of the news. It was even snowing in LA, the Hollywood sign TikTok viral video.

And it was pretty chilly for California standards. And I was like, I just want to go somewhere warm. You know what? I’m going to go to El Salvador. So, I ended up booking the trip. I spent only 10 days there. I definitely want to go back. And we went to Santa Ana for the first part, we went to Lago de Coatepeque, which is that beautiful lake inside the volcano crater.

And then we went on the actual volcano hike for Santa Ana. And then we spent a lot of time by the beach in El Tunco, we did some surfing and went to some beach clubs and just got some work done at the cute cafes over there. And also went to a couple day trips to the capital San Salvador as well. So, it was a little well-rounded trip, but a little taste of the country, but it was phenomenal. Highly recommend.

Matt Bowles: Awesome. Another thing that you and I have in common, Ally, is that I used to be a DJ back in the day. I was a hip hop DJ in the nineties. I actually parlayed that into my first business back in high school. At the end of high school, I built that into a mobile DJ company. And I started DJing weddings and proms and all that stuff.

And then I would just come home from college at college. I had like a hip-hop show on the radio station, and I would DJ at like bars and clubs or whatever. But then I would come home for the summer, and I would just do the whole prom wedding circuit across the summer. That was my summer job. So, I have all of this love and nostalgia for DJs and DJing.

And I know that you recently got into that and became a DJ and have now done gigs around the world. So, I want to hear about this journey, how it began and how it’s been going.

Ally Archer: Yeah, it is so random for my life. Plot twist of 2022 was me taking DJ lessons. I think you can probably relate to the fact, just loving music and being passionate about music, and then just creating an experience for people in a room to enjoy.

Just what will create an environment that people will enjoy. Turning this moment into a memory. For me, I love house music EDM. I loved electronic music for a really long time. And I also grew up playing piano. So, I have a background in music, and I also did dance growing up. So, a lot of that similar realm of how my brain works and thinks about music.

And I ended up starting to dabble in music production last year, just for fun, to have more hobbies in my life. And I realized, well, if I ever want to play a song that I create, I’m going to need to learn how to DJ at some point. And so, then I was in Bali, they have this creative center called Genesis in Kedungu . And a shout out to George, who was my instructor.

I ended up taking DJ lessons in Bali and I ended up loving it. And it was just such a fun experience that I had. I don’t know if I would have thought about taking DJ lessons had I been home in the United States. I have a lot of friends that are DJs, so maybe I would have like to try to learn from them, but I was really glad that I took actual lessons.

And it was so cool to just be in Bali and just have that be like, I work in the morning at the cafe. Then I go to the creative center and do my lesson. And I’m like, what am I doing? It just felt so different out there for me, but it’s been fun. And not too long after I learned how to play, I was in Puerto Verde, Mexico and my first time ever playing live.

I ended up talking to someone who works at a house music bar there. And he was like, oh yeah, we actually need a DJ on Thursday. And I was like, oh, I can DJ just all casual. And he was like, okay, yeah. Can you do like this time? And I was like, oh, that works. And I was like, oh my God, he doesn’t know that I’ve never played live before.

So that was my first time playing live in front of an audience. And I actually think I did pretty well. My friend was recording me and stuff. It was just so much fun. And it’s just such a cool creative outlet and something that’s different outside of my marketing business that I have outside of the travel stuff that I do.

And it’s a fun thing to do while I’m traveling to be able to connect with other people and play live around the world.

Matt Bowles: So amazing. Well, let’s talk about this business that you have built. And I think the place that I want to start is with your transition. Can you talk about your transition from your nine to five jobs into becoming a location independent freelancer and building your business. And specifically for people who might be in that position at the moment, they might be in nine to five jobs. They might be hearing this podcast. They might be wondering what the steps would be for them to make a transition into a location independent lifestyle. So, for you, what was that process like?

Ally Archer: So that process took a while because I had a lot of fear around quitting my job and traveling, and I think a lot of people can relate to that fear of giving up a stable paycheck, that twice a month paycheck that they get. They know it’s coming. All they have to do is do a good job at their job.

Show up to work, but at the same time, you still have that fear of job security. You never know something could happen. That’s not even related to your performance at work, and you couldn’t get let go. What is truly secure with a job and how is that more secure or less secure than having a business?

I would argue that having a business is more secure because you are in control of your clients and what you do. And you can always go get more clients or get more customers, whatever that is. But when I was working that job, it was hard because it was conflicting. Cause I had those fears around giving up that stability with the paycheck or what I thought was quote stability with the paycheck.

And I was nervous to jump into entrepreneurship because I had never considered entrepreneurship. I studied marketing PR in college, but I didn’t study business classes because I didn’t need to with my degree. And I thought I needed to have a fancy office. I was like, is that what a business is? I was really confused about how to get started.

I also liked the job that I had, even though I was starting to get burnt out, because we had a lot of changes. So, I was feeling guilty about it. And I was like, oh God, I don’t know if I want to leave my team, all these like conflicting emotions that were coming up, these fears, oh, I don’t know how to get started.

I don’t know how to make this transition. What if I fail? But sometimes I had been following some people online on social media, bloggers, YouTubers. I also read The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss, which completely shifted my productivity, even at a nine to five job. And I was getting more immersed in the mindset of being a digital entrepreneur, of being able to work and travel from anywhere.

And having that flexibility that even those previous travel jobs that I had working for these companies around the world, that was still tied to various locations. Me being able to be completely flexible was something that I was very much interested in. And I think that when you don’t have anyone surrounding you with your friends or you don’t know anyone personally that is doing this lifestyle.

This very unique alternative lifestyle of working online and traveling, which to us, I’m sure all of our people that we know now do this, but I know some people that you’re the first person that I’ve ever met that has an online business, which is so wild to me. So, when you’re not surrounded by other people that are doing this type of thing, it’s really helpful to kind of saturate your mind with people that are, whether that’s through books, podcasts, social media, courses, mentors, whatever it is, and really just understand how normal it can be and how possible it can be.

So, when I made that transition, I was in a pretty burnt-out place in my life and I had the opportunity to move with my roommate at the time to California. And I was like, you know what? I’m just going to California and I’m not going to apply for jobs. Cause I would look at nine to five job descriptions and I would get knots in my stomach.

Something’s telling me that I should just try just to see, just to figure it out. And I gave myself five months cause five months after I moved, I planned a trip to Southeast Asia. And I was like, I’ll do five months in California, go to Southeast Asia, come back. And then if nothing works out, I can always get a job and apply for jobs again.

But I’m just going to. See how it works and just figure it out. And I did. And I ended up getting my first freelance client right after I moved to California, which I was super excited about led to referrals for more clients doing social media marketing. And my business just kept growing and I met more people when I was traveling, which is a really good indicator of like, okay, I think I’m on the right path.

Cause when I was in Southeast Asia, I met people that hired me to do social media for them. And I’m like, this is really cool. Okay. I think I’m doing this. And it was pretty messy at the start. The first year I was all over the place because I had no direction. I didn’t know what I was doing, and I ended up figuring it out.

And then over time I just made a really sustainable business model. It’s what I’ve been doing for six and a half years now, and I’m still here.

Matt Bowles: Well, the first thing that I think is really important that you just mentioned is surrounding yourself with people that do this because a lot of people feel very isolated.

They don’t know anybody in person that does this. Their friends and family certainly don’t do this and oftentimes are not necessarily supportive or encouraging of it, or just maybe just don’t know enough about it. Not that they’re discouraging it, but they just don’t know anything about it because they don’t know anybody that does it.

And so, finding podcasts that you can listen to, that interview people, that do this, like The Maverick Show, like your podcast, is so important. And then starting to follow people on social media and then starting to read the books and just immersing yourself in a world so that even if you’re not physically in person surrounded by people that do it, you are now using the advantages of this digital age to surround and put into your mind and into your ears. People that do this over and over again to just kind of surround yourself with that.

So, I think that is the first step and I think it’s super important. And then what would you recommend Ally in terms of actual transitionary steps? Like somebody who’s like, okay, I work at these nine to five jobs. This is what I do. These are the skills that I have. I want to go out on my own. I want to have this location freedom. I want to become a digital nomad. I want to figure out how to create that income stream that can sustain that lifestyle for me.

What are the first steps that someone needs to take in terms of mindset, in terms of self-assessment, in terms of business plan? What do you advise them from nine to five? Moving into the transition.

Ally Archer: So, I think what is really helpful is to first determine what type of business and lifestyle that you want and how those will work together. So, I think figuring out what you want to do is step number one. And then I really highly recommend for every single person I know is freelancing.

And that’s what my book is about, I have a ton of content on my blog about it. My podcast is about freelancing. Anyone that has a skill that you can do that is online that a client will pay you for is something that you can do digitally as a nomad, get paid for it. And that is something that you can take with you anywhere.

And you don’t have to worry about physical products or inventory. It’s something that you can take whatever transferable skills that you have and do that online. So that’s what I would recommend is first saying, okay, what lifestyle do I want? How do I want to live with location dependence? What can I do online?

If I want to do freelancing, what skills do I have that I’m doing either at my current job or for fun, on the side, that other people say like, oh, have you ever thought about doing this? Like, Oh, you’re really good at X, Y, and Z. There’s so much that we have as multifaceted individuals that we can monetize a lot of the skills that we have, or we can learn skills that interest us and make money off of that.

And I think getting clear on that, getting clear on something that you can offer that someone will pay you for, that there’s actual need for that, and coming up with a way you can do it on a monthly, consistent basis, which I did not do at the start. I was hopping from gig to gig.

I think that’s really challenging, and it’s just really hard to have money and be confident about your income when it’s random. But if you can offer a service that you can offer on a monthly basis, then you’re able to think about, okay, so this is something I can do and I can replace my paychecks with freelancing.

Maybe you get two clients, three clients, four clients on the side and start building that up. And then at some point, then you have this like runway that you can go off of so that when you are ready to transition out of your nine to five job, then you have that cushion of income coming in consistently and then you’ll have that more free time to then go out and get more clients and go off and travel and do whatever you want to do.

So, I think just getting clear on the strategic side of things is really important. And then on the mindset side of things, like we talked about before, saturating your mind with other podcasts with other people, if you don’t know anyone personally.

Read books, watch YouTube videos of people that are, are digital nomads and get information and insights to experience of like, how do they think? How do they make decisions? How do they act and really step into that identity of being a digital entrepreneur. That’s going to help you so much to have a solid foundation so that when you quit that nine to five job, you’re ready. All you just need to do is just build from that point.

Matt Bowles: So, you mentioned that your first year, you were kind of all over the place, hustling and scrambling and trying to do what you could do to get that income. And then from there, you were able to really get things on track and really scale your business into something that makes you over six figures a year.

Can you talk about what some of those leverage points were? Some of those light bulbs that went on, some of the changes that you made and some of the key pillars to scaling a location independent business into a six-figure income like you did.

Ally Archer: So, when I was first starting, I was so grateful and so blessed to have all the clients I started out with. And I didn’t really think about how I would do even something as simple as my pricing. So, I guess I need to do an hourly rate. And I went off of what the client was like, okay, this is my budget. I’m like, okay, this is what I can do.

And so, then an hourly wait was really challenging because you have to fill the time. You’re still trading your time for money, which is challenging when you’re traveling, because say if you have a flight that day and you’re spending three hours in the airport, that’s three hours of time that you’re losing.

And on top of that, I was working with clients doing short term projects, working with them, like, oh, I have a two-month project doing some social media or some graphic design, but then it ended. And so that was really great to get that experience. But then what shifted for me was shifting into a flat rate pricing model, which is where you offer this service on a rolling monthly basis or monthly retainer, as a lot of people call it.

And you’re helping that client over time and you’re building that relationship. It’s a long-term relationship versus a short-term one-off thing. So that was the first shift that I made. I was like, okay, well, why don’t I just offer social media? So many businesses always need it. I don’t know why that didn’t click for so long.

I just assumed I had to be gig hopping with projects. And so that was the first biggest shift was the flat rate pricing model working with clients on a monthly basis. And then from there, it was getting clear on one signature service that I was going to offer, because for me, I had a lot of skills through my blog that I had been running for a couple of years at that point.

And with my marketing experience and just with stuff that I was learning that was all over the place, I was offering not just social media, but a whole list of things that I could do. When I got really clear and told people that, oh, I offer organic social media marketing for clients on a monthly basis.

If you can say it in one sentence, that’s the key. And then if you want to offer extra projects here on the side here and there, then that that’s okay. But if you are clear with what you do on a monthly basis for your service, you can say it in one sentence. You have one thing that you offer and it’s a flat rate that you can offer.

Those tiny little shifts make such a big difference because you are not just clear in what you do, you’re clear with what your clients know how to position you as, and they know how to like to refer you to people. But it also takes that scarcity mindset of like, oh, I always need to be filling up my income to support myself with like those hourly gigs and those gigs hopping sort of small projects. And it just technically replaces your paychecks in a way because you have that consistency. It makes things so much easier.

Matt Bowles: Okay, so let’s start with step one. In terms of the mindset, in terms of saturating yourself with content from people that are doing this and immersing in that, you have been travel blogging now for many years. Can you talk about the Go Seek Explore blog and what people can find when they go there?

Ally Archer: Actually, tomorrow, as of the day that we’re recording, this is my nine-year blogversary.

Matt Bowles: Wow. Congratulations. That’s amazing.

Ally Archer: I know. I’m like, am I considered one of the OGs? Because I was blogging before Instagram became a main blog point for some people.

That’s wild. But yeah, so my aim with Go Seek Explore was to help people create a work and travel lifestyle. So, when I started it, it was very much focused around my experiences working at travel jobs around the world. And after that, when I started my online business and started getting a lot more progress with the business and seeing growth with it, then I started talking about online business and how to start a freelance business or make money in line.

So basically, with Go Seek Explore, I have travel tips and destinations, that typical travel blog content that you might be familiar with. But my main focus of that is creating a work and travel lifestyle. So how can you blend travel and work? So that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing for so long, and it’s been really cool to see it grow over time and to get feedback from people and get emails from people that have said, hey, I read your blog. I found out it a year ago and now I’m working in Chile. Or I started my business and now I’m living in Bali, and it’s so cool to see. It reaching people on the other end and helping people navigate that work and travel lifestyle in a way that I feel like when I was getting started, there was no information about it. You just kind of had to figure it out.

Matt Bowles: Well, you are also hosting the Limitless Nomads Podcast. So, for podcast listeners, wherever you’re listening to this show, you can just type in Limitless Nomads Podcast and subscribe to Ally’s show as well. And when people do that, what can they expect there? What have you been up to with the podcast?

Ally Archer: So, the podcast is very much geared toward digital nomad life. So Limitless Nomad, I have a difference that I use in my book and also on my blog and my course is called Limitless Nomad versus Digital Nomad because as a Digital Nomad, you can still have a remote corporate job where you are more restricted in terms of time or sometimes location, but Limitless Nomad, that opens you up to limitless opportunities.

You’re your own business owner. You have full freedom of your schedule, your location, your time, the money that you bring in. And so that podcast is very much geared toward people that want to live that limitless nomad life in that want to start a business, grow a business and all the mindset and strategy tips surrounded an online business.

And then I throw in some lifestyle stuff in there for fun. That’s like a bit like day in the life of a digital nomad, that sort of thing to kind of give people a more well-rounded experience. But the core focus of that is to help people create or grow their online business.

Matt Bowles: Well, I was recently a guest on your podcast. We will link that up in the show notes. If folks want to hear me and you jamming with the tables turned, that was a super fun episode. And I love what you are up to with the podcast. The other thing, the big project, the big announcement is that you are dropping a book. Tell us about the Infinite Entrepreneur, how to break free from monotony and launch a digital limitless work from anywhere business.

Ally Archer: Yes, it is so exciting that that book is coming out so soon, June 1st of 2023. And this book is something I’ve been working on for a while because I have. Learned so much about starting and growing a freelance business service-based business over the years while traveling and living a digital nomad lifestyle that I wish I had when I was getting started.

So, this book is designed for anyone that is wanting to transition out of that nine to five and have a solid foundation for their freelance business that they can run from anywhere in the world, whether that’s at home or while traveling. And also, for anyone that wants to maybe add on another income stream to their lifestyle, if they’re not seeing that consistency with their income, that freelancing is a really helpful way, especially with the strategies I recommend in the to create that consistency to support your nomad lifestyle.

But what I love about the book is that I wanted to do it a little bit differently because it’s a nonfiction book. It’s a business book, but in no offense to some business books, sometimes business books are not the most exciting. Sometimes they can be a little dry and they’re so helpful.

Every business book I’ve read, I’ve taken away so much valuable information. But I just want to be excited about something more than just making money. And so, I think what is so valuable about my book is that every chapter starts out with a narrative travel story. It’s a true story from my previous travels.

And then I transitioned that story into the business steps. That story is related to the actual action steps that will guide you in starting and growing your business. And I did that strategically one because of marketing psychology and the sense of you remember stories and retain that information more and so I want people to remember these.

I want to be valuable and remember the book and what they learned from it for years, but also because I think it’s important. A lot more exciting and interesting to read about travel. And it’s more motivating, at least to me personally, to talk about travel, read about travel, and then be motivated to work on my business that supports that travel.

So, it’s definitely unique for being on the business shelf, but I’m so excited about it. I’m really proud of it. And for anyone that wants to have a step-by-step roadmap, a step-by-step guide on what to do, when, what to focus on at the early stages of your business, as you’re growing it later on, if you want to start hiring a team, expand out into other income streams that are digital, build your personal brand. I have all the tips laid out.

Matt Bowles: I was very impressed with the book. I got an advance copy, and I love the way that you integrate those travel experiences with the business advice, because that’s basically what I do with this podcast, right? I have. amazing location, independent entrepreneurs on the show. And we talk about a combination of travel stories and experiences and how to build the businesses that allow us to lead these lives.

So, I think you have done a really fantastic job with that in the book. And I liked the way the book is structured and the way it’s laid out, very professionally edited, really top notch. Can you take us a little bit, actually, behind the scenes on your experience writing and publishing your first book.

What was your writing process and it’s in your mind and you want to do it to book is now in your hand as a hardcover book.

Ally Archer: Well, first, thank you so much for the kind words about the book. I’m so happy to hear that positive feedback because I know that you’re one of the advanced copy readers. So, thank you.

I’ve worked really hard on it over the past couple of years, but the process. I’ve always loved writing and it’s always been such a creative outlet for me with my blog. I don’t just do social media and everything. Like one of the purposes of why I started my blog is because I love to write. I love to help people and give advice as well and inspire people.

And so, it was actually during the pandemic where I had been wanting to write a book. I think this will be a good time because we weren’t able to travel. I’m like, this would be a good time to start writing about a book. And I was thinking about what would be valuable because I love to write about travel stories, but I’m thinking there was such a need for people to transition working online because everyone.

Was working online or using the internet during the pandemic and having an online business is what really saved me. My business grew so much during the pandemic, and I was super grateful for that, but it’s because I was able to do it online. So, I started writing and I needed some guidance, and I ended up joining, I don’t know if you’re familiar with Hay House, a publisher. They have business books and spiritual books, self-development books, and they have a writer’s group. And it was like a five-day free challenge. And then you can join their membership. Then I ended up doing the challenge. It was really helpful. I joined the membership and they had like these live zoom calls where they give you feedback.

And then I got really serious. Like that was something that was a commitment to like, get serious about writing. And then they ended up having a contest where if you win the contest, you get a book deal with them. I got an honorable mention, so I didn’t win the book deal. And I was like, oh, it was so close, but it was okay.

Um, I kept refining my work. I got really good feedback from the editors. And then I started reaching out to agents. I was talking to agents. And then I looked at the timeline. You’re getting a book traditionally published, and it was about nine to 18 months on average once you get a book publisher. And I was like, I’m getting impatient because I had been working on my book for a while.

And I ended up finishing the manuscript when I was traveling last year. And I was like, I think I might just self-publish it. I just had this big feeling of, I need to get this message out there. I had this urgency to get more people to read this book. And I knew that it would come with more challenges because I would have to navigate a lot of the process by myself.

But I ended up hiring freelancers to do the editing design, all that sort of thing. And I felt really confident in the material and the manuscript that I had written and got really good feedback from my editor and my designers and everything and ended up just figuring it out using a distributor with IngramSpark, if anyone’s familiar with them and Amazon, and now it’s available worldwide.

Matt Bowles: Well, I love just the angle that you took about doing all of this stuff yourself first, testing all the things out, figuring out the blueprint for how to build a successful location, independent business, how to travel the world and build a digital nomad lifestyle. And then turning around and teaching other people how to do exactly what you did from the position that you were in.

And so, I think that is the best way to teach, the best way to add value. And that’s exactly what you did with this book. And it is very well written. It’s very fun to read. And it’s integrating travel stories and everything else. And so, you can just sort of breath through it and come away with a lot of value.

So, we will link it up in the show notes. So, folks can go to the show notes for this episode of themaverickshow.com. And there you will find the direct link for how to get Ally’s book.

Ally, let me ask you one more question and then we’ll wrap this up and move into the lightning round. When you think back now about all the travel that you’ve done, 45 countries and the experiences that you’ve had. What impact do you think all of that has had on you as a person? What does travel mean to you today?

Ally Archer: To me now, travel is just part of who I am. I’m so passionate about travel and I can’t imagine living a life where I just completely stopped traveling. And to me, my online business is what directly supports that.

So, I’m super grateful for the opportunities that we have online to work abroad. Work online and travel. And I think what’s really cool about all these travel opportunities is that I’ve had to go all over the world, six continents. Now at this point, hopefully Antarctica will happen at some point, but it’s cool to just see all these different cultures and the different experiences and meet people from all over the world and realize that we’re all the same at our core.

And we all want the same things we want to be passionate about what we do. We want to be healthy and happy and live a good life and experience new things. And so, travel has really given me a really solid perspective on the world in general, a really positive outlook on the world. And it also, I feel so connected to it that it’s just part of who I am.

Matt Bowles: All right. Ally, at this point, are you ready to move in to the lightning round?

Ally Archer: I’m ready. Let’s do it.

Matt Bowles: Let’s do it.

What is one book, other than your own, that has significantly impacted you over the years you’d most recommend other people should check out? The

Ally Archer: The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss was something that really shifted my perspective on what success means and how to define success outside the corporate ladder.

And I think that just not only are the productivity tips alone really helpful, but just the mindset of like, well, what do you want to do with your life? And what are you passionate about? And how can you create a lifestyle that supports you traveling and living that life? Like how you can think in a different way than what the typical societal narrative is and design a life that makes you happy and most passionate.

Matt Bowles: All right, Ally, what is one travel hack that you use that you can recommend?

Ally Archer: I really think traveling carry on only is really helpful, but I will admit I don’t do it every time because the more camera equipment I have, or if I bring my podcasting mic or my DJ headphones, I’m like, oh, I have so many things.

But I will say if you can travel carry on only, then I highly recommend it because it saves you so much time at the airport. You don’t have to worry about checking. If you can check it online, it’s so much faster. You don’t have to worry about getting your luggage lost or having someone walk away with your luggage that you don’t know looks like theirs, it makes the travel experience a lot smoother.

So, while I don’t personally do it every single time, I do recommend it if you can at all costs.

Matt Bowles: And as you know, I am on team carry on for sure. So, I love that tip. All right, Ali, if you could have dinner with any one person who’s currently alive today that you’ve never met, just you in that person for an evening of dinner and conversation, who would you pick?

Ally Archer: I know we’re going to use the Tim Ferriss card with The 4-Hour Workweek, but I think it would be interesting to meet him. He himself has met with so many different people with this podcast. So, it would be cool to learn about his lifestyle on a more personal basis.

Matt Bowles: Alright, Ally, knowing everything that you know now, if you could go back in time and give one piece of advice to your 18-year-old self, what would you say to 18-year-old Allie?

Ally Archer: I would say to really follow your intuition on things because it’s hard when you have logic in your mind, cloud, your actual guiding force, which is your intuition. I call it in my book, your inner compass, follow your inner compass, because it’s like this GPS tracker in your body, essentially, that really just helps you steer you toward what you’re supposed to be doing in life, what feels most purposeful and what feels best.

And I think I would have I would have maybe done some of the travel stuff a little earlier with my business and everything, I wouldn’t have been as afraid to leap into the unknown because my intuition, my guiding force, my inner compass was like really pushing me toward that. And I think if I had let go of some of that fear and imposter syndrome around starting my business, I don’t know if I would have grown it faster or anything. It’s more about enjoying that process a little bit more if I just trust it and didn’t have my logical fear get in the way. So, I think that’s what I would probably tell my 18-year-old self.

Matt Bowles: All right, Ally, of all the places you’ve now traveled, what are three of your favorite destinations you would most recommend other people should definitely check out?

Ally Archer: Number one is Argentina. It is phenomenal. I went to Argentina last year for the first time and after I went to Brazil, that was my main purpose of that trip. And then Argentina, I was like, oh, we’ll go check out Buenos Aires and hear really good things. I fell in love with that city. And then I extended my trip to go to Bariloche.

I went home and then I went back to Argentina and spent about a month going all over the country. It’s just such an amazing country. So many different things to do. So, I highly recommend Argentina. And I think number two is Greece. Greece is one of my all-time favorite countries in the world.

I went three times in a one-year period. I’m obsessed with Mediterranean summer. I love all the Greeks I met. They’re so nice, and they’re so friendly, and they’re so cool. They’re so cool, and so fun, and I love Greek food. Greek food is so fresh, it’s so delicious, and that’s just one of my favorite places in the world.

Number three, I would say is Mexico. Love Mexico. I’ve been to a bunch of different places in Mexico. It’s such a massive country and there’s so many different subcultures throughout. And Mexico City is phenomenal, especially if you love food. And I think even beyond Mexico City, the beaches on either West coast, East coast are just super beautiful. And the locals there are so friendly too. So, it’s so hard to narrow it down.

Matt Bowles: I love those picks, and Argentina is actually really a special place for me as well because I started my nomad journey in Buenos Aires. So, when I left LA, I flew to Buenos Aires and spent three months there as the very first destination.

And I have been back many times since to Argentina and have seen some other parts of it as well. When you went out to Bariloche, did you go in the summertime or the wintertime?

Ally Archer: I went in the summertime. So, it was March.

Matt Bowles: Okay, so I don’t know if you are a skier, but the best skiing in South America is Argentine Patagonia. And you can ski the Andes, and I went to Bariloche in the winter and went skiing there, and you’re just overlooking the whole lakes region and you’re on these epic mountains in the Andes. And it was just absolutely incredible. And the parishes out there, the steak houses are as good as they are in Buenos Aires from my experience. So, I love that. And then have you been out to Mendoza to the wine region?

Ally Archer: Yes. Mendoza is phenomenal. It was so great. And then we also went to Salta as well.

Matt Bowles: Okay. And then have you also been up to the Iguazu waterfalls?

Ally Archer: Yes. But I visited from the Brazil side.

Matt Bowles: Okay. You can see it from three countries, right? I’ve only been from the Argentine side, but truly just mind blowingly spectacular. I went to high school in Buffalo, New York, right next to Niagara Falls. And so, I was very familiar with Niagara Falls. And then I went to Iguazu, and I was like, oh, this is entirely different type of situation here. I think it’s like 2.7 kilometers of consecutive waterfalls in the jungle. And it’s just creating all of these rainbows and stuff. And I was just like, what in the world is this? So super magical country, totally agree on Argentina.

Ally Archer: It’s so great for me too. It was unexpected about how much I was going to not just love Buenos Aires, but then talked to other travelers that were there and even talk to locals that were like, oh, have you been to who Hui in the Northwest?

Like you have to check that out. And then I was like, okay. Looking at, you know, people’s Instagram stories. I’m like, I need to go. And I was like, I’m already flying home. I have already sent him on a trip to Bariloche. I’m just going to come back. So, I went home, bought a flight the second I got home and went back to Argentina and didn’t regret it for a second.

I think that’s one of the beauties of just traveling in general is like when you go to a place, oh, I’ll check out this destination. And then just having that unexpected love for that country, just overwhelming of like, oh, I didn’t realize how amazing this was. And I think that happens more often than you think the more you travel.

Matt Bowles: Yeah. I was actually invited to speak at a nomad conference called the nomads BA conference that they hold in Buenos Aires now. And it was really cool because I got to basically in my keynote talk, say, this is where I started my nomad journey and have like a picture of me in Buenos Aires in 2013. And then I’m back there now.

And it was really this full circle experience, but they do this nomads BA conference. You should look into that and check it out. I think you’d be a super great speaker at an event like that. And it would be really fun. And if cool way to get back to Buenos Aires. So, you should definitely check that out, but there’s an incredible nomad community there as well.

It’s really socially organized in terms of meetups, in terms of all this kind of stuff. So, if you want to connect with other travelers, but it’s also just massive city, super great place to connect with locals, a lot of very culturally distinct different barrios as you go around from Recoleta to La Boca to Palermo and these different places, very different vibes.

And just amazing late-night culture every night, tango dancing everywhere, outdoors, all this. I mean, it’s just wild. You just have to go to experience it.

Ally Archer: It’s so fun. You’re making me want to go back again.

Matt Bowles: All right, Ally, last question. I want to know your top three bucket list destinations, places you have not yet been highest on your list. You’d most love to see.

Ally Archer: Okay, this is easy for me, because they’ve been on my list forever. So, number one, the Egyptian pyramids, or just Egypt in general, because there’s so much beyond the pyramids I would love to see. Always been super fascinated with ancient Egyptian culture, I think a lot of people are, so definitely number one on my list.

Number two is South Africa, or even just in general, African safari. Always been something I’ve been really wanting to do, and I think it’s coming up soon. I think I’ll finally make that happen. And then number three, I would say is Tahiti. It just seems. It’s absolutely stunning. All the pictures I’ve seen are just phenomenal looking.

And I’m sure, you know, too, as a traveler, when you go to someplace in person, it’s just photos don’t do it justice. Videos don’t do it justice. Being in there in person is always so much better. So, the photos of Tahiti being so beautiful, I can’t imagine actually, being there just surrounded by so much beauty.

Matt Bowles: Well, I lived in Egypt for about a year. So, when you go there, if you want some tips, definitely hit me up. And then I’ve done a couple of safaris in Africa. The most recent one I just did this past year in Tanzania, which was completely amazing. We went through the Serengeti. We went to the Ngorongoro Crater, and we took a hot air balloon over the Serengeti.

So, you’re like floating along complete silence and you’re just watching all of these animals below you, like hippos jumping out of the water. It was wild. And then you land and then they hand you a glass of champagne when you land. And it was just like totally wild. So, it hit me up when you’re ready to plan that trip.

Ally Archer: A hundred percent, because that sounds exactly something I would want to do. That’s so up my alley. Oh, hot air balloon ride has been on my list for a long time, but doing that over the Serengeti, I can’t imagine.

Matt Bowles: Yeah, at sunrise when the sun is coming up. I mean just totally amazing, So I’ll give you all the tips when you’re ready to plan that.

So, Ally, I want you to let folks know at this point how they can first of all get a copy of your book and then also find you read your blog listen to your podcast connect with you on social media. How do you want people to come into your world?

Ally Archer: Yeah, so my book comes out June 1st and it’s called Infinite Entrepreneur. So, if you go to infiniteentrepreneur.co, that website will have all the links where you can get the book online, whether that’s through Amazon, Barnes and Noble online, or Booktopia if you’re Australia, New Zealand. So, there’s like global links as well.

And so that has all that information, summary of the book, what it’s about, you can get everything there. And if you order before June 1st, send me confirmation of your receipt or your order email, and I will send you some special pre order bonuses. So that’s a nice, exciting thing.

And then as far as social media goes, I’m Ally Archer, A-L-L-Y on all platforms, except for TikTok, which is the Ally Archer because someone got to TikTok before me, and my blog is goseekexplore.com. So find me anywhere, connect with me, send me a DM. If you have any questions about traveling, I’m so down to talk about travel.

Matt Bowles: We are going to link all of that up in one place. Just go to themaverickshow.com, go to the show notes for this episode. There you are going to find direct links to Ally’s book, her blog, her podcast, her social media handles, and everything else that we have discussed on this episode.

Ally, this was so amazing. I think you’re inspiring. I think you’re doing incredible things. I think you’re awesome. Thank you for coming on the show.

Ally Archer: Thank you so much for having me. It’s been so fun.

Matt Bowles: All right. Good night, everybody.