The OpenWorld Podcast: Live Without Limits

How to Do Business in China

Nick Ramil is a location-independent entrepreneur based out of Guangzhou, China. Nick and his parter Tim are entrepreneur trainers and co-founders of  The Elevator Life, which helps expats and digital nomads set up successful businesses in China. They have also co-founded Enter China, a mastermind and networking group for China-based expat entrepreneurs.

Nick believes that China provides the biggest opportunity for entrepreneurs to succeed and thrive, and in the interview he shares why.

Some of his credentials:

He has been living, working, and doing business in China for over five years.

Created two physical product companies in China.

He has coached multiple entrepreneurs to creating successful six-figure businesses in just one month.

Nick and Tim took his company, Vincero Watches, from idea to successfully crowdfunding $132,349 on Kickstarter in Just 3-4 months. They also made the transition from successful crowdfund campaign to a sustainable business.

From his time in the trenches doing business in China, Nick has learned the hard lessons and developed a system and process that, if followed, can help entrepreneurs be successful in China (which can also work anywhere).

Some concepts we discuss in the interview...

Big Concept: Validation. You can have a great idea, but you need to validate it as soon as possible, before you begin marketing, creating the product, or adding staff. Many entrepreneurs start building out their business before validating a demand for a product.

Why it's SO important to uniquely position your business before you even start. Think about how you can be unique and bake that into the product.

The personality traits needed to succeed as an entrepreneur and why being reluctant to share your ideas is a HUGE mistake.

How important it is to become a part of a supportive community of entrepreneurs, ESPECIALLY if you want to start a business in China.

The "Rip, Pivot, Jam" approach (coined by Dan and Ian of Tropical MBA) to starting a profitable business from scratch.

Rip – Identify if others in the niche are already making money from it

Pivot – Bring it to a new market, or take a new approach

Jam – Crash the boards with 100% energy

Also discussed in the interview, we talk about how teaching English is a viable way to break into China. You can work part-time, as Nick did, teaching 15 hours a week and be able to completely support yourself. For a reputable ESL and English teacher placement program in China that we endorse and recommend, check out New Life ESL. Also check out DavesESLcafe.com as a trusted resource with information about teaching.

Check out Nick and Tim's helpful video series here.

Nick shared a lot of great insights and war stories from his experiences. Enjoy the interview!

How to Do Business in China Nick Ramil is a location-independent entrepreneur based out of Guangzhou, China. Nick and his parter Tim are entrepreneur trainers and co-founders of  The Elevator Life, which helps expats and digital nomads set up successful businesses in China. They have also co-founded Enter China, a mastermind and networking group for China-based expat entrepreneurs. Nick […]

Tom Edwards, friend of the animal kingdom.

In this episode, I have a blast talking travel with Tom Edwards, the globetrotting blogging musician behind Tune Up and Travel.

Tom left behind the sedentary life in small-town Ohio for a life of adventure and travel. Leaving behind a corporate career with Verizon, he picked up a guitar, summoned two friends, and hit the road.

Woefully unprepared, and with pipe dreams, they quickly encountered the harsh reality: the world was bigger than they'd imagined, and travel isn't all white sands and beaches, especially for three young Ohio musicians on a budget.

Among other things, he's train-hopped, busked as a street musician, and slept under bridges. He's been adopted by pet emus and been drug along (no pun intended) for business deals with Swiss drug lords while hitchhiking.

What's unique and special about Tom is how he applies good humor and a general magnanimity to whatever situation life (or the world at large) presents. He has a "take it as it comes" attitude and we can all learn something from his example.

Some of the things we talk about:

Important life lessons Tom has learned from romping around the world

How travel changes you and makes you a different person

Tom's best advice for earning money remotely as a freelancer

Why you should never accept food from an emu (hint: mute this part if you're squeamish)

Tom's most interesting and hilarious travel accounts

Plus more!

Tom and his friends paid their dues and made many sacrifices, but gained something much more.

We had a great rapport during this interview as we discuss the exhilarating highs and lows of this lifestyle, and share a few laughs. Enjoy! :)

In this episode, I have a blast talking travel with Tom Edwards, the globetrotting blogging musician behind Tune Up and Travel. Tom left behind the sedentary life in small-town Ohio for a life of adventure and travel. Leaving behind a corporate career with Verizon, he picked up a guitar, summoned two friends, and hit the road. Woefully unprepared, […]

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My Life as a World Nomad with Justin Alexander

The Land That Time Forgot - What I've Witnessed in the Tibetan Kingdom of Lo

#1 Mike Spencer Bown, the Patron Saint of Backpackers

Another exciting podcast interview brought to you by OpenWorld Magazine!

"Into the great unknown

I go boldly."

- Justin Alexander

His name is Justin Alexander. He had it all, but he was unhappy. A high-school dropout, Justin quit his highly lucrative position at a tech startup two years ago, “retiring at 32” to “travel indefinitely.”

During his many travels around the world, he has lived (with loin cloth and spear) amongst the indigenous Mentawai tribe, visited the ancient kingdom of Lo in Tibet, and been adopted by a Thai family. He's lived as a monk, learnt Muay Thai spells to make one invincible, and trekked the Himalayas in flip-flops.

Throughout his many adventures, Justin has always tested the boundaries of his limits and pushed beyond his edge.

Some of the many things we discuss in this interview:

His path from homelessness to having it all, and why he threw it away to become a nomad.

How to be a real-life "action hero" of your own life.

How to live free and pursue your passions

What he's learnt about humanity and life in the most remote corners of the globe

How fear - and the unknown - defines you

Connect with Justin on Facebook.

If you enjoy this interview please consider leaving us a review (on a computer, click "View in iTunes," and then "Reviews and Ratings."

You might also like: Another exciting podcast interview brought to you by OpenWorld Magazine! “Into the great unknown I go boldly.” – Justin Alexander His name is Justin Alexander. He had it all, but he was unhappy. A high-school dropout, Justin quit his highly lucrative position at a tech startup two years ago, “retiring at 32” to “travel […]

Meet Andrew Ferebee.

At the start of 2013, Andrew was a disgruntled employee at Target. He dreaded facing each day. He woke up far too early to commute to a job he hated. He even came close to driving himself off a bridge in frustration.

In spite of it everything, he knew he was destined for more.

Flash forward a year later and Andrew's podcast, Knowledge for Men, has reached #1 in iTunes "New and Noteworthy." He wrote several posts on his blog, knowledgeformen.com, which went viral, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Andrew has created his own “lifestyle business” and become master of his own destiny. Most importantly, he found out what makes people "tick" and how we all face the same universal urges and challenges. In the interview he shares his strategy for publishing online successfully.

Topics range from:

How to generate great ideas

How to earn an extra $500 - $1,000 a month with Kindle Direct Publishing

How to write viral content

How to build a successful podcast

How to smash through fear, rejection, and failure to find the success you want

Valuable life lessons from martial arts

And much more...

Meet Andrew Ferebee. At the start of 2013, Andrew was a disgruntled employee at Target. He dreaded facing each day. He woke up far too early to commute to a job he hated. He even came close to driving himself off a bridge in frustration. In spite of it everything, he knew he was destined for […]

Sean Perez of Guam is an experienced world-traveler and polyglot. While living in Taiwan, he became conversationally fluent in Mandarin in only 4 months. A self-professed language fanatic, he's now fluent in 7 languages, and is shooting for 10, studying 3 more!

Sean has developed an unconventional approach to learning languages which allows anyone, regardless of their experience at previous attempts at language learning, to easily learn a target language.

Things shared in the interview:

The mindset needed to be successful

How to make learning fun

The reasons most people fail when it comes to language-learning

The best language-learning tool

A powerful technique to improve your memory

Why mistakes are vital

The importance of phonemes, mnemonics, cognates, and more.

Resources mentioned during the interview:

Italki - Language exchange website where you can contact and interact with teachers in any language.

Anki - Digital flash-cards for self-study (available for free on Mac or PC)

Enjoy the interview! Please share your thoughts by leaving us a comment.

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How I'm able to pick up languages so quickly

In this episode I was interviewed by business executive coach Robert Atkinson about my entrepreneurial journey over the last several years, designing a lifestyle business which allowed me to travel around the world for 4 years. I share some of the most important lessons and experiences that I've learned, things others have taught me, and things I discovered along the way.

It took a lot of work and sacrifice, and I’ve fumbled along making one mistake after another. But I eventually managed to make almost every single “dream goal” I've set for myself reality. I’ve experienced the most thrilling highs and the most humbling lows imaginable. And from it all I’ve developed the knowledge, experience, and the process which makes it all possible.

Here are some of the keys to success we talk about:

How to adapt your business to support your lifestyle

Why it’s so vital to know and live your core values

How mentors change your life and expand your success

The power of showing up and living each moment

This interview was initially conducted last year (2013) while I was living in Thailand, running my digital advertising business remotely and working only 10 hours a week. Some of the seeds from this interview would go on to form the basis of my forthcoming book. If you want to learn the basis for setting up a location-independent business that allows you to support your dream lifestyle, then this interview is a great place to start!