I put together this list of resources to provide you with top notch recommendations for either growing your business or for becoming a location independent digital nomad. I have used every recommendation on this page! Most of the resources listed below have been crucial to running my business. I’m the type who’s normally super risk averse and would rather not increase my expenses, but I have found that these business tools have taken my brand to the next level. Now I understand the importance of investing in tools, which is the reason why I recommend to you the following resources below.
Disclosure: Some of these links are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I use all the companies/products listed and I recommend them! If you would like to support this website in some way, using these links will help do exactly that. Also, please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them and that they will help you achieve your goals.
Make Money Online
Start Your Own Blog
Want to become a blogger? You’ll need to start a website which basically requires two components: a domain and a hosting plan to make the domain come alive.
HOSTGATOR (Website Hosting)
I use Hostgator for my hosting needs. I recommend it because you can get a super sweet deal if you go with the Baby Plan, which lets you create unlimited domains! I recommend buying it for 3 years because the discount only applies on your first purchase. The customer support has been great as well and I’ve been able to get my questions answered.
NAMECHEAP (Purchasing Your Domain)
I personally use Namecheap (if you would like, use my link here), and have found it is affordable, simple to use, reliable, and the customer support is great.
TEACHABLE (#1 Online Course Creation Platform)
Teachable is my favorite tool for building online courses as it’s easy to use and you don’t need to learn code to set up your courses. It also allows you to create sales pages, build affiliate programs, and upload multimedia options for course material:
CONVERTKIT (#1 E-mail Marketing Platform)
ConvertKit is my favorite tool for e-mail marketing. ConvertKit allows you to manage your email list, set up autoresponders, as well as create landing pages and forms easily.
THRIVE ARCHITECT (Landing Page Builder)
I was looking for a landing page builder that didn’t incur a recurring expense. Luckily Thrive Architect has an option that allows you to buy the license once rather than pay monthly for the tool. ConvertKit allows you to create landing pages on top of its email marketing options, but Thrive Architect allows for more customizability and long form sales pages.
TAILWIND (#1 Pinterest Scheduler)
Tailwind is what I use to schedule my Pinterest posts. If you go under “courses” on this page, the course Pinterest Traffic Avalanche taught me how to use Tailwind to quicken my Pinterest scheduling efforts and boost my traffic. I found Tailwind to save me 10x time and I literally can’t run my business without it.
Make Money Online On Marketplaces
ETSY (Create Your First Etsy Store)
You can make great passive income through Etsy (check out my guides here). Sell your own handmade creations! I sell digital downloads to make passive income. If you’d like to open your own Etsy shop, you can use my link here which gives you a free 40 listings (and provides me with 40 free listings as well).
PRINT-ON-DEMAND – (Make Passive Income Through Shirts)
Merch by Amazon, Redbubble, and Teepublic are platforms I currently sell on. If you want to sell on Teepublic, sign up through my link here.
Courses that Work
THE ETSY ENTREPRENEUR (Make $1,000/mo. in Passive Income)
If you want the complete blueprint on how to make an extra $1,000/month in passive income on Etsy, check out my course, the Etsy Entrepreneur:
PINTEREST TRAFFIC AVALANCHE (Skyrocket Your Blog Traffic)
I purchased Pinterest Traffic Avalanche a while back to understand how to use Pinterest to boost my blog traffic. I’ve been able to 3X my blog traffic and improve my Alexa Traffic rank threefold as well. I’ve made a thorough review of the course here, please check it out.
SIX FIGURE BLOGGER (Monetize Your Blog)
Six Figure Blogger is another course from the Create and Go series that taught me how to create digital products and market them through email sequences and sales pages.
LEARN PLAN PROFIT (Day Trading Course)
Learn Plan Profit is a great course by Ricky Gutierrez that teaches how to day trade and start making money. I’m currently not as focused on day trading as I have been building up my brand. However I learned so much from the course and advocate it, and I give my review on the course here.
Digital Nomad / Travel Necessities
Travel Insurance
I had the Patriot Plan Travel Medical Insurance with IMG plan and bought 1 year with $250 deductibles and a $500k max limit (I paid $396 but their plan pricing may change).
Travel Gear
Here is some of the travel gear I used during my 2 years of travel as a digital nomad.
Camera and Recording Equipment
Here is the camera and recording equipment I use. The Sony A6500 + the Sigma lens is for more professional videos. The Canon G7X Mark II & microphone are for my vlogs
AIRBNB (Book Accommodations or Start Your AirBnB Business)
Out of all booking sites, I use AirBnB the most for booking accommodations (if you would like, use my link here to receive 15% off your first booking – up to $415 off).
AirBnB allows you to travel for a more affordable rate, and you can get monthly discounts when booking through the platform. Generally when you’re nomading, you’re going to travel slower (at least month-to-month) because you don’t want to wear yourself out which is why those monthly discounts come in handy.
Also, you can create an AirBnB business for passive income. Check out this interview I did of someone who created his own guesthouse in Korea through AirBnB and makes a full-time income from it.
Books for Inspiration & Education
- Rich Dad Poor Dad – This book provides financial fundamentals and demonstrates a bigger picture view of how you should look at your income, assets, liabilities, expenses, and ultimately…your life! It really pushed me off my ass to work towards a lifestyle change of location independence and ultimately financial independence. This type of lifestyle will help me travel more long term.
- 4-Hour Workweek – This book gave me a better understanding of how smart thinking and extreme hustle can pave the way for a “4-hour workweek”. It gave me more of an understanding of what it means to be a digital nomad and to be location independent. Both this book and Rich Dad Poor Dad changed my way of thinking, and in my opinion, helped me see my life more clearly and showed me that travel can be a way of life.
Hope this helps! Please e-mail me at sharon@digitalnomadquest.com if you have questions 🙂