Embracing Global Freelancing: Opportunities and Challenges in Borderless Business

A Future Is Freelance podcast with Maya Middlemiss

Welcome aboard, for a journey into the realm of global freelancing.

Ever wondered about the freedom to live anywhere, work in your pajamas, and not be tied to a 9-to-5 schedule? Living the dream, right?
But hang on… What about your client's schedule - and their language, preferences and priorities?

Maya discusses how to make the most of geoarbitrage, the growing number of digital nomad visas, and the fact that this lifestyle is not necessarily forever - you can change your mind if it's not right for you. And you can change clients too, as a freelancer, the ultimate remote work freedom.

As appealing as it may sound, working across time zones and cultures isn't always a breeze. So this podcast tackles the intricacies of navigating cultural and time zone differences in the modern global economy, and some of the unexpected things you might have to consider in new ways, once you start working with clients you never see “IRL.”

Of course there are tools and practices to help you overcome some of these potential hurdles, such as asynchronous collaboration. But just because your client has hired you from another continent, it doesn’t mean they are good at co-ordinating and managing that relationship either, in fact as the freelancer, you might be the expert here.

Above all, you ‘ll need to take a long hard look at any cultural assumptions and ways of thinking which you might not realise are cultural. It’s not just about language - the styles of communication, the level of directness, the level of context needed, and the way different nations learn to debate and discuss, can all be very different (for further insight on this Maya recommends Erin Meyer's The Culture Map - but for now, just don’t assume your way is the only way.)

Clarity will always win out, and a default to over-communication. Working with people in different countries and cultures has its challenges, but it really is amazingly rewarding and interesting, so tune in to unpack some of the nuances, and then consider casting your net a little wider next time you’re pitching for new freelance work!