Success Stories

Success Story: Becoming a Digital Nomad

By
Hannah Curran
|
August 15, 2017

Jerry Nelson is an American freelance writer now living the expat life in Argentina. Those two features bring you benefits: quality writing at an affordable price. His work is fast, good and cheap. Hire him for your content and reporting needs on Fiverr Pro. I'm the guy you read about. You know the ads. The ones that offer the chance to "live in paradise while you make a living from your balcony, overlooking the sun-dappled ocean.

"Ok. I'm not "that" guy -- specifically. My life is close though, and Fiverr makes it possible. I'm a 61-year-old American freelance writer living the expat life in Buenos Aires. Alejandra's and my condo overlooks Rio de Plata, and we do have a balcony where I frequently write.

When I'm not on the balcony, you can find me at any of hundreds of sidewalk cafes. For the price of a cup of coffee, about 35 pesos, I can occupy a table all day and work as much as I want. But life hasn't always been like this. In another life, I've traveled to -- and worked in -- 155 nations as a U.S. sailor and freelance photojournalist.

I've lived with the Aborigines in Australia's outback, broke bread, for six weeks, with the Sinaloa cartel along the American border, got caught in a buffalo stampede in Cusick, Washington, sailed a 16th-century schooner through the inlet and into the open ocean. I've worked at Hemingway's table in Paris, met two Presidents of the US inside the Oval Office and married in a Cherokee PowWow in Tennessee along the Trail of Tears.

In addition to all that, I still had to find my own clients, prepare invoices and all the other things that can throw freelancing into the common rubble of banality. Life has been fun. I've laughed, I've loved, I've traveled and, like the song says, I've lost a wife and a girlfriend somewhere along the way. A Thomas S. Monson quote fits: "The door of history turns on small hinges, and so do people's lives.” Two important hinges appeared. A gorgeous, Argentine blond who became my wife and Fiverr which became my accountant, cheerleader, coach, PR agency, and website provider.

Fiverr Provides the Solution

Our original plan had been for Alejandra to move to the USA. My work base was in America, and I was established. How would I make a living in Argentina? I don't speak Spanish and, other than Ale, I didn't know anyone. We saw the challenges as insurmountable. Yes, we'd visit Buenos Aires one day, and I could meet her friends, but first, we needed to get Ale to America, settled in and then we could think about touring Argentina.Life's door swung, and I moved to the land of tango. The "Paris of the South" as it's known.

Didn't know Spanish. Still don't.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFb7TQgoFkg&feature=youtu.be<Cue the William Tell Overture> Fiverr to the rescue. I initially signed up with Fiverr years ago, but never did much with it. I wasn't having any problem finding clients.

I was able to manage my bookkeeping and marketing as well.At the right time, the door swung again and Fiverr reached out. I thought the service would be worth a second look. After a couple of interviews and a review of my work, background, and samples, I was welcomed into the Fiverr Pro arena.Now my days are taken up on the balcony or a cafe. I get some work done, and about noon I call it a day. Together Ale and I explore South America, but I can't stop working. I like what I do too much.

Ale and I have gone horseback riding in Patagonia, watched the sun come up in Pinamar, and visited the world's largest Oktoberfest outside of Germany.We've covered the Papal inauguration, made friends with some of the Falklands War veterans, and spent a night in a cabin once owned by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

So how do I continue living? One word. Fiverr. Fiverr isn't my largest client base, but it's close, and it's the most consistent. Team Fiverr has been great. It's a cliché to say they've been awesome, but sometimes the truth is buried in a cliché. Trisha, my success agent, has been available to help get my Pro account set up as she's patiently answered each of my questions as though it was the first time hearing them even though she's been asked them one thousand times already. Trish has become, after Ale, my biggest cheerleader.

Has Fiverr opened doors for me that weren't opened before? Yes. And no. Fiverr has put my work, and me, in front of a larger audience. A bigger market than I would have been able to scrape together on my own. With Fiverr working for me, I don't have to worry about hiring an agent, or an accountant. The website has all the needed tools and I don't even need a PR man spreading the word. Fiverr does that as well. Visit Ale and I when you come to Buenos Aires. We'll save a seat for you at the café.

How has Fiverr Pro changed your approach to entrepreneurship? Share your favorite Pro experiences in the comments below!

Hannah Curran
Hannah Curran is Fiverr's Social Media and Content Manager. Originally from Connecticut, she lives in California and works out of our San Francisco office. Have an idea for the Fiverr blog? Connect with her on LinkedIn.
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