Once upon a time, being an entrepreneur meant that you had an office space to work from which you might occasionally pack up and move to another building as businesses grew and evolved.
This became less common over time, with entrepreneurs gravitating more toward coworking spaces where they shared office areas with other entrepreneurs. It offered a bit more freedom, and even allowed for networking with people you might not have met otherwise.
In time, though, even the coworking spaces became too crowded and confining for modern entrepreneurs. A new breed of mobile entrepreneurs has left the office behind and is out to build dream businesses…are you one of them?
What Is a Mobile Entrepreneur?
Mobile entrepreneurs are those among us who seek to make a name for themselves in the business world, creating a new business, product, app or other innovation.
They don’t stay tied down to a single location, however; instead of staying in a cubicle or working out of an office, they play fast and loose with their physical location so they can explore ways to move their dreams forward even as they’re taking calls and working on business plans.
The concept behind the mobile entrepreneurs is similar to the freelancers of old, but with one big difference: The entrepreneur isn’t looking to work for someone else. They set their own schedules, develop their own products and hire like-minded people who aren’t afraid to take risks in order to reap a big reward.
Advantages of Mobility
Mobile entrepreneurs have flexibility built in to their schedules.
Because they don’t have to be at the office at a certain time or punch a time clock, they’re free to do a lot of things that you can’t do with a 9-to-5.
They’re usually more open to meetings at odd hours or in strange places, and they have a lot more opportunities to network because they can get out and go where potential contacts are. They also tend to have more of an out-of-the-box mindset because their very business style is different than what you’ll find almost anywhere in corporate America.
If you’re an early bird, you can start your workday early and break off early too. If you’re a night owl then you have the option of starting as late in the day as you want. You can structure your day however you please, spreading out your work schedule so that you can work whenever and wherever you choose.
The Risks of Being a Mobile Entrepreneur
That’s not to say that there aren’t risks involved with being a mobile entrepreneur.
It may be harder to make effective contacts out of “old guard” businessmen who don’t trust the security of business partners that don’t have an office. You may have to put a lot of work into making and maintaining contacts, and some of your networking opportunities may be limited unless you make a point of going to industry events.
The flexibility of your schedule can also be a work hazard. It’s easy to get distracted when you know that you’re not punching the clock, and this can lead to you spending a lot more time on non-work activities than you mean to. Over time, distractions can cause you to fall behind on projects and possibly even lose potential opportunities if you’re not careful.
Making a Start of Mobile
If you’re going to be a mobile entrepreneur, there are a few things that you’ll pretty much have to have first:
- You’ll need a good smartphone, likely an iPhone or an Android to make sure that you have access to any essential apps you might need.
- VoIP service can be useful as well, since it lets you create a virtual business phone that you can check and place calls from no matter where you are. We, of course, recommend checking out Phone.com and it’s mobile app as it is purpose built for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
- A lightweight laptop or 2-in-1 tablet is also important, especially one that’s set up to automatically sync everything to the cloud.
- A website, a Facebook page for your business projects and good old-fashioned business cards are also important.
Beyond that, the main things that you need are an idea and a backup in case things go south. A sense of adventure wouldn’t hurt, either, since being a mobile entrepreneur is all but guaranteed to be an exciting time.