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Jobs You Can Do From Anywhere

If you want to be a digital nomad, the most important question you need to ask is what type of business you can successfully run remotely. If you already have professional skills like coding and development, design, writing, video production or photography, these are all perfect candidates for turning your skill into a digital nomad business and traveling the world while working.

If you don't have a skill like that, you will need to find a type of business you can run from any location. Those types of businesses are not likely to be service-driven, as you would have to learn to carry out the service at the same time as starting up a business — not an easy task.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ideas for those types of businesses — selling online through marketplaces like Amazon or eBay, creating information products, affiliate marketing, blogging, social media marketing and more.

If you're stuck for inspiration, here's a list of more than 500 ideas for a digital nomad business.

There are also plenty of marketplaces where you can offer freelance services as a digital nomad — some of the most popular are UpWork, Freelancer, Fiverr, 99 Designs and Toptal. Big gig economy marketplaces like Airbnb, Uber, Lyft and TaskRabbit can also provide plenty of opportunities. Just because you are offering services through another business marketplace doesn't mean you're not a business in your own right.

Finally, becoming a digital nomad comes with its own set of challenges. You must be extremely focused and very flexible, roll with internet delays and be comfortable with living and working in an isolating environment.

You can also find additional guidance in understanding if a digital nomad business is right for you. In this blog post, we'll help you analyze if your digital nomad business idea is a good one, conduct market research and build a business plan.

Starting Your Digital Nomad Business

Starting Your Digital Nomad Business

Now you have all the background information for your digital nomad business, it's time to make it into a reality. That starts by choosing the right structure or "legal entity" for your business. In the US, there are four main business structures. They are:

Sole Proprietorship

This is the "default" business structure and is what your business will be if you decide not to create a more formal structure. We don't recommend this type of business as it doesn't give you the legal protections you need.

Limited Liability Company or LLC

The most common type of business entity. An LLC is fast, simple and inexpensive to setup and maintain. It protects your personal finances and assets and is a great way to start your digital nomad business.

Series LLC

This is a special type of LLC entity that's only available in certain states. It allows you to create "mini" LLCs, each with their own limited liability and separate assets, under the umbrella of a master LLC.

S Corporation

This is a more complex type of business and isn't generally recommended for smaller organization.

C Corporation

These are the largest and most complex types of businesses and are far more than the average entrepreneur or business owner will need.

Setting up a Business Entity as a Digital Nomad

As a digital nomad, you will have some unique circumstances for how you're going to set up your business. To start with, we recommend an LLC — the combination of a low administrative overhead and liability protection is great for your peace of mind. Secondly, you will probably want to take advantage of our Registered Agent service — it means there will always be someone available to receive official documents, even if you're out of the country.

Choose an LLC

Limited Liability Company is the perfect choice for a Digital Nomad

Registered Agent service

Use Bizee’s Registered Agent service so that there’s always someone available to receive official documents, even if you're out of the country

Next, you have more choice than most entrepreneurs on which state to form your LLC in. If you're going to be in your home state and running your LLC from there for any period, that's the best place to base it. If not, you can choose to form your LLC almost anywhere. In those cases, forming it in a business-friendly state like Delaware could be a great idea.

Finally, think about the addresses you're going to use in the U.S. for your company. Could you use a parent or relative's house? Do you want to receive documents other than official legal documents (that would go to your registered agent) there? Answering these questions ahead of time will make setting up your digital nomad business much easier.

Taxes when Working Remotely

Living and working outside the U.S. does not exempt you from having to pay U.S. taxes.


There may be extra filing requirements if you hold more than $10,000 in a non-U.S. bank or investment account.


If you are out of the U.S. for 330 days a year, you may be able to get tax relief on some or all of your earnings. This includes the "Foreign Earned Income Exclusion," which lets Americans who live abroad exclude the first $100,000 or so that they earn from U.S. tax liability.


Foreign housing may also be deductible in certain circumstances.


Check with the government in the country where you're earning money to see what your tax filing and liability is going to be there and hire a local accountant

For more information on the advantages and disadvantages of different types of businesses, please see our in-depth guide

We’ve got a complete guide to everything you need to do to set up an LLC, and we can start one for your consulting business today. LLC formation does vary from state to state, but we’ve got you covered, wherever you are.

Running a Business as a Working Nomad

Once you've legally created your digital nomad business you'll need to get some other things in place.

The Complete "Start Your Business" Checklist

A Clear and Comprehensive Guide to Starting Your Business the Right Way

The Complete

Social Media Groups for Your Digital Nomad Business

Connecting with other business owners in your industry can be incredibly helpful. Here are some of the best social media groups:

Discussion Groups and Forums for Your Digital Nomad Business

There are plenty of forums and online discussion groups for digital nomad businesses. Start with these:

Useful Online Tools for Your Digital Nomad Business

Here are some really great online tools for managing your digital nomad business. They will reduce the time you spend on administration, help you to collaborate with others and free up your time to grow and manage your new venture.

Please note: This page contains affiliate links and we may receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links.

Conclusion

There's nothing like the freedom and satisfaction of running a successful digital nomad business. The combination of location independence, doing awesome work, keeping clients happy and seeing the world is a potent mix. Why not get started and ...