Another adventure taking my small biz on the road with me… this time, Nicaragua! Gorgeous landscapes, friendly people, delightful frequency – a destination I would recommend without hesitation.
This was my first time working in a country like Nicaragua – less developed, less infrastructure and slightly more challenging, but still awesome. Scroll down to the bottom of the post to read about some of the things I learned about working from roads less traveled.
Here are some of the best small businesses I saw along the way…
Awesome community business initiative – gorgeous healing pool fed by mineral rich volcanic water and amenities tourists want, like local rum in a fresh coconut of course! ~Ometepe Island
Ideal spot for a quiet little cafe on Ometepe Island. No menu, just talk to the owner about what he has on hand to make for your lunch.
Signage that proclaims “the best tacos in Nicaragua” doesn’t really take a savvy consumer in… but how delightful to discover they were actually telling the truth! Seriously, the best nachos I’ve ever had. Loaded with fresh fish and not a speck of cheese ~ Playa Maderas, San Juan del Sur
You want customers to shop so make them want to stay. The market in Leon is peppered with these lovely little courtyard gardens just inviting you to shop a little longer…
Who needs a store front? Entrepreneurship hits the bus ~ Leon
Hostess with the mostest – Esther runs a gorgeous B&B in Esteli that makes you never want to leave and tell all your friends (or at the very least Trip Advisor). Marketing gold! http://bedandbreakfastvillariviera.com/
Cafe Luz y Luna in Esteli is all about integrity and environmental sustainability both in the food it serves, how the cafe is run and the businesses and community organizations it supports. Picked up these 2 fab handmade bookmarks from a local entrepreneur that started her own paper making business www.environcards.org
You don’t necessarily need to re-invent the wheel, just be first to market. The 1st and only zipline in Nicaragua ~ north of San Rafael del Norte
Diversify your income streams. Coffee farm adds an eco-lodge to their ample property ~ La Sombra, Reserva Natural Macizos de Penas Blancas http://www.lasombraecolodge.com/
Don’t forget your signage! ~ Little Corn Island
When everybody’s doing beach cabanas, make yours the most uniquely beautiful option there is ~ Derek’s Place, Little Corn Island http://www.dereksplacelittlecorn.com/
Delightful, family run operation. No fuss ambiance, serious friendliness and a focus on what’s most important – mouth watering local fare made fresh and with love! ~ Little Corn Island
Want more? I posted some more pics over on Facebook.
Tips for working virtually from less developed countries:
Nicaragua was amazing, but slightly more challenging in terms of running my business than my last trip. If you’re planning to take your biz on the road to a part of the world less developed, here are some tips:
- Refresh and refresh again. Sometimes with less reliable internet connections, you might think that the internet is not working at all or that some sites are broken or can’t be loaded from where you are. When the internet connection blips in and out as it’s wont to do with less stable connections, just keep on trying and keep on refreshing. The page should come up eventually.
- Take a deep breath and practice the virtue of patience. Slow internet connections make doing even the simplest task time consuming. Something that would only take you a minute or two at home could take you half an hour or more! Keep that in mind and take the opportunity to feel gratitude for high speed networks.
- Consider a desktop email solution. As per the notes above, slow and unreliable internet connection can mean it taking forever to access an internet based webmail solution. And can cause issues when trying to send messages too. I had much more luck with my desktop solution – I found it easier and faster to get my email and send messages. It’s always good to have an internet based solution as a backup, it just might not be the best solution for email retrieval when the internet is crappy.
- Never count on internet being available. Even if the guidebook says so. Even if the website says so. Ensure backup plans are in place and ensure that you are never in a position where you HAVE to use the internet.
- Keep your laptop of device charged. You just never know when the power might go out.
- Be prepared to have to authenticate yourself for your social networks. Most social networks and social media management tools have security measures in place and if they notice strange activity from a different country, that might trigger some additional security steps. Hootsuite, Twitter and Facebook were a breeze and easy to verify. Google on the other hand was a nightmare. They insisted on the whole text message a code to your cell number thing (they had other authentication options available, but they didn’t work for me because I couldn’t recall minute details such as the month and year I started using Google Calendar for example, who knows that??). I opted to leave my iPhone at home (personal travel rule – never travel with anything you wouldn’t want to part with). So I had to get someone at home to turn on the phone and retrieve the code for me. Definitely a bit of a pain but I needed to access my Google Plus, Google Drive, Google Calendar (yeesh, are we ever becoming dependant on Google, eh?) so if you’re going to be in the same boat, either bring your cell phone or have someone at home ready to help you out. Alternatively, if you’ve already done the phone verification thing, the same 4 digit PIN will work again, so bring it with you.
If you’re planning to or already do work virtually, I highly recommend you checking out Natalie Sisson’s book The Suitcase Entrepreneur – all kinds of great insights and ideas for running a business from anywhere!
Have you ever taken your business on the road with you? Have any other tips to share? Meet you in the comments…
My name is Martina and I’m a 
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What an amazing looking place! It’s not somewhere that is widely advertised where we are. I love travelling in countries like this but have never had to run a business from one, well done for your patience!
That was one of the reasons we chose to go there. We didn’t want a place that was super touristy. And it was delightful! Thanks for checking out the post Cath.