Remote Computer Genius

Greetings from Montreal

2009-05-05T06:44:00.000-07:00

I'm in Montreal now and have been for a few days now. I am still living on the business that I've created from Toronto with Computer Genius for Hire and haven't really figured out how to get business from the internet yet.

First of all, I need a better website.

Second of all, I need to find a way to get people who are interested to visit it.

Third of all, I need to figure out how to best make a sale to them.

That's it! It's not going to be easy, but the idea that I can then travel wherever I want in this world and still make money is worth it.

Website

2009-02-11T05:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, well I finally did it. I put my website up! http://remotecomputergenius.com/

Now I just have to figure out how to get people who are looking for services like what I offer to go there.

Yay!

Wow

2009-02-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

I'm in Bratislava, Slovakia and here they are "test subjects" and have 80mbit internet connections with 8mbit upload speed.

So this is what the future feels like. Really fast internet. Incredible!

Things are going good

2009-02-10T05:36:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that business is going good. I have had the discipline to stay in touch with all my clients even though I am on another continent. It's an amazing feeling.

The next challenge is to find new clients to further supplement my income. I will begin advertising over the next few weeks.

My ultimate goal is to make $2000 a month of this. Then I could comfortably live wherever I would want to.

My Biggest Challenge

2009-01-12T17:19:00.000-08:00

My biggest challenge so far has been convincing new clients who call me expecting on-site service to go for the remote service. It's hard. They've never met me. They're expecting me to show up at their house and for things to be done & trust to be built that way.

When they hear about the remote service, I think it sounds like it will not be as good. My experience so far has been that it's been even better. Maybe I should say this.

Anyway, I have decided that I will keep on trying and trying until my location independent reality are realized. I have quite a bit of time before I run out of money and I am willing to invest lots of time and energy in this.

As with anything in life that is worth having, one must struggle a bit to attain it.

Success!

2009-01-09T07:16:00.000-08:00

I just did my first real time Skype/GoToAssist Session with one of my clients in Toronto. It was an overwhelmingly positive experience. The new software functions beautifully and is very convenient for both me and the client!

I had to set up his 2 computers to communicate and authenticate for shared network drives. I was talking to him on the phone the whole time. The whole thing was actually easier than being in Toronto at his office setting it up because it would have meant a lot of jumping between computers, whereas, doing it from here, I was able to jump from one computer to the other with a simple mouse click. The whole thing took 40 minutes. 40 x $1.50 = $60!!!

Then, the best part, is that he paid me on PayPal right away. Afterwards I got up from my desk and walked around the apartment, amazed that I had just so easily fixed a computer in Canada while being in Serbia. This is certainly the start of something brilliant.

I am proud of the standard of excellence in service that I gave, it is consistent to what I give when I'm in Toronto.

Now, all I need to do is find out how I can attract clients online and then I can work my way around the world. What an amazing time to be alive, when this becomes possible!

My Motivation

2009-01-07T05:31:00.000-08:00

And so it begins... My life as a working nomad!

To take the business I have built and to make it portable, so that I can support myself while traveling the world, so as not to be tied to my birthplace of Toronto, Canada. To be location independent.

Now, a little bit of history. At the age of 11, me and my father bought our first computer. Within the next 3 or 4 months, I discovered that I had a very sharp talent for taming the novel and mysterious beast which so quickly was becoming a vital part of everyone's life. Instantly I started helping everyone in sight with their computer problems, curiosities and desires.

Some time in the next 4 or so years, I started charging money for it. Starting with $10, $15, $20 per hour, I would help friends of family and various other people whom I encountered through word of mouth whenever I got the chance. At the age of 16, I was given the responsibility to manage my high school's entire brand new 400 computer network. Having become even more ambitious, at the age of 17, I decided to start advertising.

So I put up posters in my neighborhood bearing the phrase "Computer Genius for Hire" and it began, a real business. Over the next few years while finishing high school, I refined my approach, learned valuable real world skills and made money which allowed me to be quite happy. The money I made was also enough to fuel another passion of mine: travel.

I fell in love with the European continent, the lifestyle, the history, the diversity and of course, the women. Between 2002 and 2008 I traveled to the continent 9 times on average 6 weeks per trip, visiting regions where my European ancestors lived and beyond.

But somehow, I always went back to Toronto, and somehow, it was always boring to me. With each trip to Europe and back, Toronto became even more boring to me. On the other hand, my business, Computer Genius for Hire, was a very viable and satisfying endeavor for me. I was helping people, I was my own boss, I was free. But stuck in a city which was boring to me, where I knew too much about everything, where I didn't feel challenged. Life for me became about saving up and counting down until my next European adventure. There always came a day when I would pack my bags, sublet my apartment, change my voice mail message and leave a friend in charge of my business and then leave it all behind for a month. That was the formula.

But in 2008, I found myself longing for more than just an escape. I wanted to leave Toronto for longer. So I told all my clients that I did not know when I was coming back, gave them the appropriate friends' numbers, sold most of my stuff, got rid of my apartment and left town.

I was now free, not worrying about any computers at all. I spent 1 month traveling around Eastern Europe as free as a bird. Then I spent 1 month in Prague getting certified as an English teacher. Then I went to my desired location: Belgrade. I looked into getting a job as an English teacher, but the pay was really bad compared to what I was used to getting and it was summer. Nobody was hiring. I had a lazy summer which was great, but I longed for my business once again.

In late August, there was a death in the family. My parents were shocked, I wanted to help them and I wanted to return to Toronto and take back my business. So I soon did. But I did it with the idea that I would soon return to Belgrade. In those three months, I made enough money to further finance myself and planned to leave after Christmas. The only question was what to do with the business, so in the end, I decided, that I should work remotely, that I should keep in touch with my clients and do everything I can for them from wherever I am in the world.

So here I am. The Remote Computer Genius, a working nomad.