So often we get caught up in worrying about tomorrow, that we don’t give ourselves the opportunity to live today. We’re going to explore the heart of wanderlust and what it means to build an accidental business around a desire to travel the world.
In this episode, I get cozy with New York Times bestselling author, Matthew Kepnes.
Matthew Kepnes runs the award-winning budget travel site NomadicMatt.com. He's also the author of the New York Times best-seller How to Travel the World on $50 a Day as well as the upcoming travel memoir Ten Years a Nomad. His writings and advice have been featured in The New York Times, CNN, Budget Travel, Time, and many more! He also regularly speaks at travel trade and consumer shows, owns a hostel in Texas, and launched a non-profit called FLYTE, which empowers students from underserved communities through transformative travel experiences.
I started this business because I wanted to simply travel. I had no bigger goal than that.
– MATT KEPNES
What you'll hear (and don't want to miss!)
Matt’s thoughts on getting his MBA and a different way he educates himself now [5:10]
His strategies for building a brand around himself, but while doing it for others [9:55]
How he uses social media to share his journey, and a pivotal moment for him along the way [13:35]
The way his family and friends responded to his unconventional career choice [17:40]
The doubts and fears Matt has encountered along the way and how he’s learned to relax and trust the process [19:44]
What his team looks like now, and the role of his research assistants [23:38]
How Matt made his first sale online, and what the road to 7-figures has looked like [26:19]
What he’s done to navigate the big shifts in the blogging world over the past decade and what he feels is more useful to use than Facebook [29:56]
Matt’s writing process for his new book and why his second release was much more challenging than the first for him [35:00]
How he defines “home” as a nomad [45:06]
Why travel is easier to do than you may think, plus what Matt does to help people interested in traveling get started [46:25]
“I personally thought it was a waste of money, and if anybody listening would like to buy it, I will sell my MBA really, really cheap.” [5:11]
“For me, education is not something you go to school for and then you’re done. It’s something that must happen continuously.” [6:37]
“You must create something that also adds value to somebody’s life. Voyeurism will only go so far.” [10:19]
“I like to just include a reflective caption that captures an emotion, because at the end of the day that’s how people connect with each other, on an emotional level.” [14:39]
“You know I started this business because I wanted to simply travel. I had no bigger goal than that. I wanted to earn enough money to get a plane ticket to my next destination, and then I’d figure it out.” [19:47]
“Social media is good for brand awareness, but the conversion is really in the email list and in search.” [31:20]
“The idea of home as a singular place is an outdated construct, in an age where everybody can be so mobile.” [45:28]
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