An interview with Kaushal Karkhanis, who has been living the location-independent lifestyle since 2007. On 16th April, he helped organise ‘Foursquare Day’ where 50+ users swarmed across venues in Mumbai to promote the service as well as sustainable living. “The app is very relevant to location independent living. Foursquare (or its competitor Gowalla) is great to shuttle across new cities and get localised faster, while making new friends!” the 30 year-old entrepreneur tells Katrow and Swami as he discusses passive incomes, world travel and how to take a leap from the corporate life and join the New Rich.
1. When and why did you decide to redesign your lifestyle?
Great that you ask! In fact, only after I stepped into this world did I realise that I was not alone – the location independent lifestyle community is growing rapidly and for me, it was more of serendipity while treading the ‘road less traveled’.
Coming from a middle-class Indian family, I’ve lived with my parents till I was 24. Later, I moved to Bengaluru for two years to work with Microsoft. By mid-2006, I had worked in the corporate world for more than 8 years and I was raring to do more and test my potential (incidentally “your potential, our passion” was Microsoft’s tagline then!).
Less than a month after quitting the corporation, while flirting with dozens of opportunities – be it job offers or business partnership offers, I realised I wanted to get out there and explore new horizons and not be bound by a committed job profile any more (though I was definitely grateful for the merits and the platform it offered me so far!).
As if the universe were to give me a nod of approval, I stumbled upon an interesting section of Crossword bookstore at Garuda Mall, Bengaluru – and one particular book stood out, as though it was personalised for me – “Leaving Microsoft to Change the World” by John Wood. It talked about Wood’s journey from being a high ranking executive at the firm to starting his remarkable NGO Room to Read, which provides libraries and schools for children in developing countries. I was hugely inspired and able to relate to him completely. Not far from this book was The 4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. Although I didn’t pick it up then, I got the plot quickly thanks to the summary. This entire “whoa” incident was an eye opener. My journey (into location independence) began from there.
The seeds of a new lifestyle were sown, and as I packed my bags and moved back to Mumbai, I was already thinking… what next? – consider all the awesome job offers? Start a company? Travel? There were too many things on my mind and I needed clarity. This is when I remembered my bucket list which I had created on 43Things.com – things that were my goals and things that would give me utmost gratification. To crystallise this and work on my goals, I needed space, so I spent a week alone in Goa in early January 2007. At the airport, my next serendipity awaited in the form of the book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki… and finally Losing My Virginity by Sir Richard Branson.
This solo trip to Goa is where it all culminated. My personal goals + Wood’s inspiring story + Tim’s kickass formulae (Pareto’s law and the 80/20 principle) + Kiyosaki’s financial advice + Branson’s amazing lifestyle was a heady trip indeed!
The new vision was clear now… Lead an organic life based on pivots I discover and like, while being location independent!
2. How do you earn a location independent income?
Everything I do could be split into 3 areas –
[1] Creative services,
[2] Products and
[3] Content.
The creative services mainly include branding and advertising, web design and marketing, content writing and photography. This is where the bread and butter has been coming from, so far.
Currently, my focus is shifting towards the Content and Products side and I’m busy working on a few web properties in the travel, lifestyle, shopping spaces as well as books (eBooks initially).
Creative Services is an area where my active participation and time is required always, while the Content & Products would eventually take over as passive (and hopefully primary) sources of income. I’m not there yet – but I’m definitely on the right path! This year, my aim is to go back to being a value investor to add a 4th revenue stream.
Thankfully, even as these take time to reach superstar status, my services business still allows me to be location independent!
3. Please describe the roadmap of the haphazard leaps of faith that got you here.
Besides saying no to plush jobs for which people called me crazy, an interesting and key turning point in my life was a trip to South America in mid-2008. At the prodding of my Ukrainian-American friend, I planned a 40-day random trip (over 3-4 mere Google Talk chats with her) which would cover Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
After spending about a week in Sao Paulo, something made me change the ‘plan’ and I decided to go all out, staying back for almost 6 months in Latin America, even as I skipped Bolivia and Peru for another time.
This was a very crucial decision for me, a life-altering one because right there and then I had liquidated my investment portfolio and wiped out a majority of my savings, to lead a life of my choosing. (In hindsight, this was a good market decision as the dollar went up and the stocks I sold fell later!).
In the grand scheme of things, this big decision was to condition my mind into setting big goals and achieving them. It morphed the fabric of my personality in a big way.
4. What non work-related goals have you set for yourself? Which ones have you completed?
Dreams, goals and priorities keep changing, so I often update my bucket list. I love action sports and I want to go skateboarding in Manipur and learn surfing in Manipal. Sky diving, scuba diving, hot air ballooning and another bungee jump in Australia are next on the list. I’ve learnt a bit of salsa in Colombia and forro in Brazil. I’ve also partially* succeeded with my fitness goals, thanks to boxing classes I took last year while living in Goa (*there’s been a gap and I’ll be going back this year).
5. Your most life-changing travel place and why.
Definitely South America – it was liberating, self-inspiring and tremendous fun! The experiences I had, the things I learnt (Spanish and Portuguese, mixing up a mean caipirinha, kayaking) and the amazing people I met, is difficult to put into words easily.
6. Your favorite holiday experiences across the world.
I have vivid memories of Tokyo. I want to revisit it. The lush beauty of Bhutan is perhaps the closest one could ever get to paradise. It was my first experience with snow and trekking there was wholesome refreshment. I could also keep harping about South America endlessly, but if I have to choose one favourite holiday location, it’s closer home — Goa!
8. What advice would you give to those taking a jump from the corporate life?
(a) Exit in peace – Assuming you’re in a job you actually like, it’s always good to have backup plans. So, don’t burn bridges…. it’s a small world!
(b) Figure out who you want to be – Freelancer / entrepreneur / personal brand / part-time employee? – you could be any of these and still be location independent (sometimes, even full-time employees manage this, international marketing/sales folks, for example)
(c) Save for a rainy day – Make sure you have enough savings (besides investments, ideally) to last you for at least 6 months if you didn’t make a single buck. I made the mistake of wiping off most of my assets for my South America trip and it took me a while to recuperate. I was well aware of how long it would take me to recreate the wealth, and let me tell you, it’s not been a cakewalk. If you need stability, ensure you’re covered. Over-estimate your spending and under-estimate your income. Then, if you outperform, celebrate! J
9. What resources would you suggest to our readers who want to become location independent?
Today, there’s no dearth of information, guides and communities about location independent living. At the top of the list are:
(a) The book 4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss and its website FourHourWorkWeek.com;
(b) The Art of Non Conformity, a blog by Chris Guillebeau on http://chrisguillebeau.com/;
(c) 43Things.com – Excellent and inspiring goal-setting community
(d) FreelanceSwitch.com – Great resources for those starting out on their own;
(e) YourStory.in – Entrepreneur community topical to the Indian geography;
(f) MegaLiving by Robin Sharma – a personal excellence guide;
(g) http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/ – personal finance resource in simple English by Ramit Sethi;
(h) FourHourBody.com – Fitness is very crucial for independent lifestyle design… and of course, Altar of Tim. A terrific initiative!
Read more about Kaushal’s adventures on his blog Exotic Gringo and follow him on Twitter @kaushal
