Patrick
- Jun 23, 2021
- 11 min read

How I became a Digital Nomad - Move back to Berlin, Part 5/5

Updated: Jan 8

Move back to Europe

The project management app became a huge success and the company grew month to month with around 20%, we won customers all over the world and expansion plans were made. A year later into my job we were about to launch the enterprise version of our software to go after the big companies and their big budgets. Several of our competitors were already doing it and we decided to do the same. As this version would require a different selling approach we needed to build an inside and field sales team. I suggested to take over this area and to build a new team to sell the solution. My boss was ok with it and I was promoted to VP Marketing & Sales.

During an executive lunch in a Japanese restaurant the company owner asked me about exciting enterprise prospects in the sales pipeline and I mentioned to him that we were in touch with a big German Insurance company in south Germany, actually a Fortune 500 company. I explained to him that they liked our solution but somehow were hesitant as our HQ was outside Germany and even the European Union. He looked at me, thought for a second and then said "Well, why you don´t go to Europe to build a unit there for us?" I was speechless and once again amazed by his boldness! Timing was great again though as after many years in Thailand I felt that it was time for a change and as some month earlier something happened which would completely changed my life... I will get to this in a bit. I did not hesitate a bit and said "Well, how about we build our European HQ in Berlin? It is the most exciting city in Europe right now, attracting loads of talents and it would be prestigious to be located there for not too high costs compared to let´s say London or Paris. And of course I know the country and culture and Germany has the biggest software market". He liked the idea and asked me to prepare a 1 year budget within a week.

I started right away with the budget planning and was excited to present it. The presentation happened a week later and the case I presented was appealing so I got the green light! I would move back to Germany, to Berlin to found our entity there, build a small local team with the goal to significantly grow our revenues in the German speaking markets and whole Europe. The unit in Berlin would give our solution credibility and trust which was needed to compete with local and foreign competitors. But let me first get back to the thing that happened to me a while ago, which really would change my WHOLE life!

It first comes always differently and secondly, never as you think.

We all know this saying and experienced it somehow right? So... some month ago something happened, something I would never expect was even possible. I always felt that is romantic nonsense but it really happened. I met my soul mate, that one person you never thought you would meet - she lived in Korea, 6 flight hours away from Bangkok. I was commuting every two weeks from Bangkok to Seoul which was tiring and costly (only the flights cost me around EUR 500 every month), we could only spend some day with each other before I had to return. We both felt that we are connected in a very special way. We saw life the same way and had the same dream to live completely free from being forced to go to the office five days a week, wear clothes because others want it. We pictured a life abroad in exotic countries by the ocean sitting in a cafe with a Cafe Late and our laptops working... we wanted to live where ever we want and work from where ever we want. Yet time was not right though and we first would have to overcome several quite big obstacles and hurdles. One was moving together although we were around 5,000 km apart.

Getting back to the executive meeting and why I directly said yes... I knew that first of all, the move to Germany would mean a bump up in my salary due to the much higher responsibilities as general manager and secondly that would be a chance for us to move together and slowly get out of the hamster wheel of working in an office in a specific place! I would be able to show my girlfriend around not only in Germany but whole Europe! But most important was that this step would get me closer to my big life goal - to become a Digital Nomad! I will talk about the importance of this step on the way to achieve independence on working place later. My girlfriend was excited about the new developments and we started with the planning. Timing was on our side again as the fashion company my girlfriend was working for offered a generous compensation for those who would resolve their working contract due to company restructuring measures. She signed the termination of her contract and loved it! Her job was hard (working life in Korea is hard, believe me!) as she had to wake up at 5:30 AM every morning to shower, dress up and take the super crowded subway in Seoul to commute to office. Many times she did not come home before 10 PM - how crazy! She had been close to a burn out already and just felt tired of her working life. Signing the contract termination was a huge salvation. The compensation would also help us to settle in Berlin, all good!

Berlin is poor but sexy

We nearly stayed two years in Berlin and we loved it. It is vibrant, multicultural, just different. Berlin does not want to be liked like other cities it just stays with both feet to the ground, is authentic but reinvents itself day to day. There is history around any corner, Berlin always changes and surprises - absolutely unique in my eyes. Some compare Berlin with the NY of the eighties - they have a point. For those who want to learn more about our time in Berlin check out this dedicated Blog "One years in Berlin: Living and working in Europe´s "hottest" metropolis".

The famous proclamation of former Berlin major Klaus Wowereit in 2004 that "Berlin is poor but sexy" gets it to the point. David Bowie lived in Berlin for a long time and R.E.M stayed in 2010 to record their newest album saying "Berlin is a pulsing, exciting city with so many varied and distinctive neighborhoods, iconic history all around, great food at all levels and from every corner of the world … an excellent place to set up camp and make a great record." (Source: rollingstone.com)

Finally free - Work from where I want

During the two years I founded the unit in the heart of Berlin which would become the European HQ, built a small team of five and lead the unit to become the most successful in the company world wide. Oh and yes - we won the contract with the Fortune 500 insurance which was a huge success. As mentioned earlier, moving to Berlin was one of the most important puzzle pieces on becoming a Digital Nomad. Yes we had an office, or let me be more precise space in a stylish co-working space in Friedrichstrasse but there was no obligation to work from there! As my team was shattered across whole Germany everyone was free to work from home, including me which was a huge step. I never was a fan from working in an office and commuting there. I mostly worked in my favorite cafe "Cafe November" in Prenzlauer Berg. A peaceful, cosy place under beautiful trees in of of Berlin´s most exciting areas. Imagine starting your working day with a stroll through small streets framed by huge trees, birds are singing. Order a coffee, open your laptop and start working. No crowded subway, no artificial light, no whirring aircon!

Working from a cafe you like, sitting outside under a tree is so much more fun than working in an office with artificial light — Working at a Cafe in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin

Being the general manager I had the power to change things! It felt great to finally be free of this obligation. It was the first time that I was officially allowed to work from where ever I want! This was not limited to Berlin only and if there were no important appointments in the city my girlfriend and I took every opportunity to travel and work from different cities in Europe. During winter which can be pretty harsh in Berlin we stayed in Spain for example on the remote Canarian islands (to west off the coast of Morocco) as temperatures were all year around 20+ degrees, ahhhh wonderful :) We rented a little apartment with see view balcony and mostly worked from there, overseeing the dark blue Atlantic ocean.

Looking back this was only possible because I won the trust and support of the company owner. I convinced him that a company, person or group of people can be successful without the obligation to work at a specific place. Even more, by allowing people to work from home or from where ever they you motivate people, make them feel valued and trusted. They pay back with even harder work and much better results - all this helped to make the Germany unit the most successful one. Numbers don´t lie! Let´s be honest becoming a Digital Nomad is only possible if you have financial backing. You need an income to pay your new lifestyle - who could be a better one than your current employer? Prepare yourself for that day. Give your very best to build a long term relationship, trust and support. A happy employer, boss can become a supporter for your cause!

As horrific and terrifying the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequences and effects for all of us were and still are, there was one positive effect. The pandemic changed companies critical view on working from home or from where ever you want. Many employers, companies are allowing their employees to work from home now for at least some days, others even completely changed their policies and allow it unlimited from even other cities or countries. Nevertheless, there is a big risk that everything goes back to normal once the crisis is overcome. Most employers just feel more confident having their staff where they can monitor them easier. Trusting their employees yet is still a rare thing and there is still a long way to go before allowing people to work from where ever they want. Even the big companies like Twitter and Facebook which offered their employees to work from home for ever adjusted their promise and went back to a limitation. There is a big possibility that employers will lose their new freedoms again...

I kept working for my company until the end of 2019 ending a nearly 6 year long lasting journey. It was an amazing time and although it ended, I will never forget it, will always keep the people I met and who became my friends in my heart, I will surely come back to Thailand one day. Before I left, I fulfilled my lifetime dream to travel Canada - from west to east, for many months while working remotely. Something I could never have done working a regular office job. It was one of the best trips in my life and made me thinking if I should try to move to Canada... but that is another story!

After I quit my job, in February 2020 I started working for a Belgium Start-Up SaaS company as Digital Marketing Director, 100% remote! One of the owners was a friend and they needed help building their digital marketing foundations and a small team. Again, my network helped to find a job! Although it was only a year working for them it was the first time, I could work 100% remotely any where I wanted!

From now onward I would only work for companies which would allow me to exactly do this! I updated my profiles on LinkedIn, Xing and other freelance platforms like UpWork, created my own personal website, Blog and YouTube Channel. As mentioned before more and more companies are more open to this approach now but there are also a lot of helpful websites where Digital Nomads can find jobs. It never was a better time to start your own new life, free and self determined! Looking back like 5 years ago it was a complete different situation but now... well, don´t dream, make it happen!

Key Learnings

To grow means to constantly get out of your comfort zone! Keep challenging yourself and try to keep improving your knowledge in your field of expertise to grab opportunities when they show up in your life
Be bold! Don´t be afraid of big steps into the uncertain, they mostly open doors and lead to places you dreamed of!
Try to free yourself step by step from the work-life Hamster wheel, have a clear plan how to get there. Make sure you check out my eBook on this topic!
Don`t stay too long in one place, the world is big and there are a lot places to explore! Staying also makes it harder to progress, move forward.
Build trust and support from your employer to prepare for the day where you ask if you can work remotely! Show them that you can do even better work from outside the office. You can ask for a trial run for like 1-3 months to get started.
Before joining a company check their company culture and if they allow working from home or from somewhere else. More and more companies adjusted their policies to attract staff and provide other exciting benefits
Try to bypass long recruitment processes by tapping into your professional network! You never know if they might no someone who knows someone...

My personal Milestones on becoming a Digital Nomad

So let me recap again, what I think were the most important milestones on the way to become a Digital Nomad. Please note that this is still my personal opinion and based on my specific way and experiences. I am sure there are many many other ways to achieve the same! Don´t see the key learnings and milestones as THE ONE way and adjust accordingly in relation to your own specific situations and experiences.

I stepped out of my comfort zone as much and early as possible, made it a habit I really enjoy
Be open minded towards other cultures, being different is a beautiful thing and nothing to be scared of
I studied abroad in a foreign country to improve my English language skills, and meet people from all over the world to help open my mind
I chose my university carefully to ensure that it would offer at least one internship and exchange semester abroad
I built a network of people from all over the world that might help me later to find jobs or other connections
I took any opportunity to grow, develop my career when ever it came across my way even I was scared
Learn learn learn! Make reading, research etc. part of your daily routine to expand your knowledge and stay up to date on newest trends
Be patient, achieving a free and self determined life takes time, draft a plan with milestones and work towards them step by step

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What it needs to become a Digital Nomad

I am often asked by family members or friends "What do you think you need to become a Digital Nomad?" A not easy to answer questions but during my 10 years nomad life, I identified a couple of specific characteristics which could be helpful in becoming a Digital Nomad and gathered them in a separate article which you can check out - "8 things good to have to become a Digital Nomad ".