From Italy to London: One Man's Journey from Restaurant Worker to Thriving Online Entrepreneur

Sneak Peek:

Simone:    00:00:00    I can resonate with people that are listening here, that are watching and they're saying, I cannot do this because yeah, I've got a family, I've got kids, I've got a job I cannot take just to start traveling. Most of the time it's come down from the decision. You take the decision and then things align.  

Introduction: Welcome to Badass Digital Nomads, where we're pushing the boundaries of remote work and travel, all while staying grounded with a little bit of old school philosophy, self-development, and business advice from our guests.

Kristin Wilson, Host:     00:00:33    Hey there, Kristin Wilson from Traveling with Kristin here and Welcome to episode 232 of Badass Digital Nomads. In case you missed it last week, we are going to Portugal in 2024 with my first ever group guided trip to Portugal. And so if you would like to join us, you can reserve your spot now by using the link in the show notes, and that will be from April 15th to 21st, 2024. And you can get all of the details on that in last week's episode, episode 231 of Badass Digital Nomads. And in that episode I mentioned we had a guest coming up today, Austin Riffe, on credit card hacking. That episode will be out next week, but my guest today is none other than the remarkable Simone Vincenzi, who is a multi award-winning serial entrepreneur and author who's helped people to launch more than 500 profitable businesses all before he reached the age of 30 with his company GTEX, Simone was also nominated as one of the most influential migrant entrepreneurs and the British House of Parliament.  

Kristin:    00:01:53    He writes for Forbes Entrepreneur Magazine and regularly features on TV and radio talking about how experts can become authorities in their field. He's also the host of Turning Experts into Authorities podcast with 435 episodes. And he speaks at more than 200 events every year for entrepreneurs, startups, and businesses. Simone is a blast. He is hilarious. He's full of energy, full of life. He's incredibly entertaining and I think you're going to really love this conversation today. We talk about a lot of topics from travel and getting started, how he went from working in restaurant kitchens to being a successful entrepreneur. We also talk about racism that he's experienced while traveling with his wife in South Africa. And we also talk about some of his favorite places to travel and tips for how to start your own successful business and even how to decide what you should do in online business if you're going to, to be transitioning from one industry to another and maybe you think you don't have the skills or experience to make it an online business and be able to have this kind of financial and location freedom that is available to us today.  

Kristin:    00:03:15    Simone is someone who I feel like I can call a friend now after meeting him just once on Madeira Island and then again at a dinner party in London. And that's the kind of community that we're trying to cultivate here with Badass Digital Nomads is people that you can meet online or remotely and still develop a friendship, a business relationship, mentorship, and even meet in person and travel and have some fun experiences and adventure sometimes. So enjoy my conversation with Simone today and I will see you on the flip side.

Podcast Interview:

Kristin: Welcome Simone to Badass Digital Nomads. It is so great to see your face today. And where are you joining us from?  

Simone:    00:04:03    Sunny, exotic London <laugh>. That's <laugh>. It is actually sunny. It's incredibly sunny today. So yes, sunny, exotic London <laugh>.  

Kristin:    00:04:12    Good. Look a bit sunny out your window. You have a nice view there. Where, where in London are you?  

Simone:    00:04:16    Uh, I'm in an area called uh, north Greenwich, uh, which is one of my favorite tower of London. Uh, there is a, the area of Greenwich and North Greenwich, which they are in Southeast and there's exactly by the river. So it's one of the most beautiful places in London, which actually when I moved here 15 years ago, I said one day I'm gonna move in that side of London and it happened. <laugh>,  

Kristin:    00:04:39    You manifested it.  

Simone:    00:04:41    Manifested it. Exactly.  

Kristin:    00:04:42    Well that's where I wanted to start because even though we're friends and we've met up a couple times, we just had dinner recently in London. I don't know too much about your backstory. So tell us how did you go from growing up in Italy to living in London as an entrepreneur?  

Simone:    00:05:01    Well, at, at that time I wasn't an entrepreneur at all because actually I moved to the UK when I was 20 and I tried, university didn't work out really that well for me. I preferred to have parties, uh, also union. I was studying philosophy and uh, I looked at my job opportunities with a philosophy degree, <laugh>, and they weren't the prospect of the salaries, they were not really appealing <laugh> at the same time I was already working in restaurants. I was actually one of these people that loved the catering industry and still loves. I started working in a restaurant when I was 14 because my parents split up. I wanted a bit more money and I got a summer job and was the first time in my life that I found something that I was really good at. People were praising me for it and I really loved.  

Simone:    00:05:52    So even though I was starting at 14, by the age of 16, I was already almost working full-time. I was going to school during the day and then evenings and weekends I was working consistently because I wanted to learn, I wanted to become better. Then I managed my first Michelin star restaurant in 19, and then at 20 I received a job offer to move to London and work in a Michelin style restaurant in Notting Hill And in my mind as I'm 20, I've got nothing to lose. I already have a good job, let me move up there and then if it's not gonna work, then I'll move back. The only issue was the language, though I couldn't speak English that well at that time. So <laugh>, that was the, the biggest problem.  

Kristin:    00:06:38    And now you're a podcast host in English.  

Simone:    00:06:41    I know, right? <laugh>.  

Kristin:    00:06:42    So it can be done. And you--  

Simone:    00:06:44    Speaking English every day, <laugh>  

Kristin:    00:06:46    And you do speaking engagements in English. So how, how did you learn ?

Simone:    00:06:52    A lot of practice? I remember when I moved to the UK, the only thing I could say in, in restaurants was, would you like your steak rare or medium rare <laugh>? White or the red wine? Literally just anything that was catering related, I couldn't have a conversation outside those words. And I remember my manager, uh, said, okay, Simone, after six months you're gonna start taking reservations. Said Yes, six months is gonna be enough. I'm gonna learn English, pick the phone up for the first time. I couldn't understand the word <laugh>. Could I, could it sound gibberish to me? So it took me a good year and a half because, uh, before I could have fluent con like some conversations in English outside the, how are you? I'm well, let's go and get a drink. <laugh>, like outside that, it took me a year and a half. But what accelerated the process was that I decided to move away from everyone that was Italian is easy in a city like London or in big, in any big city, to just stay with the people that are speaking your own language and the people that are from your own country. 

Kristin:    00:08:02    Right?  

Simone:    00:08:03    Well, I said, no, I'm gonna avoid Italians like the plague and I'm gonna speak English every single day no matter what. And that's how I improved it very quickly.  

Kristin:    00:08:11    Okay. So you didn't go to language classes, you just hit the streets and learned by being immersing yourself in the, the British culture there.  

Simone:    00:08:20    Exactly. Exactly.  

Kristin:    00:08:22    So can you give us any insight into the, that restaurant industry in London? Is it like Anthony Bourdain said in Kitchen Confidential? Is it, is it crazy like that?  

Simone:    00:08:35    I was, uh, working? So it depends. It depends on where you're going, of course. 'cause your experiences are different depending on the place that we are working. I was very fortunate because, uh, we were working in Italian restaurant and it was a family-oriented restaurant and also was a high-end. So we had clients like Woody Allen, we had Madonna. I took a a reservation, uh, for, from Beyoncé as <laugh> PA. Uh, she didn't come that night, but just talking to the closest person to Beyonce, uh, that was definitely an experience. We had a lot of footballers, so it was very surreal the experience that I had in London. Now. I was already used to work in Michelin star restaurants in Italy, but not with a client, the kind of clientele that, uh, attended this kind of restaurants in Notting Hill. The crazy part I think about London's catering industry is that London and the UK in general is not a capital renowned for food. It's like you don't go to London because to the UK because they have great food and I'm sure you being here right now, you can <laugh>, you can be testament, uh, of that. And they're not a culture based on service. So most of the time they will be Italians, French or Spanish that will bring their service oriented culture. That was the the biggest adjustment that I had that I'd seen. And that's what we were bringing also to the table.  

Kristin:    00:10:04    I had just had my first Sunday roast, uh, this Sunday. And--  

Simone:    00:10:09    What do you think about it, <laugh>?  

Kristin:    00:10:12    Well, it was, I mean, it was good. It was, you know, hearty comfort food, but you know, there's not that much seasoning. Some salt and pepper, maybe a little bit of herbs. So, you know, the flavors could be a little more pronounced. But the atmosphere and the experience was really nice because we were in, it was the Duke of Westminster. Apparently owns a town or a village in northern England, maybe multiple villages, I'll say allegedly. 'cause I don't know for sure. This is what my friend told me that we were at his pub and it's right next to the gate to his estate. It's this beautiful gold iron and black gate. So I think he's telling the truth. And so we were at his pub and it's really pretty and it has this garden. I'll have to now look it up what it's called and put it in the show notes in case people wanna go.  

Kristin:    00:11:02    And you know, I was having a great time because I ordered tea and it came in this beautiful tea cup and the teapot and the pub, or I don't know if it's a pub or a hotel. It was built in the 15th century, I believe. And so everyone in there were locals from the town. The parking lot was packed, which is always a good sign when you get to a restaurant. And I just felt like very, very honored to be in there because it's just off of this little country road. And it would be very unlikely for tourists to stumble upon it. But, you know, since my friend lives nearby, he took me and I felt like that was a great place to have my first Sunday roast. But yeah, the, the food quality in England and the UK in general is very good. And I, I've talked about this as well on my YouTube channel, going to the grocery store, the products are really good, especially compared to the US and all of the GMO food and the factory farming. But, um, when you go out to restaurants, like the British food restaurants are, you know, not that exotic. But then there's all of these other people that are living in London and that are living throughout the UK that bring food from their culture, uh, whether it's, you know, Italy or France or Asia, Africa. And so you get such a, a blend of flavors.  

Simone:    00:12:23    There is this joke in the UK, like from, for, from us, like European, because you say from a, from a US point of view, actually the quality of the food year is great. From an Italian point of view, I have quite a lot to say about <laugh>, the quality of the food compared to Italy. Yeah. 'cause Italy is a hundred times better. And there is this, uh, um, this joke that says that that's why the, the United Kingdom and Great Britain conquered around, conquered the war in search for spices. <laugh>. That's, that's, if you think about that, that's what they were conquering. They were conquered the war for spices because their food was so plain. But <laugh>, that's,  

Kristin:    00:13:02    That is so crazy that you said that because just yesterday I was looking, I decided to go down into the center of Manchester to do some work and kind of get out of the house and the library I wanted to go to was closed. So I ended up at this other library called Portico Library, and it's not really a library, it's more like a museum, but they have a cafe in the library. And the entire theme of the library was about food and the history of British food and how they basically overhauled the, you know, international trade system of food. And they were out there, you know, collecting, stealing, whatever, spices, all sorts of things. Um, but there were these books from the 1800 that were explaining what they were doing when they were out there searching for these, uh, for sugar and for spices and things like that. So it's really interesting that you just brought that up. And, uh, also linked that Portico Library because it was a, it was quite interesting. And they even have these at lunches and dinners. So you can go there and eat and they'll teach you about the history of British food. 

Simone:    00:14:10    Wow. Yeah. That, that's great. And that's, that's the other down, that's the other side. That's what I also loved about the UK. There is so much history here and everywhere you go in particular, if you're able to find, it's kind of like gems of pubs, which pub culture. But pub is not just a place where you go to drink, it's a place where you spend time with your family, where you have your meal. Yeah. Some of the best food, actually they are from pubs that I've ever had here in the UK and some of the most gorgeous locations in the middle of this huge like nature and this green, bright green colors that you see everywhere. That's the other part which made me fall in love with the UK. Uh,  

Kristin:    00:14:48    Yeah. And it is very hardy home-cooked food and it was very good. But what you mentioned about the families being there, so many tables filled with families, they let you bring your dog in there. Is that a thing? There were dogs everywhere and just sleeping on the floor and you just get the sense that this is a community and this is a place where people go to catch up and share what happened during the week. And it is al always sad that, that seems so remarkable to me. And so foreign coming from such a transient place, like the beaches of Florida where there's so many tourists and, uh, we don't really have that community feel. But how did you then transition from leaving the restaurant industry into working for yourself?  

Simone:    00:15:36    It was actually the person that offered me the job to move to the UK. It was one of the most influential people in my life. And, uh, his name is Piero Fra. And we had a lot of conversations, always. We were staying after the shift. It was the owner of the restaurant and we will talk about philosophy, psychology, politics, business. I was a sponge. I was very curious. And it was a very interesting person. He's still a very interesting person. And, uh, we had a conversation once and he said, I think you can do more than working catering. I think you got something, Simone. I don't know what that something is or what you end up doing, but learn, grow, you're gonna go places. And it was the first time in my life after that point, after I started my catering career, that someone gave me an option.  

Simone:    00:16:27    It was outside catering. 'cause then at that point, my mind was set up. I was gonna open my own restaurant and I was gonna follow that path. And so he started giving me books for of personal development. He said, Hey, why don't you go into these seminars or attendee workshops, and London is full of it, that it's the beauty of London. You got everything here. And it was easy. I could find the different workshops I could go to. And that opened my eyes. And that's where I found actually the word of coaching when I was, uh, 22. And, uh, I decided to, I said, I, I really like helping others. I want to learn how to be a coach. Of course, I was very young. So I started in youth coaching and I got a diploma qualification in performance coaching and another one in youth coaching.  

Simone:    00:17:10    And then I started my first business, which was going into schools to deliver workshops through other organizations. So I would partner up with five or six organizations, learn their curricula, and then go into schools and deliver them. And in the second year, I was already going into about 150 schools a year. Uh, it was insane. And that was my training because if you can hold the attention of a class of kids or young people, working with adults and speaking to others is a joke. Like, that's, that's easy. When you have someone that is, uh, that close to launching a pen to you because you're boring and they have no filters and you can, can see them in their faces, then everything else becomes easier. So the years that I spent in schools, which was in the past, which I did for five years, then really, uh, launched my first business.  

Simone:    00:18:01    And then at the same time, a partner up with a friend of mine. And we were running personal development workshops in London by connecting with other speakers, inviting them. You know, we will have like five to 10 people each time at the beginning. But that was the beginning of GTEX where while I was running the, the workshops in school in the morning, some evenings, we were running our events and then building up our event company, which eventually ended up running, like, we, we run more than a thousand events in five years. Uh, so at some point we were running like 200 events a year, like clockwork. And that was the next stage.  

Kristin:    00:18:36    And so those are in-person events that you're doing?  

Simone:    00:18:39    Yeah. That was pre Covid. That was pre Covid, right. We were running about two to three events a week and the five years previous to Covid. And that's what I love. I love that I'm a performer. I love to be at the center of the attention. I love to be in front of a stage. I love to be in front of people and I love to teach and I love to share. I love to create a great environment for people. So ticked all the boxes. I was having so much fun. I was like, I still am. But like, that was the, that's what really got me to fall in love with business and also help me understand what I value the most and what my gifts are in the, in the business world.  

Kristin:    00:19:14    I'm glad that you mentioned that. And I think first of all, your personality is great for presenting in front of kids. You know, that's a tough crowd to win over. But so many people come to me asking what they can do to make money online and they think that they don't have any skills or that they don't have the background and the expertise to be able to make an online income. And what would you, what kind of advice would you give to them? You know, coming from a restaurant background where you just kind of threw yourself in the deep end self-taught with that, self-taught speaking English, and then just kind of working your way into entrepreneurship. Little by little over the past five or 10 years,  

Simone:    00:19:55    I'll say follow the thread, there is always a sign about something. Always. Uh, for example, I'm thinking about the, uh, what got me to, uh, start working in the coaching industry. I mean, thinking about a 22 year old that sign up to get a coaching diploma, the youngest person in that room, like the, the average age of the people in the room were in their fifties or sixties. The age gap was huge. So I had no place to be in that room, but it was something inside me that said, now this is the right thing for you. And I felt so excited about it and I felt every part of me wanted to do it. And I think there's sometimes we all have these things in our lives where we have an experience and then we have all the right signs. Either people are telling us that we are great at it, we like it and we love it, but then we suppress it because it takes guts to make that change.  

Simone:    00:20:56    Like, you don't know where the change is gonna lead you, but in terms of finding your next step, I think that whatever we are experiencing now in life is already giving us an insight of what the next steps could be. It's just about listening to what I'm excited about, what I love doing, what other people tell me that I'm great at, what conversations I'm having, what are some of the recurring experiences that I keep having that point me in one direction compared to another. And then sometimes you find a signs that are very loud. Now our responsibility at that point is not to say, Hey, shut up <laugh>,  

Kristin:    00:21:34    <laugh>.  

Simone:    00:21:36    'cause that's, that's where a lot of people stop. They see the sign, they hear the sign, and they're like, oh, shut up. Instead,  

Kristin:    00:21:41    Oh yeah, we've all done it. We've all done it.  

Simone:    00:21:44   Oh, I, I still do it today. Like sometimes, because the next step might be scary, might be something that you've never done before. And then the more you grow, the more you have to lose.  

Kristin:    00:21:54    Yeah.  

Simone:    00:21:54    Taking a step at 20 is different than taking a step at, at 30 or 40 or 50. 'cause the more you have, the more you're invested in your identity and in what you have created. So there is more to lose. So it's not an easy decision, but, but it's there.  

Kristin:    00:22:09    Yeah. And, and sometimes, you know, the sign to go in this direction, sometimes it's also the sign to close a door in another direction. And both of those can be equally hard because it's hard to walk away from something that you've invested a lot of time in over the years. It's like a chapter closing in your life. It's also hard to step away from a relationship that's run its course. And so these are, you know, life decisions that everyone has to take. But I have found, and I just turned 41 a couple weeks ago, it seems like the longer I'm on the planet and the more life experience I have, the older I get, the more this seems like a law of nature where you get a feeling or you get a sign to either do something or stop doing something and you can say shut up.  

Kristin:    00:22:58    You can say, you can try to ignore it, but it's not going to go away. It's just gonna keep building and building until you can't ignore it any longer. And you have to take action. Either that or you just become miserable because you know that you're avoiding something that you have to be doing. And that's that feeling of procrastination. But on a life scale. And I see it with, you know, people wanting to move to other countries, they, they're like, well, I think I wanna do it. I've been thinking about it, you know, for as long as I can remember, but maybe it's not right for me. And I, and I just know it is because if you've been thinking about it for that many years and then you're talking to me about it and you're watching my videos and it's like, probably that's the direction that life is leading you. So  

Simone:    00:23:44    Thank you. I'll tell you, I'll tell you this, I'll tell you this about traveling actually, because I resisted traveling for a long time. I started traveling really after post covid because before, as I mentioned, I was running an event business. So I was running two to three events a week. There was no space for travels because every other day I had an event. I had to be in London. And I remember there was my wife, the first travel that I took, it was the first time I took three weeks off since uh, I started GTEX. And I started GTEX at 24, got married at 27, at 2028. So first time I took three weeks off was at 28.  

Kristin:    00:24:24    Wow. Since-- 

Simone:    00:24:25    Since I started since  

Kristin:    00:24:26    --You were 14?  

Simone:    00:24:28    No, not since, since I was 14, but since I moved to the UK, definitely.

Kristin:  Okay.

Simone:   Because I was always working, either I was working, I was studying, I was doing something. There was no three weeks holiday. So there was, and also I, I wasn't compelled to go on a holiday. I wanted to learn. I was developing, I was hungry to, to, to create something for myself. And, and I was happy to do that. But, uh, but now I cannot think of just about myself anymore. So my wife said, Hey, we are getting married next year. You have one year to figure out how to take three weeks off for our honeymoon <laugh>.  

Kristin:    00:24:56    I love her. <laugh>.  

Simone:    00:24:57    Yes. I'll give you enough notice. <laugh>, I was resisting that so much. 'cause everything I was thinking that everything was gonna rely on me, that the business was going to explode. I cannot do this. And I got all these clients and it was all in my head. And then I remember taking the first three weeks and I said, ah, the business is still going. Maybe I can do a bit less events. Then started traveling a bit, but then Covid hit after we moved our entire business aligned now then travels open up. And I've been to 18 countries just this year.  

Kristin:    00:25:29    Wow.   

Simone:    00:25:30    I can resonate with people that are listening here, that are watching and they're saying, you know, I cannot do this because yes, it is good for you, Kristin, but you know, I've got responsibility. I've got a family, I've got kids. I've got a, a job I cannot take just to start traveling. Most of the time it's come down from the decision. You take the decision and then things align. A lot of the time we, we wait for things to align to make the decision, but it's, it never happens that way. Never happens that way. First you make the decision, this is what we want. Let's take the first step and then the word around you start aligning to accommodate that decision.  

Kristin:    00:26:06    Right. One of my friends and mentors, Richie Norton, he talks about how you have to create the life that you want now because there's never going to be this time that opens up, you know, where you can take three weeks for the honeymoon or where all of a sudden things are just going to fall into place. It's like you have to create conditions that allow you to travel now, and then you can travel also in the future as well.

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Kristin:    00:27:37    Now, what are some of the places that you went in the past couple years? 18 countries?  

Simone:    00:27:43    Well, 18 countries. That's just this year. So I'll tell you. Well, last year country that I loved was the first time I've been there South Africa. Uh, to Cape Town and, uh, Johannesburg and doing safari in Kruger Park. That was a eye-opening situation for a few different reasons. I know you like to talk about culture, uh, going in in Cape Town and seeing actually how still divided the city is between black and white.  it was the very first time that I saw that net separation, like seeing in a line, like you can feel it, there is the white part and the black part, and it's still there. Wow. So you can, I heard about it and my wife is black, my wife is Caribbean. So it is interesting to have an insight in both cultures because I have a lot of conversation about racism with my wife.  

Simone:    00:28:34    Something that I'm very passionate about, uh, in terms of equality and equal opportunities, something I always fight for. That's a big foundation of who I am as a person. And being there, it was like a punch in the gut because you can, the place is gorgeous, then you have this undertone of separation. And I cannot live in a society like this. It really affects me. And I'm not even black. Like it affects me as a white person just because I cannot of stand it. But then I imagine my friends that are black and they are now they're experiencing it. My wife, that was their experiencing it.  

Kristin:    00:29:14    Oh. So if you're, yeah, I guess that would be interesting going as a multiracial couple. So did you experience anything if you're going on a tour or going to a restaurant or, or was it more --

Simone:    00:29:29    No, because we were the neighborhood, we were in the wealthy part. So the one thing that I've learned that, that was recommended about South Africa is that you always take taxi everywhere and you go where the guy tells you to go. Otherwise you never know. Like you can really risk to get robbed is very dangerous. That's what I've been told. And so that's what we've been followed. That's what I've been following. And uh, so I never had to really had like a, an experience. Like even if she was with me, she was with a group of white, so she was treated like a white. But we were in the richest part of the town. So even if there were black people there, they were the richest black people that were living there, that they were accepted in the white circles.  

Kristin:    00:30:12    Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, did you find that as well in Cape Town or just in Joburg? No,  

Simone:    00:30:17    No, that was Cape Town. That was Cape Town.  

Kristin:    00:30:18    Oh, that was in Cape Town. Yeah.  

Simone:    00:30:19    They didn't spend enough time in Johannesburg. So Joeburg spent only one day, but in Cape Town we spent a week. So that's what I experienced there.  

Kristin:    00:30:27    Okay. And you generally, did you feel safe there in those areas? I suppose  

Simone:    00:30:33   Yes. In, in the, in the, in the rich, in the wealthier part, I felt safe. I've also heard that, uh, most of the time people, something happens to people after three to four weeks that they are there because they feel it's safe, but it's a false sense of security.  

Kristin:    00:30:47    Ah, yeah.  

Simone:    00:30:48    And then you stop taking cab and you go somewhere and then boom, that happens. So that's also what I've heard. And not that I've experienced it, but this is what I've been advised. And this is a, a common, like a shared experience from people that have been there for, for a longer period of time.  

Kristin:    00:31:01    Yeah. I actually just had dinner with a friend who was the videographer for a black YouTuber, but he's white and they got robbed in Johannesburg. It was a break in into their Airbnb or their hotel. I'm not sure exactly. But yeah, they, he woke up at being held at gunpoint in his bed and was very traumatic for them. And this is a guy who's very well known and travels with an entourage and they had that experience. So, and I think their entire group was black probably. And then just the one videographer was white. So it seems like, you know, it can be anyone. You can be little doesn't, you can be foreigner, you can be black, white, purple, like <laugh>. You just gotta, you know, be, be safe and, uh, keep your guard up and follow those recommendations, uh, from the local.  

Simone:    00:31:56    Exactly.   

Kristin:    00:31:57   That's to say they're like, we're not going back there. But that's because they had that experience  

Simone:    00:32:01    That that's was, that was one of the places. So on the, on the landscape side and also on the culture side and food and food wise. Oh my God. But talking about Cape Town, it's magical. It's magical. Uh,  

Kristin:    00:32:12    Did you go to the wine country?  

Simone:    00:32:14    Yeah, the, uh, Stellenbosch, uh,  

Kristin:    00:32:17    Okay. Yeah.  

Simone:    00:32:18    Yeah.  

Kristin:    00:32:18    Do you recommend that?  

Simone:    00:32:20   Oh my God, yes. South African wine said from an Italian, so it counts even more, I think. Yes. Uh, South African wines, big, big check mark. Maybe a drank a bit too much of them. <laugh>.  

Kristin:    00:32:34    Yeah. How much would it be to go out to dinner there and have a glass of wine or a bottle of wine?  

Simone:    00:32:39    Uh, not much. It's like 10, 15, uh, dollars per person. 

Kristin:    00:32:46    Oh wow. 

Simone:    00:32:47    For dinner, For a really good dinner. Yeah.  

Kristin:    00:32:48    Yeah. That's pretty good. And do you have any other, um, places that you're planning to travel this year?  

Simone:    00:32:54    Planning to travel? First time in South America South, so I'm going to go in Brazil. So I'm taking the Nomad Cruise. Okay. Uh, with, uh, with Johannes and a group of Nomad bays. And then, uh, which this time starts from Tenerif going to Brazil. And it's the first time that I'm actually spending time in South America. So I cannot wait to spend a month in Brazil. Uh, we're gonna spend also New Year's, Christmas and New Year's, uh, with my wife. And that's, uh, the next adventure, which, uh, which I have planned. And, um, I'm really excited, really, really excited.  

Kristin:    00:33:26    I did that Atlantic Crossing in 2018 from Spain to Brazil. So it, it's lot of fun that, wait, you were on that one?  

Simone:    00:33:34    No, no, no, I wasn't, I wasn't on that one. How was that?  

Kristin:    00:33:37    Oh, Okay. Oh, that was good. I mean, it is a long time at sea. I was going a little stir crazy at one point, because <laugh>, I would go running around the deck in the morning and it's, you're just running in circles, <laugh> on the boat. But it was cool to see the sunrise and do, um, you know, cross the equator. And I actually recorded a podcast interview with a friend named Vlad Glebov, and we'll link to that in the show notes. And we recorded it while crossing the equator on the Nomad Cruise. So kind of cool things like that. And of course, amazing people, hundreds of like-minded people and, and things to do. So we'll link to the Nomad Cruise down there. I actually made some videos about it as well, and plenty to eat if you've ever been, been on a cruise, you know, there's lots of food, lots of wine. The first Nomad Cruise I went on, I think I indulged too much. And the wine and the dessert, the second one, I was like, no more, no more wine and no dessert after every single meal because you could have a dessert breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  

Simone:    00:34:40    That's, that's the thing. So I is my, is my second normal cruise because I did the first one this year around Italy in Greece. Oh, okay. I was a European one. Uh, but it, first, the first transatlantic cruise. But I love cruising. So most of the time actually I will go to Miami. It is what my wife and do, my wife and I do for our wedding anniversary. We go either to Miami and Orlando, take a cruise generally with the Royal Caribbean, and then cruise around the Caribbean islands for a week. 'cause my wife is Caribbean, so it becomes actually the easiest way to explore her part of the world.

Kristin: Right.

Simone:  It's easier to explore it with a cruise than to do highland hopping and flight. So the price, oh,  

Kristin:    00:35:17    It's so expensive.  

Simone:    00:35:18    It's like a $2,000 a flight for 40 minutes journey. So <laugh>. Yeah, it's insane. So we decided to go for cruises and, uh, and every year go to the US, spend some time in Miami and uh, or Orlando, take our cruise and then come back to the UK.  

Kristin:    00:35:34    And she works online as well, right? Yeah. So when you guys are taking these trips or going on the cruises, are you still working full-time or part-time, or are you taking time off? How have you transitioned into that since the pandemic?  

Simone:    00:35:50    Yeah, it is not either or. It depends on where we, the nature of the trip. So actually most of the times they're work related trips. So my wife works line, yes, but also she's a professional host and mc, so, so we met in, in a public speaker training. Uh, we are both presenters. I train in, uh, sales and marketing. She hosts events and conferences. So a lot of the travels that we will do, she might have a speaking gig in France or in Germany, or she would have, she has another one in Dubai, or we go wherever she has a gig, then we will attach, maybe the gig is might be two or three days, and then we stay there for two weeks.  

Kristin:    00:36:30    Okay. 

Simone:    00:36:31   We always align business or I, or it might be, I'm speaking to a conference for example, where we met in Madeira, uh, you were speaking there, I was there speaking there as well. And so I will always align, try to align my travels with business opportunities so then I can actually get paid while I'm, while I'm there or I can get clients in that way. And then I generally, uh, run my days, but even when I'm in London, where I have half a days where I'm working and now I'm blessed because I've got a bigger business, uh, you know, I've got 14 members in my, uh, 14 team members, uh, that we're working with in our businesses. So it's easier, it's not like before what I was doing, everything that means it's easier to take chunks of the day out. So I might work on like half a day or I might work afternoon and evenings and have the morning free and the morning I'm exploring or might work in the morning and then afternoon and evening free. And then we have these activities. Or there might be a day where I'm working the full day because I just gotta get a lot of things done and then another day where I will have the full day off. So the arrangement of the schedule will depend on the nature of the trip, how much work needs to get done, the project that we have. So we, we are adjusting as we go along. Yeah. And sometimes it's stressful. Sometimes it's stressful, that part.  

Kristin:    00:37:49    Yeah. I can remember when we were in Madeira and, uh, trying to balance, preparing for giving a keynote at the seminar with preparing for a DJ set at the hotel that night and also doing my normal work and videos and other things. And I think there were a few days where I was just in the room. <laugh>, no one's  

Simone:    00:38:10    Talking to, I think, I think thought I saw you. I I was seeing you at dinner. I saw you on the day of the speech <laugh> the day that the, when you did the DJ said, which was brilliant. And then we met at dinners every now and then, or maybe like some of the excursions. But --

Kristin:    00:38:25    After the, after the talk and the DJ set after that, I was able to interact more with the rest of the people <laugh> during the day. But, and we were filming videos as well, so it was like running around. I that was too much. I I can only do a few events per year. I don't know how you do so many <laugh>. But, um, let's transition into actually how you help people, because this is all the circle of digital nomad life. It's like you are living your passions and your dreams, traveling with your wife, blending work with pleasure, uh, getting paid to travel and being able to write off those travel expenses for work. But then it's actually the, the crux of what you do and what you help people do that also allows you to live this life. So can you, uh, just explain a little bit to people about, uh, how you help them and how you train other people so that they can have this sort of financial and location freedom?  

Simone:    00:39:22    Yeah, absolutely. And, and now, you know, you said all these things. First of all, hearing them in that way, I think sometimes I should be a bit more grateful about what I have. Just putting that in into context because, uh, even when you're reaching, I think when this is human nature, when you're reaching certain point, you want what's next,  

Kristin:    00:39:41    Right?  

Simone:    00:39:42    And it's normal, pretty epic life. So I'll, I'll listen to this as a reminder for every time I'm complaining <laugh>, because  

Kristin:    00:39:51    It's not, I, I just heard yesterday, you have to define success, otherwise you're on that treadmill for your entire life. So you have to know, you know, when have I made it, reach this goal, enjoy it. And then sure, you can move the bar higher. But I think it's a good reminder for all of us.  

Simone:    00:40:10    It is a great reminder. So thank you for the reminder. I appreciate it. <laugh>, uh, in terms of how we help people, uh, is, uh, one of the, the, the biggest problem that any business have is, uh, how do I get clients? And in particular, if you're a digital nomads running your business and you're running your own, what's happening is that you're traveling. So then you might stop focusing on the generation you're serving your clients, then you arrive to a point where it's like, oh, I need to make some money. I don't have any clients right now. And that's where the stress happened. It's almost like a cycle. A lot of people are there because they don't push on the gas of lead generation. And my philosophy is that the work that you're doing today is what is gonna get you paid three to six months from now when you're 

Simone:    00:40:54     have your business, you do an event today, the clients will come three to six months from now. You do a webinar today, the clients will come three to six months from now. The majority of the revenues, of course you will have some quick wins. But the idea is to get into the flow where you're doing the work today to get paid three to six months from now, but you're doing it every month. So now every month you're reaping the results from the previous three to six months of work that you did. And, uh, and in particular to do that, uh, we achieve it through a webinar to have a great webinar system that, uh, where you can show up, deliver a presentation presentation that is designed to sell yourself the way that you work, make an offer or make an invitation for people to connect with you and run it regularly to different audiences. So then you never run out of clients and it becomes part of the day-to-day or the week by week or month by month operation part of the business. So then you don't have this ups and downs, but you can always have the consistent flow of clients that are coming in week after week or month after month. And this is what we help our clients do.  

Kristin:    00:42:00    Yeah. That's so important. And I think any freelancer or business owner or anyone who's self-employed has been through that cycle before. I know I have. It's like this ebb and flow and you can get really busy and the delivering the services that people are buying from you, but then doing less of the sales or lead gen. So, and I think you also have, we have a, a webinar conversion kit for only $30. And who is this for?  

Simone:    00:42:33    If you think about it, if you have to explain when you are told to clients and you have to explain all the same information, then a webinar will solve that problem. So this is for everyone which self services. And every time you have a conversation with a client, you tend to repeat the same things. This is how we work, this is why you need it, uh, this is how we are different and this is how we can work together. And these are the different options. Now what the webinar does, it does all these things at scale because now you have that presentation, you have 10, a hundred, a thousand people depending on how many people you're going to have there. And then you can have that initial conversation at scale. So then only the people that are either ready to buy or really interested in having a conversation with you, they will buy or book that call.  

Simone:    00:43:19    So now in terms of time is more efficient, the webinar conversion kit, what it does, it gives you the framework of on how to structure that presentation because it is different from a training that you do on something is a presentation that is designed to persuade and get someone to make a decision, which is either, yes, I'm gonna work with you or not, I'm not gonna work with you. That's the, the design of the presentation and a lot of people don't know how to put it together. So that's why we have decided let's create a great template and give it to you for $30.  

Kristin:    00:43:51    Yeah, that's a great price for $30. It sounds like it's worth $300 million. <laugh>.  

Simone:    00:43:57    <laugh> it is worth. But if I put $300 million, I don't think many people would pay. No. So unless I go to Elon or Bill Gates or someone else, I don't think <laugh>, they, they will pay for it.  

Kristin:    00:44:09    Yeah, I mentioned that because there's so many very high ticket products on how to, to start a webinar. And so if if, if anyone listening, if you've ever been curious about how you can do it and how you can apply it to your business, then I would definitely recommend checking that out and we'll link to it in the show notes. And uh, Simone has also helped me with my webinar and we had great results on the very first time and that was after I had, you know, tried through different methods and other trainers and models for years to find something that worked. 'cause there's a lot of information online, but it's not always the right information. So I can tell you all from experience that yeah, after Simone took a look at my webinar and helped me, uh, with the framework and the format of everything it worked and it can work for you for selling something low ticket or high ticket.  

Kristin:    00:45:01    Yeah. And so that's why it's a very valuable to any kind of business owner, especially as Simone said, if you find yourself repeating yourself on the phone and you know, kind of having the same phone calls over and over, it can help people just get to know you, get to know your product or service or your offer, and then decide for themselves if that's the right fit for you. And then they can always reach out or book a call with you if they need more information. So thanks for sharing that with us. Well, you've done so much, you've accomplished so much in your career so far, but what are you struggling with right now? What's something that you're working on trying to figure out right now?  

Simone:    00:45:43    Uh, what am I struggling with? I think a, the biggest one right now is to have the right project manager, uh, for the digital agency that we have because one of the services that we offer is also done for you webinar services. So we will build the webinar funnels, uh, entire members area, online courses. We do all that work for our clients with our agency. And, uh, we started the agency to attach to our training courses about a couple of years ago. So at the moment I've been a project manager but the project manager on, it's not, it's not my thing, it's not my thing. So I like to do the strategy. I'm really good with that. I'm really good with the training, providing resources and templates, but not managing the done for you process of a client. So they, they will all work and they all go, but now that's the next part for me to outsource and finding the right person that knows marketing enough and as an I for project management that that can serve our clients like I'm doing. And then I can only be contacted if there is an issue or if we need to brainstorm some ideas. I have no problems with that, but not to the firm management from the full process because then it takes me away from the growth of the business in other areas. So scaling that part of the business. Yes, that's the, the struggle and that's what I'm focusing on right now.  

Kristin:    00:47:09    Yeah, there's always that next thing. But if there's any project managers out there listening and you wanna remote job, then contact Simone. I will link to your conduct info in the show notes and also where can people, uh yeah, get in touch with you and learn more about the services that you offer?  

Simone:    00:47:28    Yeah, so you can contact me at simone@gtex.org.uk, so Simone @ G T E X, which is gtex.org.uk. And then the website is the same, so www.gtex.org.uk can find all the information. And also if you're good at marketing with an eye for project management, reach out. <laugh> <laugh>.  

Kristin:    00:47:55    Amazing. Well, thank you so much Simone for, uh, joining us today on Badass Digital Nomads and also where can people listen to your podcast, because I'm gonna be making a cameo on your podcast soon.  

Simone:    00:48:08    Yeah, same website, gtex.org.uk. There is a top podcast and then you can click there and then listen to the interview that we're doing, Kristin.  

Kristin:    00:48:16    Yeah, you guys, Simone has, I looked it up today, 435 episodes of your podcast. So he is the real deal. Definitely check it out. And Simone, I hope to see you and your wife at another event very soon. Or I'll be crashing at your house in London coming up in the next few weeks.

Simone:    00:48:35    You're welcome. You've seen the room <laugh>.  

Kristin:    00:48:38    I want that view of the river. That's the You got it. The James River out there.  

Simone:    00:48:43    Yeah. James River, just right there. Beautiful.  

Kristin:    00:48:46    All right, well thank you so much Simone. We'll see you soon. And thank you everyone for hanging out with us today. I hope that you enjoyed my conversation with Simone today. Remember to check out his podcast, turning Experts into Authorities, and also check out his extremely affordable Webinar Conversion Kit for only $30 that you can grab in our link in the show notes. And it's a great starter package for you if you are thinking about getting into webinars or you're curious about how using webinars can help you with lead generation and growing your business. If you liked today's episode, then why not leave us a review? You can review us on Spotify Apple Podcast or leave a rating on the platform that you listen on or go to lovethepodcast.com/digitalnomad to leave a review or on our website at badassdigitalnomads.com. Thanks for hanging out with me today, and see you again for another new interview next week.