Running a startup while travelling the world

  • Future of Work
  • 13 Jun 2015
  • 2 min

Kicking off a series of stories from inspiring entrepreneurs and creatives in our community and beyond, we caught up with Ricardo, CEO of Mobipium, to share his experience of running a truly nomadic startup.

Becoming independent in order to travel 

It all started when Ricardo quit his corporate job in 2014 to start freelancing and allowing more room for travel. Together with a few friends in similar situations, their first destination was set: South America. While working and travelling together, they started Mobipium, an innovative startup for mobile performance advertising. Today, Mobipium is a team of eight, and the business is run entirely on the road.

 

The Mobipium team in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Organisation is the key 

The philosophy of Mobipium is simple – to travel as much as possible. For this, the team works out of a local co-working space from Monday to Friday and explores the area on the weekend. Beforehand the team voted which countries to visit. The detailed planning is done only for the upcoming seven days.

‘We figured that situations can change so quickly, therefore we don’t plan too long ahead, as we need to remain flexible’, says Ricardo. ‘Today we can be in one location and if, for example, the internet doesn’t work properly here, we’re instantly off to the next place.’

One or two people are usually responsible for arranging the logistics to ensure business operations run smoothly.

Nomad Startup Rules

For the startup team to travel and work together harmoniously, a few rules are required! Not staying in the same hotel, or even the same neighbourhood, is the first. ‘We’re all friends, but it’s also important to have the option of private time.’ says Ricardo.

With the team being very close, Mobipium has created a unique company culture but, sure, there are also conflicts. Like in any other company, those issues arise every now and then. Unlike many other companies, however, Ricardo pays very close attention to resolving them immediately.

By being flexible and reflective about their actions, the team is learning how to make this lifestyle work as they go.

The journey continues

How long Mobipium will continue to travel is unclear. ‘We’ll travel together as long as it is manageable for us’, says Ricardo. ‘We’re now tackling Southeast Asia, then we’ll see where the journey will take us.’

What fascinated us about the Mobipium team is their passion to travel and discover the world, while maintaining a strong focus on pushing their business forward. Their story and experience demonstrate how, with determination and creativity, it is possible to combine the dream of working and travelling, even as a team of eight.

To the Mobipium team we wish all the best, and are very much looking forward to seeing how their story continues.

 

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