- In 2020, Cody May became a digital nomad while growing his marking business, Sheridan St.
- Last year, his business booked $1.5 million in revenue while May traveled the world.
Cody May lived in countries like Brazil and Argentina and paraglided through Colombia, all while building a business that booked $1.5 million in revenue last year.
May became a digital nomad in 2020. At the time, he was building his then three-year-old marketing firm, Sheridan St., but the pandemic canceled the majority of his on-site video jobs.
As the world shifted, so did May's lifestyle. Like many young people, May wanted to take advantage of work-from-anywhere policies as soon as the world opened back up.
Originally from Canada, he wanted to see as much of the world as he could. Canadians, though they tend to take more vacation days than Americans, only took 17 of their 19 allotted days off on average last year, according to a report by travel company Expedia. May wanted to combine his interest in travel with an international career.
Insider spoke with May about his experience growing a company while abroad and his advice for aspiring nomadic entrepreneurs. This is an as-told-to essay based on an interview with May that has been edited for length and clarity.
Deciding to go nomadic
I was living in Peterborough, Canada, working remotely when the pandemic hit. One day I came to the realization that I didn't have to live there anymore. I didn't have clients in the area or an office, so I could go wherever I wanted.
I decided to spend some time traveling while building my brand, so I packed up everything and moved to Los Angeles. I stayed there for four months before heading back to Canada for some time. With an inkling to travel again, my friend and I chose Colombia as our next stop.
We spent time hopping from city to city in Colombia, including Medellín and Cartagena. Then we went to Argentina and spent some time in Brazil. Wherever I stayed, I tried to be there for at least a month and a half to fully experience the location.
What to consider before going
I typically traveled with a friend and we always rented Airbnbs or Vrbos because we are both entrepreneurs and work from home.
Having a multiple-bedroom apartment or house helped give us the space we needed. It also allowed me to create a setup that was conducive to the way I work.
For those looking to work from abroad, I'd recommend going with a friend, if possible. Traveling as a pair helped me feel more comfortable in a new place where I didn't know much about the currency, the culture, or how to get around.
There are definitely some things I miss about having an office space and being able to communicate directly with my team. That's why I've made an effort as a founder to set up events in a few of the countries I've worked in to connect with the employees in those areas. For instance, when I was in Argentina, I flew in my operations director and my chief operations officer and we did a full event with the majority of our team because many are based there.
Aside from team building, another potential difficulty in building a business while traveling is taxes. To ensure I didn't have any issues, I registered my company in Canada. That way, I pay all of my taxes there no matter where I'm living at the time.
I never had to get a work visa for international countries because I didn't stay there long enough. But if a digital nomad is visiting a country where it's required or they'll be there for long enough, that should be taken care of well before they set out.
Living abroad changed my mindset on business and life
Traveling opened me up to another reality that I was never aware of. I had such a North American mindset, especially in terms of business. When I went to Latin America, I realized how passionate the communities and people were; they had so many different priorities, it was a different way of life.
While it's exciting to explore, I was also responsible for building the company and supporting my team, so I found ways to structure my days to ensure Sheridan St. was my priority.
I'd spend the weekends traveling, going on excursions, and exploring. But during the week, I would explore through food and local cuisine. In Columbia, we ate out almost every night. That ultimately allowed us to meet more local people.
It was super rewarding and fulfilling to spend so much time abroad. It can be tricky to not have a home base, but anyone who has the chance to work remotely for a while should definitely give it a try.