Digital Nomad Interviews – An Interview with Nishchal Dua: Founder of The Remote Life
Nishchal Dua is a serial entrepreneur and traveler. His last startup Amicus Shopping Assistant was acquired in March 2016. He spent 2016 trekking to the Mt. Everest Base Camp and skydiving in Mauritius.
Born in New Delhi and brought up across India, Nishchal has traveled extensively all over the country, thanks to his Army dad. He has just got back from a paragliding course in Bir Billing – the famous paragliding destination in North India.
He is now building The Remote Life – a travel and work program to help people move out of their cubicles and into the real world.
Find more info on The Remote Life Website, Facebook and Instagram
The lifestyle of a digital nomad is a dream for so many people. So can you explain briefly how you make money online?
Diversity is the key to building your DN lifestyle. Unlike most entrepreneurs, I don’t put all my eggs in 1 basket. I have a remote working program and an ecommerce fashion brand and I also consult startups on their product & growth strategies. All three combined make sure that I am not dependent on any 1 source of income.
And what made you decide to work remotely like this and how did you make it happen?
I had a major problem. During work, I used to miss the hills. When in hills, I used to think about my work & the amazing things I could do. Then last year I finally took the call to stop playing games and focus on making sure that I don’t sacrifice one at the expense of the other. It feels like college all over again. New place, new people, new rules. All your assumptions will be tested and you will have to unlearn & learn a lot of things. But it happens. You find your way and things work out.
What do you like the best about life as a digital nomad ?
Freedom. I am free. More free than most people I know.I am free to go anywhere, anytime and do anything I feel like.
But nothings perfect right? Are there any downsides?
Plenty. Your relationships take a hit. You become commitment phobic. While you live your life, the lives of your family & friends move on.
Do you have one standout highlight, favourite destination or biggest achievement?
I think it goes without saying – the Mt. Everest Base Camp is something I can never forget. 12 days of climbing in extreme situations at an altitude of 18000+ feet where oxygen drops to a level that makes breathing a lot harder, especially when you have been climbing for hours with 10kgs of luggage of your back. What makes it great? You meet people that are pushing boundaries you never knew existed in the first place. I met a couple who were over 65 years old. And they were at the Mt. Everest Base Camp, nailing it!
And what has been the greatest challenge?
Mindset. Telling yourself everyday that this is not a mistake and things will work out.
What do you wish you had known before you started working remotely?
I don’t wish to change anything in this journey, even things I knew or didn’t. Making mistakes, discovering things, failing and getting up again – all part of the package that makes it so exciting. If I knew and planned everything in advance, wouldn’t have been so much fun.
So, what are your plans and ambitions for the future?
I am building The Remote Life which is a remote work program for entrepreneurs and freelancers. The focus is on delivering a great experience to people trying out the Digital Nomad lifestyle for the first time and ease them into the new way of living. I hope to help 1000 people move over to the other side in the next 5 years, all the while traveling the world myself. Personally I want to become a wingsuit pilot and will start training for it another couple of months.
Awesome stuff! Thanks Nishchal for sharing your exciting journey. If you are feeling inspired to create the same work and travel lifestyle for yourself then check out The Remote LifeÂ
If you are working abroad and living a location independent life contact me to be featured here.
4 comments
His story is really inspirational for students like us who want to earn money but also want to travel the whole world and want to explore the different places.His idea to build ‘REMOTE LIFE’ is really very unique ,this is something that every people cant think of and your interview very amazing .Ya u said it right that mindset is very important to do a work and to achieve success.Remote life is a good platform for people like us to travel the world and to achieve our dream of exploring the hills ,islands,oceans and every food belongs to different part of the country.You also give us hope and new dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur and do some extraordinary thing out of the world thing.
So glad that you are feeling inspired! Best of luck with your own journey 🙂
This is such an inspiring interview and for all the wanderlusts, all the things said above are so true. The remote life can be something that these people can count up to. A great step towards a change!
Glad you liked it! There are many ways work remotely 🙂