Hi, Can you please introduce yourself?
Hi, my name is Trifon and I've been working remotely since 2016. I started as a freelance copywriter and gradually transitioned to content marketing strategy and consulting over the last 5 years.
What’s your profession, what do you do?
I'm a content marketer specialised in helping B2B software as a service companies.
What company do you work for? Are you a freelancer or Digital Nomad?
I provide my services through a limited liability company registered in the UK (Growth Packs Ltd).
How did you start with a remote work journey?
In my final year at university, I decided to take an alternative route to working in a big corporation and go freelance instead. I read a few books on copywriting, put together a portfolio using my coursework essays and started applying for gigs on Upwork. This led to my first ever project (rewriting 10 news articles for $50) and eventually a full-time engagement with a tech startup where I developed myself as a writer and marketer.
What do you think are the main benefits of working remotely?
The main benefit for me is having more control over your workday and life in general. If I compare my career over the last 5 years with the traditional employment route, I was able to reach the same financial gains by waking up whenever I want to, working wherever I want to and with plenty of time left over for activities outside of work.
Do you think there are disadvantages or that you’re missing something by working remotely?
Not really, at least for me.
From what cities or countries have you worked since you have become remote? What are your favourite countries or cities to work from?
I'm usually based in Edinburgh and Sofia but I've worked for 1-4 weeks each in Gran Canaria, Berlin, Yerevan, Tel Aviv, Plovdiv, Nice, Munich, London, Rome and parts of Southeast Asia. Probably missing some but if I had to pick a few favorite places, they would be London, Tel Aviv and Kuala Lumpur.
From what type of places do you prefer to work? Home, co-working spaces, coffee shops, or others?
I usually work from home but also like hotel rooms and a dedicated office in the afternoon (I often visit a friend of mine's office and used to rent one in Edinburgh).
What places would you like to travel to while working remotely?
Lisbon and Tallinn come to mind.
What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them? Share your remote productivity, communication, management, etc. tips based on your experience!
The biggest challenge for me was transitioning from part-time work as a student to full-time freelancing. I actually quit my job and there were a good 6 months where I was in the red every month until I could develop a steady income. During this time I was constantly pondering whether I should drop it all and get a normal job but luckily things worked out in the end.
In terms of remote productivity tips, my top advice is to utilise your morning to the fullest since this is the time when most people can focus well and get massive amounts of work done. Afternoons are good for meetings, catching up with email and all the random (urgent) tasks that come your way. All in all, discover when you're at your prime and arrange your workday to support this rhythm.
What tools do you use to improve productivity and manage work efficiently?
I use Todoist, Evernote and Google Calendar the most. Google Docs / Drive is also central to my line of work. A bit more "niche" tools that I use a lot are LastPass to store passwords and Loom for recording screencasts and assigning work to contractors.
How do you manage your business and taxes as a remote working professional?
I use a tool called Wave to record all invoices and track my revenue. I also use a single business bank account for all expenses so it's very easy to track my costs. I have some background in accounting so still doing taxes myself although I'm considering hiring a professional to help with annual reporting.
What advice would you give to people looking to work remotely?
Try it out for a few months and see if it works for you. Right now, you have plenty of opportunities so you can even get a regular job where the employer allows you to work from home (which wasn't the case a few years ago!)
Trifon's Website: https://www.trifontsvetkov.com/
Trifon's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trifontsvetkov/
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