Moving states could be good for business.
I recently moved from cool, moody Tasmania to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, because
my future business ambitions desperately needed the energy of a place like this.
See I've moved around a fair bit: Adelaide > Melbourne > Sydney > Regional Tassie > Hobart > Sunny Coast, and it’s a privilige to have this flexibility, I appreciate, but it’s something so necessary to how I wish to live. So I’ve made sure to make this flexibility possible at every step.
The move to Tasmania was, well, COVID related. I left my corporate media role in Sydney to explore starting my own thing in Jan 2020 (lol, great timing) and when sh*t hit the fan I looked for a part-time role back in media, but there were no jobs to be had, ‘cause, well, #covid. I was staring down the barrel of pricey inner-Sydney rent with no income prospects for an unknown time, something I (like the rest of the world) didn’t plan for.
So we broke a lease, loaded a shipping container and crossed two borders into Tassie and a couple of weeks of iso (remember that?).
Every new place brings a different energy, adds something to my life, teaches me something about myself and brings in fresh perspective.
Tassie brought solitude, retrospection, experimentation - and I’ll pull no punches here - a cheaper lifestyle, as we were proper regional, like minimum two hours from any city, and snuck in just before the whole of Australia seemed to move regionally and drive up the rental prices.
There came a time though where my business pursuits felt squeezed by where I lived. I found perspective harder to find, felt isolated (island life can do that) and that sense of isolation started to limit what I thought I was capable of.
So, the next move was planned, to somewhere light, bright, engaging, high-vibe and warm.
Covid kindly drove up the price of shipping / transportation - so we sold all our furniture, closed down and sold my ceramics studio and wares, and got our life down to a hatchback with a trailer, driving ourselves all the way to the Sunshine Coast. We would have gone back to Sydney, but my business-building friends will relate that cost of lifestyle is fundamental in achieving anything in business, so the big city is still on hold for a little while yet.
This change in energy is incredibly important to me because I'm passionate about building things, and I have to stay aware of when my environment isn't matching what I need to build.
Everything is energy, and a lifestyle change (be it a major move or small shift in your circle) often plays a big part in whatever you're creating for yourself, be it the creation of your business, to clear up finances or simply create a new headspace.
I have a few things on my list to build:
- An exciting visual rebrand of the Unemployed & Afraid podcast and a brand partnership that will rocket the pods growth
- Nurture the Unemployed & Afraid community and provide MORE value and MORE insights for our mutual business-building endeavours
- Create and host more podcasts
- Write a manuscript for a book
- Hit the stage as both a speaker and facilitator
- And naturally a long list of other fun ideas
I can't wait to soak in this new energy and meet incredible people, if you're a Sunny Coast local hit me up for a cuppa.
