One of the beautiful things about being self employed is the ability to work from nearly anywhere around the globe. As long as you have your devices and an internet connection, you are up and running in seconds, tackling emails, slack chats, or general to-do items. This realization led us to check our calendars and venture to new places with the goal of answering the question: “Can you travel without missing work?” After our February 2019 trip to Miami, we answered that question was a resounding YES!
Miami, FL: Home to beautiful beaches, boutique hotels, and a blended cultural scene that is unmatched in the United States. With Spanish being the most dominantly-spoken language in Miami, sometimes it’s easy to forget you are still on U.S. soil. The beautiful neighborhoods surrounding Biscayne Bay make even a simple drive around Miami a memorable experience.
After traveling to Miami a few times in the past, Dave and I decided it was time to organize our first “GoWorking” Trip.
What is GoWorking?
It’s a way for entrepreneurs and remote workers to leave their home offices, cubicles, or coworking spaces to travel to a unique city, meet fellow self-employed individuals, and explore a new place all while returning with inbox zero.
Meet the Crew: This animated group was filled with countless characters that made the trip what it was. We had entrepreneurs who started mobile apps for on-demand babysitting (Napp), created a live music website (Phantasy Tours), and worked remote for publishing companies.
Our Agenda: During the mornings, we woke up early and took our conference calls from the on-site safe. We sent emails, kept projects moving forward, and ensured any fires were put out. There were a lot of noise-canceling headphones, and free cold brew to keep us all focused.
The afternoons were when we got to to connect on a professional level with the group. We spent hours talking about our businesses and the challenges we were facing. We shared horror stories and experiences to help each other. Somedays we had tours of local startups like Wyncode, a local idea incubator and coding bootcamp, and Rokk3r Labs, a locally based VC focused on solving industrial problems in Latin America. We even made Concrete Beach Brewing our home base for one afternoon, which we all enjoyed.
The nights were spent exploring Miami’s incredible neighborhoods like Wynwood’s graffiti-filled alleyways and walls. We ventured down to South Beach to take in the night life and even spent time listening to live music and playing pool.
We always had a home base at Miami Beach’s boutique accommodation, Freehand Miami. Their on-site pool and the Broken Shaker cocktail bar made nights sitting around the lights reflecting off of the water a wonderful memory. We met other travelers and connected with a community in ways we never expected.
This was the first, of hopefully many, GoWorking trip. We hope to see you on another soon!