Get as much juice for the squeeze as possible, and shake every last drop out.
Kari DePhillips got her start in advertising, working in a cubicle (albeit a corner cubicle) in downtown Pittsburgh. She started freelance writing on the side. Within three months she had replaced her income from her “real job” – so she quit her 9 to 5 job.
Eventually, that turned into The Content Factory, which she founded in 2010. She started her business in 2010 with $500 and some SEO knowledge. Now her website generates around $1m in targeted organic traffic per year. Her digital PR agency that represents clients ranging from Astroglide to Fairtrade America to enterprise-level SaaS companies. Now, she has a dozen home based employees spread out over 7 states. “I tallied it up, and on average my employees save 500 hours per year, EACH, by working from home”.
Kari developed and documented her process for “hacking” Craigslist to find remote work. “I made a video about it for the Workationing Facebook group here, which your readers might find helpful. The application and email tracking system drastically increased my response rate, and is worth stealing”.
Kari has grown through word of mouth and her reputation. She has no sales team. “I’m regarded as one of the top experts in the SEO and digital marketing industry. I co-founded and admin the Sisters in SEO Facebook group (featuring many of the top women in the industry)”.
Job Perks to the Max
NBCNews called Kari DePhillips a CEO who takes job perks to the max. Thrive referred to her as a limit-breaking female founder for her work-from-wherever there’s wifi approach. She has written a few articles about why more entrepreneurs should do business this way (and why it’s beneficial for employees, especially women), which you can check out here:
https://www.contentfac.com/500-hour-advantage-let-employees-work-from-home/
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10048-kari-dephillips-the-content-factory-workationing.html
Kari has spent the last couple of years traveling the world as a digital nomad. When first we checked in with her she was in Amsterdam getting ready to go Turkey. Kari is also the co-host of the Workationing podcast. She has been featured in Fast Company, Women’s Health, Glamour and several other media outlets.
Her Own Community
The Workationing Facebook group is a great place to network and build the digital skills necessary to go remote. The Workationing Podcast has actionable tips and advice for becoming a digital nomad. It follows Kari and her bestie, Kelly Chase, as they take the leap to digital nomadry (complete with panic attacks), then travel the world while working and having adventures. “We also have a ton of great guides over at the Workationing blog, covering everything from how to find remote work to how to make friends and avoid being lonely as a digital nomad”.
Kari reminds future digital nomads to make sure they have a job that pays consistently before they hit the road. “Too many people take some savings and head to Chiang Mai or wherever, hoping they’ll “figure it out” when they get there. If you can’t “figure it out” from home, where you’ve got a support network, it’s unlikely things will be different in a more exotic location. If anything, they’ll be harder”.
Kari’s escape from the 9 to 5 has taken her to five continents. She still has Australia and Antarctica on her list for sometime in the next couple years. “We only get one life…do you want to spend thousands of hours over the course of it “getting ready” for a job you’re already ready to do, and then commuting to and from it? I didn’t want to, and working remotely gave me all that time back. With that time, I can focus on things that matter, like growing my business, traveling the world and knocking items off of my bucket list”.
