Archive for July, 2007
Unexpected Benefits of LIP Living in Grenada
1) My feet are as soft as a baby’s bottom.
All the jogging/walking on the beach and jumping around on a sandy ocean floor means that I no longer have put up with being called ‘rhino feet’ by J.
It’s better than a pedicure - cheaper, more pleasurable and my feet have never, ever been so [...]
1) My feet are as soft as a baby’s bottom.
All the jogging/walking on the beach and jumping around on a sandy ocean floor means that I no longer have put up with being called ‘rhino feet’ by J.
It’s better than a pedicure - cheaper, more pleasurable and my feet have never, ever been so soft & smooth.
2) Losing our winter ‘padding’ without even trying.
When we left the UK, we were both carrying a few extra pounds which we started to lose naturally in Panama simply by cycling along the Amador Causeway every day (despite the steak sandwiches & garlic fries!!!).
Unfortunately we put it all on again and more in Buenos Aires when we confined ourselves to our apartment to avoid the mossies and dog poo - only really venturing out for a herbal tea and huge piece of dulce de leche-filled chocolate cake to cheer ourselves up.
Here in Grenada, we’ve fortunately shed it all again without even noticing - simply by splashing around in the ocean twice a day, getting a good night’s sleep and eating the fresh, locally grown food. I am also convinced that my coconut addiction has helped.
3) Picking up some business
We picked up a bit of business whilst on the island doing a whole online suite of marketing tools (two websites and a blog) for Grenada Wedding.
Whilst this could all have been done ‘virtually’, it’s been an interesting change to actually sit down & meet our clients face-to-face and has meant that we’ve covered some of the monthly costs of living in Grenada.
4) Our own dog without the hassle
We’ve both always quite fancied the idea of a dog but not been keen on the bind of being tied to one place, the digusting-ness of picking up dog poo nor any of the other responsibilities that come with owning a pet.
Where we’ve been staying however, they have their own cute little dog - Peaches - who has made herself very much at home with us and quite merrily trots in and out of our apartment when she feels like it.
More Tools For A LIP Business
Running a business whilst overseas or traveling can be a challenge at times but incredibly rewarding at others…especially when in between your ‘work’ you can pop to the best beach in the Caribbean to float on your back in the ocean!
I’ve had some emails about the main tools I use to run our business whilst [...]
Running a business whilst overseas or traveling can be a challenge at times but incredibly rewarding at others…especially when in between your ‘work’ you can pop to the best beach in the Caribbean to float on your back in the ocean!
I’ve had some emails about the main tools I use to run our business whilst we travel, so here they are:
For email & calendar functions:
Google Aps - which lets me use the power of gmail but have my own brand and own domain name.
For managing clients:
HighriseHQ - to keep track of prospects & clients, although now that I am using Google aps, I don’t seem to need this so much.
For invoicing clients:
SimplyBill - for simple tracking & chasing of invoices.
For marketing & mailing lists:
AWeber [aff] - sending out ezines & keeping in touch with clients & prospects.
For collecting payments:
Paypal
For group conference calls:
Conference Genie (with UK users)
For talking to clients:
Skype - with SkypeOut calling credit plus a UK SkypeIn number for clients to call me.
For sending & receiving faxes:
Efax
For managing my daily & other To Do lists:
BackpackIt - I know there are plenty others but this one suits me and is simple to use.
For scheduling client consults & coaching calls:
Instant-Scheduling - I don’t use this quite as much right now but when I hire my VA, will begin to use it more.
For backing up my files online:
Carbonite - I tried X-drive intially but found it really fiddly so gave up and this seems to work just fine.
Whilst I like to think of myself as an ‘early adopter’, I’m always open to new, better suggestions so just leave me a comment….
Where do I start?
If you would like to get started creating your own LIP lifestyle, here are some of our tips…
Step 1
The best place to start is to ask yourself (and spend some time answering) the following questions:
What specifically appeals to you about the LIP lifestyle?
What do you want your own LIP lifestyle to be like?
What has stopped [...]
If you would like to get started creating your own LIP lifestyle, here are some of our tips…
Step 1
The best place to start is to ask yourself (and spend some time answering) the following questions:
- What specifically appeals to you about the LIP lifestyle?
- What do you want your own LIP lifestyle to be like?
- What has stopped you so far from doing this on your own?
- Where would you like to live your LIP lifestyle?
Step 2
Spend some time browsing our site. There is a lot of information here about what we’ve learned on our journey. We know we have learnt a lot and we’ve still got plenty more to learn - which we’ll continue to share on this blog. Some useful posts to start with are:
Step 3
One of the key foundations of a LIP lifestyle is a business that will support this lifestyle. If this is an area for you that needs some work, then it is where you should focus your efforts.
Step 4
If your business is already LIP-proofed, then the next stage for you is to go back to step 1 and the reasons that have so far stopped you from leading your own LIP lifestyle and begin to work through them.
SeatGuru: How To Select The Best Seat On Any Airline
If you, like me, get a little bit obsessed about where you sit on the plane and like to pre-book your seat or request a certain seat at check-in whenever you can, this site is invaluable.
You can see the layout of every plane for every airline and be fully in-the-know about which are the hot [...]
If you, like me, get a little bit obsessed about where you sit on the plane and like to pre-book your seat or request a certain seat at check-in whenever you can, this site is invaluable.
You can see the layout of every plane for every airline and be fully in-the-know about which are the hot seats to request. It’s …”The ultimate source for airplane seating, in-flight amenities and airline information”.
