DN Interview: From Near Death Experience To 5 Figure Copywriter – Francis Nayan
This our latest interview digital nomad interview with Francis Nayan. The idea is to interview active digital nomads who run away from the 9-5 cubical and who made it so you can learn from them.
Francis’ journey as a nomad started in 2014 when he was suffering from a heroin addiction while living in the states. In October ’14, he nearly died from an overdose that put him in the hospital for 2 weeks.
Just one month after his overdose, he registered for a course to become a TEFL teacher, believing it would be his ticket to see the world. And it was. Just 10 months after the incident, he moved to Barcelona to teach English. A year later, he moved to Budapest.
After 1.5 years of teaching, he decided to change careers and discovered copywriting where he now consistently earns $10,000 – $15,000/month writing and works with top marketers and several 6-8 figure businesses.
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Thanks for talking to us Francis. We hope your fascinating life story to inspire other travellers out there!
Hellllo nomad Francis! 🙂 Who are you? What do you do for work?
Hey there, My name is Francis Nayan and I’m the owner of Stories & Copy, a DFY email marketing and copywriting service, as well as The Nomad Newsletter, a semiweekly publication on the latest in nomad news, job opportunities, business advice, and ways to live comfortably as a nomad.
RTL: What kind of remote work do you do that enables you to work from anywhere and see the world?
I guess, nowadays, I have a few stream of income, but I’m a freelance writer, overall. Most of my income comes from email copywriting and email list management, but I also write frequently on Medium.com and I just launched The Nomad Newsletter and it’s helped boost my income a bit since it’s start date.
RTL: Our readers probably want to know how you go about finding work and clients. Can you tell us a bit more about this process?
Well, to be honest, I’m a HUGE cold pitch guy.
I’ve really nailed how to connect with business owners and entrepreneurs who have an engaged audience, getting on a call together, and establishing a relationship that can begin as partners soon or in the future.
I’m also semi-active on social media. So regular posting are just being as relevant with a post every few days is also a tactic I’ve used. And seeing if there are any relevant postings that are aligned with my skillset. (for the right price)
Something that’s also helpful is joining paid groups. This has helped me network and meet with high-paying clients who invest heavily into their business. The logic is that if they pay a lot for a paid group or mastermind, then they’ll also likely invest into a top-quality writer.
RTL: So then how much do you work on your exposure and personal branding in the online space?
I work on it heavily, in a way.
My goal isn’t to be known for constant posting or flexing my lifestyle on social media platforms. But I love telling stories, giving value, and speaking.
And I do that by regularly writing articles on Medium.com, giving advice in FB groups, posting on Twitter, and speaking on podcasts. I try to do as much as possible, but if I don’t have much to say…I don’t freak out over it.
I just post when I can and when I feel like it. I think there’s a sense of humanness to it, compared to the regular posting that others do. And for me, that’s just how I like to do it.
Though, I think, compared to a lot of people….
I definitely spend a lot of time trying to speak on podcasts. I love the exposure and the credibility it lends me. I’m also quite a talker, so sharing my story and giving insight to willing listeners is always fun to do.
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RTL: You told us your income has sky rocketed from email copywriting. Can you speak about how you manage to be so efficient and selective with your clients? This can probably be applied to other industries as well.
RTL: What can you tell us about your transition? Was it voluntarily and calculated, or was it a spontaneous decision based on circumstances?
It was a little both, but more voluntarily and calculated.
I was a miserable English teacher at one time, and I just wanted out of it. So I searched far and wide looking for ways to make money online, since I didn’t want to work in an office or go back to the States. I found copywriting through a guy I met a bar.
Young dude. 20 year old German guy. And he told me he wrote copy.
I asked for resources, and I was just hooked.
I bought a horrible $200 laptop on FB marketplace and told my boss I wanted to go part-time.
That was the beginning of my journey in a nutshell.
RTL: How else did COVID-19 affect your traveling lifestyle, and how did you navigate the lockdowns?
I did what I could, really.
I took a trip to Portugal and Greece, and I took advantage of Mexico’s open borders.
I spent the first half of the lockdown indoors. I was fine, actually. I like staying home anyway, so it didn’t bother me as much as others. There were brief windows where Greece and Portugal were open, so my girlfriend and I took all the tests and went.
We then heard Mexico was open and we booked a one-way flight.
I spent January to May in Mexico traveling around. Being as safe as possible, of course.
RTL: When did you have you aha! moment about digital nomadism and what was it?
Honestly, I think I ALWAYS wanted to live abroad and travel. And I think I saw a documentary of Digital Nomads in 2015, I think. Once I saw that it was a possibility, I always kind of knew it was in my plan. But when I left my teaching job and had enough money to work around Europe through freelance writing, that’s when I knew that I was really location-independent, and I wanted to ramp it up more throughout the years.
RTL: We always love to give our readers practical advice on how to start a digital nomad lifestyle. What would be your top 3 tips for them?
Good question.
First off, I’d say to not start traveling until you have a steady income. Otherwise, you won’t be as relaxed or free with your time. Taking a few months to focus on finding a remote job or scale your business will serve you well in the long run.
Second, I’d say do as much research as possible and then pick ONE thing to supplement your income. Too many people get hyped about new fads, trends, and ideas. It just slows down the process. Pick one and focus on that to grow. (like I said, this can also just be finding a good remote job with a good company)
Third, learn from others. There are sooooo many digital nomads out there. Even more now since the pandemic. People are living, working, and building so many cool and interesting things. Take some time to see what people are doing so you can discover your ‘style’ of work and travel.
RTL: You’ve traveled quite a bit, especially Europe. What was your favourite country to live in and why?
I love Budapest.
I’ve been here 5 years now.
I fell in love with this place when I was a young and dumb 24-year-old. And every year since, I’ve fallen deeper in love with it for a new reason. Whether it was the party, social scene, ease of travel, the aesthetic of the buildings, or my Hungarian girlfriend…
Something new has always come up.
And even though I plan on moving soon, Budapest definitely always has a place in my heart.
The cool thing is…
I’m not the only one, either.
Most expats I know have said Budapest leaves a lasting mark on them.
RTL: What’s your favourite remote working setup?
RTL: Thanks a lot for sharing these useful learnings with our readers. How can people get in touch and collaborate with you?
Thank you!
Well, I have two sites.
First, it’s for Stories & Copy, my freelance copywriting site – storiesandcopy.com
But if you really want to hear from me regularly, I send emails to my email list at thenomadnewsletter.com.
I share semiweekly (sometimes more) newsletters on nomad news, cool nomad stuff I found, and feature nomads creating and making cool things.
Join the newsletter, I’d love to connect with you there!
Get our best tips FOR FREE and learn how to become a successful digital nomad and work from anywhere!
PLUS top advice on everything related to location independence lifestyle:
- Coliving
- Working locations
- Making money online
- Travel advice
- Nomad interviews