JOE - FOUNDER OF THE MINDFUL COLLECTIVE
Nine is a community for coliving and coworking on the beautiful island of Tenerife, Spain. During their stay, we ask our Digital Nomads to share their stories.
About
Country: UK
Age: 27
Stayed at Nine: Sept 2019
Insta: @remote_joe
What’s your background?
I come from a place called Bristol in the UK. I originally started in the Hydraulics industry, right from the shop floor assembling machinery. I got into photography, websites and marketing from there. Took a course whilst I was working for a company in the UK which eventually got bought out by a larger Italian firm. From there I transitioned to remote work and marketing/business development, taking them on as a client and gaining more clients from previous contacts and distributors in the industry.
How long have you been working remote and what are you currently working on?
I started working remotely about 3 years ago, right now I’m continuing to work with a few select clients in the hydraulics industry to pay the bills, taking a few more courses in web design to expand my skills and also working on The Mindful Collective. A new project/non-profit I started with a business partner which aims to promote sustainable and ethical business practices in all types of industry.
We’re working with clean energy firms to help businesses transition to renewables and with several people in education to study and research workable models for sustainable business so we can start to teach courses and create beginner guides on where companies can start. For the most part a lot of businesses want to do better when it comes to becoming a truly sustainable business they just don’t know where to start. We’re hoping with a model based on solid academic research and also real world testing in an upcoming pilot programme will be able to point businesses in the right direction.
Why do you think Tenerife and the Canary island is a good destination for digital nomads?
It’s just a great place to live and work. It’s not too expensive. The weather is just right. Its a chance to get to know a different type of culture, infrastructure is pretty good (for that all important wifi speed!) and it’s easy to get around the island. I’ve just started learning how to surf and my other hobbies include photography and motorbikes so this place is like a paradise for me!
I love the fact that I can drive to the beach to surf in 30 minutes and in an hour after that I can be up in the mountains watching the sunset and taking photos of the Milky Way with some of the best star gazing in the world! Add to that the food, friendly locals and culture of the island and its just a happy place to be :)
What is your favorite thing about Nine Coliving?
Hard to say! This is my third week here now and I’m upset that I’m leaving next week (A month just isn’t long enough!) It’s probably the people and community that we have here.
When I started remote work I was just on my own, working back in the UK from an apartment I don’t get much of a chance to interact with people face to face. That isolation can take a toll on your productivity and mental health. Here I can work in the same space as others, bounce ideas off people and get advice from someone who’s been doing this longer than me. Having a positive community around you really helps with those issues that can come up doing this solo.
I also like the fact that there’s a chilled out vibe here. I haven’t been to many co-working/co-living places but I’ve heard a lot of others can be quite focused on the networking and co-working aspects which I think puts a little too much social pressure/expectation on the living situation and interactions. At Nine the community feels natural, the interactions don’t seem forced, if there’s an event on and you want to join in great, if you don’t no worries, I don’t feel any social or work ethic pressure either way. Oh and resident doggo Lara, Yoga every day and surfing? What’s not to love!?
