Coliving Is The Future (#7)

Every Sunday I publish a newsletter featuring the best hacks and insights I discover on my journey as an entrepreneur and investor.

Tools like Zoom and Slack are huge. They help businesses operate distributed teams and enable us to work remotely.  With this more fluid way of work, more and more people are becoming freelancers or starting online businesses. The trend has given rise to ‘digital nomads’.

In last week’s newsletter, I spoke about how our collective focus must be on leveraging technology to improve the quality of our lives - not just our working lives. Since then, I’ve recognised several other trends at play:

1. Technology has enabled remote work

2. Societal values have shifted away from ‘ownership culture’. Not everyone wants to own a home or car - renting and ride-sharing are viable options

3. People’s networks are increasingly internationally diverse

4. People are living longer and are healthier for longer

5. Rising house prices and rental shortages in the world’s most desirable locations has limited affordable housing

6. People want to collect ‘experiences’ and ‘memories’, not just ‘stuff’

I’d rather have a passport full of stamps than a house full of stuff

— Anthony Avedissian (@antavedissian) March 6, 2021

With the intersection of these trends in mind, I believe there’s a huge opportunity in co-living and co-working spaces. Personally, I’d love to see something between Soho House and a modern hostel… ‘Your annual membership to high-quality co-living and co-working spaces across the world. With added elements for health, wellness, spirituality, community and education. Free gyms, regular events and more.’

That’s why, this week, I searched to find exactly that. I built a Google Sheet with 34 coliving/coworking spaces across the world. Here are a few of my favourites.

Selina. With over 60 destinations worldwide, including Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Greece, Mexico, Portugal, UK and US, Selina is the best option if you want to explore the world. They offer everything from luxury private rooms to tents, beach huts and treehouses, making it a great option for backpackers, holiday-makers or digital nomads.

Arctic Coworking Lodge (Norway, Lofoten). Located in the mountains, with raw nature at your doorstep, this is the most adventurous choice! With options to hike, surf, ski, and more, it’s suitable for both winter and summer.

Sun and Co (Spain, Javea). Hosted by locals in a coastal Spanish town, Sun and Co have a relaxed community vibe. They offer a range of community events and have over 200 square meters of communal space, making it a well-balanced place for both work and play.

Hub 53 (Thailand, Chiang Mai). With plenty of options to train Muay Thai nearby, Hub 53 might be my favourite option. There’s also a huge emphasis on learning - they offer Thai language classes and eCommerce courses - and have modern spaces at very affordable rates.

I’d love to hear from you

Putting my preferences aside, I’d love to hear from you! Would you consider staying at any of the 34 locations I put together in Google Sheets? If so, what factors are most important to you? Affordability? Community? Location? You can reach me on Twitter or email: anthony@djangodigital.co.uk.

Nomad News This Week

🇭🇷 Dubrovnik Launched the World’s First Digital Nomad-in-Residence Competition. Winners get a free 4-week stay in Dubrovnik, with various meals, tours, workshops and other activities also included. Applications close on 31 March, and eligibility seems very simple. Defo check this out!

👀 Tech’s New Executive Perk: Working From Home Forever. Now that the battle for talent is going fully remote, many companies are granting top candidates permission to avoid the office altogether. Keep this in mind for your next job negotiation!

🗺️ The pandemic is changing the digital nomad scene. This article discusses how coronavirus and the uptick in remote work has ushered in a new wave of nomads, from nomad villages to ‘slowmadism’. It’s a comprehensive look into what all the countries around the world are doing to attract digital nomad and revive their economies.

What I’ve Been Reading

📚 Expert Secrets by Russel Brunson. 4/5. This book is all about how to find a niche community online and sell them information products. It builds on the theories of Russel’s first book, DotComSecrets. The book’s packed with actionable tips and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in building a brand online and selling information and digital products online, like guides, courses, and more. As always, feel free to grab my full review and book notes from my website.

💰 Emerging Manager ‘Must-Dos’: The Path to Your First Fund. Having worked with a bunch of Venture Capital companies, solo GPs, and Angel investors, I found this to be a basic yet comprehensive summary of all the things you’ve gotta do to raise and execute your first fund. I’d defo recommend this if you’re into investing. (2,800 words).

📈 Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT): Beginner's Guide. Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are digital assets that are indivisible and provably unique. They can be used to represent both tangible and intangible items. The trend’s been blowing up this week, and this guide an excellent beginner’s summary. (2,600 words).

💪 Power to the Person: The Creator Economy, NFTs and the Rise of the Solo Corporation. Amazing read! The empowerment of individuals to create businesses out of themselves and the rise of the creator economy is undeniable. This article touches on so many of the areas driving this trend and I really loved reading it! (5,900 words).

What I’ve Been Listening To

🐶 The Journal discusses the cryptocurrency Dogecoin. Initially created as a joke based on a dog meme, Dogecoin is now worth $7 Billion. An interesting and insightful look conversation with Dogecoin’s founder, Billy Markus. (15m 27s).

💸 Tim Ferris interviews a16z General Partner Katie Haun. Having created the US government’s first cryptocurrency task force Katie offers a wealth of Crypto knowledge in this interview - including NFTs, the Dark Web and Bitcoin. They also talk about Rally, a Cryptoken for the creator economy backed by a16z. (2h 11m).

🚀 American Enterprise Institue’s The Future of Space Exploration. A wide-ranging panel discussion with four guests including professors from MIT, Harvard and AIE. They cover the rise of the private space industry, the US role in space exploration, and the new discoveries that await us. (53m 42s).

The Tools I’ve Discovered

🖼️ Time-Travel Rephotography is a project that takes old black and white photographs of historical figures and restores them in colour and greater real-world fidelity using a combination of clever techniques.

💻 Open Multiple URLs is a free Chrome extension that opens a list of URLs in Chrome tabs. This seems kinda random, but when you’re researching a bunch of companies or websites, I’ve found this super useful!

🐦 Excerpts From The Twitterverse

Sure remote work is cool, but flex work will be the norm.

- 1-2 days in office

- In-person collaboration for when it's needed

- Book a desk or conference room table by the hour or by the day

- Smaller HQ opens up budget for travel & meals stipend, for fully remote employees

— Shahed Khan (@_shahedk) February 26, 2021

💰Private Equity: the hottest trend of the next decade for private equity will see them purchase companies, make them remote-first

The cost saving in real-estate at scale will be eye-watering. The productivity gains will be the final nail in the coffin for the office

— Chris Herd (@chris_herd) February 26, 2021

Coinbase is a remote-first company and about to go public with a valuation of $100 billion.

Where are all the remote work haters at? 🤪

— Kieran Flanagan 🤘 (@searchbrat) March 3, 2021

Nomadism versus Urbanism is one of the great themes of history.

Digital Nomadism is reviving the trend. While urban centers will compete for rich digital nomad residents, thats merely the tip of the iceberg.

Perhaps sovereign communities will battle nations themselves.

— Matt (@mattdimarc) March 2, 2021

Thank you so much for reading this article. If you enjoyed it, be sure to share it with your friends and spread the word.

I want to be able to deliver the best content I can to all of you. To that end, I’d love to hear your thoughts on what’s working, what isn’t, and what you’d like more of. You can reach me on Twitter or email: anthony@djangodigital.co.uk.

Cheers,
Anthony