Welcome to Crazy Town…

I have a lot of crazy ideas but this one may be the looniest one yet… or it might be genius.  Read on and let me know your thoughts!

So, every since I was a kid I have loved community.  I’ve spent most of my adult life working on building communities and drawing people together serving as a youth miister for many years,  leading trips around the world, being a teacher, raising a large family and now documenting my life to my awesome social media community.  Something about being together, facing life’s problems with a team and celebrating the beauty and joy as a family touches my soul and energizes me.  For many years I’ve dreamed about establishing an actual group of people who live life together and work together in a dynamic community and I’ve gone so far as to sketch ideas out, dreamed about what daily life would look like, thought about the philosophies and societal rules that would be needed and even drawn out plans for a physical space.  It’s all been a bit of a pipe dream to be honest… until now.

The problems with establishing communities are plentiful…

• What happens when people disagree about the diretion and you lose your vision?
• As you grow, how do you not become legalistic and corrupt like most other places?
• What do people do for money to pay their bills and survive?
• How do you create and sustain an economy?
• What do you do to provide basic infrastructure like roads and services and housing?
• How do you get the initial investment to start your community?

As Rachel and I travel around the world doing the digital nomad thing we think and dream about the day when we stop traveling and picture our life.  Our goal has always been to retire in the Carribean and own an ocean front restaurant/bar where we also welcome people in, have a place for them to stay and provide experiences for them.  We’ve met a lot of other digital nomads on the road and it’s not surprising to find out that many of them have the same goals as we do.

If you’re not familiar with this movement, a simple definition of a Digital Nomad is someone who has developed the skills to make money online and is location independant.  In other words, they can work from anywhere with an internet connection, hence the “nomad” part.  This has been an absolute game changer for so many people because it allows you not only the opportunity to see the world and experience new culture, but it allows you to become financially free because (in our case) we make our income in USD but we live in places that are incredibly inexpensive where our money is worth more.

For example, in Florida our rent (not including utilities) was $1400 a month.  When we lived in Portugal it was $500 a month (including all utilities.)  Here in Thailand it is $200 a month.  If you can reduce your expenses as a digital nomad your money goes a lot further!

Ok Quinn..  what does this have to do with a town?  Spill the beans!

My idea started out slowly and then morphed into what I think is pretty cool and totally doable.   I envisioned a Digital Nomads community where we could pool resources and buy an awesome place in the Carribean and live out our days working on our computers while enjoying the beautiful climate.   But then I thought, “It would be cool if we welcomed in other people as well that ran more traditional businesses…

• A bakery
• A coffeeshop
• Some restaurants or pubs
• Some artists (every community needs art!)
• Musicians of course….

I thought, “It would be super cool if we raised our own animals and grew our own food!”   I guess we need a farmer to lead this effort!   What about housing and buildings?  We need someone who knows how to direct construction efforts and repair things!  Wow!  Wouldn’t it be cool if we had a nurse or a doctor and had a health clinic?  I went deep down the rabbit hole and pretty soon I added a lawyer, an accountant, some teachers, life coaches, counselors,  martial arts instructors, massage therapists, a Chiropractor, beauty salon owner, someone to run the community theatre productions, a publicist, social media coordinators… phew… the list was endless!

It was roadblock time…

How would we pay for all of this?  How would these “brick and mortar” businesses make money and survive?  Where would people live?  Is this all just another pipe dream???

Solution time…

After much thought, here is what I came up with and here is why I believe this could actually work!

Basic Goals:

• We search for and purchase a piece of property that is not developed and consists of roughly 50-100 acrees.   Currently front runners are the Roatan, Honduras area, Costa Rica or Belize.
• We develop the property by adding high speed internet, water, electricty and sewer.
• We build our town.
• We fill our town with like minded people.

Who is going to live in this town?

We leverage the power of the social media platforms that we are on and our “town” is created, built and grows live on these platforms.  People around the world see everything we do, the mistakes we make, the successes we have, the struggles we face, the celebrations of daily life…all of it.  As we inspire others with our way of life they join us either physically or figuratively.

Requirement #1:  Everyone in the town knows and agrees that we are living our lives on camera.  We are all working hard and working together to showcase this project and bring it to the world.  In other words, “It’s a TikTok Town.”

We work together and everyone is equal.  All members are expected to contribute and be passionate about helping this project succeed.

Requirement #2:  Everyone contributes.  Each member does a minimum of 2.5 hours of volunteer work per week to help the town.  This could be organizing a live stream concert or art show, fullfilling orders from our online town store, working in the community garden on the farm, gathering eggs from the chickens, sweeping the streets or helping to build a new house or business.

We live simply.   Weather is a huge factor and when you can live in a climate where building costs are low and live in a simple fashion you can do so very inexpensively.  For example, homes and businesses do not need to be insulated or have heat, in fact, many of them are open air places.   We’re not looking for fancy, high dollar penthouses here… we’re living a simple, sustainable life in a beautiful environment.  Think Tiny houses, shipping container houses, beach bungalows and the like.

Requirement #3:   Be prepared to live simply, in community and have to struggle for privacy.  Private time is in your small Bungalow or a walk down the beach, not a huge living room with leather couches and Netflix on your 72″ TV.

We live in peace and harmony and welcome all.  Communities tend to gravitate the other way and many of them all look alike.  We want this community to develop organically and be wildly diverse.  Different backgrounds, colors, races, languages, sexual orientations, religions and philosophies shall abound here and what we have in common is not only an acceptance of differences, but a celebration of them.

Requirement #4:  You must be open and non-judgemental and be prepared to immerse yourself fully into the beauty of diversity.

We focus on creativity and thinking outside the box.  The town needs to be designed in a way where each individual occupant puts their own stamp on things and expresses creativity.  We want this place to be beautiful, unique, inspiring and known throughout the world as “The coolest town ever.”  We want residents to say, “I have a crazy idea!”  To which we respond, “Let’s hear it!” and “How can we help?”

Requirement #5:  You must be actively fostering creativity in your daily life and be ready to work with other people who have crazy ideas and ask questions like, “Why have we always done it this way?  Maybe we should try something new and outlandish and see if it works!”

We will focus on creating communities within the community.  For example, we plan on having an artists community, a musicians community, an IT and computer professionals community and more.  Each of these types lives and works with each other and growth happens!  If you’re an artist and you’re surrounded by other artists your skills will soar!

Requirement #6:  Be prepared to Collab!  Working together is a gift not to be wasted!

So, how do you make money?

1.  Tourism:   We build and AirBnb a set of Beach Bungalows, Jungle Bungalows and welcome tourists to come and experience our incredible commuity.  We run events in the town such as live concerts, festivals, healing retreats and symposiums, art fairs and more.  These are live streamed but also attended by both residents and tourists.
2. We build a series of investment properties for retirees.  They buy into the investment program, we build their dream house and then rent it via AirBnb and share the profits with them until they’re ready to retire and move in.
3. We create products and sell them on our online store.
4. We build a state of the art recording studio in the musicians community and bring in bands who wish to record.
5. We build a remote working space and negotiate contracts with businesses to provide services.  This could be anything from a call center to project management, IT support, etc.  Anyone who wishes to live in the town and does not have a current income as a digital nomad can work here.
6. Brick and Mortar professions make money by providing services to the locals as well as tourists.  But they also do so by learning and monetizing the digital nomad space and they have plenty of help doing so.  For example, let’s say a Chef wants to come to the community and run a local restaurant.  They might also teach cooking classes online and bring in additional income that way.  This is often difficult for brick and mortar professions but because of the nature of the town they have the help of social media influnecers, bloggers, course cretors, IT professionals, web designers, graphic designers, artists, musicians etc.  All of a sudden it’s much easier….
7. We run Corporate retreats and use our community skills to develop winning programs for businesses.
8. We develop a Marketing company and use our collective skills to build a 6 figure business.
9. We contract with brands on social media.  Can you imagine the power of 60-70 people working together on those projects?
10. We develop courses to teach people around the world new skills and monetize these.

How will you build this town?  What would it cost to live there?

The town is designed with a large central commuity area which contains a park with a stage, an outdoor fitness area and an area with gardens and tables and chairs for people to hang out.  Around this area are simple 2 story structures with a business on the bottom and a small apartment on the top.   These will be filled by service professions such as shops, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, ice cream parlors, bookstores, etc.

To the north of the town we will build a health clinic, a small school, a community theatre, a library and a grocery store.

To the south along the water is the tourist and investment area.  We will have a large waterfront bar and restaurant along with a dive shop, water sport rentals and possibly a marina.  Along the way to it are more businesses such as nail salons, a barber, a martial arts studio, a massage therapist etc.

To the east and the west of the town center will have our small communities.  Each of these will have it’s own unique characteristics and style.  Everything in the town should be “Instagrammable!”   Imagine walking into the Artists community and seeing a circle of ecletic bungalows each uniquely hand designed by the artist in residence.  You watch a glass blower work, see painters in the center park, see sculptors or potters creating their masterpieces or even engage in some of the classes where you get your hands dirty and have the time of your life!

You stroll over the to the Tech community and the vibe totally changes.  Instead of Bungalows the houses are made out of shipping containers with colorful tech inspired murals painted on the sides.  People are out working on their patios or in the central area on their laptops, talking excitedly about a new idea or the latest tech innovation.  Need to get some work done while your visiting?  Head to our state of the art coworking space!  Hold a video meeting in one of the conference rooms, jump on the blazing fast wifi and catch up on emails, get documents printed or even designed while you’re there!

The next two buildings on the way to the beach flank the road.  On the west side is the Remote Work facility where we contract with businesses to provide services worldwide.  Imagine even something as simple as a call center for Visa.  We’ve all been on the phone with one of those and it’s generally an unpleasant experience.  But imagine being able to offer businesses a call center staffed by people who speak 6 languages and are happy, cheerful people that live in an awesome town on the beach!  Because we live so cheaply we can offer this at a rate which dwarfs other places and provides a much better service.

The second building in this area is the Hostel.  This is our least expensive “tourist” income area in town and features a super hip hostel for backpackers and travelers as well as any social media influencers who want to come and visit.  People are welcome to come and simply visit or they can join us in our daily life and immerse themselves in our community for a couple of weeks or a month.

To the north of the town is the farm.  Here we try to grow into living a self sustaining life, raising animals, planting fruit trees, vegetable gardens, and creating products to sell such as jams, cheeses and the like.  Residents get a free weekly allowance of whatever we grow.  We catch fish from the sea to supplement this as well.  We want the farm also to grow into a Brewary or Winery and then this will be marketed worldwide by us.

Up near the farm we will have a Workaway program designed for those who want to exchange housing for work.  These folks will come from all over the world for short stays and bring with them experiences, ideas, culture and be able to help the town by working for their stay.  This could be in marketing, working at a restaurant or other service, cleaning the AirBnb rentals, working on the farm, planning events, etc.

Lastly, we want to give back.  We plan on starting a not for profit that leases space from the town and helps people.  Phase one of this will be a space for single mothers or domestic abuse survivors who need a new start.  They will live in community for free for 1 year and during this time have access to the community to learn new skills, get life coaching and counseling as needed and be trreated with dignity and love as they grow.   In the second phase we plan on creating a “Do over” community.  This is for people who are just beat up by life and need a new start.  Again, they can come and live for free while they utilize these same services to “get their life together.”  So many people are struggling right now and we want to be a beacon of light for them and provide actual, tangible opportunities to help them, not just thoughts and prayers.   These two communities will not only help specific individuals, but hopefully will inspire and help hundrds of thousands of people around the world as we document these journeys.  Please note, this is not for everyone.  Many people in these situations feel the need for privacy and that’s not what this community is about.  We believe in sharing our real lives…. the good, the bad and the ugly, in hopes of inspiring people around the world.

OK, so I am a hair and beauty specialist and I’m in!  How does this work specifically?

The town owns all of the property and buildings and rents them to the residents.  If you want to join us here’s how it works:

1.  You pick the appropriate community.  You can view available houses/businesses and select one or you can select from 3-5 different building plans and the community will have an old fashioned barn raising and build it for you.  These places will be simple and unfinished.  You will then be responsible for making the place your own and finishing it out.  We will of course help you with skills, labor and supplies, but it’s up to you to put in the sweat equity and create something that is uniquely you!   Add a cool garden, build a beautiful sitting area outside, paint your house in crazy colors….whatever you want.  Not creative?  Our artist community loves to help!
2. Rent will be approximately $500 a month including everything.
3. You will be responsible for outfitting your business with the neccesary tools.  We will help you with this by either connecting you with local vendors or developing sponsorships from brands.  For example, our Marketing company can assist you in getting a beauty product sponsor who could fund all of your equipment and inventory.
4. Stay as long as you want, leave whenever you feel like it.  There are no contracts involved.  This isn’t for everybody and people will come and go.  That’s ok.
5. You will have access to other members of our community such as marketing help, business coaching, financial planning, construction experts, interior designers and artists, accountants and more.  Remember, we work together and you’re now part of the team!
6. Worried about making $500 a month to start with?  Supplement your income by working at the town’s Remote Worker center until your business grows and sustains itself.  Or perhaps you make a new friend and decide to live together in one of your apartments and we will rent the other one on AirBnb for you!

What’s the Vibe?

This town has got to have character and a sweet vibe to it.  We will have a full-time events manager on staff to make this an amazing community!  We’ll incorporate Siesta from Spain, have movie nights in the central park, have street fairs, art walks, live music and community theatre productions.  We’ll work the fields together at the farm, have a farmers market in town, play sports together, learn Yoga and Martial arts, and take trips and excursions together.  We’ll bounce ideas off of each other, learn new skills from each other, dream everyday and ask each other all the time, “How can I help?”

There will be no motorized vehicles in town.  There’s a parking lot outside of town and everything is walkable in town.  We will also have free bikes all over if you want to ride around.  Sounds like a dream come true right?

What about Staff?

The town will provide services to residents and run the day to day operations.  As such we will need a staff of 12 people.  Each of these will be paid a nominal salary of approximately $1000 per month and will not be charged rent for housing.  There services are free to the community.  Those positions are:

1. Farm Manager
2. Director of the NFP Women’s Community
3. Accountant (CFO)
4. Lawyer (specializing in Not for Profits)
5. Visa specialist
6. Business Coach and Town Manager (CEO)
7. Midwife/Doctor
8. Construction and Maintenance Specialist
9. IT Professional
10. Marketing Specialist
11. Events Planner
12. Life Coach/Counselor

Each of these positions requires a minimum committment of one year.

Ok, so what does this town look like?

Glad you asked.  Here’s the sketch I drew out…

Will this really work?

Honestly, I have no idea.  I’ve been running a marketing company for the last 15 years and now I’m traveling the world as a digital nomad.  I have had one philosophy over the years that has become tried and true for me…. “Throw shit against the wall and see what sticks.”  That’s exactly what I’m doing here.  If this is a good idea then people will respond with excitement, start contributing their own ideas and we will launch it and see what sticks.  I think  it certainly can work!

When is all of this happening?

Again, no idea.  That depends on you! We’re in the dreaming, planning, white baording ideas stage so if this is interesting to you then join us and let’s get excited and see what happens!   I’m thinking big to be honest and picturing that we become world famous from social media, influencers can’t wait to visit, thousands of people start contributing small amounts and we crowd source the entire thing and then end up on Ellen.  Sounds pretty good….

Pick some holes in my crazy idea please…

The only way you know if an idea is good is if you solicit honest feedback from people.  So please, pick some holes in this, ask some questions, tell me why it won’t work, tell me why it will work…your feedback is important!  Let’s do this together!

Ok, this sounds fun…  who are you looking for?

Anyone… literally.  Mindset is more important than profession.  With that being said, here are some ideas:

• Artists
• Creatives
• Writers
• Grocers
• Solar power professionals
• Fishermen
• Dive Instructors
• Nurses
• Midewifes
• Dcotrs
• Lawyers
• Accountants
• Coaches
• Massage therapists
• Barbers
• Day Spa, Massage, beauty professionals
• Healing Professionals
• Web designers
• Social Media Managers
• IT Professinals
• Counselors
• Teachers
• Fitness Coaches
• Publicists
• Pastors
• Newspaper Publisher
• Taxi Driver
• Event Planners
• Ice Cream Shop Owner
• Baker
• Butcher
• Carpenters
• Construction Specialists
• Furniture/Cabinet makers
• Brewer/Wine Maker
• Pharmacist
• Pizza Parlor owner
• Chefs
• Yoga Instructor
• Martial Arts Instructor
• Arcade owner/Gamers
• Bookstore Owner
• Financial Planner
• Clothes designer
• Tattoo/Piercing Artist
• Cleaning Service
• Call Center Maanager
• Project Manager
• Excursion Guide
• Podcaster
• Dance Studio Instructor
• TV/Movie Producer
• Musicians/Producers
• Daycare
• Social Media Influencers
• Marketing specialists
• Network engineers

Have fun dreaming with me and remember… let me have your feedback in the comments below or feel free to contact me firectly by email at quinntheeskimorocks@gmail.com