The question of how to get clients as a digital nomad wasn’t exactly on my mind when I was packing up my boxes in Leipzig, Germany, ready to take my already-online business on the road.

I had learned how to land clients the old-school way—through good ol’ networking with my boots on the ground.

Turns out, getting clients as a digital nomad is both easier and a little tougher on the mind.

The biggest lesson I learned? If you’re a digital nomad, relying purely on online marketing and audience growth provides a false sense of security. Don’t!

I’ve found that the easiest way to get clients as a digital nomad is to immerse yourself in local communities wherever you call “home for now.”

So, the proven strategies I’m about to share combine boots-on-the-ground marketing with strategic online growth—a scalable approach that aligns with your dreams, financial goals, and purpose.

Let’s dive in.

Step 1: Create a purpose statement

None of the next steps will work for you without a powerful purpose statement.

Your purpose statement does two critical things:

1. It tells potential clients if you’re the right fit for them.
2. It acts as your North Star, guiding your business decisions.

More specifically, your purpose statement shapes your messaging, branding, and the kinds of offers you create.

If you haven’t crafted yours yet, I highly recommend pausing here and checking out this article to build a strong foundation.

With your purpose statement in place, you’re ready to activate and grow your tribe.

Step 2: Tap Into Your Existing Network

This is the part of how to get clients as a digital nomad where I’m going to say it loud and clear: boots on the ground!

Don’t rely only on your online presence (but don’t ignore it either!). Instead, always start by tapping into your existing network:

• Who do you already know?
• What do they need?
• How can you serve them?

This isn’t just about landing direct clients—it’s also about getting featured on podcasts, hosting joint Instagram Lives, swapping email newsletters, or securing referrals (paid or unpaid).

Activating your existing network is the first thing I teach my clients when they start working on client acquisition. I dive deep into this strategy inside my course, Book Clients to Book Flights, and most of my students land paying clients before they’ve even announced their new business online—let alone built a following.

Step 3: Build an Online Audience

If you’re still working a 9-to-5 and secretly building your business, tapping into your network might be the only safe option—you don’t want to risk losing your job before you’re ready to quit.

However, to the best of your ability, you should start building an online brand (and, with that, an online audience) as soon as possible.

Here’s why boots-on-the-ground networking and online audience growth go hand in hand:

1. You don’t have to wait for that one viral Reel to start making money, but you’ll still begin to build your invaluable online brand right from the get-go.
2. You’ll develop invaluable in-person networking skills—which will be game-changing for your business in the long run.

Where Should You Build Your Online Audience?

To grow a location-independent business, focus on three types of platforms:

• An emerging platform (e.g., Threads)
• A well-established short-form platform (e.g., Instagram)
• A long-form content platform (e.g., YouTube or a Podcast)

Sure, you can experiment with Pinterest and Facebook Groups, but these three should be your core focus.

The Goal: Turn Followers Into Subscribers

For any digital nomad business, these platforms should serve as the top of your funnel, leading people to your email list through free lead magnets or low-ticket paid offers.

What Should You Post?

It all goes back to your purpose statement—your content should align with both:

• Your business mission
• The business impact you want to create

Your purpose statement will guide the three to five core topics you consistently talk about online.

Anything beyond this, and we’d be diving into a full-blown content strategy course—so let’s keep moving. But if you do need further support with this, check this one out.

Step 4: Join Online Communities

I’ll die on this hill: joining an online community dedicated to digital nomads, expats, and—most importantly—location-independent entrepreneurs is worth millions in your pocket!

Right now, I’m actively a member of three paid communities, I run my own paid community, I host the Freedom Business Mastermind for location-independent entrepreneurs, and I co-facilitate a Facebook group with an accompanying mastermind. That means I’m plugged into seven communities designed for digital nomad entrepreneurs.

Why? Because once you step into this world of perpetual travel, it might feel like remote workers are everywhere. But the truth? Location-independent entrepreneurs are actually few and far between.

And if you’re not intentional, your connections on the road can be fleeting.

A dedicated online community helps you:
✔ Build your professional brand
✔ Access new business opportunities (hello, referrals, collaborations, and client leads!)
✔ Stay connected to an ongoing, supportive network—even while your physical surroundings keep changing

So if you’re serious about how to get clients as a digital nomad, don’t just market yourself alone. Plug into communities that are already thriving!

Step 5: Attend Events + Join Coworking Spaces

We love variety, don’t we? So, let’s talk about one of the most nomad-y ways to get clients as a digital nomad—joining coworking spaces and attending Meetups in your current city.

These spaces are filled with like-minded entrepreneurs—people who either need your service, offer something you need, or know someone who does.

If I had to choose between creating 10 Instagram reels (that might gain traction) and attending one in-person event packed with fellow nomad entrepreneurs… 10/10, I’d put on pants and head to that event.

I also plan my travel around at least one or two conferences a year. This year, it’s Nomad Fest in Da Nang. Last year, it was a retreat in London. Whether I’m attending and networking—or speaking and networking—I make sure I’m in the room.

Because at the end of the day, it all ties back to your purpose statement:
✔ Who are you?
✔ What do you stand for?
✔ How do you help?
✔ What are your main topics?

Your next client might not come from a perfect Instagram strategy—but from one real conversation at the right event.

Step 6: Tap into Other’s Audiences

By now, you’re probably catching onto the theme here: I’m making this as easy and efficient as possible for you. Sure, hiding behind your screen and doing everything on your own may feel more comfortable—but it’s not the fastest route to success. The reality is, others have already built the audience you need, and it’s time to tap into that.

Start early by creating and pitching collaborations to expose yourself to someone else’s audience by giving value.

The easiest option is to kick things off with a shared Instagram Live with your business bestie. But don’t stop there! Think bigger:

• Can they introduce you to two people you can collaborate with, or who have podcasts where you could be a guest?
• Can you pitch yourself to speak at someone else’s mastermind or masterclass?
• What about offering your expertise as a guest on a podcast where the audience aligns with your ideal clients?

Also, don’t overlook tapping back into your activated network. Offer select colleagues a commission incentive for promoting your offers. (I do that, reach out if you’re interested)

It’s all about leveraging other people’s audiences to grow yours without the heavy lifting. And speaking of growth…

The All-Around Step: Create a Client Nurturing Strategy

Now, all the strategies above will only get you so far if you see them as disjointed, one-off actions. The real power lies in thinking of them as steps to build your email list—because, guess what? That’s where the magic happens.

An email list filled with people who want to buy from you? That’s what will allow you to win your time freedom back and make a bigger impact without working harder. This is the dream of most digital nomads, right?

So, what should you have in place? (check out this article to learn how digital nomads need to think of their packages)

• A couple of low-ticket evergreen offers
• One or two freebies that attract your ideal clients
• A nurturing welcome sequence that moves your new subscribers along on their journey to becoming paying clients

And remember, you won’t be able to set any of this up without a solid purpose statement. This is the foundation that will guide all your client-attraction efforts.

At the end of the day, the best way to get clients as a digital nomad is to use every action to slowly—but surely—remove yourself as the bottleneck from your business.

The more you can curate an email list of aligned subscribers and automate their nurturing, the less you’ll be running around on the ground, managing every client manually.

This is it! I’ve given you the core strategies for growing your business as a location-independent entrepreneur. Of course, if you need further support with any of these steps, you might want to consider one month of private Slack support with me or join my Freedom Business Mastermind.

So, tell me—which of these strategies will you implement first? Drop your thoughts below!