I don’t know about you, but whenever I lose wifi, I feel immediately “naked”, and wonder what I should do with my free time. The reason? I literally use wifi all day every day as part of my work (I’m a freelance writer) and broadband has allowed me to work from all over the world.
I first began using broadband as part of my business when I was living in Australia. I started writing as part of a side hustle, and then ended up taking it full-time while backpacking around Southeast Asia. Four years later, and I run a successful copywriting business as my day job, and I couldn’t do it without broadband.
Talk Talk has recently launched a new campaigned titled #BroadbandAndMe, which is what inspired me to think about how reliant I am on the internet. (Need an internet solution? Check out https://www.talktalk.co.uk/business/).
And I know I’m not the only one. The world is becoming more and more reliant on freelancers, and remote work, and the freelance economy is booming, particularly amongst millennials. All this is only possible with broadband connections, which allow us to collaborate, serve our clients, research, and work from literally anywhere with a connection.
Gone are the days when we were all stuck in an office job for our 9-5 every day. Instead, we’re working nights while spending the day on a beach in Thailand, working mornings before spending an afternoon in Paris, or working from bed when we just can’t face dragging ourselves into our home office.
Without excellent wifi connections in all of these places, working would be impossible. I remember travelling through Myanmar, and eventually resigning myself to the fact that I would be doing no work at all- the internet was so bad that loading a single page or my email was often impossible.
Luckily, as countries around the world become more developed, they’re also embracing broadband. Direct connections have been found between countries implementing broadband solutions and economic growth- more people are doing more work when they have reliable internet.
Along with the digital nomad revolution, more and more people are launching their dream businesses from home. This means that they can work on the side while still working their 9-5, and quit when they’re ready to take their business full-time.
There’s nothing better than being your own boss. I was recently offered a job at a well-known company that would have allowed me to work on some incredible projects. Unfortunately, the salary offered just wasn’t enough for me to give up working from my pajamas, or taking advantage of my lightening-fast internet at home.
How reliant are you on the internet? Can you live without it? Or do you need it to keep your business running? Leave a comment below and let me know.
