5 reasons why running a startup from the beach beats running one in the city

I’m Jon Yongfook and for the last 18 months I’ve been living the digital nomad life, running my bootstrapped, profitable and proud SaaS startup from beaches all over Asia. Things have grown enough now that I’m bringing on interns to join me, so if you like the sound of doing online marketing while lazing on a beach, why not apply for… The Greatest Startup Internship Ever!

I fully admit however, this lifestyle is not for everyone. I’ve read on fine publications such as Tech in Asia that some folks find it difficult to focus when living the nomadic life, or find that constant wifi interruptions due to dodgy beachside hardware eats into their productivity time. Granted there are some downsides to life as a digital nomad, and some of it depends on the kind of person you are.

For me though, the positives far outweigh the negatives – and I should know, this is how I’ve lived and grown my startup for the last year and a half! Here’s my top five reasons why beach startup life rocks:

1. No more late nights

Sometimes when I’m staying somewhere more remote like Koh Pha Ngan in Thailand or Amed in the north of Bali, there’s very little artificial light. That means when the sun goes down, it becomes pitch black.

What this does is reset your circadian rhythm and helps you to sleep better at night. No more staying up until 1am, kept awake by harsh office lighting or ambient streetlighting outside your window. When you’re at a remote beach location I guarantee after a few days you’ll be sleeping at 9pm soon after the sun sets and waking up at 5am when the sun comes up. For me, I find waking up early so much better for productivity than staying up late, so I love the natural day / night sleeping cycle that working far away from the city lights enables.

2. It’s cheap

Here’s an obvious one. Living by the beach in Thailand, Bali or other beachy locations in Southeast Asia can be an order of magnitude cheaper than living in an expensive city – and if you’re running a startup, burn rate (i.e. how fast or slow you spend your money) is a crucial survival factor.

However I say can be cheaper since it all depends on what level of comfort you want. You can go really basic and rent a beach hut for hundreds of dollars per month, or you can book yourself into a 3-star resort for around S$50 (US$38) a night. Both of these options are cheaper than renting an apartment or office in say, Singapore. But if you find yourself renting villas or splashing out on 5-star resort food frequently (hey everyone needs a treat now and then!) you might find your expenses quickly rise to match that of city levels… albeit with the added benefit of being by the beach.