Becoming a Digital Nomad Entrepreneur: A Process Theory

ABSTRACT:There is an opportunity to expand the travel and technology literature by integrating additional provision for the entrepreneurial side of digital nomadism. Digital nomad entrepreneurship (DNE) is a distinctive approach to life, travel, and entrepreneurship, and is a growing phenomenon. Previous research has tended to focus on either the philosophical/lifestyle or the entrepreneurial-level aspects of DNE. This study uses grounded theory method to investigate the merger of philosophical/ lifestyle and business factors that merge to form the process for how an individual becomes a digital nomad entrepreneur. The findings reveal a model termed the "Digital Nomad Entrepreneurship & Lifestyle Design Process," which is comprised of four conceptual sub-categories: Pre-Day Zero-Lamentation & Discovery; Plugging In-Transition & Acculturation; Just Get Started-1,000 Messy Days; and The Other Side-Mentality Shifts and Scale Lessons. With the increasing focus on remote work, intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, this process theory uses insights from digital nomad entrepreneurs to inductively generate a practical guide for aligning income generation with a lifestyle characterized by geographic flexibility.