IAM574- Website Developer Helps Businesses Establish an Online Presence

Canadian-born adventure backpacker who fell in love with the travel life and chased everything to keep it going. She landed in Australia just over 3 years ago and has made it a home base since. From what started as an Instagram handle, Traveller By Trade has now turned into an online business. Chelsea is now a website developer, primarily for services-based businesses and online entrepreneurs, and a content photographer for companies all over the world.

• CEO Hack: Mindset and continuous learning
• CEO Nugget: Own it
• CEO Defined: Combination of inspiration and determination

Website: https://travellerbytrade.com/

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Transcription

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Intro 0:02

Do you want to learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and grow your business from successful entrepreneurs, startups, and CEOs without listening to a long, long, long interview? If so, you've come to the right place, Gresham Harkless values your time and is ready to share with you precisely the information you're in search of. This is the I AM CEO podcast.

Gresham Harkless 0:29

Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast, I have a very special guest on the show today Chelsea Giles of Traveler by Trade. Chelsea, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Chelsea Giles 0:40

Yes, thank you so much.

Gresham Harkless 0:42

Yes, super excited to have you on. And what I want to do is just read a little bit more about Chelsea, so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. She's a Canadian-born adventurer and backpacker who fell in love with the travel life and chased everything to keep it going. She landed in Australia just over three years ago and has made it a home base ever since.

From what started as an Instagram handle traveler by trade has now turned into an online business. Chelsea is now a website developer primarily for service-based businesses and online entrepreneurs and content. And she's a content photographer for companies all over the world. Chelsey, are you ready to speak to the I AM CEO Community?

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Chelsea Giles 1:16

Yes, for sure. So happy to be here.

Gresham Harkless 1:18

Awesome. Let's do it. So to kick everything off, I know I touched on a little bit, but I want to hear a little bit more about what I call your CEO story. And what led you to get started with your business?

Chelsea Giles 1:27

Yeah, so my business as I said, I was an adventure backpacker. So I actually moved out to Western Canada and then did my first trip after a summer working out there and kind of never looked back. I then kept that same backpack for about seven years. And along that time was just finding my way through the world and finding my way through the online market.

And I think I knew pretty early on that I needed to start a business that I could kind of bring around the world with me anywhere I went. And it's it's taken a little bit I'm still within my first year in business, right? But I my family, my income my travels, and everything off the business. So it's been really epic.

Gresham Harkless 2:06

Yeah, definitely sounds like it. And especially, it's the kind of the beautiful thing about this day and age where you know, you are able to kind of, you know, do backpacking or even adventure backpacking, and be able to go in different parts of the world and still, you know, be able to develop a business just because you know, so many things are run by technology.

Chelsea Giles 2:23

Yeah, definitely. There are so many things that you can do online now. And it's funny, I've tried like, I've thought about going back to school, I do miss it once in a while. I'm like I really wish I could finish my degree. And then, in the end, just the idea of like kind of being trapped down in one place. Like if I go and scan Skyscanner, and there's a good flight, I'm just like, oh, I need to take that, I need to get on that plane.

Like I can't do that. But yeah, it's definitely a pretty crazy transition for sure when it goes when you stop living out of a backpack so much because you have things like a laptop and camera and stuff that you have to bring with you. And it's a little bit of a different mindset and a different form of traveling. But still, in the end, that's just my end goal I want to be able to pick up and go live in Europe if I want to.

Yeah, so when I was in school, I found my love for photography. And then like most people who find a love for art, I copped out and went with a smart choice, per se. And I went through science in school. And then after traveling for a bit and inevitably dropping out of university, because I was juggling too much. I tried searching on the dropshipping store. So that obviously didn't work out. But that's when I found my love for website design. So I got into website design and development.

And then I was taking on all of these clients that didn't have a strong social media presence, which then brings into play the whole online presence with the website and everything like that. So I got into social media management for a couple of my clients that I built websites for. And then from there, they sent me products can you please take photos of these? And then there's the round robin and I'm right back to my love for photography that I had walked away from in high school.

So now I get this. It's this really amazing blend that helps a lot of newbie businesses and people who like me want to transition into building an online presence and working online. So it's kind of like a one-stop thing where they can come to me and I can help them with the website design, give them tips and pointers help them with their social media, and then do the content and brand photography for them as well. Either if they're in the area or if they send me the products and I kind of shoot them around the surroundings wherever I am and then I outsource a few little things.

Like I don't do very much graphic design. I don't do any logos or anything. So there's in copywriting and stuff like that. So it's kind of outsourced. And it's basically a little group of freelancers. And we all own our own businesses, and we just count jobs around each other. Which is also really epic as well.

So everyone kind of gets to stay in their own zone of genius. But then between them, there's about four or five of us. And between all of us, you can come to us. Basically, branding, copywriting logo, website design, social media management photography, like, between our little group, we can get everything done for you.

Gresham Harkless 5:33

Yeah, that's definitely awesome. And especially to be kind of in, you know, like-minded community. But I think it's, it's super awesome. As you kind of talked about how, you know, you didn't necessarily go you know, the photography route, but it sounds like life in ask from clients and experiences kind of brought you right back to where you had the passion, you know, for doing it anyways.

Chelsea Giles 5:55

Yeah, yeah, it was definitely funny. I remember I posted a photo on Instagram. I think there was a couple of months ago, and it was with me with my camera. And I wrote in the caption that I had, my absolute best friend from high school is still my best friend to this day. She was the one who really pushed me in year 12. I was like, No, I'm going Health Sciences and doing the safe route. And she said, No, I'm going to help you build a portfolio. You're going to school to be a photographer.

And I was like, no, no, no, no. And it was like six years later. And here I am. There's a photographer written on my business card. I've got my camera and all my gear and everything again. And I wrote this in the caption and I was like, sometimes your best friend just knows you better than you know, yourself. And she called me she still lives in Canada. And she called me she was just giggling. She's like, I hate to say I told you so. But I told you so.

Gresham Harkless 6:43

That's funny,

Chelsea Giles 6:43

the whole round-robin. That's how life works sometimes.

Gresham Harkless 6:47

Yeah. Yeah, a lot of times, you know. And it's funny because of the way life works, sometimes pushing through people as well to remind you of what you should be doing. Because sometimes we won't, you know, take the leap or do the thing that we really want to do because of fear or whatever. A lot of times, we won't step into that. But we need those people around us to say, hey, you know, shake us sometimes and slap us around a little bit. Say, Hey, you know, you should definitely be doing this this year. You're calling you're really great at it. So keep going with it.

Chelsea Giles 6:48

Yeah, definitely. I'm very, very lucky to still have her in my life. She's put up with me moving and traveling and going home and sleeping on her couch for weeks on end and then repeating. I mean, I've been, it's been probably about seven years that I've been pretty. I just bounced from my hometown, and then backpacking trips or work trips, or now that I'm primarily living in Australia and making this a home base.

And in the end, she still calls me at the end of every week and listens to my little friends. She's still I still send her postcards from every country that I go to. And she's just there like, Hey, this is awesome. Like, Yep, thank you, she just gives me that little push that I need once in a while.

Gresham Harkless 7:14

Yeah, we always need those people in our lives. So it's great to hear that you have that. So obviously, I know, you know, you, you see have seen, you know, tremendous things. They've done a lot of you know, awesome things. But I didn't know if kind of like that adventure backpacker kind of perspective was what you would consider to be like your secret sauce or thing that you feel kind of sets you apart. But is it that or is it something more that you feel is the thing that kind of distinguishes you and your business?

Chelsea Giles 8:20

I think in my business, why I actually chose to purely focus on online service-based businesses is because there's such a difference, there's such a mindset change when you are working with someone or you meet someone or anyone in life that is really dedicated quite a bit of time to travel. I love all my friends back home, but none of them would ever live out of a backpack. The majority of them won't even get on a plane and fly to Australia, because the idea of 30 hours of travel is just mind-boggling to them, and they would never do it.

So there's just this, I find it's this dedication or this passion or just this full determination that comes into play in someone's mindset when they've taken some time to travel when they've lived out of a backpack and thrown themselves into a foreign country where they don't speak the language and eaten that mystery food and all these little things that like when you sleep on an airport floor in the middle of 40 hours of travel and you come out the other end with the biggest grin on your face. That's a different type of person than someone who's not even going to look at the flights.

Gresham Harkless 9:31

Definitely appreciate that. And I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So that could be like an apple book or habit that you have but what's something that does make you more effective and efficient?

Chelsea Giles 9:43

I think for me it comes down to mindset is really big and just like continually learning. That's also been really big for me if anyone were to come to me and say okay, I want to start a business what should I do to get online Learn to take as many courses as you can take all the free courses, anything that's continual learning within your field within your zone of genius, and just really be able to expand on that.

Gresham Harkless 10:11

Now, when asked for what I call a CEO, nugget, and this could be like a word of wisdom or piece of advice, or if you can happen to a time machine, what would you tell your younger business self?

Chelsea Giles 10:19

And I think for me, when I first started my business, I was almost nervous. You know, when you when you go to start, you get this grand idea. And you're almost nervous to bring it to the people that you love the most. Because you don't want them to put it down. I definitely fell into that hole. Like, when I started my business, I was almost when people say like, Oh, what do you do? Like, oh, well, I, you know, I've taken on a few, sometimes, like, I was almost nervous, I didn't want to share it.

And if I could go back and tell my earlier self, anything, I would say own it. Yes, I'm a business owner, I've started a business, and I love doing this, this, and this, I'm so passionate about it. So I'm taking on clients, I'm starting a business, like just really own it. And like it helps so much when you step into those CEO shoes, so to speak, and step into that mindset. And that really, once you get to that point, it gets so much easier. I think it took me a few months into my business for me to really be able to say like, Yes, I'm a business owner, this is what I do.

This is what I've done for clients, this is what I want to do in the future. And if I could go back and just have that mindset from day one, and really put myself into those CEO shoes, right from day one, which I was definitely in a sense, but I let fear, take control a little bit. Where if I could go back now I'd be like, no, no, no, no, no, none of this fear business like this is what you love doing. You're already doing it, you started the business, it's registered, and you have clients.

Don't be nervous. Like, you're already past the hard part, you've got your first client, and this is registered like this is what you do now. And I think that I have a friend who's actually looking into starting a business. And I said the same thing to her. She came to me and asked a few questions. She's like, Oh, I'm almost scared to tell people and it was like, don't, don't be scared, you've already done it. Like you've already decided now just know just jump into those shoes, jump into that mindset, and just own it, because it's going to make it so much easier.

And I'm a huge believer in manifesting. And if you are not fully there, then you're not going to be able to manifest the things that you want. And I know some people don't fully believe in that and different things. But I'm a very, very true believer that if you really focus in and hone in, and step into those shoes in that mindset and just take control of those things it will work out in the end, maybe not exactly how you wanted, but how it was supposed to.

Gresham Harkless 10:42

Awesome, awesome, awesome. And so I know we talked a little bit about the CEO shoes. So I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is a definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote-unquote CEOs on the show. So Chelsea, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Chelsea Giles 13:01

Being a CEO is this perfect, beautiful combination of inspiration and determination. So my mindset on that is anyone can learn the skills to be easy, anyone Sorry, can learn the skills to be a CEO, but only some will actually have the determination to see it through. And then once they've seen it through even then only a select few from there will actually be able to inspire those around them.

Gresham Harkless 13:25

Absolutely, yeah. And I think so many times, as you said, you know, I think that definitely, even next level is when you're obviously when you're able to do it yourself. But when you're able to inspire and have that infectious nature to other people so that not only do they want to do it, they want to even find the things that basically light them up and help them to want to do it as well, too.

That's when you're truly a CEO. So I truly appreciate that definition. And I appreciate your time even more Chelsea, what I want to do is passionate light, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional, you want to let our readers and listeners know. And then of course, how best they can get a hold of you to find out about all the awesome things you're working on.

Chelsea Giles 14:00

I think I've touched on it a couple of times, but just in the end. It really, really, really I can't stress it enough. It just comes down to the importance of mindset. The one thing I did a lot when I first started my business was just reading a ton of books and podcasts and things like that on the mindset of it because it's going to be hard. No, if starting a business and running a business was easy, then everyone would do it.

It's going to be hard there's going to be especially if you're a freelancer, there's going to be months where you make a crazy amount of money, and there's going to be months where you don't make as much at the beginning. And if you can get yourself through those hurdles and really wrap the concept around the fact that you're doing this because you're so passionate about it.

Then anyone who comes out the other side of that is going to be able to have a successful business. And I think that's a huge thing. Anyone wanting to start a business should be able to wrap their head around it.

Gresham Harkless 14:56

Absolutely, you know people who want to follow up with you what's the best way for them to do that?

Chelsea Giles 15:02

I have claimed the Traveler by Trade handle on every social media that's out there. So I'm traveling by trade.com, online or.com.au. I've got both URLs because I'm in Australia, Instagram is probably the one that I'm on the most. And either that or Pinterest. So those are really good ways to get in contact with me. I also have the Facebook name. But yeah, probably Instagram would be the easiest to get on top.

And that's kind of where I put a lot of a lot of my updates and most things I just had, I just got Facebook back for the first time in like a year, which is really crazy. on that a little bit, but yeah, Instagram and Pinterest, the website, I've got all my contact details on there, and there's a few different contact forms and stuff for people that keep doing.

Gresham Harkless 15:53

Okay, that sounds like a plan and we will definitely have those links and information in the show notes. But truly appreciate you appreciate your time appreciate the reminder of how important mindset is and how we need to pay attention to that, you know, whether we're just starting a business or been in business for 30 years, to have that and understand what that mindset is and understand the ups and downs of running the business helps out so much in terms of trying to make sure that we can be as successful as we're capable of. So thank you so much again, Chelsea and I hope you have a great rest of the day.

Outro 16:22

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO podcast powered by Blue 16 Media tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I AM CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community. Be sure to follow us on social media and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and everywhere you listen to podcasts, SUBSCRIBE, And leave us a five-star rating grab CEO gear at www.ceogear.co. This has been the I AM CEO podcast with Gresham Harkless. Thank you for listening.

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