The Start
“When I worked for other people, it never made sense to me that my butt had to be sitting in a chair from time A to time B every day, especially if I wasn’t being productive.”
Prosper Gowork Member, Galia Aharoni, started her own law firm, Aharoni Business Law, in the San Francisco Bay Area about five years ago. But for the past six months, she and her fiance have been taking a year (or more) long road trip in an RV, making her a true on-the-go professional.
“With the right technology, basically everything I do as a non-litigating lawyer can be done from anywhere (without the client even knowing the difference). When I decided to start my own firm, I knew that one of my main goals was quality of life, which to me includes travel and flexibility. Plus I’m also lazy and would rather work at home in my pajamas than in an expensive office wearing a suit.”
Galia knew that she wanted a lifestyle that would prioritize the things that made her happy. It doesn’t make sense to her to have a rigid schedule or ask permission to take a trip. “A few really bad jobs helped push me into starting my own firm, and by taking that risk, I was able to design the job I actually want.”
The Hurdles
“When I left on the trip, my employees were all a bit nervous that my absence from the Bay Area would negatively impact the growth of our firm and would make their jobs more difficult. But since then, they’ve all told me separately and unsolicited that it’s made no difference to them or the firm at all. In fact, the firm is growing faster than ever.”
Galia also found resistance from her parents, initially.
“The generation gap made them feel like I was sabotaging my career to go frolic around the country. But we visited them on the trip and every day they saw us “go to work,” have meetings, get new clients, and get a lot done. Now, they’ve become some of the biggest proselytizers of the mobile career out there.”
While she loves her current lifestyle, there are challenges that she faces as a mobile professional.
“I’m the sole owner of my business, so right now, the pressure is 100% on me to bring in new clients. A lot of client development for attorneys usually comes from referral networking, but I’m not in town to develop solid networking relationships. We’re focusing a lot on online marketing, which is working really well for us, but it’s harder (though definitely not impossible) to build relationships from afar.”
But It’s All Worth It
In the last six months, Galia has worked from San Francisco, San Diego, Santa Fe, Austin, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Orlando, Atlanta, Savannah, Charleston, Richmond, Baltimore, DC, St. Louis, New Jersey, and Brooklyn!
“Probably the most interesting individual moments were either in the passenger seat of our RV while on the road, and a business meeting while sitting at the National Mall in DC.”
What does Galia have to say to those looking to go mobile/freelance?
“Just start! You’ll figure out the details as you go. Don’t buy fancy technology until you’re 100% sure you need it (said as I contemplate the fancy microphone I bought and haven’t used). Always look for the cheapest/free option for software and keep your overhead super low. Get an extra computer and cell phone charger and leave them in your bag (it sucks to get somewhere and realize you forgot it at home). And always carry a power strip.”
Galia discovered Prosper Gowork while walking home from Little MO, an asian-fusion restaurant, and found exactly what she needed: easy proximity, lots of plugs, free coffee, and private rooms to make phone calls and video calls.
As for her plans for 2018, Galia and her fiance will continue their RV journey around the states through the end of the year. Maybe a little after that, they are also planning a wedding for March 2019 in New Orleans!
Follow Galia’s travels here:
Take a look at Galia’s business here: