Most human beings crave a sense of belonging and therefore benefit greatly from being in a community of some sort. We’re sociable creatures, so it’s in our nature to be a part of something important. It’s even more pertinent when you’re a digital nomad or an online business owner since you can be more prone to loneliness, lack of support system and lack of the right opportunities.
My name is Toks, and I’m currently based in Edinburgh, UK. I’ve been running my own virtual assistant business since 2016 and started travel blogging in 2023. In this guest blog post, I’m going to tell you about my experience of being a member of The Nomad Escape’s InnerCircle, to help you know what to expect and why you might want to consider joining.
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Background Information
The Nomad Escape is a company that offers business retreats and communities for online entrepreneurs and remote workers. It was founded by Michelle Maree, an entrepreneur from the Netherlands who wanted to build a space where she could network with other like-minded location-independent entrepreneurs.
The InnerCircle is one of the newest offerings by The Nomad Escape – an exclusive network that people pay to join and access a valuable network of international professionals and a library of learning resources to help with their businesses and careers.
Personal Experience
I first became aware of The Nomad Escape brand in 2022, after several years of running my own online business. I always had a strong interest in travelling and I have grown more curious about the burgeoning digital nomad space. I particularly wanted to start going to digital nomad events, and when I came across The Nomad Escape, I saw that it had exactly what I was looking for. The first event I went to of theirs was Nomad Island Fest in Madeira, and then I immediately joined their online Build Programme, then I went to even more of their in-person events: Build Coliving Week in Bali, the Level Up Club retreat in Madeira, the Build Week in Madeira, and then my second year in a row to Nomad Island Fest again in Madeira. I really enjoyed participating in all of these events, both from a networking and professional development perspective.
When I saw that Michelle was streamlining her online offerings into this InnerCircle network, I knew I just had to be a part of it. My previous experience of The Nomad Escape is that it’s always full of the kindest and friendliest people who want to truly help you, not just sell to you. You get a lot for your money, so I was confident that it would be a good investment. I mean, I had no issue paying 4 figures to attend their in-person events, so why wouldn’t I pay just 3 figures to have regular access to this amazing network online all year round? It was pretty much a no-brainer!
Key Features
The InnerCircle consists of an online portal hosted on Circle (coincidentally similar name, but not affiliated!) that you access using your own personal login details. You create a profile that you fill out and have in the members’ directory to tell other members about you, and let them know what you need as well as how you can help others. You can also browse and search in the directory for other InnerCircle members to learn about them and find links to their websites and social media profiles.
The membership portal interface looks great and is reasonably simple to navigate. You get a nice welcome video at the top from Michelle. Scroll down this page and you get links to guides on how to best use this community. And then there is a side menu on the left with links to the the next Nomad Escape in-person events, the InnerCircle members’ directory, the calendar of InnerCircle events that you can easily add to your own calendar, links to various business resources and training in written and video form, and a bunch of forums for announcements and for members to discuss different topics with each other.
The InnerCircle puts on a lot of regular events for members:
- The fortnightly Founder’s Q&A video meeting where you can ask the founder Michelle anything. She’s a very busy lady, so if you have any questions for her, it’s definitely worth making time to attend one of these!
- The InnerCircle Meetings every 6 weeks – these are structured opportunities for everyone in the community to meet, network and find out how they can help each other in a “business bingo” (an exercise that matches what members need help with to which members can help them).
- Lastly, they also host guest speakers teaching the community various topics from networking to taxes.
Even if you don’t find time to attend a live call, you can always drop a message in the active Circle forums. Plus, the InnerCircle team takes the time every few months to look at all the member profiles and strategically match you with other members, based on your skills, what you need and what you can offer.
The time commitment to be in The InnerCircle is great and works well to fit in with your work and life schedule. There are around 4 calls or online events a month, with no obligation to go to all of them if you can’t or don’t want to. Plus, the webinars and masterclasses get recorded and uploaded into the members’ portal, so you can always log in and watch a replay if you need to catch up on anything.
Benefits of Membership
I love how The InnerCircle doesn’t just simply put you in a group with other people – they have really thought carefully of all the tools to provide to its members in order to gain success from the membership. It’s a community as well as a place to go for actionable business education. Part of that includes lots of advice and templates on how to network, from how-to guides on how to best show up in the InnerCircle, to how to effectively follow up and build valuable connections.
The nature of this company attracts a lot of digital nomads and remote workers, which means that it draws in a truly international network. There are people in there from all over the globe, many of whom are expats or digital nomads in various locations. This means that you have a wider and more diverse pool of brilliant minds to network with, giving you exposure to unique viewpoints on work and life from different cultures that you might not get from your local business network. For example, the fact that Dutch people are known for their very direct and clear communication style is something that I love and find very refreshing about learning from Michelle. It’s also very useful to know that on your travels, you have people in other countries that you could potentially meet up with in person either for business networking, socialising, or getting insight and tips on the local area.
If you have ever been to one or more in-person Nomad Escape events, then you’ll know how brilliant they are and how powerful it can be to make those face-to-face connections. Aside from connecting on social media, joining The InnerCircle is a great way to continue networking with members of The Nomad Escape community beyond the in-person events. Even if you haven’t been to one of these events, you will probably want to after experiencing how great this network is in the online InnerCircle, and you’ll even have access to member-only discounts too!
Remote workers and entrepreneurs, particularly digital nomads, can be especially prone to isolation and lack of a good network. Coupled with a lack of strong structure, routine and camaraderie, this lifestyle can certainly be a challenge if you are not well-equipped. Being part of the InnerCircle provides you with a great community of peers who understand many of the challenges you face and can help you with the right knowledge, skills and connections to succeed at work and in life. I find that it’s always a joy to see the many messages of success that come up in the group chats, which often come about as a direct result of them making targeted connections with other InnerCircle members.
Testimonials and Success Stories
The very first person who I connected with 1-1 after joining the InnerCircle was Ruben Verboomen, who runs the villa rental business Encantada with his wife Lis in Girona, the north of Spain. After the first InnerCircle business bingo, he reached out to me with interest in working with me, as I was looking for more collaborations on my travel blog business that I’d just started last year. We had a good few video calls about how we could help each other, and now I’m doing a work exchange with Ruben and Lis. This consists of me carrying out some social media and blog work for their villa rentals in exchange for having me stay there on a workation this summer. Since I have just started this work of travel collaborations, it’s been great that this network has provided a platform to access such a brilliant opportunity so soon!
I’ve also had 1-1 calls with several other InnerCircle members, after being prompted by the business bingo exercises and the personalised introductions. So far these have led to me learning about some awesome and interesting businesses, gaining lots of useful tips and lightbulb moments for my own business, and getting some promising introductions to work opportunities that I’m seeking.
Conclusion
The cost to join The InnerCircle is €499 a year, or lifetime access of €699. I personally opted for a lifetime membership because I’m sure I’ll always find a use for this for the rest of my career and life. With what I already know of how brilliant Michelle Maree, her team and her Nomad Escape network are, coupled with all the benefits that come along with this particular membership, it sounded like a real bargain! I sometimes spend more than that on plane tickets, so why not invest in myself and my career to further my opportunities and earnings?
I’ve only been in the InnerCircle for three months now, and I feel it has definitely been well worth the investment so far! From what I have gained already, I feel I have only scratched the surface of what I can achieve from being in this network. I’ve been running my business for almost 8 years, and for the longest time, I always craved but struggled to find a really useful and supportive network to be a part of and properly help me on my journey. In a lot of other groups, I would join and be frustrated with how hard it is to find anyone who can actually help me, at least without shelling out a huge amount of money for the privilege!
Hands down, The Nomad Escape and InnerCircle are among my top three business networks. They have that perfect mix of a community of people who are willing to help you when you’re struggling and cheer you on when you’re doing well, and a well-structured business education programme to further your knowledge and skills. I would totally recommend joining The InnerCircle if you know you need more support in your online business journey, and these are things that you look for in a business network.
Join us at Level up club business retreat in Madeira, Portugal for seven days of work, play, and learning.
- Join us at Level up club business retreat in Madeira, Portugal seven days of work, play, and learning.
- You can expect to learn about how to travel as a digital nomad, how travel has changed over the years and what it will look like in the future. You’ll also get an insight into the psychology of a nomadic lifestyle and how you can apply these learnings to your own life.
- You’ll have time away from work so you can enjoy this beautiful island with other digital nomads while still networking with others who share similar interests. We’re talking activities like surfing lessons or relaxing on our private beach!
- This event is all about meeting new people—you might meet someone who becomes your best friend or finds out about their project that could help yours grow! You might even find out about some cool businesses or services that would make great additions to your portfolio.
- After this event ends we plan on having another one soon after so stay tuned for more information!
Discover more on our upcoming retreats, click on the link below to discover how to get the last deals!
