The Source of His Motivation
With the motivation to get out of the traditional workforce and forge his own path, he set out to devise a company that would not only help him accomplish this but others like him as well. The ability to work from anywhere while surrounded by like-minded individuals was the starting point from which he began to dream up his next business opportunity.
He also found motivation by way of community members like himself. By networking with others and sharing his passion for a free-earning lifestyle, he was able to build a significant community that gave him a jump start once Nomad List was launched.
What is Nomad List?
Nomad List is a website that collates information on cities worldwide and ranks them as desirable places for remote workers to live and work. You can think of it like TripAdvisor, but instead of listing restaurants and hotels, it lists cities. The website also has a blog where Pieter Levels shares his thoughts on traveling, travel blogging, and working remotely as a digital nomad.
Nomad List makes significant revenue from people who want to connect with other nomads in their area. It also has an affiliate program that pays you a commission if you refer a new user. The unique combination of aspects that connect and promote growth in the digital nomad community is what truly sets Nomad List apart.
Marketing Techniques
One of the most significant contributing factors to Level's success has been his intentional marketing techniques. Rather than trying to dip his hands into various pools simultaneously, he focused on growing one area at a time. First, he identified a demographic for his concept and began building a community organically. He accomplished this via social media, word of mouth, and publicity techniques. Next, he expanded into outreach, where he shared his concept, Nomad List, with the community he had built. By already compiling a loyal following, he was able to secure profit almost immediately.
From there, he expanded his outreach to the public and witnessed Nomad List explode. At the time, he was utilizing a Slack community and could hardly keep up with the invitation process. At that point, the business continued to grow, and with the pandemic, Levels has created an even more massive community.
Something that surprises many is that Levels is actually self-taught when it comes to coding. He has no formal education in the tech space and has reached the point he's currently at by good old trial and error.
Levels Other Endeavors
Levels also started RemoteOk, which lists remote jobs for actively searching applicants, and Makerpad, an educational resource for makers like software developers. Makerpad is a free resource for helping people learn to code. Nomad List remains his most lucrative business, with RemoteOk as a close second.
As of 2024, Levels is making around $3 million per year through his various business endeavors. While this number may seem impossible to some, it's proof that with commitment and consistency, success can be found.
Arguably the most impressive attribute of Levels is the fact that he has bootstrapped all of his projects. He initially launched twelve separate startups in a period of twelve months and then honed in on where he was finding the most success. Ultimately, that ended up being Nomad List. His process was meticulous as he identified a need, built a community, launched the project, and monetized it successfully.
