The ULTIMATE Remote Work Benefit: Flexible Working When Life Falls Apart

Are you a freelancer or remote worker… but still feel trapped when life gets hard?

In this solo episode, I share why I built a flexible working business that actually supported me through a recent family emergency - without asking for permission, sacrificing income, or burning out.

Whether you're a freelancer, a digital nomad, or juggling remote work with everything life throws your way, this one is for you to help you answer the ultimate freedom question - Can your business support you when life gets hard?

🎙️ In this episode, I talk about:

- The benefits of remote work and how they showed up during a recent family emergency
- Why flexible working hours are non-negotiable for me now
- The dangers of building a business that actually feels like another job
- What to change if your online business idea doesn’t support your lifestyle

If you're building a business for freedom, make sure you don’t ignore the foundations. Your business needs to support you through all life circumstances. You’ll walk away from this episode with a whole new understanding of what it means to be a freelancer or online business owner with real freedom and flexibility - plus the permission to adapt your business to work for you.

If this episode sparked something for you and you're thinking, “Damn, I need to rebuild this,” your first step is to watch my FREE Find Your Freedom Model masterclass. And if you need help rebuilding, check out how I could help here! 

Don’t forget to link and subscribe so you can hear more business advice around how to build a business that supports you - especially when life gets hard.

Chapters

• 0:00 Navigating Life's Curveballs: The Need for Flexibility
• 5:21 The Journey to Freedom: Building a Business That Works for You
• 10:16 The Freedom Model: Designing Your Business Around Your Lifestyle
• 15:22 Taking Control: Steps to Achieve Flexibility and Freedom

Transcript

Sophie Biggerstaff (00:00)
When life throws you a curve ball, does your business or your job work for you or does it work against you? Now, let me give you an example of what I mean here. When, for example, you have a family emergency, your child gets sick and you need to take some time off. You're sick, you need to take some time off. Or maybe life is just life in, your mental health is not feeling so great right now.

because you're going for a breakup, friendship ending, whatever it looks like for you. Does your business still operate if you are allowing yourself to take some time off to deal with these circumstances? If you're in a nine to five job, does your job allow you to take time off to deal with these circumstances? Let me tell you a little story about what happened to me 10 years ago when I lived in Italy. I moved to Italy for a job. I was working for a very big fashion brand out there.

And unfortunately, I moved there and a few months later, my granddad passed away. When I was in Italy, I found out obviously that my granddad had passed away and I wanted to go home. Of course I did. I wanted to go home and be with my family and go to the funeral and do all of the things that I needed to do back in the UK. Unfortunately, the job that I was in really didn't have a flexible grief policy or policy to take any time off.

for bereavement. So I think I was allowed one day off when I found that news out. And then obviously, unfortunately, my family live in the UK. The funeral was going to be in the UK. So for me to be able to leave my job and go and be at that funeral and be with my family at a time where I needed to be with them and I wanted to be with them, I had to take holiday days to be able to leave and go to that funeral.

And to prove that I was allowed that one day off, I had to send them the death certificate. had to literally argue and battle my way through getting some time off. And it was the most horrific, painful experience. I was already grieving and dealing with a lot of things. And then suddenly my company are like, hold on a minute. No, you can't go home and be with your family because you're needed here. Or, yeah, you can go, but you have to take holiday days to be able to be with your family.

I just remember being so infuriated by that situation that human beings that were running this company were not allowing me to go home and be with my family in a time that I really needed it. And if I was going to be able to go home, it was conditional. And it meant that another time in the year, I wasn't able to use my holiday days because they would have been used at this moment in time for this circumstance.

I just remember feeling so disgusted, so disappointed, so upset in that situation. And I was young, I was only 23 years old. So I didn't get really shown any empathy, any duty of care from this company to allow me to go and do what I needed to do back in the UK. And at the time I was very sassy, I was quite young, very sassy. So I think I just left and I'm walked out regardless of what the situation was.

But looking back, what I was truly craving was an element of freedom to just be able to leave and somebody to be like, know what, Soph, don't worry, we've got this covered. Take all the time that you need, sort the situation out, and then come back when you're ready to come back. And in a nine to five job, simply, you don't get that. Nine out of 10 times, you don't get that. And that is why I really struggled in my nine to five. One of the reasons why I really struggled in my nine to five because...

I wanted that flexibility, that freedom, like whatever happened in my life, to be able to go and do the things that I needed to do at that moment in time. If I've got a doctor's appointment at 11 a.m., I don't want to have to ask for permission to be able to go to that doctor's appointment. If I need to take an afternoon off because I've got an emergency that I have to go and deal with, I don't want to have to ask to that. I just want to be able to go and do it. And don't get me wrong, I know company policies in some cases over the past few years have definitely improved.

to allow and be more accommodating for those situations. But there is a very, very large percentage of companies that are not very accommodating in those situations. And if you do know one, please let me know because I would love to commend them for the things that they're doing. I think that is amazing. But unfortunately, none of the companies that I worked with were particularly accommodating for those situations. Even when you're sick, sometimes you're forced to go into work. And I just think that's crazy. And I think...

The only reason that that slightly changed now is because of COVID when we weren't allowed to go into work because it was so highly contagious that we weren't allowed to take that into the office. So that was me 10 years ago. That was me fighting my way to be able to take time off from my nine to five job to have that freedom and flexibility to go home for a family emergency. Now, fast forward 10 years. Unfortunately, I did have another family emergency very recently. Nobody died.

but was very close to a very, very traumatic situation. And I won't go into the details because I don't feel like it's necessary. It's not really my story to tell. But I was in Barcelona and my family called me and they say, you know what, we would like it if you come home because this is happening. It'd be great if you could support. So I did. I literally just booked a flight the next day.

And even though I'd already had a flight booked, I just moved it a few days earlier. I canceled all my plans, didn't have to ask anybody's permission. I just got on that plane and off I went back to support my family. And then the next three to four weeks after that, I literally was there supporting my family. Bear in mind, I don't live in the UK. I live in Thailand. So actually I had to cancel three flights to be able to be there with my family, but that was at my own choice. Nobody told me that I could or couldn't do that.

which was amazing because now I have that freedom. I have that flexibility, that freedom that my younger 23 year old self 10 years ago needed so badly when my granddad had passed away. I needed that again this year because something was very, very big and scary was happening and I needed to be there to support my family. And if I didn't have my business right now and I didn't have that freedom, if I hadn't built and chosen that freedom for myself,

I would have really struggled in this past month because imagine this situation. I live in Thailand. Let's imagine I've got a nine to five job in Thailand and my family live in the UK. I need to be there or want to be there for my family at that really difficult moment in time, but I've got to go back to my nine to five job in Thailand. The chances are the same situation that happened to me 10 years ago where I am being

questioned about taking the time off, questioned about my work ethic, asking to take holidays days off. That same flexibility just doesn't exist in a nine to five. So thank God I have my own business and I can be wherever I need to be at that moment in time. And granted, I've chosen to move to Thailand. I've chosen to be away from my family at these times. But the option to have that flexibility to go and be wherever I need to be is

the definition of freedom. And I don't think I really clicked actually that that was my definition of freedom until this situation happened really recently. Because I before was like, ⁓ freedom for me means to be able to live wherever I want to live and go wherever I want to go. But actually, it also means to be there when you need to be there, to do the hard things when you need to do them and not have to ask anybody's permission in order to do those things.

So that level of flexibility and freedom that my online business has given me is honestly life changing. Like the past few weeks of the situation that I've been dealing with, thankfully we're coming out the other end of the situation now and things are really improving, which is amazing. But had I have been in a nine to five job in those past few weeks in another country, as I was 10 years ago, I can't even begin to imagine how difficult that would have been. It would have been so, so stressful.

So I'm very, very grateful for my younger self to recognise that that actually wasn't something that I wanted, that situation that happened to me 10 years ago, and creating maybe subconsciously, semi-consciously, a life that allows me that freedom to do the things that I need to do, be where I need to be, and allow myself the flexibility to have that as part of my lifestyle, which is honestly the biggest...

life-changing aspect of starting your own online business. Now, if you've watched my free masterclass, Find Your Freedom Model, you will know that I try to design businesses around somebody's lifestyle. Now, the reason I do this is because when I first started my online business five years ago,

I built myself a business that actually didn't work for the lifestyle that I wanted to live. So I built my business when I was in London. I was living on London time, living on London pace. And then about 18 months into starting my business, I moved myself to Bali and I've lived abroad ever since. Now, when I moved to Bali, I was still operating on London time. I was running my business at that really fast pace speed. And that doesn't work.

because I had had this vision for my life where I go on these beach walks at 5 p.m. I get a full night's sleep on island time. I get to go out and meet all of these cool people. I get to do all of these really nice things, living on an island, go to yoga, do spiritual events, wellness, all of these things. And I found myself not having the time because I was still working at my London pace. So I'd built a business that wasn't really a business. It wasn't working for me. was actually, I just built myself another job. And this is the trap that I see so many entrepreneurs

fall into, they don't build themselves a business, they build themselves a job. And my whole method now is the freedom model method. And I want to use that method to help you build a business that actually works for you, that gives you the time back, the flexibility, the location independence, the financial freedom, the happiness freedom when you wake up every single day, that you

personally desire because what I desire isn't what you desire. What your friend is building isn't what you should be building. There is no one size fits all box approach to building a business. Everybody is going to have a different way of wanting to do things. And I want to really stress that because online it feels like there's so much noise around, you you do this, you do that, you do this, and then you're going to have a business and

That's not untrue. There are elements of that that are processes and strategies that do work if you take that action. But the difference is you need to take that action with yourself in mind and find your own unique way of doing those things. And then you are going to build a business that actually works for you, not one that you work for, because what we all try to do is fit into these boxes, fit into...

a way of building something that doesn't actually align for us. So my whole freedom model method is all about building a business that really works and aligns with you, your natural strengths, your natural abilities, your natural passions, the things that you love to do. Because at the end of the day, why are we building businesses that don't, we don't enjoy or that don't work for our lifestyle? Why are we building ourselves another job? Now, if you want to build yourself another job, you go for it.

That is okay, but if you build in business for freedom, and let's say, for example, going back to how I spoke about earlier, you're building that business so that you have that flexibility to take time off whenever you need to take time off, to be there in the circumstances of family emergencies, having another job is not going to allow you to do that because the minute that you step away from your business or your job, you are going to lose traction because you have built something that solely relies on you showing up every single day.

in that business to make it work. So everything that I teach now is all about how to build a business that works for you, particularly if you have to take this time off that works around that because you have built solid foundations, structures, blueprints, all of the foundational elements of your business to support you if shit hits the fan, if life goes a bit AWOL, if things

unexpectedly crop up and you can't show up every day in your business. It won't even matter if you've built a business that is fully aligned with you and the way that you want to live because it will be set up correctly to support that. And so many people miss that element out because they don't, they just think, I want to make money. I want to build a business to make money. I want to build a business to replace my 95 job. And that's great goals, like have those goals, but do it in a way that really works for you.

And this is my whole message now. My mission is to help people build those businesses and bring themselves back into alignment so they can have a really nice work-life balance on a day-to-day basis. But then that balance can swing one way or another in the times that they need it to. And for me, that prime example, like I said, has just been that past month really understanding that I have built something that allows me to operate.

even when I have no capacity to operate because my business was ticking along and running in the background for me. I didn't have to show up every single day. I worked whenever I could through this traumatic experience and period, but I didn't have to be there. I didn't have to show up at every single moment of every single day. And I think that's the biggest difference of if you've got freedom in your business or if you have built yourself a job. So I want you to ask yourself in your life right now, whether you have a business or you're in a nine to five,

Do you have that freedom? Do you have that flexibility that would allow you to take a step back if and when life gets lifey and it starts, things start happening that are out of your control and you need to take some time away. Would your business still work? Would your job allow that? Two questions, depending on where you're at. I think if the answer is no, it's a really important exercise that you look at, like how can you make that work? Because

Imagine if you have a family emergency like I did the other day and I didn't have that freedom. The extra levels of anxiety, extra levels of worry, the extra levels of stress that I'm gonna have to take on on top of an already stressful situation is pretty detrimental to my work and my business. Anything that I'm doing, all of the relationships in my life, that can be very detrimental. having that knowing

that your business or your job is supportive of those situations, just it's like a massive weight off of your shoulders. And if you have a business and you are thinking right now, actually, no, it wouldn't work if I wanted to take some time off for an emergency right now. It might be time to reevaluate like how you set that business up and look at what is your freedom goal? How do you want to be flexible in your business? And from that goal, rebuild, repivot.

Same if you're on a nine to five, if you don't have that flexibility, looking at how can you make it work for you? How can you change that? Do you want to start your own thing and build a business that does work for you rather than be stuck in a nine to five that doesn't? Something to think about. I have plenty of resources to help you do that. My free Find Your Freedom Masterclass is available at any time for you to tap into. I guide you through in that.

how to build a business that actually works for you based on your skills and your passions and how you want to live your life on a daily basis. It is relevant whether you are quitting your nine to five and starting your own online business, or if you are already in business and want to pivot and shift things around, this is gonna help you do the first step of my freedom.

of my freedom model method, which is gaining clarity. Because without clarity, to be honest, you can't change anything. You can't bring your business back into alignment and you can't take aligned actions because you don't know what they look like. So the first step of my freedom model method is to gain clarity. And that is exactly what my Find Your Freedom Model Masterclass does with you.

So if you've listened to this and you feel a bit heavy at the end of it and you're thinking, yeah, hang on a minute, I need to make some changes. My best suggestion would be going to check out that masterclass first step. And then really just get honest with yourself and look at what is working, what isn't working, and how can you make a baby step today to change those situations? Because at the end of the day, you are in control of your life. If something isn't working for you or isn't giving you the freedom levels,

that you desire, it is down to you to change it. Nobody else is going to change it for you.

So let's set yourself one powerful action. could just be really small. So it's time to set yourself one really small action that you can take in the next week to shift your situation, to make it feel like you have an extra level of freedom in your business, in your nine to five job. What can you do to put the measures in place to allow yourself that flexibility if shit hits the fan?

If this resonated and you want a little bit of help in pivoting your business or starting your online business to work for you, not one that you work for, drop me a DM anytime and I'll give you my best business advice on how you can make that happen for you. In the meantime, if you liked this episode, please don't forget to like and subscribe. And I'll be back very soon with another episode of the Remote CEO Life podcast. Thanks for listening.

Thank