Funding Your Escape To The Country

funding your escape to the country. Image of the author and partner taken in a roadside mirror in the Argyll countryside where they live

This never ending pandemic has obviously made an escape to the country very attractive. In my little corner of Argyll and Bute houses are selling like hotcakes. There’s nothing available to rent and prices are skyrocketing. I can totally understand the desire to live in the countryside – I did it myself 7 years ago – but how can you fund your escape to the country?  

Coming back from a walk last week my partner and I met a neighbour and had one of those hour long chats you have here. Unlike us incomers our neighbour is a bred here. She knows everyone and somehow has all the gossip. She knew for example that the people who recently bought old Ingrid’s place are still spending half their time in Chester 300 miles away for work and income.

I have a friend who is desperate to move here from Surrey but can’t find anything to rent or buy in a 50 mile radius. It’s crazy. On our evening walks we see Under Offer signs appearing on homes that didn’t previously have For Sale signs on them. Semi derelict places that have been on the market since we came here are now being snapped up. I’m sure the picture is the same in most rural and coastal areas. 

How I Escaped To The Country

I totally get why people want to escape to country in the covid world: The ever present possibility of further lockdowns and forced separation from friends and family; The need for space and fresh air. It’s just about being human. During the weirdness of lockdown we felt incredibly lucky to be here and not still in our place in Glasgow.  We have countless miles of mainly deserted coastline and forests to walk in. Like many of the properties here, we have a large garden with views over the firth of Clyde. Rattling around in a city apartment would have been torture and we don’t have kids! I

Things were a little different when my partner and I escaped to the country. There was no pandemic but there was a lingering recession which had cost me my job. My partner had recently started a driving instruction business and I was starting to get some traction as an internet affiliate marketer. To put it mildly it was a risky proposition but we decided if not now then never. Our Glasgow place sold online in 10 days for over the asking price. A sign?

To cut a long story short our risk paid off. On the housing side of things the market was very slow here and we got our dream seaside home for a snip. Almost like a sign of approval from the Universe I started making some serious money online. It turned out that driving instructors were in high demand and  short supply so my partner’s diary filled quickly. 

Don’t Bring The Stress With You When You Escape To The Country

Funding your escape to the country - A photo of a parliament of carved wooden owls in the Argyll countryside

I should say that we can thank the internet for that too. We first had flyers printed for her and distibuted them everywhere we could think of. Nothing. Then the estate agent we had bought the house through suggested we try posting on a local Facebook group. Bingo! She was inundated with enquiries. 

Seven years later the world is very different. Lots of people have been able to work from home – again thank you internet. That trend is bound to continue pandemic or no pandemic. Others are prepared to endure long commutes in order to live in rural areas. I have to say though, there really is no need for that if you fully leverage the internet. 

I know from experience that that the beauty, peace and quiet and quality of life associated with country life can be lost if you have to work like a trojan to sustain it. In my twenties I worked on a salmon sea farm on the gorgeous island of Mull for some years. Hard work and stress soon made me oblivious to my surroundings and the magic wore off. That has not yet happened to me here because I work entirely from home. I don’t need to work many hours and work on things I love and enjoy. I have zero stress.

Helping You Move

Getting to that place does take a little time, dedication and patience. There are things to learn, systems to set up, foundations to build and consistent work to be done. At the same time you have to get used to filling a huge amount of freedom with productivity and self discipline. Being your own boss is amazing but you are also your own employee. 

I found a mentoring organisation I discovered through a friend absolutely invaluable in my own online journey. They provided me with pretty much all of the tools, resources and training I needed to create sustainable online income. They even provided me with a franchise like business to start with which I really needed as I had no products of my own to sell.

Most valuable is the community platform the organisation is built on. In what could be a lonely old business it’s wonderful to liaise with people all over the world who are on the same journey. I’ve made some great friends and collaborators through live and online events.

So if you are desperate to escape to the country in a way that lets you enjoy it to the full I’d suggest you check out a series of free videos from Mentors co-founder Stuart Ross on the link below. You will learn about internet business models you can leverage quickly. You will also meet an organisation and global community dedicated to your success.