Meet Minimalist and Lifestyle Designer: Erica Duran

Erica Duran is a woman of many achievements. She is a Freedom Business Mentor, Digital Marketing Expert, Lifestyle Designer, and Minimalist. Erica decided to stop compromising her time and freedom by taking control of her life. She decided to become a digital nomad, and chose to help others do the same. We interviewed Erica to learn more about her journey.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself! What do you do?

In short, I am a Freedom Business Model Mentor, Luxury Lifestyle Designer, Digital Marketing Expert, and Minimalist.   I give expert guidance, support, and accountability to service-based entrepreneurs so that they can build a business doing what they love and work from anywhere earning  a consistent $5K-$20K+ per month. I also recently founded Googlebait.com and LeadBait.co to help my clients outsource some of the hustle to Google. I am a digital nomad that travels full-time staying in AirBnBs and resorts that sponsor my podcast and videos.  For a more details visit EricaDuran.co

2. Why did you decide to become a digital nomad?

I decided to become a digital nomad for a few reasons.  One, I so strongly believe that creativity in your work and actually “living” your life comes from staying out of ruts.  New views, foods, experiences, living arrangements, etc. help me to stay creative and sharp in my business. And two, I wanted to have as few belongings to worry about as possible.  Being a digital nomad and moving from place to place keeps my belongings to a minimum and I can move at a moments notice to a new place. I remember being in a corporate job for years and being so miserable.  I had to drive an hour to and from work just to sit there and work on a computer. I had a computer at home that was the same. I just couldn’t understand why I had to drive to the office where there were tons of interruptions just to work on a computer.  I read Tim Ferris book, “The 4-Hour Work Week” when it came out. I always knew that the lifestyle I wanted was somehow possible, but when I read the book it was proven that it was possible so I started working towards that life.

3. What would be your advice to people seeking to work from their laptop?

If you desire to work from your laptop I would do a few things…

i.  Minimize your belongings as much as possible - especially paper items.

ii.  Work with a coach or mentor that has the lifestyle you want for yourself so you don’t waste time or money with mistakes and missteps.

iii.  Just start!  So many people wait for someday.  It actually costs less in most cases to travel full-time than it does to have all the “normal” middle class lifestyle bills/homes/cars/etc.

4. What is the best part about being a digital nomad?

The best part is being in control of my time.  I can work from inspiration in complete alignment and flow without a to-do list because there are no “rules” or time restrictions.  Plus, the unlimited income allows me to have choices and take care of life challenges as they arise.

5. Tell us one interesting fact about yourself!

Most people think it was interesting that I worked at Disneyland for 5 years.  Most people think I was a character princess but I was really a restaurant manager because the pay was over double what the characters earned.

6. What are you most passionate about?

I am most passionate about people not wasting away their lives in jobs and situations that they dislike.  I even have friends that have been in a job they hate for over 20 years! They just are too fearful to move out of their (so-called) “safe" situation.  I have helped and guided hundreds of people into a more freedom-based lifestyle but they have to want it for themselves - I can’t force it on them no matter how much pain they are in.

7. How did you hear about Umizato?

A friend told me that my headaches might be from the blue light coming from my computer.  So I looked them up the glasses on Amazon. Umizato was the first brand that came up and they seemed perfect - just my style.

8. Did you look at other brands? If so, what about Umizato’s products made us stand out from the competition?

I did look at a few of my friends’ glasses and they seemed to cause a more “yellow” view.  Umizato was clear and had fun branding - I am a big sucker for good branding. I loved that they were a neat blue color and extremely lightweight.  The case was a luxurious touch.

9. Before Umizato, did you know about the side effects of spending too much time on your electronic devices?

Yes, I did but I didn’t take action until I started getting headaches.  I wish I purchased them sooner. No more headaches and I sleep better now that I have the Umizato glasses.

10. Which pair of our glasses did you buy, and why did you choose those specific frames? If you haven't bought any yet, which frames interest you most?

I purchased the Umizato Pictor glasses in blue because they were my favorite color and very lightweight.