Her step-by-step system to help you do the same
I love finding solopreneurs who are killing it online.
Christa Romano is one of these people.
She’s a digital nomad who’s travelled to over 60 countries. On her Instagram and TikTok, she shares tips on everything from haircare to travel safety.
Many of her posts have blown up:
And she now has a thriving coaching business that’s made over $600,000 in three years.
What makes Christa unique is she helps anyone become a digital nomad — and her programs work.
She’s got lots of testimonials:
“For the record, I do NOT believe anyone needs a degree to become a very successful digital nomad or entrepreneur.” — Christa Romano (aka Christabellatravels)
But how has she done all this?
Part I is her story. (It’s wild!)
Part II is her strategy.
Part I: Christa’s Story
Something happened
Christa wanted to travel the world.
So when she got the opportunity to study abroad, she jumped at the chance.
But a freak accident stopped that from happening.
“Two weeks before I was meant to get on an aeroplane to go to Italy […] I was at a party and very drunk […]
“I basically dove into the pool, hit my head on the bottom, and that resulted in me fracturing two vertebrae (aka I broke my neck) […]
“It made me realise that life is fragile.”
— Christa
“It made me realise that life is fragile.”
Whilst recovering, Christa wrote a bucket list. It was a bunch of travel experiences.
See the Pyramids. Party in Rio. Play with elephants.
Living in NYC
“When I graduated, I moved to New York and got a job at a marketing agency — and it was awesome!”
Christa was now 25.
She knew she wanted to travel, but her current lifestyle wouldn’t allow it. She was living paycheck to paycheck.
That’s when she got a job at a PR agency with travel clients.
“The job was fine, but the environment was the most suffocating, oppressive, nightmare environment I could imagine […]”
Christa was eventually let go, but she was still living in New York.
She had to make money. Pronto.
She turned to Craigslist and picked up odd jobs for the next eight months. To her surprise, she was getting paid more doing these random jobs — marketing, writing, etc — than she was at the PR agency.
Then Christa’s lease ran out.
She had to make a decision:
“Am I going to re-sign that lease, where I was paying $1,600 a month […] and stay here without a proper job? Or do I move back to Austin? Or do I just do something else?
“I remember asking one of my best friends […] And she was like, ‘Christa, I love you and would love you to stay, but I wouldn’t […]’
“She gave me permission to think outside the box.”
“Am I going to re-sign that lease […] and stay here without a proper job? Or do I move back to Austin? Or do I just do something else?”
Christa chose something else.
Travel plans
She researched how to travel and make money online.
“Johnny Ward from onestep4ward wrote about how he was an English teacher in Thailand […] It was decent enough pay to live comfortably […]
“So I was like, ‘That’s it. I don’t know what else I’m going to do for work, and I don’t care where I’m going to go.’”
The problem was Christa was “broke AF”.
She had no money.
“So I sold all my furniture — I got $1,000 from that — I got my $1,500 security deposit back, and worked my butt off […]
“I saved $6,000 […]
“I spent $1,000 of it on the plane ticket, and $1,200 of it on my teaching English certification with TEFL […]
“I had less than $4,000 to my name when I arrived in Thailand […]
After the TEFL ended, she moved to Bangkok to look for a teaching job.
But she had a problem.
It was mid-semester, and the only teaching jobs left were in far-away locations.
“So I kinda felt like, ‘Sh*t […]
“‘What can I do to hold myself over until the next semester?”
Christa turned to something that worked for her before.
Craigslist.
She applied for jobs, and one of these gave her an in-person interview:
“This job was going to pay me twice as much as any teaching job. I was going to get to work in a high-rise office building. And I was going to do something that was relevant to a career I had been working on.
“But this time it was different. I wasn’t going to be in a catty, cut-throat New York environment […]
“That was a full body F*ck Yes!”
“This job was going to pay me twice as much as any teaching job.”
A change of plans
Christa lived in Thailand for two years, and she loved it! “It was so much fun—the best two years of my life.”
But lots of things happened whilst Christa was away.
“Two of my aunts died […] There was a huge fire at my house […] All of my stuff that I’d left at home had been incinerated […]
“This was basically the catalyst to my parents separating, which ultimately led to their divorce […] A lot of heart-crushing things were happening […]
“After two years of living the high life, I felt a deep responsibility to go back and be with my family.
“So reluctantly, I ended up booking a flight, quit my job, and I went back […]”
Christa felt good to be back for a month, but she realised she wasn’t really doing anything.
She was deeply unhappy.
She wanted to get out of her hometown.
Back to her backpack
Through her contacts in Thailand, Christa was offered a job in Malta. In the meantime, she had a few months to kill.
“So what did I do? I went back to applying for freelance jobs. And where did I go? I went back onto Craigslist. And I found this tech startup that was looking for content creators to create content to fill up this app.”
During these few months, Christa travelled around Costa Rica with one of her friends.
She then had a week of solo travel.
“I had this crazy lightbulb moment […]
“Why would I go back to sit in an office to do my job when I could just do it from here? This is way better!
“So I ended up calling [the guy from the startup], and I was like, ‘Hey, is that job still available?’ And he was like, ‘Yes, we’re literally ready right now to hire the first marketing person, and we would love to have you […]’
“He was like, ‘I don’t care where you are. You’re a remote worker. You want to be in Costa Rica? You want to be in Thailand? You wanna go to Malta? Make sure you’re online and have good wifi, make sure it’s quiet so you can have these calls, and work wherever you want.
“‘I don’t care.’”
“Make sure you’re online and have good wifi, make sure it’s quiet so you can have these calls, and work wherever you want.”
This realisation that Christa could work from anywhere as a digital nomad changed her life.
Over 60 countries later, she’s ticked off many of the items on her bucket list:
“I did go party in Rio for the carnival. I did see the pyramids of Egypt. I did hangout with elephants in Thailand. I drank beer in Germany. I smoked sheesha in Marakesh. I slept in the desert all night. I went white water rafting in Australia. I’ve done some f*cking amazing things.”
“I’ve done some f*cking amazing things.”
So how exactly has Christa made over $600,000 from her coaching business whilst ticking off items on her bucket list?
It’s time for her strategy.
Part II: Christa’s Strategy
Christa uses one of the internet’s most popular playbooks.
I went over it in this article about Louise Henry.
Louise’s screenshot sums it up:
“CONTENT → EMAIL LIST GROWTH → LAUNCHES/PROMOS → SALES FUNNELS”
Each of these pillars needs to be in place. If not, the whole thing falls apart.
But there’s more to it than this.
Let’s dig deeper.
Social media funnel
Christa’s success didn’t happen overnight.
She honed her marketing skills and knew she wanted to build an online business.
“I had autonomy over my location, but I didn’t have autonomy over my time […] I was bored with this [startup] job and wanted to do something else […]
“I actually spent like a year and a half trying to create my own business. It was pretty hard until I hired a coach […]”
When she started posting digital nomad tips on Instagram and TikTok, things took off.
Hundreds of people slid into Christa’s DMs. They wanted to know how to become a digital nomad, just like her.
She hopped on calls and helped where she could, but she quickly realised her side hustle had turned into something more.
So much so that Christa made the transition from remote employee to full-time business owner — right before the pandemic.
“I did it! I quit my stable job in the middle of the pandemic. And on the brink of a global financial crisis.” — Christa
Her business was an almost immediate success. (More on this shortly.)
But why do her TikTok posts do so well?
Here’s what I’ve noticed:
- #1: Her most popular videos are often talking heads with captions. They’re usually less than 60 seconds long, they’re high energy, and she uses lots of jump-cuts.
- #2: Each video has a purpose. Christa knows how to capture people’s attention, turn it into desire, and get them to take action. Her call to action is often along the lines of “Like this video […]” or “Join my free masterclass”. (More on this soon.)
- #3: Christa’s content is aspirational. She’s tapping into the “work from anywhere” digital nomad dream. In this video, she’s literally working in a pool:
- #4: Christa’s content also has substance. Here, she shares three ways to make money while travelling. And in this video, she shares some of the most surprising remote jobs available.
- #5: Her “can-do” attitude is infectious. This video and this video are great examples. Give them a watch and tell me you’re not inspired to become a digital nomad too!
“You can be a digital nomad. A traveller. See the world. Make money. You can have it all. Promise.”
- #6: She gives people a WHY. Christa sums up her TikTok strategy in her “How to get followers on TikTok and IG” video:
“Give people a reason why. Why, why, WHY should they follow you? Is it because you’re sexy? Is it because you’re an amazing dancer and they want to copy your dances? Because you’re hilarious? Because you give really useful information? Because you teach something? Because you inspire?
“Whatever the reason is, pick that reason and stick with it. Be consistent. Deliver every single time. People might follow you from a one-off video, but those people are not going to help with your engagement long term.
“So to build a truly loyal following on any social media platform, pick the reason why people should follow you and stick with it.”
So that’s Christa’s TikTok content.
Her Instagram content is similar.
Christa’s other content pillar is her podcast. It’s called Digital Nomad Life. On it, she shares lots of valuable advice to build trust, such as:
- Dealing with loneliness as a digital nomad
- Making money as a digital nomad
- Handling judgement from others
- Client success interviews
- And so much more
Masterclass
Alright, let’s remind ourselves of the playbook:
“CONTENT → EMAIL LIST GROWTH → LAUNCHES/PROMOS → SALES FUNNELS”
Through her content, Christa has built sizeable followings on TikTok and Instagram (71.2K and 25.8K followers, respectively).
But how does she convert this attention into sales?
Her primary focus is getting people to watch her free masterclass, which is two hours long.
She talks about it in her content, and links to it in her bios and descriptions — either directly or through her linktree:
The masterclass landing page is beautifully designed.
On it, there’s a short video of Christa talking about the masterclass…
… And further down the page, she shares what you’ll learn, as well as testimonials from previous attendees:
Once you enter your email address and sign up, you’re taken to another landing page.
Here, you’re told to check your email (to watch the masterclass) and encouraged to listen to Christa’s podcast. I won’t share all the details here; it wouldn’t be fair to Christa.
Then, once you watch the masterclass, you’re encouraged to join one of Christa’s programs.
Christa’s programs
I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t taken any of Christa’s programs yet. (They’re on my radar.)
However, I do know from her episode about business scaling that The Digital Nomad Life Academy (DNLA) is a 6-month program with 18 weeks of content. It takes around 1–2 hours to watch each video, plus there’s pre-requisite work and side courses.
Okay, let’s rewind.
How did Christa know what to put in her program?
“I worked with ten one-on-one clients who told me they wanted to become digital nomads. I didn’t know at the time […] that I wanted to help people create small, service-side businesses […]
“The way I was getting clients was if somebody DMed me, and they said, ‘Christa, how do I become a digital nomad?’ I’d be like, ‘Hey, let’s get on the phone. Let’s talk about it.’
“I would tell them that I’m a coach and available to offer them 12 sessions over a period of three months, and we’ll talk about whatever makes sense for them […]
All this one-on-one coaching gave Christa data points.
She discovered her clients’ challenges and the goals they were hoping to achieve.
She was also putting in the reps.
“Essentially, when you do this much one-on-one coaching, you’re doing a ton of market research for when you do go create evergreen content (slide decks, group programs — whatever).
“You know you’re seriously filling a market need.
“And you need to fill a market need if you want a killer product.”
Armed with this market research, Christa began offering group programs.
She started with eight people over three months, but she didn’t create the program’s content beforehand.
She simply outlined what she was going to cover in the 12 weeks and started promoting it on her Instagram and TikTok.
“[…] Saying, ‘Hey guys, I have a group coaching program that’s going to teach you how to become a digital nomad. Book a sales call with me.’
“I didn’t have a landing page. I didn’t have a sales page. I didn’t have any kind of funnel at all.
“I just promoted it to my audience and got people on sales calls […] If they had questions on what exactly they were going to learn, I had my outline […]”
She filled out the program and every other she’s since held.
The program has changed along the way.
Instead of delivering her video content live, she filmed the content with Loom and uploaded it all to Kajabi.
“Now, I have an absolutely killer evergreen product that I can give to all of my clients, and they can watch it and get results […]
“The people that joined my first program literally paid a third of what my now group coaching program clients pay. But the group coaching clients that are now in my program get a better product — so it all evens out.
“They get what they pay for, and you shouldn’t feel bad about that.”
Christa has continued to grow her business.
She now runs regular programs where she helps people identify a single skill they can learn and sell.
“They don’t have to have a skill to start. They literally don’t need anything. You could be a waitress. You could be a high school graduate. You could be 20 years into your career — I don’t care.
“In my programs, I help you identify what is one skill that you could learn. You learn the skill in the program, and then I teach you how to create a small one-person service business around that skill […]”
Christa’s Earnings
In this TikTok, Christa shares how much money she’s made since 2019 — both as an employee and business owner:
“My full-time income now is MUCH much different to what it was in 2013 when I started. Spoiler alert: In my lowest year, I was making $24K a year, and at my highest point, I’m making $300K per year.
Her yearly earnings
2010–2013: $35–45K a year (New York City)
“It’s worth noting that I was incredibly stressed out at that time, had 2 weeks vacation, and my boss was a total bitch to me.”
2013–2015: $24K a year (Thailand)
“My quality of life increased dramatically, even though my salary was $10K less. I lived on the 27th floor of a high-rise condo building with a pool and a gym, and I took trips every single weekend to exotic destinations all over Southeast Asia.”
2016–2019: $60K — $70K a year (Remote job)
“I did marketing for a tech startup. I worked there for four years, starting off at $60K a year and ending four years later at $70K a year. I was scared to ask for a raise — I had a lot of worthiness things going on — but I was working remotely, and life was pretty good.”
2019: Extra $20K (Freelancing)
2020: $70K in year one (Coaching business)
“I created my coaching business […] and replaced the income from my previous job.”
2021: Six figures in revenue (Coaching business)
2022: Multiple six figures in revenue (Coaching business)
2023: “Over the past three years, my business has generated over $600,000.”
“I’m not sharing all this to brag. I’m sharing this because if you want to have ultimate freedom in your life, creating a business is the way.”
Takeaways
Some people think differently.
Christa is one of these people.
Her coaching business is thriving, and she’s sharing all her tips and tricks so you can follow in her footsteps — whether you want to become a digital nomad or not.
“I don’t care what the economy is like. If you want to make it happen and you’re willing to put in the work, I believe you can do it.”
While I’ve also been able to make a full-time income online, Christa has taken this to another level.
I can only salute her.
So start experimenting, start producing content, and start helping people today.
Christa is proof that you can make this work.
If you’re interested in becoming a digital nomad but don’t know where to start, feel free to reach out to Christa @christabellatravelscoaching with your questions — tell her you saw this article!