Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, “remote work” has become the norm and not the exception to the rule. The concept of digital nomadism — once the dream of the wealthy dilettantes and their offspring — has become one that’s attainable for everyone, regardless of where they’ve come from or what they’re doing.
For WorkMango founder and CEO Ronald Ndoro Mind, however, digital nomadism should include the combination of business with pleasure in paradise.
“In the past, you used to have to live and work in a 24-hour city in order to make good, and serious, money,” he told AfroTech. “Places like London, New York City, Los Angeles — the titans of industry — required you to be there and work, work, work. For many, though, that lifestyle isn’t sustainable — not everyone wants to live in a city environment, and living in suburbs has become unaffordable, as well. So, I thought, why not create something where you can love where you live and work from anywhere in the world?”
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And that’s when the concept of WorkMango was born. Mind, a London native — where “dark by 4 p.m.” was the norm, especially in the winter months — also co-founded the private club Heiron Mind. He later came up with the idea of WorkMango in May of 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, he tried to envision the future of remote work, and realized it wasn’t ideal to always live in a damp, dreary city that cost a fortune to sustain.
“Why not live and work in a place that you can consider paradise?” he asked, hypothetically. “That’s what I thought of when I moved to the Island of Antigua and Barbuda in March 2020, just before things really got crazy with this virus. I knew that there were others like me, who perhaps didn’t have the first idea of where to begin to live the life they truly wanted.”
Then, WorkMango was born. As a concierge service, the platform is designed to make traveling and relocating to the islands easy. Offering what they’re calling a “VIP experience” for relocation, WorkMango handles what they refer to as the “administrative” part of remote work (for example: finding a nice place to live in a prime location), so you can make the most of your time in paradise.
The platform even offers to connect you to other people like you who are also looking to live in the islands while finding a new way to work! Plus, if you’re concerned about visa issues, you shouldn’t be. Mind said that both islands have introduced long-term residency visa options, meaning you can stay for up to a year or even two years without any immigration issues.
Best of all, WorkMango’s membership is affordable and well worth the price.
“For me, the focus is on the balance,” he said. “The work-life balance — the ability to live your life the way you want — the opportunity to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience in paradise — all this, and more, can be for you, for me, for everyone, who wants it.”
Editorial note: Portions of this interview have been condensed and edited for clarity.