Interview with Jon Ward, CEO and Founder of Braincat
What are your main occupations?
My primary Focus is the launch of my own digital product which is called Braincat, a thinking tool to help people to use their minds more effectively. I also have a marketing practice. I am a marketing consultant and I have a number of long term clients in the USA which is where I am based.
I fit the description of a digital nomad. Wherever my laptop and I are, that’s where I work. Normally I work at home and I have some important business relationships in my hometown, where I do see people regularly. So in truth I am not entirely digital and I would never want to be. I have face to face encounters with important clients quite often.
I would say 80% of my time I am a digital nomad. I spend summers in Europe, in the UK which is my home country and as my wife is Austrian we spent the summer here in Kärnten. I think this might become our primary summer location in the future.
What are the challenges being a digital nomad? When you are not at home…
When I am in Europe the main challenge is the time difference because my client base is in the USA, but one gets quite skillful at navigating time zones and people are remarkably accommodating when it comes to being available to talk and stay connected. The most important thing is staying connected. I depend on that. Obviously good internet connectivity is of great importance in order to hold video conferences. I prefer to have visual contact to get as close as possible to face to face conversations when talking to clients.
What brought you to Business Campus Ehrenhausen?
As it happens I rented an apartment here in Klagenfurt where I have a very poor internet connection and that‘s what prompted me to come here to Business Campus Ehrenhausen. Now it turns out there are significant other benefits in being here and I have enjoyed it very much. Actually it has motivated me to explore coworking spaces in Phoenix, Arizona, where I live. Although I like working at home the problem is that you live in your office so it’s not necessarily the best place for a permanent office location.
I have been working at home for as long as I can remember but I found that working in a coworking space has improved my productivity. There‘s a certain concentration that happens because you are in a space that is dedicated to work, where people have their heads down working. This creates an energetic environment that’s good for work.
What do you like especially about this place?
What I especially like about Business Campus Ehrenhausen is that the building is beautiful, it looks like some kind of castle, in a rural setting, so I can enjoy looking out of the windows at the trees. I get to walk through the fields to get here and there is a forest right next door. I find that these little things and the feelings that they evoke have a very positive affect on how I work. The interior of the space is very, very nicely done, it is spacious and light. I like lofts, I like the sloping ceilings and it‘s a very friendly community. I can get on with my work but I like that I have friendly people around.