Every week, we share the story of an inspiring Remote Worker and Remotive reader, here is Kristyna's story:

1.- Can you please tell us a bit more about: Who are you, and what do you do? :)

Hey, my name is Kristyna and I founded maqtoob.com, a business app discovery platform for aspiring (and inspiring) entrepreneurs.

My days are filled with reviewing hundreds of tools to find those that can make small business owners, freelancers, or digital nomads much more productive.

Together with my startup co-founder, we've just decided to give up a year of our lives and dedicate it to raising tech-awareness in 12 emerging countries.

2.- Why do you work remotely, and how does it feel?

I used to have a well-paid 9-5 job, but I soon realized that sitting in an office and climbing a career ladder would mean a slow death for my ambitions and creativity. That's why I quit one day and moved from Europe to Lebanon.

I didn't know a single person in that country, and I didn't speak the language either, but starting from scratch was the best learning experience of my life. Being completely on my own helped me to figure out my strongest skills and consistently drove my motivation and curiosity.

My startup was born in Beirut, developed in Indonesia, and accelerated in Great Britain.

We're a fully remote team and a few weeks ago we literally set the company on the move. Travel is in our blood. In the past, my co-founder quit his job to globe-trot for 3 years.

Personally, I become restless if I'm pressured to stay in one place for a long time. We believe that all the new technologies make it possible for anyone to develop their ideas into a fully-fledged business and at the same time to maintain a good quality of life.

3.- What software do you use?

I'm a big fan of simple and helpful apps that save plenty of time. All the tools I currently use can be found here.

I start my day browsing my Twitter feed for latest tech news. Simultaneously, I save articles for our social networks via Pocket, to share them later with the help of Buffer. As a team, we communicate mainly on Trello, Slack and Skype.

If I need to focus on my writing, I open WriteRoom. Alternatively, I just quickly sketch out a few ideas in browser-based ZenPen. For any design work (infographics, social media posts, posters, email headers etc.), Canva is the most amazing tool you can think of. For email marketing, Mailchimp is a must.

4.- What would be your ideal setup?

Having lived in a few developing countries, I often dream about constantly reliable high-speed internet. Because only this and a good laptop (at the moment, I own Macbook Air) are enough for me to work from practically anywhere.

I started our tour of 12 countries in 12 months with one backpack of 18kg plus one smaller hand-luggage (computer, camera, headphones, book, wallet, sunglasses, and some girly necessities). Even though I need to be quite creative with my clothing, it feels so good to be completely flexible in terms of location.

During the workshops we organize, we always push our audience to remember one thing: if we use all the widely accessible and affordable resources in a smart way, we can ultimately take charge of our time and money.


Thanks Kristyna! You can find Kriztyna on Twitter over here :)


Would like to start a conversation about sharing your story? Let us know over here- thanks :)


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