Estefania Gelroth
After several years working as an accountant, Estefania found a new passion in executive coaching, embarking on a mission to empower professionals, entrepreneurs and business leaders across Latin America.
Visionary and Pioneer of
Work Paths with
Workitfy
Estefania started her path as a professional accountant and now continues it as a leader of cutting-edge work opportunities.
Estefania Gelroth, discovering the world to share her experience with other Digital Nomads through Workitfy.
The Birth of Workitfy:
A Dream Made RealityThe seed of Workitfy was planted during a 3-month journey through Mexico in 2019. The inspiration to create a platform dedicated to digital nomads and remote workers took shape during Estefania's successful participation in the Silicon Valley startup pre-acceleration program Founder Institute in 2020.
In 2019, together with her partner and co-founder Ivan Lischet, they embarked on a 3-month adventure in Mexico to explore that market as a work alternative. Upon returning, people around them kept asking: "How did you do it?", "I would love to be able to do that too" — and they noticed how many people dream of a different work and life style. They asked themselves: "How could we help with that?" — and that question led them to explore options and ultimately create Workitfy, which took definitive shape when they brought the project to the Founder Institute in 2020, an intensive program they graduated from successfully, in the midst of a pandemic, giving it a format specifically oriented to digital nomads.
Today at Workitfy, they are building a platform and community so that more people can make the experience of traveling and working more productive, social and fun at the same time.
Long-Term Goals:
Transforming WorkWorkitfy is a growing ecosystem designed to connect destinations, companies and their workers, facilitating distributed work in Latin America. Estefania and her team help anchor and inspire remote work and digital nomadism, collaborating with people, tourism sectors and companies to provide the necessary tools and infrastructure.
The vision of Workitfy is to create the highest-impact ecosystem in LATAM that connects destinations, companies and workers, facilitating distributed work.They are working with individuals, tourism departments and companies so that together they can make remote work and digital nomadism something common — providing tools, knowledge and infrastructure so that more people take the leap, more companies allow remote work, and more destinations (public and private sector) professionalize to deliver the necessary infrastructure for a better experience.
Estefania expresses: We know that remote work is already part of the present, and also that every day more people — mainly as a result of the pandemic situation — began to prioritize other values. The present, enjoyment, expansion, connection, adventure and living TODAY is a priority for many, and the digital nomad lifestyle combines all of that.
Our goals are to continue providing a better solution for users: a platform that offers community, information about recommended establishments, and travel and productivity resources.
Today we are positioned mainly in the Riviera Maya, Mexico, where we are also working with Coparmex Riviera Maya, the largest business union in Mexico, on the #BeNomad certification, guaranteeing Digital Nomad Friendly establishments.
In this way we professionalize the region with better services for digital nomads and digital business travelers.
We know alliances are key today, which is why we continue connecting with organizations, educational institutions, communities and people with whom we are jointly advancing our mission: Connect people, companies and destinations in a new digital nomad work and lifestyle.
Tips for Digital Nomads and Entrepreneurs on the Move
As an experienced digital nomad, Estefania shares practical wisdom for those looking to launch into new destinations. She highlights the importance of considering location, infrastructure, connectivity and costs when choosing a place to work and live. Her essential advice: define your personal objectives and routines to find the perfect balance between work, leisure and human connection.
What would you suggest to someone about to go to their next destination?
Along this path, we have learned that being a digital entrepreneur, a remote worker for a company or freelancer, and successfully combining travel, enjoyment, connecting with people and maintaining objectives can be challenging. And one of the main challenges is precisely finding the places that facilitate both work and the travel experience.
So, when choosing a new destination and the places where you will stay and work, it is important that you consider certain information (which is what we provide in Club Workitfy):
- Location: depending on the routine you want to develop, the best alternative for you will vary.
- Infrastructure: spaces adapted for working — lighting, noise, electrical connections and furniture.
- Connectivity: not only the internet speed, but also the coverage, areas with better access, whether there is more than one internet provider (to guarantee service), among others.
- Also, regarding the destination:
- Cost of living.
- Transport services (public and private).
- Communities and activities in the area.
- Cultural and natural attractions.
And personally, define your objectives and routines. How will you combine leisure and connection with others to enjoy the destination and your work?
Estefania's message for those who want to materialize their dreams:
Estefania inspires those who dream of creating their own path. She reminds them that the process of materializing dreams is a journey that requires dedication and discipline.
What do you advise others to materialize their dreams?
"I would like to inspire and motivate those who haven't yet dared to embark on this adventure of CREATING THE WORK AND LIFE YOU DREAM OF. I say to you: If you have a clear objective, enough enthusiasm, conviction and the discipline to build it step by step, you will soon find yourself there. Do not doubt it for a minute!
It is NOT magic, it is a PROCESS, that may take you a few months, a year or many more, depending on the dedication you give it. You can dedicate 5 minutes a day or all your available hours. It does not matter how much — what matters is that every day you dedicate what you can to visualizing it, feeling it and creating it.
And to those who are already digital nomads or digital business travelers, we invite you to join Club Workitfy, to keep building together an ecosystem across all of LATAM, where this experience is communal, fun and productive.
Do not doubt it for a minute.
Visualize, feel and create your own path.
It is not magic, it is a process, and every step counts.
"Over time, I focused on the topic of work purpose — helping both people and companies design their best way of working through that great motivator: the 'Why'."
Author's reflections:
About 20 years ago, thinking about being a digital nomad and managing your own company in Chile seemed very incompatible — especially because being an entrepreneur or business owner was closely associated with the idea that the company "must have" a physical location, several phone lines and even a postal address. This changed, quickly yet gradually, with the arrival of technology.
I remember that around 2005 I was helping companies remotely in graphic and computer design using a program called "Log Me In," complemented by other tools like "Net Meeting," "ICQ" and the famous "MSN Messenger." I would leave the computer on at home and from anywhere with internet access I could access my desktop in Chile — something strange for some of my clients at that time, but because they trusted me, we maintained the working relationship and they verified everything was going well even from afar.
