Member Monday - Featuring: Walter Cole
“The culture, music, and energy of the city [on the Colombia NOMAD trip] was incredible. Enjoying all of it with an incredible group made it even more amazing.”
Walter W. Cole is currently a resident of Raleigh, NC. He spent his formative years growing up in Germany.
After his time in Germany, he attended the University of South Carolina where he studied psychology and elementary education. After graduating, Walter set his sights on Raleigh, NC, with intentions of working at its renowned booming tech and pharmaceutical scene in RTP (Research Triangle Park). While initially working within the Wake County Elementary School system, he finally landed a role at Lenovo, accomplishing his goal.
However, as is so common with so many entrepreneurial types–Walter felt like he plateaued in Corporate America & craved something more. Serendipitously, whilst looking for a new job he ended up getting laid off during a company merger. He actually credits this as one of the best things that ever happened to him. It was at this moment that Walter committed to the journey of entrepreneurship and “making his own money.”
He immediately immersed himself within Raleigh’s thriving startup scene and, after working for a few startups, was able to shift his focus toward drones—an industry that meshed his passions for tech, innovation and artistic expression. Fast-forward to today, Walt is the owner of Skyport Drones, a drone videography studio primarily servicing commercial real estate, where the studio focuses on video production and digital design for his clients.
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“I view NOMAD NATION is a visionary product and one that, much like Uber, Facebook, and the smart phone can truly revolutionize and forever alter how we do things. Covid obviously disrupted the way we live quite a bit and while it was bad, there was a least one positive outcome that came from it. It accelerated society in a lot of ways, It’s now become more acceptable for people to work remotely and the NOMAD NATION project fits right in with where things are headed. I am excited to see the community and company grow.”
Walt has been able to attend multiple NOMAD meetups, including our most recent Q4 meet up in Park City, Utah. While he has enjoyed all of them he sites, Cartagena, Colombia as his favorite NOMAD adventure so far was. “There’s a vibrancy to the city, the culture, the art, the music and the city as a whole has an incredible energy to it. Plus enjoying all of it with an incredible group made it even more memorable.”
His home base is in Raleigh, but he is completely remote, and often travels to different locations for work. For Walt, day-to-day has been different since covid; most time is spent making connections, freelance marketing, and finishing his latest project (more explained below).
“I love the ability to be location independent; I can pick up and travel and still make an income, it also always for a great work-life balance which is a core value for me.”
When asked about his motivation to join NOMAD NATION he said, “It is amazing being surrounded by people who are “doers” and are excelling in their respective fields. I’m a big believer in the old adage ‘You are the sum of the 5 people you surround yourself with most.’ NOMAD NATION is an incredibly great group that continues to inspire and motivate me.”
Today, Walter is most excited about his latest project, The Skyport Institute. Utilizing his background for education, The Skyport Institute offers training and educational for consumers and businesses wanting a turn-key solution to start their own viable drone business–including: How to price services, payment methods, the hottest emerging industries to get into, what to expect on your first paying job, and much more. Make sure to follow him to stay updated on this new offering!