Who is Jef van de Graaf?

Canadian Freelancer Living the “Remote Dream” since 2014.

Get weekly tips on freelancing, building businesses, and living in Southeast Asia. Warning: this newsletter may contain dark humor, sarcasm, and swearing.

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Jef van de Graaf's Business Building & Freelancing Tips

EARNING AN HONEST LIVING

Think Your Business Will Survive and Make Money in the AI Era?

I built my first business without a business degree. Now I teach people how to thrive in a world that values AI more than the human mind.

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Living the Remote Life Dream

CHASING THE REMOTE LIFE

Want to Live Abroad or Are You Just a Loser Back Home?

I sold everything and took a one-way ticket to Tokyo in 2014. Some people think I’m living their dream, while others say I’m a loser back home.

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Jef van de Graaf's Journey to Ironman

WINNING THE LONG GAME

Can an Ex-Alcoholic, Chain Smoker Finish a Full Ironman by 2029?

I quit drinking and smoking cigarettes on April 26, 2026. Why? Because those aren’t the habits helping me become an Ironman before I turn 40.

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Hi, I’m Jef van de Graaf

At 26, I sold everything I owned, bought a one-way ticket to Tokyo, and left Canada with nothing but a bicycle.

I cycled across Asia for four years. Built a private English teaching business in Japan. Taught myself web design and copywriting in Taiwan. Now I’m training for an Ironman while freelancing from a fourth-floor condo in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Here you’ll find my crazy stories, my business experiments (both the wins and the fu*k ups), alongside every lesson I’ve learned from over a decade of navigating the great unknown.

I write about what most people won’t say out loud: the struggles of building a business alone, the loneliness from being “friends” with other transient strangers, and the moments where chasing your dreams feels like another big mistake.

Take this, all of you, and learn from it. For this is my knowledge, which is freely given, and can be passed onto you by reading my Articles.