The Road Less Traveled: Building a Global Business While Exploring the World

Success isn’t linear. It isn’t about climbing a corporate ladder rung by rung, suit by suit, until you find yourself staring out at the world from a corner office. Success, real success, is about building the life you want—on your terms. It’s about freedom. It’s about living your dream while still working hard and showing the world that boundaries only exist if you let them.

I didn’t set out to build my search firms by following a traditional playbook. I started my journey with one belief: you can create a global business without being chained to a desk, confined to a city, or adhering to societal norms. You don’t have to choose between adventure and ambition—you can have both. And, honestly, why shouldn’t you?

The Moment the Script Changed

My journey didn’t begin with a grand revelation or in some exotic location—it began after spending a few years in Singapore, where I relocated from Vancouver and managed a team in one of the world’s most dynamic cities. Singapore isn’t the kind of place that whispers to you. It shouts. It’s bright lights, fast deals, and a pace that’ll leave you breathless if you’re not careful. At first, I thrived in the chaos. The company I worked for was growing, expanding, and tightening its grip on everything—more standardized procedures, more hoops to jump through, less freedom, less flexibility. It wasn’t long before I realized the more we scaled, the less room there was to breathe.

My team was like a microcosm of the world—people from the UK, Canada, China, Malaysia, Switzerland, Singapore, Australia, and beyond. It was a beautiful mess of accents, perspectives, and ways of working. Some were sharp and ready at dawn; others didn’t hit their stride until the afternoon. Some thrived on structure, while others suffocated under its weight. And that’s when it hit me: productivity doesn’t come from shoving everyone into the same box. It comes from understanding the unique rhythms of each person and finding a way to harness them. But the corporate machine didn’t care. It wanted conformity. It was designed for efficiency, not humanity.

For over two years, I talked about starting my own firm. The dream lingered in my mind like a half-finished novel, but I didn’t pull the trigger. Fear, doubt, the comfort of a paycheck—they kept me tethered. But eventually, the discomfort of staying outweighed the fear of leaving. When I finally decided to break away and start Lean Six Search, it wasn’t just about starting a company. It was about proving something—to myself and to anyone who ever doubted me—that there was a better way.

The resistance came fast and hard. Many of my colleagues, bosses, and even friends laughed it off. “Clients want to know you’re in an office,” they said. “You’re not going to pull this off. They’ll never trust someone who’s not sitting behind a desk from 8 to 6.” They couldn’t see past the four walls of their own creation. The neatly pressed suits, the never-ending meetings, the illusion of professionalism. To them, reliability meant routine. To me, it was just another cage.

I didn’t want desks and fluorescent lights. I wanted freedom. I wanted to be in able to work wherever I saw fit, while working with clients that respected me and my approach, and still deliver incredible, unmatched results. Whether that is in the Moroccan Desert under a star-filled sky or in China making one last phone call before boarding a flight to Pyongyang to run a marathon in North Korea (pictured above). I wanted to drink coffee on the streets of Paris in the morning and finalize a senior logistics placement for a Fortune 50 client by noon. I wanted to be able to navigate the world and go to where my clients are. Meet them face to face rather than behind a screen. I wanted to work harder than I ever had—not for a paycheck, but for a purpose. I wasn’t running away from the grind. I was redefining it.

So I walked out. I ignored the doubts, the sneers, the voices telling me I was making a mistake. I wrote a new script. And the story that followed? It’s one I’ll never stop telling.

But I knew better. I believed that success wasn’t about where you sat; it was about what you delivered. Clients don’t care if you’re behind a mahogany desk in a high-rise or working from a hammock on a beach. What matters is that you deliver on your promises, that you show up when it counts, and that you do exceptional work.

I launched Lean Six Search as a lifestyle business, determined to prove that I could run a global executive search firm while living a life of freedom and exploration. I wasn’t trying to fit into the traditional mold—I was trying to break it. And while it started as a passion project, it quickly became clear that I had tapped into something far bigger. The demand was overwhelming. We were working with Fortune 50 and Fortune 500 companies as well as local businesses, all seeking the same thing: results. They didn’t care about the backdrop of a Zoom call or the time zone I was in. They cared that we delivered, every single time.

Whether I’m closing a Chief Supply Chain Officer from New Zealand, identifying CPOs for a client in Switzerland while at home in Vancouver or Calgary, or finalizing a life-changing offer for a Procurement Transformation leader under the stars in the Namibian desert, the message is the same: it’s not about where you are; it’s about what you bring to the table. It’s about listening, understanding, and connecting the right people with the right opportunities. It’s about delivering on your promises, no matter where the work happens.

This approach has not only allowed me to live a life that excites and inspires me but it’s also built trust with some of the world’s most iconic companies. These are businesses that understand results aren’t tied to location—they’re tied to capability, commitment, and connection. They value the relationships we build and the precision with which we deliver because they know that’s what drives success.

What I’ve learned along the way is that being confined to an office doesn’t make you dependable, just as sitting in a boardroom doesn’t make you a leader. The real measure of success is your ability to show up, to follow through, and to exceed expectations, no matter the circumstances.

The old rules—the ones that say you need a fixed address, a set routine, and a carefully curated image to succeed—don’t apply anymore. The world is changing, and what clients care about most is not where you’re working, but how well you’re working. It’s about trust, execution, and impact.

Lean Six Search has grown far beyond a lifestyle business. It’s a global operation with clients spanning industries, locations, and scales. But at its core, it’s still rooted in the same belief: success is about delivering on your promises, not being tied to a desk. By refusing to conform to outdated norms, I’ve built a business that not only thrives but also proves that freedom and hard work are not mutually exclusive—they’re the perfect partnership. And the best part? The journey has only just begun.

Closing Deals on the Edge of the World

Building my business didn’t mean leaving hard work behind. Quite the opposite. When you’re creating something unconventional, you often have to work harder to prove it can be done. I’ve worked at all hours, across time zones, and from some of the most remote places on Earth. The irony? That’s where I’ve done some of my best work.

The first time I realized I could work successfully from anywhere and still maintain an extremely high level of output was on the beaches of Cuba, where I sat with my toes in the sand, sealing multiple deals over mojitos and the sound of crashing waves. I actually had promised my partner at the time that I would shut off but on my morning runs, I would stop by the front office (the only place with wifi back in 2010) and managed to broker a new retained search and close a deal with a fantastic candidate that I've now worked with for years. Or the time I finalized an offer in the desert of Namibia, under a sky so vast and full of stars that it felt like the universe was leaning in to listen. Or the tiny island of Tuvalu, where patchy Wi-Fi didn’t stop me from negotiating a life-changing role for someone halfway across the globe. The locations might sound exotic—and they are—but the work is real. The effort is real. The impact is real.

Another amazing example is the time I closed a Vice President of Logistics role for a global F&B giant. I wasn’t in an office with three monitors and a team on standby. I was on a boat in Antarctica, navigating icy waters and marveling at glaciers that towered like cathedrals. The invention of Starlink made this possible. As we slowly navigated the water, the enormity of the landscape made me feel small. But as I finalized the deal, I realized I was doing something extraordinary: building a bridge between opportunity and talent, all while standing at the literal edge of the world.

Then there was Kenya. Picture this: I’m in a tent on safari, the golden savannah stretching endlessly in every direction. Elephants are walking by in the distance, the sky is painted in hues of orange and pink, and my laptop is perched on a makeshift desk. I’m reviewing candidate profiles, speaking with a client, and watching the sun dip below the horizon, all at the same time. It’s surreal, yes, but also profoundly grounding. Moments like these remind me why I do what I do—because work isn’t just about transactions. It’s about connections. It’s about making an impact.

Since starting LSS and now Bottle Rocket Search, myself and my team have made hundreds of placements in over 55 countries, and during this time, I've travelled to over 100 countries (167 total) without ever sacrificing the incredible relationships I've built across some of the most wonderful business cities in the world. Do I have to take calls at 4am? Yes. Do I have to give up some fun while I travel? Absolutely. But I'd much rather be at work looking at the beach than looking at a white wall!

Freedom and the Myth of Sacrifice

The thing people misunderstand about freedom is that it’s not the absence of responsibility. It’s the ability to choose your responsibilities. I don’t work less than someone sitting in a cubicle from 9 to 5. In fact, I work harder. But the difference is, I’ve chosen a path that aligns with my values. Freedom isn’t about slacking off; it’s about creating a life that excites you enough to put in the work.

Society has convinced us that success requires sacrifice. That you can’t have a thriving career and a fulfilling life. That you have to pick a lane and stick to it, no matter how uninspired you feel. But I’m here to tell you: that’s a myth. You don’t have to choose. You can have a career that lights you up and a life that feels like an adventure. The key is to think differently. To challenge the narrative. To create a model of success that works for you.

Why This Matters for the Workforce

This isn’t just my story. It’s a call to action for anyone feeling stuck, uninspired, or trapped by expectations. We’re living in a time when technology has made the world smaller and opportunities greater. The traditional ways of working are crumbling, and a new paradigm is emerging—one where flexibility, freedom, and authenticity are not just buzzwords but actual possibilities.

If you are reading this, you are probably part of the workforce, and so this matters because the rules are changing. Companies are starting to value output over hours, creativity over conformity, and impact over tradition. Remote work is no longer a perk; it’s a mindset. And if you’re bold enough to embrace it, you can build a career that fits your life instead of the other way around.

Living Boldly, Working Hard

Building a global business while traveling full-time isn’t easy. It’s unpredictable, messy, and sometimes exhausting. But it’s also exhilarating, rewarding, and profoundly human. I’ve seen the world while making a difference. I’ve connected with people from all walks of life and helped them find opportunities that changed their futures. And I’ve proven to myself and others that success doesn’t have to come at the cost of freedom.

So, to anyone out there dreaming of a different life: take the leap. Be bold. Challenge the norms. You don’t have to wait for permission or validation. The world is wide open, and success comes in many forms. Whether you’re closing deals in a skyscraper or on a beach in Cuba, the common denominator is this: hard work, authenticity, and the courage to live your dream.

This is your life. Don’t let anyone tell you how to live it. Go. Create. Explore. Build. And, above all, believe that you can have it all—because you can.

Derek Lutz is a full-time traveller, investor, and business owner, who thrives on helping others succeed. He runs Bottle Rocket Search | Coworking & Flex Space Recruitment, Lean Six Search | Supply Chain Recruitment, and has a few other things in the works (stay tuned!) When he's not doing that, he's writing, traveling, exercising, and trying to experience all the world has to offer.