Expats and entrepreneurs share many attributes and experiences
Starting a life in a new country can be very much like starting your own business.
Expats and entrepreneurs not only share many of the same attributes - such as being adventurous, tenacious and less risk averse – but also experience many of the same challenges.
As an accompanying partner, moving around the world for my husband’s career, I’ve definitely felt the pressure of ‘What about my career? What is my purpose?’ Is my only job to settle the kids, settle the house and myself? Don’t get me wrong, these are huge responsibilities, and fall mostly on the shoulders of the non working partner, but inevitably we reach the point where we ask ‘what now?’ Many, if not most trailing spouses will recognize the loss of identity and confidence that is often a consequence of moving abroad for your partner’s job. But we do have desirable skills that we use on a daily basis just living in a foreign country – resilience, confidence, being super organized, doing things that scare us, finding creative solutions to problems (living in Asia taught me that nothing is impossible), determination, cultural sensitivity, empathy – all these things are attributes we all have as globally mobile individuals.
So if you are wondering what to do next, feeling the need to start something, to create something, to make a difference, but you’re held back because you think you don’t have the entrepreneurial spirit, I’d urge you to look at your expat journey and recognize that you’re already an entrepreneur in your own life. Here are some similarities between starting a business and starting life in a foreign country:
You take a calculated risk.
When you start a business, you conduct market research to find out if your idea has been done before, who your competitors are, you get to know your market inside and out so that you have as much information at your disposal as possible before turning your idea into reality.
The same can be said for moving abroad. You don’t want to move ‘blind’ so you spend hours researching your new country, posting on Facebook groups, doing virtual tours of schools and neighborhoods, and asking for real-time information from people on the ground. Other peoples’ opinions are important but its facts you are after, you’re in information gathering mode so you can do a full assessment and make an informed decision for yourself.
No matter how thoroughly you do your research however, there is always an element of risk involved. You do your research then take the plunge.
You create something from scratch.
Virgin Records started in a damp garage, Facebook in a college dorm, consumer goods giant Unilever started with a bar of soap and a block of margarine, my friend Lauren started her thriving jewellery business selling five necklaces at her local hairdresser. My point is that everything starts with an idea, and grows from there.
Life abroad starts in much the same way. We envision a life for ourselves, something daring and ambitious that will not be easy to come by, something that takes a lot of hard work to create. We need tenacity, resilience and perseverance to succeed. We get knocked down repeatedly, are pushed to the limit, almost give up a thousand times, but somehow dig deep and keep going. People see us struggling and say, ‘why put yourself through this? Just give up, come home’ but we have faith in our decision, we know deep down that we’re doing the right thing and so we push against the norm, think outside the box and make our idea a reality.
You’re cold calling everyday.
Living abroad is like cold calling. Everyday holds many unknowns. As an newly arrived expat you have an objective for the day, lets say taking public transport for the first time, figuring out how to register your car in a language you don’t speak, or calling the international school to plead your case for places for your kids. And so, like a cold caller who dials a number and hopes for the best, you set out into your foreign world, and hope for the best. You employ all the strategies you know: be polite, friendly, apologize for taking up someone’s precious time, say whatever you have to, to get the job done.
After a while you stop fearing ‘no’. It’s just a word, and in many countries and situations is not the final answer. Every no is one step closer to a yes. Living abroad taught me that, and I put it to good use when I started my online business.
A mentor makes all the difference.
When you start a business you read books about successful entrepreneurs, you want to know their attributes and how they got to where they are. You may also search for mentors you can meet in real life. The path to business success is well trodden, there are many who have come before you and it’s good to know the successes and failures others have had along the way so your own journey can be wiser.
It’s the same when you move abroad. There is always that one person who is invaluable to you. She’s someone who has lived through the settling in phase and can impart vital local wisdom such as where to get a parking card, which day is market day, or where to get the best coffee. She can be a source of inspiration when the going gets tough, the success story you hold on to when you want to give up. You call her when you feel out of your depth, or when you feel crippled by impostor syndrome because you’re so tired of ‘fake it til you make it’, and she’ll respond with steady, encouraging words that assure you the ups and downs are normal.
Your tribe will get you through.
Starting your own business doesn’t have to be a lonely pursuit. Yes, you want to beat the competition, but sometimes hanging out with the competition is just as good for business. Building a tribe of like-minded business colleagues who may or may not be in the same industry as you is a good idea. You’ll motivate each other, help each other, and learn from each other. Collaboration is a great way to grow your business.
Life abroad is not meant to be lived in isolation. There are so many knowledgeable, well-travelled, wise people around you if you’re open to them. Next to your attitude, your tribe is the most important element of living abroad. Once you’ve found your crew, life makes a little more sense and the unknowns become easier to navigate. Surround yourself with like-minded, wise, inclusive people who give great advice and take constructive criticism and your life abroad will be richer and deeper for it.
A good elevator pitch is important.
Every business needs a good elevator pitch, a brief, punchy sentence that succinctly describes what your business does and what it believes in. Its purpose is to create interest without embarking on a lengthy back-story, to reel people in rather than bore them to tears.
When you live abroad and attend any social gathering, the same questions come up time and time again: Where are you from? (a loaded question for many of us), How long have you lived here? Do you have kids? What does your husband do? You’ll repeat the answers so many times you begin to bore yourself to tears. We are so much more than parents, trailing spouses and expats so why don’t we speak of ourselves in a way that’s more? What do you feel strongly about? Are you a feminist, animal rights activist, or earth warrior? What excites you, where does your passion lie? Are you a marathon runner or history buff? What sets you apart? Create a good personal elevator pitch and you’ll never answer mundane questions with a fake smile whist dying inside again.
It takes a while to turn a profit.
You may have to reinvest in your business for years before it finally yields a profit. You put in so much hard work but see only incremental progress. But you show up day after day, implement new strategies, keep things fresh until one day you’ve built up enough steam, enough awareness, enough trust and your business takes off.
Making friends abroad doesn’t take that long, expat friendships tend to burn fast and bright, but it may take some time before you truly find your tribe. You’ll say yes to things you don’t want to say yes to, attend coffee mornings and drinks and movie nights to make your presence known. You’ll network and do favors for friends, show up and invest in your life abroad until the critical mass has been achieved and it takes off on its own. If you lay a good groundwork the rest will take care of itself.
Its all about the hustle.
Your business, like your life abroad is what you make of it. If you keep at it, keep showing up, remain committed even though you fear failure you’ll create something to be proud of. Keep hustling in your life abroad. Start writing, volunteer, go out more, learn a language, immerse yourself in your new culture. Your life will flourish…and your business will too.