How to start a business abroad
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2024 6:31 am
Starting a business as an expatriate
We know that every day the number of people who, for one reason or another, leave their countries to face a new adventure such as living in another country, either as an immigrant or expatriate, is increasing.
How to start a business abroad
Life as an expatriate already brings its own challenges, which are many. Arriving in a new country tests all your skills at the same time, and even more so if you want to start your own business.
After 16 years of moving from one country to another and discovering new cultures, I have realized that no matter how many times you have moved, every time you do it is as if it were the first time.
Fears begin to surface, that feeling of being lost and it gets worse if you don't even speak the language in the country you arrive in, your husband is starting a new job, which leads to a lot of stress and if on top of that the children start a new school, well, this adds up and gets complicated.
In short, settling in a new country, a new culture, is not an easy task. And all this often pushes us to reinvent ourselves , to think of a new business and to get even further out of our comfort zone.
I did it because after 16 years living in countries in the Middle East and Asia, where I put my professional life on hold to dedicate myself exclusively to being an expat wife and expatmom, when I arrived in the West, specifically in Spain, my life was rethought from a different perspective and it was there, after suffering from depression and feeling very alone, that I decided it was time to do something for myself and by myself.
At that time I decided to reinvent myself professionally, since my computer science degree was of little use to me at that time, and also after having started several businesses and having to leave my business because I had moved to another country, what better way to do it than by starting an online business and in something related to technology and social networks such as Social Media Manager or Community Manager, so I began to train in it and that's where my entrepreneurship began.
But a few months later I realized that I didn't want to be a community manager. Many factors influenced me (among them, not knowing many businesses to which I could offer my services, since I had just arrived in the country) and I made the decision to hire a mentor and reinvent my business . And if living as an expatriate for so many years has taught me anything, it's that no matter how scary it is and how hard it is to leave everything and start over, positive things will always come out of that experience and also that I won't die from it.
And that's how I decided to become a mentor to help expatriate or expatriate moms who want to start their own business, no matter what country they're living in. But along the way, I discovered spam database my love for Pinterest and now I don't just help expatriate moms, but entrepreneurial women from all over the world to make their businesses shine thanks to the power of Pinterest.
That's why I know first-hand that reinventing yourself and starting a business is a challenge, especially when you're abroad. That's why I want to share some tips and things to keep in mind.
I'm sure you'll also be interested in reading my article My life in a suitcase and my entrepreneurship too
Guide to becoming a Pinterest Manager
REINVENT YOURSELF AS A PINTEREST MANAGER AND MAKE A LIVING FROM YOUR BUSINESS
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5 tips to keep in mind if you want to start a business from abroad.
ADAPTING TO THE NEW CULTURE :
This, although it may sound basic, is something super important because your stay or how you feel in that place will depend on it. It is not easy at all, and even more so when we arrive in countries that have cultures completely different from yours. At first everything is a discovery, it is nice, it is as if you were on vacation, then we enter the stage of rejection, we realize that it is no longer a vacation, we have to do paperwork everywhere, look for a house, schools, and things no longer seem so nice and we often begin to ask ourselves what are we doing here, would it be the best decision? Should I go back?
Then we move on to the acceptance stage because we know there is no turning back and it is better to do things as well as possible and finally the integration stage where we meet more people, we share their culture with them and so every day things become easier and more routine. (Note, not all stages are always completed).
KNOW THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT:
Starting a new business, promoting your services or products in an unfamiliar market can be quite difficult. Just like not knowing the legal system, it can lead to serious problems, problems with the tax authorities and even fines. To avoid this, one of the ways is to join entrepreneur groups in your area, consult a good legal advisor or even join online groups for entrepreneurs or expatriates where you can usually get a lot of first-hand information.
LEARN THE LOCAL LANGUAGE.
Even if your business is online, knowing the local language, or at least English, is essential. Even if you don't speak the new language 100%, it's better to have a little than nothing. This will help you make new clients or collaborators and network. You should also look for them locally or internationally.
FLEXIBILITY IN THE FACE OF THE NEW AND UNKNOWN.
This is part of the adaptation process and it is sometimes quite difficult to do. One of the things we must do is stop comparing what we lived before with the new country, and I include myself here because it is not easy to erase everything you lived and accept that things are different now. And this is one of the greatest lessons I have learned in these many years as an expatriate, and that is that each country is different and we must accept it as such.
IMMERSING THE NEW CULTURE.
Establishing new relationships on a personal and professional level helps us to immerse ourselves, understand and thus be able to better accept the new culture, which leads to greater professional well-being, in this case in our business. One of the things that has helped me the most is being in groups of female entrepreneurs, both online and offline in the city where I live.
We know that every day the number of people who, for one reason or another, leave their countries to face a new adventure such as living in another country, either as an immigrant or expatriate, is increasing.
How to start a business abroad
Life as an expatriate already brings its own challenges, which are many. Arriving in a new country tests all your skills at the same time, and even more so if you want to start your own business.
After 16 years of moving from one country to another and discovering new cultures, I have realized that no matter how many times you have moved, every time you do it is as if it were the first time.
Fears begin to surface, that feeling of being lost and it gets worse if you don't even speak the language in the country you arrive in, your husband is starting a new job, which leads to a lot of stress and if on top of that the children start a new school, well, this adds up and gets complicated.
In short, settling in a new country, a new culture, is not an easy task. And all this often pushes us to reinvent ourselves , to think of a new business and to get even further out of our comfort zone.
I did it because after 16 years living in countries in the Middle East and Asia, where I put my professional life on hold to dedicate myself exclusively to being an expat wife and expatmom, when I arrived in the West, specifically in Spain, my life was rethought from a different perspective and it was there, after suffering from depression and feeling very alone, that I decided it was time to do something for myself and by myself.
At that time I decided to reinvent myself professionally, since my computer science degree was of little use to me at that time, and also after having started several businesses and having to leave my business because I had moved to another country, what better way to do it than by starting an online business and in something related to technology and social networks such as Social Media Manager or Community Manager, so I began to train in it and that's where my entrepreneurship began.
But a few months later I realized that I didn't want to be a community manager. Many factors influenced me (among them, not knowing many businesses to which I could offer my services, since I had just arrived in the country) and I made the decision to hire a mentor and reinvent my business . And if living as an expatriate for so many years has taught me anything, it's that no matter how scary it is and how hard it is to leave everything and start over, positive things will always come out of that experience and also that I won't die from it.
And that's how I decided to become a mentor to help expatriate or expatriate moms who want to start their own business, no matter what country they're living in. But along the way, I discovered spam database my love for Pinterest and now I don't just help expatriate moms, but entrepreneurial women from all over the world to make their businesses shine thanks to the power of Pinterest.
That's why I know first-hand that reinventing yourself and starting a business is a challenge, especially when you're abroad. That's why I want to share some tips and things to keep in mind.
I'm sure you'll also be interested in reading my article My life in a suitcase and my entrepreneurship too
Guide to becoming a Pinterest Manager
REINVENT YOURSELF AS A PINTEREST MANAGER AND MAKE A LIVING FROM YOUR BUSINESS
Download the guide NOW so you can achieve it
PINTEREST MANAGER GUIDE
Name
You can unsubscribe at any time. For more details, please review our Privacy Policy.
“Stay informed and get the latest news and updates by subscribing.”
5 tips to keep in mind if you want to start a business from abroad.
ADAPTING TO THE NEW CULTURE :
This, although it may sound basic, is something super important because your stay or how you feel in that place will depend on it. It is not easy at all, and even more so when we arrive in countries that have cultures completely different from yours. At first everything is a discovery, it is nice, it is as if you were on vacation, then we enter the stage of rejection, we realize that it is no longer a vacation, we have to do paperwork everywhere, look for a house, schools, and things no longer seem so nice and we often begin to ask ourselves what are we doing here, would it be the best decision? Should I go back?
Then we move on to the acceptance stage because we know there is no turning back and it is better to do things as well as possible and finally the integration stage where we meet more people, we share their culture with them and so every day things become easier and more routine. (Note, not all stages are always completed).
KNOW THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT:
Starting a new business, promoting your services or products in an unfamiliar market can be quite difficult. Just like not knowing the legal system, it can lead to serious problems, problems with the tax authorities and even fines. To avoid this, one of the ways is to join entrepreneur groups in your area, consult a good legal advisor or even join online groups for entrepreneurs or expatriates where you can usually get a lot of first-hand information.
LEARN THE LOCAL LANGUAGE.
Even if your business is online, knowing the local language, or at least English, is essential. Even if you don't speak the new language 100%, it's better to have a little than nothing. This will help you make new clients or collaborators and network. You should also look for them locally or internationally.
FLEXIBILITY IN THE FACE OF THE NEW AND UNKNOWN.
This is part of the adaptation process and it is sometimes quite difficult to do. One of the things we must do is stop comparing what we lived before with the new country, and I include myself here because it is not easy to erase everything you lived and accept that things are different now. And this is one of the greatest lessons I have learned in these many years as an expatriate, and that is that each country is different and we must accept it as such.
IMMERSING THE NEW CULTURE.
Establishing new relationships on a personal and professional level helps us to immerse ourselves, understand and thus be able to better accept the new culture, which leads to greater professional well-being, in this case in our business. One of the things that has helped me the most is being in groups of female entrepreneurs, both online and offline in the city where I live.