From Expat Partner to Expat CEO — The Journey!
- Jun 7, 2021
- 6 min read
Written by: Andrea Cristancho, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
We left South Africa in the middle of Summer and landed in Switzerland in the middle of winter.
Short cold days awaited, and no amount of hot chocolate seemed enough to cure the blues of missing our old home while getting used to our new home country. “I’ve been an Expat all my adult life, so I’m sure I’ll love it here too,” I kept on telling myself. But this time, it was different. Something shifted inside of me.
In South Africa, I had my small business running strong when I had to close it down because it was time to move again. After I managed to find the way to exist and do my thing in South Africa, I once again had to start from scratch.
Absolutely, every single move builds resilience, but this time I was struggling “just” being the ex-pat partner (something that didn’t happen before). I could go for full-time employment and deposit my child at daycare or try to do my own thing, but I hadn’t found that thing yet. And, in all honesty, I had a lot going on to add separation anxiety.
The sense of frustration for my lack of career continuity kicked in while I was sinking into my own excuses. I kept on telling myself, “I earned a good income before, and now I feel financially dependent.” For women like us, that feeling alone can pulverize us in seconds!
I had time on my hands and spent a good portion getting familiar with the city with my baby girl while we played in every single park that crossed our path. But in my mind, I could not stop “pushing myself” forward instead of allowing the natural “pull” of life to engage and take me to my next adventure. To say I felt lonely without support or community is an understatement.
Until one day, I woke up and decided I did not want to waste this time. I wanted to get on and enjoy life in Switzerland. That day I declared the pity fest was over! I focused on two things: my mindset and nailing my next business idea.
You see, if you’re an Expat partner, chances are you relate to this feeling, and I’m here to tell you how I turned from Expat partner to Expat CEO and how I help my clients today do the same. And if you’re not an Expat partner but you’re still reading, it’s because you know someone who’s in this position, or perhaps you’ve felt like this your whole life without being an Expat.
The slogan was coined by pure organic magic, divine flow of life if you wish. After starting my coaching business in Switzerland - yes, I said no to employment. I took the path of entrepreneurship again -, I kept on attracting Expat women into my coaching business as a holistic business coach. But I started targeting female entrepreneurs. My clients were women sitting all over the globe, living life on their own terms as Expats with their families. Being Expatriates was our common ground! Months of trial and error, testing and tweaking, learning, and pivoting naturally shedding light on me constantly requesting feedback and paying attention.
The day came when I felt called to niche down in my business, and in hindsight, all along, I’ve been serving a specific community, so it was time to give it a name. I first opened my free public Facebook group - The Expat Women in Business - and then repackaged all my business knowledge into programs and digital assets. One after the other, my clients proved to me that the change was a wise choice, and then the interest of co-authoring a book arose, and I ended up on a solo ride giving birth to my book The Expat Infopreneur. I wrote in record time and turned it into an interactive experience with the business guide I wish I had had to help me design my career and finances with location independence. This book went on to open new genuine conversations with other Expat communities established for years but that I didn’t know of across the globe using the mighty power of online networking.
If you have been following me for a while, you know that I’m a big proponent of niching down in your business, so for me, this was my act of drinking my own Kool-Aid.
Now, what’s so special about Expats? Allow me to share. We are a global community of people whose lives have changed after living abroad in an Expat assignment, no matter if we’re currently abroad or have returned to our home country. That’s what’s so special. For some, it’s been a lifetime experience. For some others, a couple of years. No matter the length, once you’re an Expat, your mentality, your lifestyle changes, and when it comes to entrepreneurship, the way you look at business changes too. How? Expatriates seek emotional stability within, nourish themselves from life experiences, and see markets globally as opportunities. We are great networkers by default and have become resourceful even in a foreign language.
Now let’s apply all these skills to your own business or career. An Expat is resilient, creative, knowledgeable, and holds dear to freedom. These are qualities invested in an entrepreneur per se and ready to grow her business.
And, now, what happens when the move comes and you have to start all over again as it happened to me? Here’s where I want to plant my seed.
If you have read this far, this is what you’ve been waiting for.
The answer is to design a location-independent business. It can be inserted in any market due to its nature to grow and carry on scaling with potential new local opportunities everywhere you go. Examples of such businesses are: teachers, experts, artists, wellness services providers, coaches, consultants, and the list goes on in this direction.
As long as you have gathered enough expertise in your field and you’re ready to embark on becoming the CEO of your endeavors, I can help you get there with one out of these options, my interactive book - The Expat Infopreneur. My program/community Flagship Ready, The Course that brings you from idea to MVP in 5 weeks of focused work surrounded by like-minded peers, and my 1:1 offer - Business ready, The Experience where I get in there with you to get the work done.
As a trained coach, I can not end this note before providing some value to self-assess your next step. So let me ask you:
Why is it important to you to become the CEO of your business?
As someone in business or has had an international career already, what do you need to do first to give yourself permission to make this next step?
What if the fear of failing in your own business were no longer important to you?
What information are you using to make this decision?
What is the outcome, or let me say it better, the legacy you want to create?
What’s the first or next step you need to take now?
What do you need to let go of to make this successful?
My wish is that our paths cross to shorten the gap from idea to minimum viable product when you decide to go into the market. My hope is that by sharing my years of business experience as a serial international entrepreneur, we shorten your way to success. No matter which way you choose to move forward now, know that I’m holding you accountable no matter what. Today I celebrate your entrepreneurial spirit and toast to your success. We are on this journey together, my friend!
Andrea Cristancho, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Andrea Cristancho, the founder of www.andreacristancho.com, is a Holistic Business Coach helping female entrepreneurs in the wellness space. Through her signature program, The UpLevel Method, Andrea integrates the entrepreneurial mindset with practical business tools that re-engineer existing businesses to achieve their next growth level. As an international business mentor with Latin roots and serial entrepreneur, she has run her own businesses in 3 continents in many different industries. In the process, she has discovered that having a signature program, a personal brand, and the right mindset is the key to taking off your entrepreneurial success.
