The Time Is Now

Before starting to sell your products or services, this is the one thing you need to do in order to succeed in your portable business: provide valuable, consistent free content to your audience. You might already have a blog, a newsletter or other channel and struggle to find and create content to share. Or even if you don’t have a business yet, this episode will help you understand why content is so important.

Content gives your potential customers access to your expertise. Content is the gateway to your business. Without free content, it’s like having a clothing brand without a store to try on the clothes.

Why create FREE content?

What you will learn in this episode:

Why you are doing a disservice to you and your audience if you are not creating consistent free content

Why your free content is crucial to build and grow your portable business

What is the essential recipe to turn your free content into customers

“Not sharing your free content is like not letting customers into your store.”

 

Highlights from the episode

Different types of free content to grow your portable business (04min:30sec)

Allow your brand voice shine through your free content (9min:09sec)

Categories of goals for your free content (12min:58sec)

Overcome your shyness of sharing your content (16min:45sec)

Free content vs. paid content (19min:22sec)

Problem vs. Pain points and examples (25min:35sec)

Find time to create and develop free content  (32min:45sec)

Use your free content to convert clients (36min:50sec)

“Focus on giving value even before you start to sell”

Resources

Google Analytics 

Tools for emailing newsletters: MailChimp, ConvertKit, AWeber

Create your blog: WordPress

Take action now!

Download the Content Strategy Assessment Questionnaire

 Check out the resources mentioned in this episode

Do you want to create something for yourself but you don’t know what? Do you have a business idea or two but aren’t sure if they’re the right ones for you or where to start?  This is a special episode where I share the first two steps of the 10 step process.  Sundae Bean and I have created this framework to help you find the business idea that fits your dreams, needs, and lifestyle.

A business really needs to be aligned with your life vision, values, purpose and lifestyle. If you don’t have a clear idea about it, then make sure to work on clarifying these elements first!  Starting a business can be very demanding.  Therefore, you need to make sure to build the right routines and systems to make it happen.  Be aware of the other obligations you might have in your life and how the business can impact your desired lifestyle.

“Purpose is not a needle in a haystack that you have to find” – Sundae Bean

For example, as expat partners or global nomads, it’s important to build a business model that’s portable.  A business that allows you to run it from wherever you are and provides you the time and flexibility you need while living on the move.  We want to help you build a portable career and avoid spending time, money and energy into a business that is locally implanted.  A local business that you’ll have to leave behind when you move again.

That’s why I joined forces with Sundae Bean to bring you a framework and advice on how to find the right business idea for you.  We are passionate about making sure you get off on the right path in turning the challenges of living overseas into opportunities.

“Think about the problem you solve and make it the mission and purpose of your business” – Amel Derragui

Find the Right Business Idea with our 10-step Framework

In this episode you will learn:

What are the two first important steps to find the right business idea for you

What are the questions you need to answer to figure out what you really want for yourself

Why starting a business can be a great solution to build something meaningful, portable and profitable

How to debunk the myths around entrepreneurship

How to take action after this episode and make it happen for you!

Highlights from the episode

Why this webinar is right for you (04min:41sec)

My background and why I started Tandem Nomads (06min:15sec)

Sundae’s background and how she started her portable business (08min:56sec)

The image of entrepreneur and what images come to mind (12min:23sec)

Deep dive into the first foundational step (17min:44sec)

The questions you need to ask yourself (21min:14sec)

Deep site into Step 2 of our 10 step process (24min:53sec)

The types of portable businesses to consider (27min:14sec) 

Why online business isn’t necessarily a portable business (31min:39sec)

The technique you need to find your next business idea (33min:41sec)

Resources

Article: 7 Mistakes When Looking for a Business Idea

Episode 93: 5 Lies You’re Telling Yourself About Making Money

Episode 68:  3 steps to career and life reinvention with Sundae Bean 

 

Money can be a dirty word for some people as we discover in this joint podcast with Sundae Schneider-Bean of the Expat Happy Hour podcast. But if you recognize and deal with the lies you might be telling yourself about making money, then you will feel more confident when starting your portable business. If you are guilty of telling yourself one, two or even all these lies: you are not alone. We see it with our clients and with others in the expat partner community. Sundae and I are happy to discuss and help you overcome these money blocks.

“Money is just another word for value” – Sundae

Sundae Schneider-Bean an intercultural specialist and a solution-oriented coach, and host of the podcast show Expat Happy Hour. Sundae is a mother two third-culture kids and has lived overseas since 1998. She comes from the US and has lived in Switzerland, Burkina Faso and today lives in South Africa. She has helped individuals from over 60 countries go through transitions and change. Sundae also works with multinational companies and NGOs to support their employees as well as train multi-cultural and international groups around the world. Sundae really understands the challenges of achieving your business goals when working across cultures.

“Allow yourself to dream big” – Amel 

In this episode, you’ll learn

The five lies you might be telling yourself about making money

How to face and deal with these lies in order to find success

Why you should think of money as an exchange of value

“People show up differently when they’re invested” – Sundae 

Highlights from the episode

 

Take action now!

Sign up to our webinar about how to find the right business idea for you. Don’t Miss it!

 

 

Expat partners often struggle to find their purpose and continue their careers. When you move abroad, sometimes you aren’t able to work in the new location. Or you’re unable to continue the career you had in your home country. Sometimes you take time off work when the children are young and have a hard time restarting in a new country, culture and language. Perhaps you’ve already gotten through these initial challenges and already started a business but you now wonder if you made the right choice. Do you wonder if entrepreneurship is right for you?  Whether you’re thinking about it or already started, let’s discover the three reasons why starting a business is THE solution for expat partners.

Three reasons why expat partners should start businesses

In this episode, you will learn:

The 3 reasons why starting a business is the best solution for expat partners.

How expat partners already have the entrepreneurship mindset.

All the benefits of having your own business aside from financial independence

How changes in technology and careers around the globe will impact you.

Soft skills you need to stay ahead of the changes

My big announcement with Sundae Bean!

“You don’t need to be a multi-millionaire to be a successful entrepreneur”

 Highlights from the episode

 

“The entrepreneurial mindset is the capacity for solving problems.”

How to Find the Right Business Idea for you

Get to know more about Sundae Bean in episodes 86, 68, and 28.  

Learn about what makes a business portable in episode 90.

Sign up to our webinar about how to find the right business idea for you. Don’t Miss it!

Other helpful resources

 

You only get one chance at making a first impression. These days that impression is made online. Your LinkedIn profile needs to nail that first impression, no matter who’s looking. Do you know how to get people to notice you on LinkedIn? And do you know if the right people looking at your LinkedIn profile?

Petra Fisher is a LinkedIn consultant.  She takes the guesswork out of LinkedIn and helps you harness its full powers to propel your business or career to the next level. She does this by helping people like you create a LinkedIn profile that tells the story of the professional you truly are!

Growing up in The Netherlands Petra took not one, but two gap years (one before and one after college). The first one she spent in Denver, CO and the second one in Washington DC. Back in The Netherlands, she grew restless and within two years of graduating she decided to backpack around Australia for a year. Two years later Petra moved to Australia and ended up staying for 10 years. To explain how this impacted her life it is easiest to quote an Australian neighbor in Amsterdam: “You are more bloody Australian than I am”. Ever since Petra has focused her consulting on expats and their accompanying partners.

What is LinkedIn and how do I use it?

Petra shares her expertise and provides practical examples you can implement right away.  In this episode you will learn:

How to grow your network on LinkedIn

How to create an attractive profile

How to use LinkedIn to find clients

How can LinkedIn be a great marketing tool for your business and how to build an audience

“It is not what you know and it is who know”

Highlights from the episode

Petra’s story and how she got into this new career (03min:24sec)

The benefits and features of LinkedIn (05min:26sec)

Tips to have an attractive profile  (07min:29sec)

Engaging with your audience by commenting and connecting  (15min:28sec)

The main mistakes people make with their profile (23min:07sec)

If you’re a stay-at-home mom and/and trailing spouse and have a gap in your resume (28min:09sec)

Let clients find you! (31min:19sec)

All about LinkedIn Publisher (36min:19sec)

The best chance to get the best results (41min:29sec)

“LinkedIn is about building relationships not about collecting numbers”

Take Action Right Now

Download Petra’s free LinkedIn Workbook

Join her LinkedIn Tips Facebook group to get more LinkedIn tips

Share what tips you learned today in the Tandem Nomads group.  Tell us what you will do today to transform your LinkedIn profile into a magnet of opportunities.

Other Resources

You might also enjoy Anna Spark’s episode #24  with tips on how to write your resume

Article: “How to engage on LinkedIn before you connect”

Find Petra Online

Website: https://petrafisher.com

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petrafisher/

Petra Fisher Consulting Facebook Page

One of the most simple and common questions I get at my speaking engagements and Tandem Nomad conferences is: What is a portable business? And the followup question is usually: How do I make it profitable? In this episode, I do deep into answering these questions for you.

I believe that portable business is the best solution for expat partners who want to continue their careers while I’m moving from one country to another with their partners. That is why I’ve created the podcast and built the Tandem Nomads community. But you might be wondering what makes a portable business? There are many aspects to consider when creating a portable business and to truly make it portable. One of the unique challenges is to continue with that business, grow it, scale it and make it profitable while in the usual transitions of expat life.  Let’s get back to the basics and understand where to start, what you need and how to take action to build your portable career.

What is a portable business?

What you will learn in this episode:

The benefits of a portable business

How it’s different than online or e-commerce businesses

What is the difference between a profitable and a scalable business

How to scale a portable business

Three types of businesses to consider given your life goals

What to do if you want to build a business where you are physically in touch with people

“You don’t have a portable business if you don’t adopt technology”

Highlights from the episode

How portable business fits with expat life transitions (06min:00sec)

Why this isn’t the same as digital nomads (08min:46sec)

The mindset needed to succeed (11min:05sec)

The single most important necessity for a portable business (13min:45sec)

Legal and visa issues and how to overcome them as expat partners (17min:07sec)

Technology needed to make businesses portable, viable and sustainable (23min:00sec)

Ask yourself the four questions that make up your business model (28min:38sec)

The three types of businesses that you can make portable (30min:07sec)

What makes a portable business scalable and how to do it (33min:40sec)

The 60/40 balance to appreciate your expat experiences while building a business (41min:42sec)

“Growth comes with many learning curves, make sure to enjoy the roller-coaster ride!”

Take action now!

Download your toolbox with my list of indispensable online tools

Answer these two questions: which element from this episode will you focus on implementing and how will you do it?

Other episodes to inspire you

Marcelle Yaeger ep 29 – how she scaled two businesses

Melissa Mathews ep 84 – virtual PR agency in the US while living in Saudi Arabia

Ebere Akadiri ep 81 – scaling a product based business

Rosiane Houngbo-Monteverde ep 75 – legal advice and resources for expat partners building portable businesses

Andrea Martins ep 37 – creating a startup and selling it for 6 figures

Erica McMannes ep 83 – building a portable startup and generate revenue in 9 months

Erin Long ep 46 – how she started an online speech therapy services

We all at some point might ask ourselves these questions: what is my legacy? What is my purpose and what am I set to achieve in my life? What is my vision for this world and how can I contribute to it?

The Shell Ladies Project

In this episode, I share an inspiring story that represents the magic of starting small and dreaming big!

It also illustrates what I have been often sharing since I first launched Tandem Nomads.  I strongly believe that globalization would have never happened without the contribution of the families and expat spouses who made it possible for companies to expand globally for decades!

 

 

This is the story of a group of expat spouses, often called “the Shell wives”, for whom the mission of preserving and sharing global nomads’ stories and memories mattered at the highest level.  They wanted to recognize the contributions and worth of expatriate families.  Certain issues that come with a lifetime on the move were common to many expatriates, such as leaving friends and family, schooling, medical care, learning new languages, adjusting to new cultures, dual careers and much more – a rich mosaic of life centered around an increasingly interconnected global community.

“What we are chronicling are the roots of globalization because our families are the people who made it possible.” – Judy Moody-Stuart

The Shell Ladies Project was led under the guidance of Judy Moody-Stuart, who was later joined by Glenda Lewin and Dewey White.  What started as a simple idea of collecting expat stories and memories in a book become a full-fledged archive center for expatriates and researchers who study migration and expat life.  In fact, today the Expatriate Archive Centre collects and preserves the life stories of expatriates worldwide for future research. They are a unique, non-profit, independent archive based in the Netherlands, with a global outreach.

Interview with Sarah Bringhurst Familia

Sarah Bringhurst Familia, PR manager of the Expatriate Archive Center, tells us the story of the Shell Ladies Project and how these women managed to leave this amazing legacy for future generations.  You will also get to know Sarah’s fascinating personal journey and how the Expat Archive Center has a bigger meaning to her than just being her workplace.  You will see how her search for a place she could call ‘home’ has led her to an astonishing journey abroad.  While traveling the world, Sarah has done everything from starting an export manufacturing company to being a homeschooling stay-at-home mom to working full-time in marketing.

Today, on top of her work at the Expat Archive Center, she serves on the editorial board of HiraethMagazine.com, a nonprofit digital magazine and podcast that explores migration and homecoming via the literary, visual, and performing arts.  Sarah also blogs about her international adventures at Casteluzzo.com: in search of a dream to call home.

Episode Highlights

In this episode, you will discover

What is the Shell Ladies project

How the project got funded by the Shell Company

How the project turned into an independent archive center

The actions, skills, and events that made these ladies’ small project turn into a much bigger vision

The mission of the archive center

How the archiving process works and what can be collected

How you can benefit or contribute from the archive expat center

Book Recommendations

Global Mobilities: Refugees, Exiles, and Immigrants in Museums and Archives  (Edited by Amy K. Levin)

Family Among Transnational Professionals (by Anne Coles and Anne Meike Fechter)

Life on the move & Life Now by the Shell Ladies (more info at the Expatriate Archive Center)

Find EAC and Sarah Online

Website: www.xpatarchive.com

Email [email protected]

Sarah’s Blog:  Casteluzzo.com

Hiraeth Magazine and podcast: HiraethMagazine.com

Other episodes you might enjoy

Episode 70 with Ruth Van Reken, founder of Families in Global Transition, who has a legacy of her own to share

 

Inspiration, knowledge, and creativity are the fuel to have a fulfilling life and a successful business.  At the beginning of the year, you feel motivated and ready to make it a great one. But life is hectic and sometimes you can’t find the time to be creative.  As busy entrepreneurs and moms, juggling between kids, homework, international moves, settling in a new country and running your own business, how do you stay inspired in business and life throughout the year?  How do you avoid ending up like a hamster in the wheel as the days pass by?

In this episode, you will discover the 3 pillars and the action plan to implement even when you feel overwhelmed.  Stay inspired, build a competitive business, live a fulfilling life and avoid getting caught in the daily tasks that tend to make you lose your creativity, motivation and confidence.

Three pillars to stay inspired in business and life

In this episode, you will learn:

The 3 pillars to implement in your life and business to stay on top of your game.

The routines and habits that will help you build the right daily mindset and why they are so important.

The importance of continuously learning new skills and how to plan time for it.

Some specific examples of routines and resources that can help you stay inspired.

Resources and tools that will help you remain up-to-date in your business.

Online tools to save memories, ideas and organize them.

Download this freebie to get you inspired with podcasts, books and useful online tools to help you stay on track.

Highlights from the episode

Importance of routines (07min:35sec)

exercise, meditate, journal, practice gratitude, be aware, remember to have fun

Leaving time for spontaneity (17min:05sec)

spend time in nature, give yourself some “Me time”, allow your mind to wander, do something new, shake it up

Shutting off (22min:03sec)

don’t check emails or social media, take time to regenerate

Ways to learn new things and stay curious (23min:06min)

read (or listen to audiobooks), listen to podcasts go to event and courses, use social media wisely, be interested in others

Exchange with others (29min:53sec)

involve family and friends on your journey, find an accountability partner, be part of a team or clubs, join a mastermind

Tool to keep track and archive all your inspired ideas (36min:00sec)

How to start your action plan (38min:00sec)

Implement your action plan now

Choose at least one new routine of daily self-care and stick to it for one month.  Stay consistent! 

Choose a time in the week to dedicate to learning something new.  Stay inspired!

Tip! Choose 3-5 sources of inspiration online to follow on a regular basis  Start with our Facebook page

Choose one or a group of people to stay accountable and connect with them Be accountable!

Other helpful resources

Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Oprah Winfrey All Use the 5-Hour Rule

Download the freebie for this episode for more resources and inspiration

 

Kirsten is Dutch Canadian raised as an expat child across the Netherlands, Canada, the Dutch Antilles, the US, France and Spain. Kirsten then settled and built her career in the Netherlands as a program manager and career advisor in universities.  In 2007, although she was offered three major positions by various universities, she took the decision to leave her promising career to join her French-Finish fiancé who was sent to Albania for his job.  Since then, they have had two boys and have been moving across Africa to Cameroon, Burkina Faso and now they live in Zambia.

“Have the persistence to execute your own plan”

While moving from a country to another, Kirsten has been able to take few job assignments but also trained to become a certified coach.  Today she is a career coach, helping expat partners and women in transition redefine their identity, rediscover their passion and reconnect to a life and career they love.

Highlights from this episode:

What she did after going through a hard time finding her sense of fulfillment when she first moved as an expat spouse to Albania.

How she created a plan that led her to build her portable careers

How social media and internet are helping her expand her business and grow.

“Time is ticking. Use your experience abroad to develop your value on the market for when your repatriate.”

Kirsten’s book recommendation:

The Crossroads of Should and Must: Find and Follow Your Passion by Ella Luna.

Find Kirsten online:

Web: www.claritycompasscareercoach.com

Facebook: Clarity Compass Career Coach

Linkedin: Kirsten de Greling – Visman

Gift for you!

Download Kirsten’s freebie:  The Clarity Compass Workbook

Jodi Harris is American, grew up in Texas Austin, since then she has been living in Madagascar, Washington DC and today she lives in Japan with her husband and three kids.

After graduating with a Masters in Social Work, she started her career as a clinical social worker, providing counseling and psychotherapy to immigrants in the US. When her husband got his first job abroad, she was pretty sure that she would easily be able to convert her skills to the countries where they would be moving to. It turned out to not be that easy, but Jodi took the time to define her strengths and reflect on herself. By the end of her first year in Madagascar, she started her coaching business, called World Tree Coaching LLC, that she has been since taking with everywhere she went.  Jodi is also the author of “The Expat Activity Book” and also a Mindfulness trainer and Personal Leadership Facilitator.

Highlights from the episode:

How to build the right mindset to be resistant to challenges.

How she managed a tough evacuation as her son got very sick.

How she built a new identity and stability for herself.

“Slow down and savour, you might then see windows that you haven’t noticed before.”

Jodi’s habits in relocation:

Exercising

Meditating

Jodi’s Online Resources:

Facetime, Facebook, Instagram.

Jodi’s book recommendations:

Where ever you go, there you are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn

The Expat Activity Book. 20 personal development exercises for gaining insight and maximizing your potential where ever you are. by Jodi Harris.

Find Jodi Harris:

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @WorldTreeCoach

Facebook: World Tree Coaching

LinkedIn: Jodi Harris Coach

Gift for you!

You can download copies of 3 of the exercises from Jodi’s book as well as a free download of Jodi’s chapter on mindfulness from the book Raising Kids in the Foreign Service. Both are at this link: http://www.worldtreecoaching.com/320-2/