For this episode of Expatpreneurs, we meet a trainer helping athletes and coaches in their global experiences. If you think juggling expat life, and entrepreneurship is enough to keep you busy, throw in a bit of global travel, sports and two kids to the mix and you get Susan! Jumping around the globe (literally) she has learned how to live life the simpler way. Managing the challenges of paperwork and tax laws is frustrating, but in the bigger picture the decision to live life as an expatpreneur, is worth it. Susan shares with us her honest experience and best advice for others out there like her. Oh, and she has a podcast series that you can tune in to for more!
Oh yes, and I like to take jumping pictures wherever I go.
Your story sounds familiar to my own (minus the Brazilian man and two kids) well, I really resonate with the fact that a study abroad trip turned into a big life journey all over the world. So, tell us a bit about your project?
My main project as an entrepreneur is my company Fit Across Cultures. It’s a consulting business aimed to improve the life of professional athletes and coaches abroad. Originally, I am a psychologist, with a minor in sport science, so I was always interested in the mental aspect of sports. I used to play competitive basketball in college myself (you’ll still find me on the court every once in a while, but more for the fun of the game).
Since I’ve lived abroad, I am a certified intercultural trainer, and worked in the intercultural consulting business for quite a while, I figured why not combine my love for sports with something I know a ton about. Ergo, Fit across Cultures was born.
That’s an interesting combination of two things you’re passionate about – so what does your project offer the world, and why should we care?
Basically, I help pro athletes and coaches train their “intercultural fitness” to succeed abroad, hence the name “FIT” across cultures. Being physically fit to play abroad is not enough to succeed, you need mental strength and a heightened understanding of how certain cultures work. So, basically I help them understand why their standards for “normal” do not always apply abroad, and what they can do to integrate better. I do this through training and coaching, as well as a bi-monthly podcast that started April 1. Check it out here:
Why you should care? Well, let’s just say if you’re a sports fan of any of the big teams in European football, basketball, volleyball, etc., you must have already noticed that these teams consist of plenty of different nationalities. My goal is to help these teams work better together to win the championship, and integrate their players from abroad. So, really…any sports fan should support Fit across Cultures.
What’s been the hardest thing about being an expat? And do you see any connections to the trials and tribulations of being an entrepreneur?
Overall, I really love my lifestyle, of choosing a place to live, finding out more about the local culture, especially the food (I basically eat my way through a country each time I visit, my boyfriend sometimes complains about me only having the next opportunity to eat on mind :)). But sometimes, being an outsider can be challenging. I would say it is the hardest thing to deal with besides having to build a social network each time again. Each culture has a lot of hidden rules and common knowledge that is not so easily accessible to foreigners. Many faux pas in my life were caused by this lack of knowledge. I think that is a similarity to being an entrepreneur. It’s a lot about learning by doing, learning from failures. If you cannot deal with imperfection and failures, life can be pretty tough, both as an expat and an entrepreneur.
Uyy… I definitely hear that, and I think combining expat-life + entrepreneurship can sometimes equal long periods of “failure” because maybe the project is going well, but expat challenges are present, and then they seem to switch places. Hard to get everything in balance at the same time! What has been the best skill or personal tool that has helped you turn these challenges into opportunities?
Oh, definitely practicing my patience! I’m am soooo impatient, and it’s a virtue that every expat should have. Every time things do not go as planned, I missed to fill out a form the right way once again, the office is closed for lunch (here in France a commonality), I remind myself to see the bigger picture and remember why I chose to live this way.
My strength from all the years abroad and now as an expat-entrepreneur lies in finding alternative routes. If one way of doing things is blocked, I find another way. Resourcefulness is key, people!
I love life hacks – do you have any favorite life hacks that have been helpful in your expat life?
I’m not sure you’d call it a life hack, but I believe in minimalist life styles. I know it’s quite trendy now, but adopting an attitude of living with less but more meaningful things is not new. When you move a lot, change jobs/companies, and have to make things work over and over again, it’s great to not have too much baggage (and I mean that literally and figuratively). And that can work even with kids, I can assure you.
I couldn’t agree more, living simple is possibly the greatest life hack there is! You’ve been in more than a few different language environments – whats something thats made you laugh?
As I said, we just returned from Brazil, and I only speak as much Portuguese as I’ve been able to pick up from my boyfriend talking to our children. So, I speak like a four year old When I tried ordering a fresh coconut to drink, I said “queria uma agua de coco”. Instead of emphasizing the first syllable of coco, I emphasized the last, which basically meant I turned the coconut water into…well, something slightly more brownish. Needless to say, I was ridiculed for the rest of that day!! But as someone who will probably be learning languages until I die, I’ve made my peace a long time ago to just laugh about the mistakes I make.
Yeh, I think language mistakes are a great form of entertainment! Nobody has ever learned a language without making a few mistakes. On another topic – there seems to be an abundance of resources, information and help out there – but as an expat has there been something that you wish you had more help with? What is missing out there in the age of information that you wish would have come to your doorstep?
Oh, well, as an expat entrepreneur particularly I’ve struggled the most with comprehensive information (in multiple languages) about the tax system, business set ups, funding possibilities, etc. in other countries. It amazes me that in the age of global information, we still do not find support to become an entrepreneur in a different country, unless you want to pay a lot of money for help. You’d think that in an era of global competition, countries would strive to support ANYONE that wants to open a business within their borders to pay taxes. My experiences have been quite the opposite.
Being an expatpreneur is kind of like….
the best of both worlds. You live where you like, doing the things that you love. Cannot think of a better combination.
Whats the best advice you could give to other expatpreneurs out there?
- Be resourceful and take advantage of all networks that exist (check FB, meetup, LinkedIn, chamber of commerce, entrepreneurial hubs). If they don’t exist, build one yourself! (We’re just starting a women entrepreneur club here in Chartres, e.g.).
- Become part of a mastermind group with other expatpreneurs who share similar frustrations, problems and mindsets.
- Learn to laugh at your mistakes and move on!
- …and finally, with all the hard work you’re putting into your business, don’t forget to enjoy the culture and country you chose as a base!
Get your cultural fitness tune up by connecting with Susan…
@fitaxcultures | Linkedin | Facebook
