Setting Up a Business On The Other Side Of The World
“The more you adapt, the more interesting you are.” – Martha Stewart
The Clear Blue test read “pregnant”. So did the second, third and fourth. It was official: we would be adding another name to our residency application. Six months before, my husband and I had started our adventure in the most beautiful little country on earth. We’d already discussed Project Baby prior to moving countries, but our timing was out by at least a year. You see, first we had to settle in, then start a business and get residency, and THEN we would be ready.
I’m sure if you’re reading this, you are knowingly smiling and thinking, “life doesn’t work like that”. Especially if you’re a parent, business owner or an expat anywhere in the world. Life has its own plans, I get it.
A crowded pond
One of the biggest challenges over the past few months has been to continue my efforts of setting up my creative business in the midst of morning sickness, prenatal depression, adapting to an even more depressing winter climate and seemingly never-ending immigration admin.
A perk of having your own business is that you can balance all of the above, as you manage your own schedule. Who doesn’t dream of working in their PJs or setting up their laptop by the beach?
The daunting reality, however, of shipping yourself and your business overseas, is the fact that you essentially start from scratch. New country, new cultures, new rules. As a creative, I’ve discovered that our fast-growing city has many businesses that are in need of creative services, but also that, although I think I have a lot to offer, I’m still the newest foreign fish in a small but very crowded pond.
In navigating my way through this pond, finding our feet in a new country, building a business and trying to find that elusive perfect work-life balance, I’ve put together some tips for setting up a creative business in a new country.
Get social
This is the first, and definitely THE most important item on the list. If you choose to focus on just one thing, focus on socialising. Integrating into the community by attending networking events, joining (and engaging with) groups on Facebook or setting up your own groups, is the best thing you can do when starting a new life and business.
Social media has made it so easy to reach out and interact with people, and groups allow you to find people with similar interests or who are part of the business community. Prepare a short pitch about yourself for when you meet new contacts: who you are, what you do, and what you specialise in. You’ll never know when you’ll meet potential customers!
Protect yourself
Before you start doing business, especially if you’re a creative, and even more so when you’re an expat, get your admin in order. Now is not the time to be a scatter brain. Get folders, name them, file stuff. Have certified copies of everything. Have electronic copies of everything. Then, create templates for yourself. Invoice templates, quote templates, budget templates, creative templates, contracts and proposals. Not only will it help you work more efficiently, but it will also make you look professional.
Also, remember that you’re dealing with businesses and people in a brand new country. You will need new bank accounts, register for tax, create a new website, rent new office space (or set one up at home) etc.
In addition to setting up your business from an admin point of view, you’ll also need to create new contracts and pricing options for clients to suit the market. It doesn’t need to be any kind of legal heavyweight document, but your agreement should outline exactly what you’ll be providing to your client, how you’ll be providing the work, your terms of business and how and when you expect to be paid.
By taking care of your admin early on, you can avoid many potential problems and frustrations down the line.
Establish a presence
Nowadays, marketing is another ball game than it was a few years ago. Content is king. Social is queen. But there’s still space for everything in between. Make peace with the fact that you’re going to need to put in a little more effort than setting up a free website and a Facebook page. No matter how easy “they say” it is to market online FOR FREE or create a FREE website, it’s not true. If you invest in one thing, let it be your online presence and your marketing plan.
Even if you’ve got a gorgeous new website, SEO-optimised – you’ll get lost among existing (and more established) competitors in your new country. Here’s where your business story and blog really comes into its own.
If you haven’t already, employ a professional (ask for previous examples of work) to create a brand story and guide (that includes use of your logo, colours etc AND copywriting prompts and guides) that will serve as the foundation of your marketing and communications activities. Write your core story on your home page and make sure any and all messaging on your website reflects this.
If you’ve already started blogging, now’s the time to ramp it up. A new post every other day takes effort but it can work wonders in terms of your search engine presence as you try to get established.
Always write blogs relating to your chosen keywords and your specific services. What you’re doing with regularly refreshed content is shouting out to Google that you’re all about these keywords and topics, so it ranks you higher.
On social, you need to create pages on the relevant channels (more info on that here) and then have a consistent content plan where you share useful content and engage your followers. A dormant account is worse than a non-existing one.
Keep at it
As a creative, and especially one who focuses on copywriting, it is sometimes the most frustrating thing to realise that a lot of businesses firstly don’t understand what you do (even more so in branding and digital content) and the impact a skilled copywriter can have on their reputation and their bottom line. Similarly, a lot of potential clients aren’t willing to take the risk on someone so new to their country, regardless of expertise. Don’t take it personally.
You know you don’t need to work on your client’s premises to get them the results they want, but many small business owners – especially those who are new to digital marketing and in a small country like New Zealand – see local knowledge as the “be all and end all”.
In these cases, just keep at it. Publish online. Publish frequently. Promote yourself. Be professional. Get their attention and ask your friends in business if you can help them out with something in exchange for references and experience. Persistence is key when starting a business from scratch, especially in a new country. Sometimes I have to remind myself of that and to not get upset, especially with pregnancy hormones in the mix and a millenial mindset that thrives on immediate results, but consistency and quality trumps quantity and quick wins every time.
