There are an abundance of lists about the kinds of habits an entrepreneur needs in order to reach success. In fact, there are probably too many. I’m not here to tell you that my habits are the best or that these are the habits you need to adopt as an expat entrepreneur.

Instead, I want to talk to you about how my habits align with my core philosophy. No matter what kind of expat business you are running, your daily habits determine your long-term results. But more than that, habits that are correctly aligned with your core philosophy will determine your best outcome.

We’re human, so our habits are a constant work in progress. Our philosophy, however, needs to remain solid. When we fluctuate with the ebbs and flows of life, it’s our core philosophy that keeps us striving in those habits for the outcome we know it will create.

The ones I’ll present to you today are what I have developed and worked through according to my own core principles.

These encompass not only my role as an expat entrepreneur, but as a father, friend, colleague, and husband. All areas of life intersect, so creating habits that align with your core life principles is key.

8 Habits of a Successful Expat Entrepreneur:

1. They read constantly: How are you making room to see things through others eyes?
2. They are daily students of the culture: Are you making sure to keep up with local market trends, language and customs?
3. They interact with the culture: Are you simply doing your job as an expat, or are you intentional about your interactions with locals?
4. They surround themselves with a support network: Do you have a group of people that challenge and spur you on to the best version of you?
5. They are intentional with their time and maintain strict boundaries: What areas of your life need  to maintain separateness so that they can operate at their best in the right placement?
6. They express gratitude daily: As an expat, how do you express gratitude for the culture and day to day life in which you live?
7. They articulate their “why” and they review it often: If others ask you about your why, do you know how to answer?
8. They plan for rest: Even when it seems counterintuitive, how do you rest and rejuvenate yourself?

Do you have different habits with which to express your underlying values? I’d love to hear what you do and why these habits work best for you. Leave your comments below!

What are the most common challenges that expat entrepreneurs have to face as they do business overseas?

When most people think of expat entrepreneurs, they picture those digital nomads sitting on a beach, drinking a margarita while typing away on their laptop. While those people certainly exist, most of us expat entrepreneurs have a 9-5 schedule in an office just like the rest of the world.

The challenges we face, though, don’t look nearly the same as our home-country counterparts.

Whether you’re looking to start a business overseas and you want to know what to expect, or you’re an expat already doing business in another country and you just need to know that you’re not alone in these challenges…this is something that’s important to hear.

As I record this podcast, I’m literally sitting on a beach in Thailand. This isn’t normal for me (I’m usually in western China) but hey, I’ve got to take advantage of it while I can, right? 🙂

Anyway, here are my top 8 challenges that I’ve faced personally as well as those that I’ve heard others express as I’ve interviewed them these past few months:

1. Visas: How can we remain a legal resident of our host country?
2. Business Bureaucracy: How can we maintain a legal business entity?
3. Language Barrier: How much do we learn of the local language?
4. Dealing with Cultural Differences: How should we treat our employees? What do they expect of us as employers? What is the cultural etiquette in our host culture?
5. Caring for your Family: How do we ensure that our kids are getting a quality education? Do our wives have a healthy support network to lean on while we’re traveling?
6. Double Taxation: How do I work to limit my exposure to double taxation (mostly for US citizens working abroad).
7. Moving Money into/out of our Host Country
8. Exit Strategy: We can’t stay here forever…so how do we plan to exit?

Do you think there are more challenges that us expat entrepreneurs face that haven’t been listed here? I encourage you to please leave a comment below to share it with us.

Thanks!

What does it take to open a restaurant in the middle of China? How do you test to see if Chinese people would even like Mexican food? And even more importantly, how do you train and retain local employees as an expat entrepreneur?

These are the kinds of questions I ask Igor Vronkin, an American expat entrepreneur who has established a successful Mexican food restaurant in the middle of Chengdu, China.

The restaurant “Good Good” was started a couple years ago by two Americans in Chengdu, China. Initially, it was done on the back of a three-wheeled motorcycle driving around serving tacos. Now, they have two very nice-looking store fronts in the city.

I’ve always had an interest in opening a restaurant or coffee shop but have been pushed away by the fact that it would anchor me down to one location for a long period of time. So with that in mind, I asked Igor a number of questions about his business including:

• Do they cater more to the expat customer or the Chinese (local) customer?
• How did they set up both their WFOE (Wholly Foreign Owned Entity) and their Joint Venture?
• How do they hire and retain local employees?
• What role does food delivery play in their business?

Igor was gracious to share without reservation and I think you’ll enjoy hearing from his experience. Oh, and if you’re ever in Chengdu, give their restaurant a try. I’m sure you’ll love it like I did!

*Photo courtesy Chengdu Living

Today we are talking with Brent Crane, an expat journalist who has written for Outside magazine, The New York Times, the New Yorker, Guardian and many other publications. Much of his reporting is done while traveling the world and he shares his struggles and tips on what it takes to pitch and share your story well.

You may not think that a traveling journalist relates to what you’re doing, but consider this: we all have a story that we need to tell with our businesses. We often think that “marketing” is the key to getting more sales, but marketing is merely pushing a specific story.

If that story isn’t any good…it doesn’t matter how much marketing you do. You’re going to fall flat on your face.

That’s where I’ve been very interested to learn from people like Brent who spend their whole careers crafting stories that appeal to readers. What is it that makes a good story? How do you pitch that story? How do you work with others (i.e. editors) to edit the story?

If you have chance, tweet a message to Brent to let him know what you thought of his interview. I’m sure he’d love it!

Also, I would greatly appreciate a minute of your time to leave a review of The Expat Entrepreneur on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play – wherever you listen to this podcast.

Thanks and have a wonderful week!

My guest today on The Expat Entrepreneur is Jeremiah Jenne, a writer and historian who is currently living and running a business in the Chinese capital of Beijing.

In this episode, Jeremiah talks about what first drew him to China and how he has been able to turn his passion for Chinese history and culture into a business. For those of you who aren’t “businessmen”, Jeremiah’s story will encourage you to continue pursuing your passion and maybe, just maybe, you’ll find a business opportunity waiting.

Also, don’t forget to take a moment to leave a review on iTunes! It makes a huge difference on the reach of this podcast and the work that I do to produce it. Thank you in advance!