An author and business consultant once told of her origin story where she had to flee her home country for the United States. She only had one suitcase with her belongings. In that suitcase was an ancient book that would eventually shape and change her life and turn her into an extraordinarily successful businesswoman.
Do you have transferable skills? Do you have a business that you can take with you and start up anywhere in the world? Have you ever thought about how you could take either your existing business or start a new one in another town, city or country?
You may not have to dramatically depart from a country as that successful business woman was forced to do. You may be lucky enough to see the writing on the wall before others do and get out in time. With the world as uncertain as it is today and expected to become increasingly so, it’s your choice where you want to take your business skills, expertise and experience.
A business model that works in one country may also be transferable to another. It doesn’t necessarily have to be high-tech or require a high skills level. Sometimes basic, mundane business concepts can find a new home and a hungry market elsewhere. But make no mistake, whatever you plan to do, you have to be good at what you do, very good, and offer a strong value proposition to potential customers.
One such a business is an art business that was started by Nolan Clarke after he learnt to draw with lessons from his father, Dennis, a professional artist. Nolan originally opened his teaching studio in Brakpan, just outside Johannesburg, and did very well with “The Paint Basket”. Subsequently, for personal reasons he took up permanent residence in New Zealand next to the sea. Now he is able to teach art which he says must be “one of the most satisfying professions in the world”. “Every day I see people changing for the better right in front of my eyes. I see them not only learning a new skill, but also learning to see the world around them in a different way. They start to notice things that they never noticed before, they start to appreciate the beauty of nature even more than they did before.”
Nolan’s passion for art has allowed him to establish himself as a sought-after art tutor online where he teaches many students online how to improve their art. “The most satisfying part of my work however is seeing the most amazing art works being produced by people that had always thought they couldn’t even draw a stick man,” says Nolan.
If you go to the Paint Basket site you will see how an entrepreneur with a passion has transferred his skills and artistic ability into clear, understandable step-by-step teaching modules that are fun and enjoyable.
Success stories like this of entrepreneurs who have been able to make their business mobile online and live wherever they want in the world are highly inspirational. One of the basic tenants of being an entrepreneur is economic or financial freedom. Such freedom and mobility is obtained by providing superior value to customers.
