The Map & The Compass

When my family and I touched down in Vancouver on February 3rd, 2014, our hearts were filled with excitement and anxiety about beginning our new life in Canada.?

We chose Vancouver for its warm and mild weather compared to the rest of Canada. However, the city’s welcome was unexpectedly cold as we came face to face with Canada’s coldest winter since 1996!?

The winter clothing we had specifically bought for our trip from Dubai proved inadequate, leading to a few challenging days as we dragged the kids, kicking and screaming, through the city’s icy sidewalks in search of proper winter coats and boots.

Once we managed the essentials—securing government documents, opening a bank account, renting a place, and enrolling the kids in school—I started my quest to make some connections and meet people in our new community.?

In Dubai, my perfectly honed networking skills were my lifeline. I led the largest and most successful chapters of BNI (Business Network International), thriving in a vibrant community of business leaders who became my close friends.?

BNI, the world’s largest and most successful business networking and referral organization, also has chapters in Vancouver. Eager to replicate my networking success and connect with a familiar community, I visited several BNI chapters in Vancouver and mingled with the business community.

However, the networking culture in Vancouver was startlingly different.?

In Dubai, business events were dynamic—people were always 'on,' eager to connect, partner, and drive their businesses forward at full throttle. Vancouver’s events often felt subdued, populated more by those seeking jobs than by the business leaders and entrepreneurs I hoped to meet.?

Despite making some pleasant connections, I felt as though I was speaking a foreign language. When I suggested meetings, no one would pull out their calendar; instead, it was always, "Let's talk next week and figure something out!"?

Except for a few streets, Vancouver went silent after 6 pm. Stores would close, and everyone went home. The sense of urgency was almost non-existent; people were chill and laid back, with conversations rarely touching on business, focusing instead on the weather, skiing, outdoor sports, and hockey.?

No one was open to meet outside work hours and agenda-free exploratory meetings were not in their lexicon.

The more I networked, the more I felt alone.?

I had developed the perfect map to navigate life; tactics, methods, how-tos, and experiences I developed with blood, sweat, and tears. But the map that was perfect for Dubai was worthless for Vancouver.?

I felt lost and decided to go back to Dubai, to a familiar environment I knew how to navigate. I told myself I could make money there and send it back to my family.?

My wife insisted I stay and try harder. "You figured out Dubai, you can figure out Vancouver," she said confidently.?

Ignoring the voice in my head whispering, "What if I can’t?" I started looking for a map I could use to build a life in Vancouver.

Initially skeptical and resistant, I visited a WorkBC Centre at my wife’s insistence to explore how they could help. Here I was, an entrepreneur who had built over twenty businesses, sitting in sessions on how to prepare a resume. It felt pointless.?

I began to assemble the core elements of my Vancouver map. I followed the steps, worked with my case manager to finish my new, bland Canadian-style resume—no pictures, colors, differentiation, or any distinguishing elements!?

I applied to over 200 positions over the course of a month and got one bad interview.?

With every passing moment, I felt more like a failure. The map I was developing for Vancouver wasn’t working. I needed something else; I just didn’t know what it was.

I was very close to giving up when I attended the next WorkBC session on my schedule which was on networking and social media.?

Having let go of my incessant need to figure out what to do next, I felt a little more relaxed and engaged with the instructor. I was answering questions, adding from my extensive experience, and genuinely enjoying the thoughtful conversation.?

At one point, the instructor casually mentioned, "You should teach this session." That immediately resonated with me. I loved teaching, and what better way to engage with my new community than in a forum where I could add value and share my experience?

The moment the session was over, I ran out immediately and connected with the instructor.?

"You mentioned I could teach this session! What do I need to do?"?

"Just send me an outline. We’ll review it and work something out," she replied.?

Taking her reply as a cue, I prepared an outline overnight, sent it the next day, and within a couple of weeks, I was standing in front of a crowd, leading a workshop on social media for a packed room.

The workshop was a success. I got to interact with members of my community and made many new connections. Most of all, the serendipity of following an undefined path gave me one of my biggest breaks. The WorkBC team asked me to lead another workshop. I agreed on the spot.?

They were so impressed with my performance and willingness to help without asking for anything in return, they made it their mission to help me. They made a formal request to their management to hire me to update their social media training and train their team. It was my first paid gig in Vancouver, and just like that, I had Canadian experience.

How could I replicate this success??

It wasn’t a defined process; there were no clear steps. Was I just supposed to be open for discovery and exploration??

There was something more.

In this uncharted, unknown, and unfamiliar market, a map didn’t not work; I needed a compass—something to keep me heading in the right direction, even when the roads were winding or there were no roads at all.

I asked myself, what could be my compass? What is true to me no matter what? What is something that comes to me naturally and the core driver to my success?

One word; people.??

Not just any people—those with grand visions, who wanted to leave the world better than they found it. Those people are inspiring, engaging, interesting, and there is so much to learn from them.?

I made connecting with great people my compass.?

So I attended educational sessions where I found people who love to learn and grow. And I reached out to everyone on LinkedIn who was an entrepreneur or CEO of a company in Vancouver—starting and leading a company requires vision, grit, and cultivating a supportive network.

My message was simple; I’m new to Vancouver, looking to connect with likeminded people I can meet and learn from. If you are downtown in the next few days or weeks and open for a meeting over coffee, please let me know.?

I started getting positive replies, and more than few were willing to meet for coffee.?

I had no expectations. Never asked for a job or money. I simply connected, genuinely got interested in the people I met, had great conversations, and sought to make friends.?

I also asked the people I met to help me learn more about their work, their journey as an entrepreneur or professional, and I asked everyone I enjoyed meeting to introduce me to more people I would enjoy meeting.

With my internal compass guiding me, I frequented as many workshops as I could, connected with over 6,000 people on LinkedIn, and enjoyed a hundred conversations over coffee during the summer.

I didn’t have a map to tell me what I should do next, or what I might expect as a result of my actions, I had my internal compass keeping me focused while discovering the true Vancouver through its people.

By the end of summer, I developed many great friendships I still enjoy to this day. I became a member of Launch Academy, which became my launchpad into the most remarkable journeys of my life, and I had five serious job offers in hand.

By letting go of the need to have a map scripting every step, and the false security that comes with knowing what I’m going to do, when, and how, the serendipity of discovery guided by my internal compass led me to the starting point for a life in Vancouver.

Walking back home after accepting the job offer I liked the most, the sun was shining bright, but it was the openness and welcoming attitude of my new community that made me feel warm inside.?