Want to Take Your Small Business International? Make These 5 Mindset Shifts!

In a live interview with Kathleen O'Donnell (an American living in Greece), we uncovered 5 essential mindset shifts that every entrepreneur must adopt to successfully take their small business international. Here are the highlights of our conversation:

1. You get to decide what's normal

Time no longer equals money when you're self-employed.

In corporate, you're rewarded for sitting at your desk for 8 hours a day, even if you have nothing to do. As a business owner, you're rewarded for productivity, efficiency, and a job well done.

In corporate, you set an alarm and drag yourself out of bed every morning. As a business owner, waking up naturally every day can be the norm (it is for me! ??).

In corporate, you answer to every beck and call from needy stakeholders and call it 'professionalism.' As a business owner, professionalism means setting boundaries and priorities as you see fit.

In corporate, you work from the same office space every day, irrespective of how you're feeling. As a business owner, you can take Greek lessons in the morning, go out exploring in the afternoon, and do client work (from anywhere) in the evenings.

2. Your 'why' is a key predictor of success

Longing to live in Greece full-time was a major, tangible driver for Kathleen. She'd already spent time there and used these visceral experiences to create a clear vision of her future career and lifestyle that acted as a North star in her entrepreneurial journey.

Without knowing what you're 'doing it all for,' it's very easy to get side-tracked, lose momentum, and fall off the wagon—temporarily or permanently (??).

If you really want to make it as an international business owner, you must have a meaningful reason for embarking on this journey in the first place. Is it more freedom? If so, what does that actually mean for you? Is it more money? If so, what will you actually use that money for? Is it autonomy? What do you plan to do with that autonomy?

Get into the weeds as much as possible so you can actually SEE what success will look and feel like.

3. You can't (and shouldn't) do it alone

Kathleen took advantage of LinkedIn and similar networking platforms to meet other digital nomads, freelance writers, and expats who were all looking for companionship and support.

Prospology has been hosting live events once or twice a week for the past couple of years to help our students and graduates connect with other awesome, driven professionals in the medcomms industry.

There are plenty of other existing groups out there who are already serving exactly the demographic you fit into (or aspire to fit into). Or, you can go out and start your own!

When I first emigrated from the UK to Canada, I started a Meetup group for professional women in downtown that grew to 1,500 members in just 18 months. It was huge in helping me settle in and form connections.

Figure out what you want or need out of a community so you can do the necessary research to see which fit the bill. And if you're coming up empty, start gauging others' interest in forming a community that addresses a gap, then focus on plugging that gap!

4. Every day gets to be a vacation

In corporate, you're told that vacations should be a laptop-free zone for 1–2 weeks and if you even so much as lift a finger, you're 'doing it wrong.' As a business owner, you can work however much or little you like. So, every day can feel like a vacation, if you want it to!

Kathleen and I discussed how guilty we initially felt when we pulled out our laptops to work on a trip. However, we quickly realized that our entire lives revolve around travel and that there are plenty of times when we're technically on vacation and aren't 'supposed' to be. It's all just whatever you want it to be—what you call it doesn't matter.

Some business owners prefer to work more during the day and take every weekend off to spend with their families. Some prefer not to have set working days or hours and love the flexibility their business offers them in that respect. Some work longer hours in the winter so they can take more time off in the summer. Some take an entire month off each year to do nothing but 'vacation.' Some (like me) travel all the time and make no distinction between work and vacation time—it's all integrated.

Decide what 'vacation' means to you and build your business model around this ideal. If you aspire to be a digital nomad, you may find the term 'vacation' becomes obsolete pretty quickly!

5. Moving sideways is where it's at

Both Kathleen and I recognized from a very early stages that our skills and experiences from previous jobs were readily transferrable to our freelance businesses. We didn't get sucked into believing we needed to go back to school or 'qualify' to become entrepreneurs; we simply took big strides and began resonating with our new identity from Day 1.

On paper, you're moving to a brand new industry, so coaching, training, mentorship, etc. will be extremely beneficial in streamlining the transition. But before you do anything, you must recognize that you already have most if not all of the skills necessary to succeed as a freelance writer (or your desired title/role)—it's simply a case of learning how to apply them differently.

It may seem like a step in the right direction to buy online courses or attend a million random webinars, but it's usually just a distraction that creates the illusion of progress. Make sure anything you invest valuable resources into is going to achieve at least one of the following:

• Make your entrepreneurial journey stress-free and a lot more enjoyable.
• Collapse the timeline between where you are now and where you want to be.
• Help you embark on entrepreneurship in a more confident, effective manner.

You'll only know this by doing your research and focusing on real results, rather than empty promises.

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Ready to redefine success on your terms and embrace a digital nomad lifestyle? Apply to join the waitlist of The 'Thriving & Free' Medical Writer Program? for your chance to transform perpetual burnout into financial freedom, with Prospology.