Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Didan Ashanta, founder of Resilient Foreigner, located in St. John's, NL, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Most people expect a bit of homesickness and some culture shock when they move to a new country. But, many foreign workers and international students find themselves really struggling to integrate into their host countries. Whether it is a Jamaican working as an English Teacher in Japan or a Bangladeshi enrolled in graduate school in Canada, the social isolation, cultural fatigue, and financial insecurity often leave migrants feeling disconnected from the communities they should be building and bonding with.
Resilient Foreigner is a social integration incubator that provides the training, community, and new identity that foreign nationals need in order to adapt easily and thrive abroad. Built on a unique framework, our Resilient Foreigner Toolkit equips foreign workers and international students to build stable finances, nurture strong connections, and make steady progress towards their goals while they're working or studying in a foreign country.
You might not realize it. But, there are more than 280 million migrants all over the world! Canada alone hosts 1.2 million work permit & study permit holders. So, we have a goal of equipping 1 million migrants from all over the world to become Resilient Foreigners. This is a tiny segment of the global population, but this shift would make a significant impact across many societies.
Tell us about yourself
I'm a Resilience Strategist and Migrant Integration Specialist who has spent the last 20 years traveling, working, and studying throughout the Caribbean, North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. As a globetrotter, I quickly learned how to bounce back from crisis and how to thrive in new and strange places. But, after many one-on-one consultations, in-person workshops, and online seminars, I realized that many of my fellow migrant workers and students were not adapting as easily as I assumed everyone should.
So many of them felt like they had bitten off more than they could chew and had lost hope of realizing their dreams. So, I decided to lean into my training and experience in guidance counseling and cross-cultural adaptation to develop a resilience-based framework that could help others get over the hurdles that come with living in a foreign country. Over the last two decades of traveling, volunteering, studying, and working around the world, I have met two people (in particular) whose experiences while working and studying abroad have left lasting impressions on me.
Their dreams of making a better life for themselves and their families were shattered because they didn't have the guidance and support they needed during their time abroad. I never want to see another brilliant mind lost or a vibrant spirit crushed the way theirs were. Their memories inspire and drive me. It's my hope that Resilient Foreigner can make a difference in their honor.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Being able to communicate my passion and mission in a way that allows them to empathize with migrant workers and students is a big deal to me. I feel that every person who learns about the work we do at Resilient Foreigner, they will be encouraged to be more welcoming and supportive to the next foreign worker or international student that they meet.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
For years, I felt like I couldn't make a purpose-driven impact on society while making money from my knowledge, skills, and experience. Today, Resilient Foreigner is a social enterprise. But, I am still learning that I can help more people when I get paid for my expertise than if I do everything for free.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Enroll in a business development training/program. You need to understand the basics.
- Surround yourself with other entrepreneurs and business mentors.
- Resist the temptation to do multiple things at the same time. Choose your ONE thing!
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Social isolation is one of the most difficult things for anyone to handle. It's even more harrowing when your loved ones are thousands of miles away, or you don't speak the local language well. After all, we human beings need community. So, if you are not friends with any of the foreign workers or international students in your hometown or city, please seek them out. Please make the commitment to help a foreign national feel welcome. You might learn that you are the very first person in your area to be their friend.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://resilientforeigner.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/didanashanta/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.
