The Germany Expat Business Show

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Mandy Borchardt is a German marketing strategist and translator helping small non-German businesses to market their brand in Germany.

In 2015 she went freelance full time as a translator for English and Spanish into German, working for translation agencies and direct clients.

After a few years, she started to notice that most end clients need more than just marketing translations. They also need to understand their new target group and adapt their marketing efforts accordingly.

This was when the idea of helping her non-German clients with their marketing in Germany slowly started to grow.

I invited her on to the show to help those marketing and selling to Germans understand the mindset of the German customer.

We talked about:

• The importance of understanding German customers' preferences and cultural nuances.
• The importance of detailed product descriptions, compliance with local regulations, and personalized content in German.
• Specific marketing tips for German audiences including guidance on machine translation, legal text and culturally appropriate visuals
• The factors that influence many German buying decisions
• Advantages and disadvantages of running a business in Germany
• The importance of networking, collaboration, and continuous learning for all business owners
• How cooperation over competition among freelancers and small business owners has served her well

You can find this episode and all episodes as well as show notes for each at https://thegermanylist.de/the-germany-expat-business-show-podcast/
Starting or running a business in Germany as a foreigner? Already running an online business in Germany as an expat? Wanting to grow your German-based business? Working as a freelancer in Germany? You'll love my guide with over 30 resources for expat business owners in Germany.

Like the show? Have a burning question? Send a text?

Get set for a thrilling journey through the intriguing world of SEO with our remarkable guest, Sarah Moon. With her roots in Luxembourg and extended stay in Ireland, Sarah
Is it possible to get SEO traction if your content and marketing is in, say English (for example!) but you live in Germany?

In this episode I talk to Sarah Moon, who is not an expat and doesn’t live in Germany. What she is, is a SEO and movement marketing expert.
Sarah is the founder of Sarah Moon & Co, a Portland, Oregon-based boutique SEO-first marketing & business strategy firm that helps audacious change-makers, thought-leaders, and transformational causes get found and make an impact. SM&Co is one of the original Squarespace Specialists, and the original marketing studio to optimize SEO services for Squarespace users.
I’ve been searching far and wide for someone who could provide guidance on how to do expat/multi-lingual SEO and she's the first and only person I’ve found who had some thoughtful, meaty answers.
Some of the things we discussed:

→ Why low search terms can be your friend

→ Why it’s important to listen for terms people use repeatedly when talking about your business IRL

→ Branded search, what it is and why it’s important for expat businesses

→ Why you should have a Google business profile even if you are a totally remote business

→ How outbound links on your website send signals about your location to Google

→ The impact of top level domain (.de vs. com)

→ SEO Considerations for setting up multilingual websites
This a nerdy but highly VALUABLE conversation if you want to up your SEO game and you’re producing content in a language differs from the region where you live.

Sarah also generously created a resource page full of free resources and a big discount code on her website just for listeners!

https://sarahmoon.net/expat/

You can find her both at her website and on LinkedIn here:

https://sarahmoon.net https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahmoon/

You can find this episode and all episodes as well as show notes for each at https://thegermanylist.de/the-germany-expat-business-show-podcast/
Starting or running a business in Germany as a foreigner? Already running an online business in Germany as an expat? Wanting to grow your German-based business? Working as a freelancer in Germany? You'll love my guide with over 30 resources for expat business owners in Germany.

Like the show? Have a burning question? Send a text?

In this episode I talk with Laura Ung, a performance marketing manager by day and along with her partner Stewart is a tea master when not at her 9-5.
Coming from Southeast Asia, she trod an uncommon path, navigating language barriers, cultural differences, and a challenging experience with a micromanager that ultimately led her to carve out her own path in the business landscape.
Turning their passion for tea into a thriving business, Laura and Stewart created Hungry Tea Masters, a unique platform to promote tea appreciation events.
We'll explore her marketing strategies, the channels she uses to promote her business, and her vision for the future of Hungry Tea Masters.
Listen in as Laura shares her insights on hosting virtual events, her take on alcohol-free gatherings, and her experiences leveraging Eventbrite.
Laura's entrepreneurial journey extends beyond her tea business. As a prominent member of the Southeast Asian Entrepreneur network, she sees the power of community bonding and networking first hand.
Hear about her experiences living in various German cities, from the welcoming environment of Dresden to well, a little less welcoming Munich.
We'll also delve into a brush with a business scam and how it promted Laura and Stewart to found a group for South East Asian entrepreneurs.
This episode is full of insights, whether you're a burgeoning entrepreneur, a tea enthusiast, or someone trying to adapt to life in Germany.

You can find this episode and all episodes as well as show notes for each at https://thegermanylist.de/the-germany-expat-business-show-podcast/
Starting or running a business in Germany as a foreigner? Already running an online business in Germany as an expat? Wanting to grow your German-based business? Working as a freelancer in Germany? You'll love my guide with over 30 resources for expat business owners in Germany.

Like the show? Have a burning question? Send a text?

Afshan Samani's journey from Iran to becoming the CEO and co-founder of PinoSell is a masterclass in resilience and innovation. After navigating cultural challenges and personal setbacks, including a broken engagement during her PhD in Canada, Afshan pivoted from academia to a dynamic career in tech and startups. Her relentless pursuit of new opportunities led her to Rocket Internet and eventually to the creation of PinoSell, a company inspired by the burgeoning potential of social media selling. Through her story, Afshan provides a fascinating look at how personal perseverance can drive professional success.
From identifying an unexpected e-commerce trend in the Middle East and Africa to launching a platform that transforms Instagram feeds into shoppable storefronts, Afshan's insights are invaluable for anyone interested in the future of retail and entrepreneurship. She shares her experiences working on a pilot project with L'Oreal and explores how her platform empowers micro-businesses to harness the power of social media effectively. With examples like a Munich-based cake business and a California-based letterpress hobbyist, Afshan demonstrates the platform's versatility and its potential to revolutionize how small businesses connect with their customers.
For those intrigued by the intricacies of setting up a business in Europe, Afshan's discussion of the logistical and financial hurdles in Germany, compared to the advantages of Estonia's e-residency program, offers eye-opening insights. Her experiences highlight the broader trends and challenges within the European startup ecosystem, including the increasing focus on innovation and international collaboration. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or a seasoned business owner, there's much to learn from Afshan's experiences and the ever-evolving landscape of startups and investment in Europe.

[👆The above description was spit out by hosting AI — We're a two woman operation here! Human show notes on the website.]

You can find this episode and all episodes as well as show notes for each at https://thegermanylist.de/the-germany-expat-business-show-podcast/
Starting or running a business in Germany as a foreigner? Already running an online business in Germany as an expat? Wanting to grow your German-based business? Working as a freelancer in Germany? You'll love my guide with over 30 resources for expat business owners in Germany.

Like the show? Have a burning question? Send a text?

In this episode I talk to May and Peter Kamya, the Berlin-based founders of Kidsimply. Peter is originally from the UK and May’s family immigrated to Germany from Thailand when she was five years old.

Kidsimply is an online shop selling diverse and inclusive books and toys. Through the KidSimply brand, and inspired by raising their child, Peter and May want to celebrate cultural diversity, but most importantly send out a message to ALL children that their experiences matter.
In this episode of The Germany Expat Business Show we talked about:

💪 How ‘learning by doing’ is part and parcel of starting a business

📱Working with influencers to spread the word

📦 How Peter and May approach order fulfilment and stocking inventory

💕 Balancing values and mission with brass tacks business outcomes

⬅️ What to outsource and what to keep in house

💁‍♀️ The value of getting to know customers and their community and in-person markets

🏪 Staying online vs. opening a brick and mortar shop

🛒 Their experience using both WooCommerce and Shopify

🫶 How they navigate being partners in both life and business

✏️ Using translation tools in combination with manual translation, writing and editing

📥 Their experiences with founding a Ltd. in the UK and a GmbH in Germany, including impacts on cash flow

🇩🇪Their hope to one day expand to markets in Köln, Hamburg and other cities in Germany.
Visit and follow Kidsimply here:

Kidsimply.de website
Kidsimply on Instagram
Kidsimply on Tiktok

You can find this episode and all episodes as well as show notes for each at https://thegermanylist.de/the-germany-expat-business-show-podcast/
Starting or running a business in Germany as a foreigner? Already running an online business in Germany as an expat? Wanting to grow your German-based business? Working as a freelancer in Germany? You'll love my guide with over 30 resources for expat business owners in Germany.