15 Lessons Learned from 15 Years of Expat Coaching
With all that has been happening this May, I almost forgot to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Global People Transitions. It’s that time of the year again… 15 years ago, I also completed my first coaching certification (Level: ACC) with Drs. Boudewijn Vermeulen and Dr. Eva Kinast.
The Early Days
I co-founded Global People Transitions with a cherished partner. According to Moneyhouse (and the trade registrar), we were founded on 17 May 2010. I was still working at PwC at the time, and my partner had full business responsibility, while I was mainly learning the ropes of coaching.
Global People Transitions was a blog even before we incorporated. I still remember how clumsy and corporate my writing style was, and that probably nobody (not even my mother) would have wanted to read my tips for international assignments.
This is what our company’s letterbox logo looked like at the time. I had already wanted to be self-employed at uni. Still, I would never have leaped without the support of my coach educators, as well as the friends and family who believed I could make it as a trainer, coach, author, guest lecturer, and founder. (Sometimes, I did not even believe it myself.)
Fast-forward to May 2025, and I have been managing GlobalPeopleTransitions for 15 years. We are still here (when over 50% of startups fail in the first five years in Switzerland 🇨🇭 ). We work closely with our clients, run programs, and innovate hashtag#GlobalMobilityCoaching with our hashtag#RockMeApp license model.
Cherishing the Networks
I am also a member of several high-quality trainer and coach associations and networks, including the VERMEULEN® Coaching network. We are pleased to introduce our new website, which showcases the VERMEULEN® Coaching method and the certified coaches behind it.
This quality seal is critical in a time when holistic and humanistic approaches to coaching are being replaced by „quick wins,” „tips and tricks,” and „growth hacks.” In a world where mental health and fast-paced living collide, this holistic approach blends structured communication, deep relationship work, and embodiment practices rooted in hashtag#humanistic psychology.
Our coach educator, Dr. Eva Kinast, is an ICF-certified Master Certified Coach (MCC), ensuring high quality through her certification. All my colleagues are highly experienced and qualified. You can find us across German-speaking countries, and many of us also offer leadership retreats and online coaching.
Jumping Ship
It still took me about two years until I dared to jump ship and leave my well-paid manager job at a large professional services firm and a long-term career in International Human Resources. Quite frankly, my work boosted my ego. Starting a company requires a lot of self-confidence because you might lose everything: money, status, your partner, sleep, hobbies, your TV set, and your belief system.
No one tells you when you start how long it takes to be sustainable. I heard rumors, but I did not believe everything. Also, I might have approached my business development from the wrong angle. At the time, I honestly did not have a clue. I was not the “cold-calling type”, and I did not even know that email marketing was still a thing.
I had assumed customers and clients would magically appear in my inbox. I also had not realized that the kind of company I wanted to have initially had already been invented at least twice in Zurich and that I wasn’t the only former Global Mobility Leader trying to set up a coaching, training and consulting business in Global Mobility for smaller companies, i.e. for those companies where the Big Four weren’t interested in at the time.
Today, I have a thriving, sustainable business model and a website that seems to be accessed from across the world. I run a video show called “The Red Couch Talks” where I interview Global Mobility leaders, expats, and authors in the space of leadership development. I lecture as a guest speaker at universities and hold talks at intercultural conferences. I was even nominated for a few awards last year.
There is still a lot of upward potential for my business, and I am not going to stop working on myself. Still, I am quite satisfied with all the possibilities I have created for myself and my life model, especially now that family members are getting older. I want more flexibility in my schedule and also focus more on friends and relationships.
What I would like to tell you is that you will eventually be rewarded and have a better life overall, but you need to be persistent, patient, and pragmatic.
The 15 Lessons Learned
1) Prioritize Your Clients according to the 70:20:10 Model. Use 70% of your time for delivering an outstanding product or excellent service to your clients. 20% of your time should be spent networking with current and future clients, 10% should be spent on accounting, marketing, and other business development work.
2) Build and maintain your network. In the beginning, work with your contacts before you start business development. It’s easier to “warm” call or to work with someone who has been referred to you than to try to cold call or randomly build trust with people on LinkedIn.
3) Analyze your niche. Understand your competitors, their products or services, and price structures. Define your ideal client avatar. Focus on where you stand out. It helps if you can speak to your clients’ problems in their terms and in concrete ways. You show them your vulnerability and create a connection by sharing what you have in common (for example, I know now that my initial shyness and stage fright are part of my nerd personality, and when I share this with clients, they usually are very happy to understand they are not alone).
4) Develop a brand around yourself. Spend time and money on branding and marketing, especially on a professional website, and create helpful content.
5) Get the basics right. I know too many business owners who have never made a business plan. If you do not see the meaning of cash flow and break-even, your work is a hobby, not a business. Cash flow is a constant challenge, so learn to manage your invoices and hire an accountant.
6) Limit your financial risk. Start with a limited financial risk by opening a limited liability company. If you want to sell handmade socks, you might not need to do that, but in general, it is better to protect your assets. Most business advisors will tell you that you need to be able to survive the first year without income. Check when you need to do a proper annual statement.
7) Learn everything about running a business. Work in all company areas, from accounting to social media marketing. Then, once you have done it once, you can outsource the areas you have no passion or patience for. Study all the time. Challenge yourself by asking yourself questions outside of your comfort zone.
8) Find your strategic “friends” in the market and build brand partnerships. Build strategic friendships with business owners you like who support and motivate you. Find like-minded peers and use each other as a support group, cross-selling each other’s work against referral fees.
9) Plan what you give in exchange for “favors.” If you cannot hire someone, offer time exchanges and internships. Respect other people’s time commitments and aim for a balance between giving and taking. Give more and go the extra mile.
10) Enjoy your profession and build your life around your business. Get a cleaning person and other support for your household, childcare, and shopping, because this will give you more freedom to focus on your profession. I try to shop online only (but I regularly buy groceries in the neighborhood). I minimize unnecessary expenses, but I love to buy gadgets that are tools for my work.
11) You will pivot when the time is right. I used to run consulting and interim projects to keep my business afloat. When I noticed a strong disconnect between how I spent my time and my mission, I wanted to stop working on such projects and focus more on coaching. I decided to find a person to replace me and quit the last biggest project that I ever ran. I am so glad I get more time with my clients now.
12) The best ideas come from unexpected corners. Sometimes clients, friends, and family give you great ideas for your business. You don’t have to listen to all the critical voices all the time, but if you hear a great idea, write it down. Even if you think you know your area of expertise best, you might learn a lot from asking the clients what they need and what would help them, rather than assuming you have the secret sauce for everything.
13) Have a repository for future ideas: I am an idea generator, and if you want to start a business, I’d probably have an idea for you as well. However, this often created stress for me until I realized that I did not have to do everything simultaneously and that some ideas need time to grow and develop. So, I just found a good way through vision boards, journaling, and a wish book to write down future ideas, wishes, and my racing thoughts. And like with seeds, some ideas flourish, while others never sprout.
14) Invest in your physical and mental health: During the pandemic, I had Covid-19 (and I was one of the first cases in Switzerland), and I also broke my foot a year later. I noticed that all of these vulnerabilities are part of human nature, and as an entrepreneur, your physical and mental health (and your support network) are highly critical. I started to prioritize Yoga, walks, and supervision. I actually can say that I fasted from “stress” and now I consider myself a person who hardly has stress. Yes, I can be sad and concerned about a friend being sick or losing a loved one, and I also sometimes am unhappy about the state of the world, but I am generally really relaxed and in the moment. I don’t think a lot of people can say that about themselves.
15) Celebrate Your Success: This is the one thing where I could do more, and I want to put it on the lessons learned, because sometimes being an entrepreneur can feel lonely. Your partner and friends might at some point have limited energy to listen to your complaints about not having enough money, or your team, or your lack of fun time. This is why you could start by celebrating every week with a small gesture, like buying yourself a bunch of flowers, cooking a healthy meal, or inviting yourself to the movies. Check your wishbook. There are a few ideas in there.
Have Questions on Starting an Expat Coaching Business in Switzerland?
I will hold a workshop for expat coaches at the SIETAR Switzerland 2025 conference in Lucerne. https://sietar.ch/conference-2025/sessions-overview/
This is my personal invitation to the #SIETAR Switzerland Congress 2025
Register For Further Book Publications Here:
I’m working on a new workbook where I will explain more about my methods and how to build a business as an expat coach. You can sign up here to be invited to my book launches and be updated on publications and workshops https://mailchi.mp/globalpeopletransitions/friends-and-family.
My author page:
Angela Weinberger – Inclusive Entrepreneur, Leadership Coach and Global Mobility Yoda
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