A BUSINESS advisor is proving that small businesses can work anywhere in the world – and is giving his top tips on how to do so.
Colin Bielckus from Fareham runs Outsourced Finance Director – a business advisory and accountancy firm – and moved to Estepona in late 2020.
He made the move due to the cold weather having a negative effect on both his and his wife Lorraine’s health, with him suffering from arthritis.
Since then, he has managed to fully operate his business, which is based in Fareham, from the Costa Del Sol, even picking up new clients in the meantime.
He said: ‘My quality of life has dramatically improved since moving out here. Not only has our cost of living gone down by about half, but I’m now taking around half of the medication that I was while living in the UK.’
Colin has found that lockdown and the uprise of online and home working helped him with the move and is offering advice on how others can follow suit.
He said: ‘Moving abroad can be very rewarding and is most definitely possible if you have a service-based business that doesn’t require you to be client-facing, but you definitely need to consider a few things.
‘The most obvious one is the language barrier. You’ll get by with the basics in the language of the country you’re in, but at some point you’ll need to do more than get by, so learning the language is a must.
‘On the business side of things, you’ll need to make sure you have a strong online presence. I’ve recently picked up one of my biggest clients through my website, which proves to me that having my website updated regularly and with relevant information is massively important. Having a strong social media presence is key, too. You’ll need to work out which platforms work best for your business – for example if you’re a product-based business, Instagram and Facebook might work best, whereas LinkedIn could be better for service-based businesses. Be consistent on social media and make sure you stay in touch with your network back home.
‘And of course, Zoom, Teams and other online meeting platforms will be your best friend. All you’ll need in the end is a computer and good internet connection.’
Colin recently made a video about his move to Spain, which can be found on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvr-w_CwN_M
You can read more about Colin’s move on his website www.theoutsourcedfinancedirector.com
