#017 - Andrea MartinS - Entrepreneur & mUM to 2 kids - Founder of greensocks.com.au, Launched & Noticed, Story Resumes and Expat Women (acquired April 2014)
'Initiative, Resourcefulness & Showing Up are my top 3 key skill suggestions' [Andrea Martins]

Nicholla speaks with Andrea Martins who co-founded ExpatWomen.com and is the co-author of the book Expat Confessions: 50 Answers To Your Real-Life Questions About Living Abroad. Her website attracted annual sponsorships from global companies like HSBC, Barclays Wealth, Aetna International, Clements Worldwide and SIRVA Relocation and she was a guest speaker at expat events in the United States, Mexico, The Netherlands, Morocco, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. Andrea's site was acquired for an undisclosed six figure deal in April 2014. 

Having lived as an expat for nine years in Indonesia, Mexico and Malaysia, Andrea is now back in her home country Australia. She was a finalist in her local 2014 Business Pitch competition at the Innovation Centre at the University of the Sunshine Coast in August.

Andrea is also the founder of: Story Resumes – an innovative service to help jobseekers get noticed via eye-catching infographic, illustrated and animated video resumes; Launched and Noticed - an e-course and community to help entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life; and the co-founder of a new startup called Green Socks - designed to be an Uber for lawn care providers.

In this interview Andrea shares her own take on her successes, challenges and what she thinks makes a successful entrepreneur. She calls herself a 'start up addict' and what she aspires to become is someone who can help others with their own visions and start up plans. You will see what I mean as you listen. Enjoy.
Update not to podcast (from Feb 2015).  There has been a business change - Oddjobs is now Greensocks.
Inside this Episode
  • Question 1: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your Entrepreneurial Journey and How your particular journey into starting your own ventures cam about?  Andrea starts by telling us a little bit about herself and a brief look at all her businesses.  Her journey into entrepreneurial journey started when she recognised that there wasn't a central global resource for women to go to, to find information and resources about the country expat women could be moving too. Teaming up with a friend they began the process of creating a global resource for women to turn too. Launching expatwomen.com
  • Question 2: Can you tell us a little bit about your book,  'Expat Women: Confessions - 50 Answers to Your Real-Life Questions about Living Abroad ?  (Link Below for Andrea & Victoria's Book via Amazon)
  • Question 3: Can you give us an insight into your day to day activities.  How do you organise your day and how do you prioritize? Andrea key focus is to be strict with her time and get what she needs to get done in the time when her kids are at school.
  • Question 4: Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur? Andrea Loves her morning exercise.  Its a key staple in her daily regime of her day.  This helps her stay more positive and stimulates her own outlook to ensure she makes the best of her day. She has also learn the art of focus and how 'eat that frog' daily to ensure that her aim and goals remain her key priority.  Andrea also shares one of the things she did wrong years ago and how she overcame that to stop feeling overwhelmed. She also shares a great tip for clearing your inbox.
  • Question 5: What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur? Her Top 3 skills suggestions are a) Initiative, b) Resourcefulness, & c) Show up.  I loved these three skills as I completely relate to them.  She describes in the interview why these were her top three skills and shared examples to go with them.  
  • Question 6:  How did you overcome your fear of sharing your ideas?  In the beginning we can be very protective of our ideas and so though we know we have to share, its hard to because of our own fears of what others might think. Being in an environment where folk are open, friendly and positively critique your idea so that it unfolds into a more rounded and better informed idea helps a lot.  Andrea shares her own personal experiences of getting over the fear because we all face it. 
  • Question 7:  What is the best piece of business advise you have ever been given?  And how is that working for you right now? Her answer was 'go out and talk to customers before you spend too much money on a product'.... She explains who gave her this advise and how it has worked with her, with regards to her current business.
  • Question 8:  How (if ever) did you rise above failure or struggle? What action did you take? Andrea's answer to this was a great answer she pointed out that 'showing up' is key and she shares her advise on how nothing is failure but more of an experiment and a learning curve.
  • Question 9: Where do you see yourself and your businesses in the next 10 years? How will they have evolved? Andrea shared her dream here where she would LOVE to be in the position of helping others with their start up business both financially and in terms of development. She explains more of what she means by this and how inspired she always feels.
  • Question 10: Who is your ‘go to person, book or quote’ that gets you pumped and helps you refocus when you are feeling de-motivated or low? Andrea's answer to this question focused on two powerful quotes. One from Marie Forleo and the other was unknown but still powerful. She goes on to explain how these quotes stay ever present in her journey.
Question 11: If everything was taken away from you and you had to start again where would you start? Andrea current journey has taught her where to go and what resources she needs to restart if she had too. She explains her prospective theory that with all that knowledge and resources you have generated starting again would be that bit easier because you would know where to go immediately to seek advise and research to get your new plans under way.
Question 12:  Closing question:  What would you say to those ladies out there that are on the edge of taking the plunge into being an entrepreneur? Andrea describes the importance of passion and how this is a key componenet along with having an idea, commitment and lots of luck.  
Andrea Martins and Victoria Hepworths's book is available via Amazon.com. 


If you have ever wondered what it is like to live abroad, work abroad or accompany your working partner abroad, this book is for you. If you are already living the expat life but have mixed emotions about settling in, rebuilding your identity, relationship changes, successfully managing your money and career, raising children far from home or repatriating, this book is also for you. In Expat Women: Confessions - 50 Answers to Your Real-Life Questions about Living Abroad, experienced expats Andrea Martins and Victoria Hepworth share a wealth of wisdom and positive tips to motivate you at every stage of your expat journey. They cover popular topics like leaving family back home, transitioning quickly, intercultural relationships, parenting bilingual children and work-life balance. 
Show Notes
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