A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor” Franklin D. Roosevelt

That thought stayed with me as I spoke at Nomad Capitalist Live in Kuala Lumpur last week. The conference was styled as the world’s #1 event for global citizens. It brought together entrepreneurs and investors from all over the world to discuss and share insights on how to navigate the opportunities and challenges of today’s interconnected world.

The topic of my own contribution was “The Challenges of Running a Business Overseas” and I was able to draw on four decades of personal experience across the GCC, Europe, Asia and the US. Behind every successful business overseas lies a story of mistakes, adaptation and persistence and I explored many of the hidden hurdles that businesses frequently encounter when expanding abroad. Very importantly success is rarely about business plans and tax efficiency alone. It is crucially also about culture and building trust across borders.

The event itself was a great success and it was a genuine privilege to share the podium with Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, and Kwasi Kwarteng, former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer. Their perspectives added great depth to an already remarkable gathering.

In Arabic, it is said man jadda wajada … he who strives, succeeds من جد وجد  and most of the conversations in Kuala Lumpur reinforced one truth: expanding businesses globally can bring substantial rewards but only to those who approach it with patience, resilience and humility.

I would be delighted to hear the reflections and anecdotes of others who have navigated the realities of setting up and running a business overseas: the setbacks, the surprises and the lessons that last a lifetime.

#globalcitizen #business #entrepreneurship #opportunity #success