The video centers on overcoming fear and uncertainty when considering expanding a business globally. Despite the intimidating prospects of global business operations, the speaker emphasizes that fear often holds entrepreneurs back. They offer a personal story of resilience, highlighting how they navigated obstacles, including financial instability and immigration issues, to eventually establish a business presence across three different continents.

Drawing from personal experiences, the speaker describes the trials and tribulations faced after moving to the US. From an unexpected prolonged stay, marriage, and subsequent divorce to financial struggles, the narrative showcases the determination needed to overcome personal hardships. They emphasize the importance of networking, language capabilities, adapting marketing strategies, and finding mentors as key strategies for successful business expansion.

Main takeaways from the video:

Please remember to turn on the CC button to view the subtitles.

Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. uncertainty [ˌʌnˈsɜrtənti] - (n.) - The state of being uncertain or unsure about something. - Synonyms: (doubt, unpredictability, ambiguity)

And the question is very straightforward, but the answer is the very straightforward uncertainty.

2. fueled [fjʊəld] - (v.) - To supply or power something that increases its activity or impact. - Synonyms: (powered, energized, activated)

Can you imagine that 60% of the global economy is fueled by international markets?

3. roller coaster [ˈroʊlər ˌkoʊstər] - (n.) - A metaphor for a situation that involves sudden and extreme changes. - Synonyms: (unstable situation, tumultuous period, highs and lows)

What was supposed to be a very short stay became a twelve years roller coaster.

4. illegality [ˌɪlɪˈɡælɪti] - (n.) - The state of being illegal or not authorized by law. - Synonyms: (unlawfulness, unauthorized status, illegitimacy)

My completely financial breakdown, my absolutely illegality, at some point in this country...

5. intimidating [ɪnˈtɪmɪˌdeɪtɪŋ] - (adj.) - To feel threatened or fearful because something seems difficult or daunting. - Synonyms: (daunting, threatening, alarming)

Actually, it was very, very, very intimidating.

6. retainer [rɪˈteɪnər] - (n.) - A fee paid in advance to secure services or advice, particularly from a lawyer. - Synonyms: (advance fee, deposit, reservation fee)

Guess how many immigration attorneys I hired. It was about six of them. Everybody asked for retainer fees.

7. meditation [ˌmɛdɪˈteɪʃən] - (n.) - The practice of focused contemplation or calming the mind often for relaxation or spiritual purposes. - Synonyms: (reflection, focus exercise, concentration)

How I done that meditation in the morning, just to calm down for the day and goal setting for the evening.

8. synchronicity [ˌsɪŋkrəˈnɪsɪti] - (n.) - The simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection. - Synonyms: (coincidence, concurrence, simultaneity)

And then you're attracting same people in your life because that's how the life is throwing on you.

9. adapt [əˈdæpt] - (v.) - To change something to suit new conditions, needs, or concerns. - Synonyms: (adjust, modify, alter)

You have to adapt your business.

10. gold nugget [ɡoʊld ˈnʌɡɪt] - (n.) - A piece of valuable practical advice. - Synonyms: (valuable tip, useful insight, key point)

There's one golden nugget I want you to understand.

How financial uncertainty led me to global success - Olga Ayo - TEDxCoral Springs

Okay, okay, I got my audience. So imagine this. Mostly I want to ask my clients or friends or anybody around me, why wouldn't you go your business and grow your business globally? Well, the question is, and the question is very straightforward, but the answer is the very straightforward uncertainty. And what is even worse is the fear. Fear is something that is holding us back to go globally and grow our business all over the world. I get that. Listen, I've been there. Even despite the fact, can you imagine that 60% of the global economy is fueled by international markets? And this is the fact. This fact even doesn't drive the entrepreneurs to go somewhere because of the uncertainty and fear. This uncertainty is technically shown that we don't know how our financials going to be taken care of, how many services, how we're going to place the product, what's the culture, what's the market, language barriers and this what holds them back?

Listen, I'm standing here, and despite my struggle, my completely financial breakdown, my absolutely illegality, at some point in this country, which is the big deal to do, I'm here and I'm running the business that is in three different cities, in three different countries and in three different continents. And it took me only a couple of years. Let me take you back to ten years ago, probably twelve years ago. I came to us for ten months. It was supposed to be a short stay, a short trip, finishing my LLM, boosting my legal career. And what happened is that after a very short time, I met a man, I got married, I had a newborn and I got divorced. So what happened all alone in the country, what was supposed to be a very short stay, became a twelve years roller coaster. And here we are. But it wasn't that easy always. It was a huge, huge, huge struggle. Having a newborn, having no work permit, having no finances, no income, and no ability to work in this country is something there's no way to provide to her. There's no way to get any financial support, there's no family nearby. And everybody's telling you, just pack up. Like, what the hell are you doing there? Just pack up, get your stuff, leave and come back home. Well, I don't know why, but there was never option. Once you give a birth to the child that is a us citizen, and you feel that when you leave, that actually means that you're going to be out of the country for the next ten years at least, and you're going to take away that opportunity from her to actually come back and build that future, even if she doesn't want to, but have the opportunity to give it to her. That's something that you don't want to take away here.

The battle started. This battle started in a way that I had to figure out something, something that I could do. Guess what? I did a little show of the rodeo that is called investing in the crypto. Can you imagine, twelve years ago, that somebody's going to decide and just say, you know what? I have probably $1,000 in my bank account and I put it in some cryptocurrency without even knowing what you are doing. I didn't have a financial background and definitely I didn't have a business background. I did have a legal background, but that was all. But nothing to do with immigration or running the business or be anything. I was always employed, and here I did that. I was refreshing the screen and studying and reading and googling the blockchains and then whatever I could do just to learn what the hell I'm doing. Actually, it was very, very, very intimidating. But at some point, when I started to refresh the screen and I saw a little tiny profit over there, that when it came to the point that gave me a little hope, just a little hope, it wasn't a big profit. I wasn't rich. I was technically only able to pay for the groceries and the food for the little one, just to keep her alive. And that was a big task to do for me. Trust me, I was not ready for this. I was just trying to keep my child alive. The life threw at me a worst version of the game of the survivor, without the fact that nobody was handing me coconuts and there was a no $1 million price at the end of the game, which that would be great point to have.

So at this point, when I had a little income and little hope, that's all I wanted for my life, a hope, nothing else. I was like, okay, I'm going to figure this out. That's fine. I survived this one. Let's do more investment. Let's do more cryptocurrencies. That's going to be okay. Well, guess what? Another ball came on me. That ball shows that my immigration status was about to expire. And it did expire. What you gonna do next? So we, with my legal background, I believe that every professional should be hired for the job that they're supposed to do. So I went to the immigration attorneys in Miami. It cost me a lot of money. Guess how many hired. Guess how many immigration attorneys I hired. It was about six of them. Everybody asked for retainer fees, paperwork and each of them told me one result, Olga, there's no hope and there's no solution for you to stay in this country. You have to pack up and go back to your home. Wait, didn't you hear this already before? Somebody telling me to pack up and go home. Well, it happened again. They told me to pack up and go home. I was like, wait, after all this battle, after all this month that I survived, after all these steps that I have taken, you are telling me again to quit, leave the country and go back home? Well, that was never an option. That was never an option because of my responsibility, because of the hope that I was having, and because of the steps I was taking. And especially when you have a tiny human being that you have to be responsible for, that's a completely different level of responsibility.

Well, at this point, I understood one thing. I have to become my own immigration attorney. And now you're picturing legally blonde in the pink suit. Well, it was like that without the pink suit, literally. What did I, again, I learned all over the night? Researching the cryptos on the blockchain. Well, I changed that one. I was researching everything about immigration law. I was researching everything about the paperwork, filing, how to study my case and just work on it. At this point, I thought that this is a fun joke, that I really asked for some adventure in the United States. You know, having a tom month, you're going to live in Miami. It's going to be party. Well, be aware and be careful what you wish for, because life really gave me that adventure in Miami. That being said, actually, I again overcome one big struggle, and that struggle was my own case and my own future, and not just my own future, but my family's future. I got approved. I got approved after long four years. But in whitting, I learned a lot. And I learned one thing. It wasn't the battle of the finances that I was doing. It wasn't the battle within the immigration case that I was facing. It was my inner battle. It was the battle and the storm inside of me that was actually holding me for even doing bigger and greater. It was the fear. It was the fear what's going to be the next day. It was the fear how I'm going to end up, how I'm going to earn money, what's going to be with my carrier. And I was a very carrier oriented person all over the world.

Listen, I work for big companies. I did great. Suddenly I came here. I was an illegal person. I was illegal person locked in the house. And that made me to step into big insecurities. I loved to close the doors and stay away from people. I loved to be inside a house because I didn't feel good. I didn't feel secure about what I was doing and how I felt about myself. I thought everything that happened was my fault, was my failure because I did something wrong, because everybody else is capable to survive and have the family and keep it. Why me? I was questioning the life. Why me? Why I was the one chosen to go all through this struggle. Why am I right now choosing the rough way? Why I didn't back up. I had all my family back there. I could live very comfortable life. To be honest, I chose not to. And then I had to actually silence this battle in my head and the screaming. How I done that meditation in the morning, just to calm down for the day and goal setting for the evening. I had to start writing journals with the goals. And those goals were the long term and the short term. Short term were very easy. How to wake up next day and not to scream into the pillow. And I literally told myself, hey, please just wake up. Don't scream. It's okay. Meditate. Just breathe. It's going to be fine.

Long term also. I'm sorry. I also googled how to get a private island and disappear from this life. My google could tell you the long term, where I want to be, what I want to be for my daughter, how kind of role model I want to picture for my family and to show her that. Your mom been through this one. She's five. She doesn't understand right now. For her, Washington like life was a blast and still is, trust me. But I can't wait one day to take this recording, for example, and show her what mama been through and through all this writing the journal, putting everything down, controlling the mind, controlling my steps and control my mental sanity. That's what got me through all this mess. After all this was solved, well, the story just didn't end. I understood one thing. Learning my legal knowledge for silence and financial saving got me into the passion that, you know when you get to the point that you are going through something and then you're attracting same people in your life because that's how the life is throwing on you.

So I started to meet other immigrant entrepreneurs, other business people, other people that been the same struggle that I've been through. And I found myself very passionate about helping to people and teaching them where to start, how to navigate, what to do next, and how to go through this path much faster, easier, and most importantly, cheaper because financial loss is a big to do in the immigration world. Actually, I developed kind of five strategies that I teach not only my clients that I advise, and I try to give it as a goal setting through whole the journey. Number one, what I teach all my clients, all entrepreneurs or try to advise them, you have to network. Do you know the saying, your network is your network? Well, it's 100% truth. I was the one behind the locked doors. I was the one that couldn't get out and actually be the, you know, talk to them. Outgoing. Hey, Olga, what's up? No, I was not capable. The minute I understood that I have to control my mental state, I have to control my feelings and I have to get out myself to actually talk to people, which was before impossible for me.

Everything started to switch and shift towards better. People say, oh, my God, that's awesome, Olga, what have you done? That's amazing. Let me help you. Let me introduce you this guy. Let me introduce you to that business. Let me introduce you to these people. And everything started to flip very, very, very quickly. Well, if you go to the LinkedIn and you just hit the connect, the magic's not going to happen. You know, if you just connect with people and you don't follow up, you don't Dm, you don't ask them anything, nothing's going to change. You have to really go out, go to the international conferences, sign up for the Chamber of commerce, try to email international people, some of them going to respond to you. And that's the step that's going to happen next. After that one, what I really do advise everybody is your language capability. In how many languages can you say? Hello? Hello. Hola, bonjour, ahoy. Yonapotkivanok, Merabalar.

I could say seven languages. Even if you network with somebody and you know just one word, I, and you can greet them, you open the doors, they feel more close to you, they feel like you made an effort to actually get closer to their culture, to know them, to be there for them. You don't have to know fluently, six languages, seven languages. It's a mental state. A step of you making towards, yes, I want to connect with you guys. I want to hear, I want to help you, I want to be with you. I want to get to know you. On the other hand, also be very careful when you get to the meetings and when it comes to your business, always hire a professional translator. Please don't try to take it on your own, because you're going to be part of this, you know, international cultural jokes. You don't want to be that. What about the marketing strategy? Marketing strategy when you go globally doesn't fit the same. You have to really think what kind of culture you are entering.

Well, once I run the really good campaign in the United States and then I wanted to apply it in Europe and was a complete failure. Fun fact, I'm european so I should know. The culture didn't work out, so I had still a lot to do and learn on my own. So be very careful about your campaigns. Wording about the cultural aspects, about the people you are talking to. It's very important. So you get your knowledge. You have to adapt your business. That's the next one. Well, your business doesn't stay same over the years. When I started this business, because I started to help entrepreneurs, I had switched and twisted the business over the three times since then. And that's only in the course of the four years, which is a very short time, because you learn, you evaluate, you grow and you understand the needs and the mistakes you've been doing from a beginning. And I failed multiple times. I've been running the same business over and over and over and over again, learning what I have done wrong and what I need to improve. Switching, twisting, even the simple thing, rebuilding your website. You would never think rebuilding website how much revenues and more clients could bring you.

Because you will understand what you are getting out, what you are translating, what you're speaking out is literally there. I never knew that. I was never into marketing. I didn't know anything of this. This is when you learn on the way. And also e commerce. I know we are all selling online, right? Everybody's selling services, products, everybody's selling online. But it's different to sell online in one country and very different when you go globally. Just a simple thing, currency exchange. You don't have many customers just go away from a website because they don't know was the price in their own currency. So they have no idea how to recalculate the price or the language. Super important. You just translate one hit button to translate the website into the Spanish. I'm talking about Spanish because we're in Miami. It brings the clients. Knowing all of this is very important for each entrepreneur. And I'm very passionate about helping every entrepreneur to go through it through this.

There's one golden nugget I want you to understand. I mentioned five criteria that are super important, but one is the utmost, most important. And that's that you always find your mentor, you save your time, you save you money, cost, and most importantly, you can learn from their success, but also you learn from their failure. And that's going to save from your mistakes and your sidestep. There is a very famous international immigrant entrepreneur from the past, Thomas Batia. He actually comes from my country, Czechoslovakia, back then. And he said two very important quotes. You cannot grow large business when you don't grow on your own. And second very important quote, I am Thomas Bhatia. I can make this. So I'm saying here today, I am Olga ayo, and I can make this. And so you can do it, too. Thank you.

Entrepreneurship, Inspiration, Global, Immigration, Fear And Uncertainty, Networking, Tedx Talks