A year and a half ago, I sat in a workshop led by a self-proclaimed “number one wealth and business coach in the world.”

He spotted me in the crowd and said: “You’ll never make it as a successful business owner with your tattoos and visible jewelry.”

Interesting.

Where I am now?

I’m writing this from Nicaragua, country number 57.

I run a successful accounting and tax advisory business for expats in Denmark. I have paid for every trip I’ve ever taken myself. I’m building a life where I can work from anywhere in the world. And every declaration still gets submitted on time.

What clients actually look at?

In all my years running IDconsult, not one client has asked about my tattoos.

They ask whether their VAT is filed correctly. Whether their annual report is ready before the deadline. Whether I answer when SKAT sends a letter they don’t understand.

That is what a business is built on: being reliable, being competent, and showing up. A nose piercing doesn’t change any of it.

It was never about the tattoos.

My truth is that no one gets to define your success but you.

If someone tries to define you, that tells you more about them than about you. It’s their projection, their own filter.

As an expat and a foreigner, you’ll hear plenty of opinions about what you “should” look like, sound like or be to succeed here. Some will come from people with big stages and bigger titles. Listen to the ones that are useful and leave the rest.

Status of the day – Unavailable.

Currently sliding down an active volcano,
Irina