by Connla Stokes - Global Connection - Expat Partner Support

adidas expat partner Nathan Tytor explains how Partner Support helped him open a small restaurant in Germany without speaking the language fluently.

Now is the time

Over the years, Nate – as he prefers to be called – has been a Harley Davidson test driver, toured in a punk band, worked in highway construction, and dabbled in video production, to name just a few of the many, many jobs he’s done. “But for a while now I have wanted to set up a small ‘taco shack’ selling West Coast style tacos and burritos,” says Nate, who was born in Wisconsin and raised in Portland, Oregon in the US. “The last time we were in Nuremberg I didn’t have a work permit but when Tiffany accepted a position to return, I said ‘ok, now is the time’.”

Indispensable advice

“We returned in July 2015, and I got Crazy Nate’s up and running by January 16, 2016. The adidas expat partner support programme proved extremely useful. My Global Connection business coach, Florian Sussner was amazing – maybe I could have figured it all out by myself eventually. But he basically took me through all the steps: procuring a licence, getting insurance and health certification, the whole nine yards. He was also helpful in finding industry contacts that I would need going forward. For an expat setting up a business in a foreign land, it was all indispensable advice. Especially as my German is, for now, limited though I am learning.”

A fun place to hang out

“Initially I imagined just doing everything myself but I realised that was impossible. People expect Mexican food to come out quickly. So, now we are a team of five making fresh, authentic, street-style tacos as well as burritos, quesadilla and nachos using as much homegrown and locally sourced ingredients as possible,” says Nate, who uses social media to ‘spread the word’. “People said Germans didn’t like spicy food, but so far, so good. You can’t beat people on the head with something they don’t want. So I just concentrate on making a fun place to hang out and it’s working pretty well.”

Loving every second

“Of course, there have been frustrations – sourcing certain ingredients and finding staff was time consuming. But whatever might be described as a setback I just chalk down to experience. I should also say that Tiffany deals with a lot of the paperwork in her free-time so I can stay creative in the kitchen! I’d probably wait till a government official arrived at the door in terms of that side of running a business! But generally speaking this has been awesome. Maybe it was hard at times, but I wanted to do this, so I did it and I love every second of it. It’s a dream come true.”

Source: Global Connection's media for spouses (B2B subscription).

For more information about Global Connection’s spousal support: www.global-connection.info