Career & Entrepreneurship
Simplify to amplify to thrive now, says Andrea Cristancho, our holistic business coach
Andrea Cristancho is a regular columnist on Vivamost where she discusses motivation, ethics and spirituality in business development, especially for women in Wellness Space.
Vivamost: Could you please brief us about your journey as a student entrepreneur to a holistic business coach now?
Andrea Cristancho: My journey as a female entrepreneur started in Mainland China in 2008. I went to China to obtain my Masters’s degree in International Trade and Commerce, and halfway in my studies, I decided to open my first business. A healthy snack bar in the middle of one of Shanghai’s financial districts. I learned about doing business in China by doing, the hard way, which itself was my real graduation. A few years later I became a business consultant for foreign direct investment into China and an uber networker. I loved sharing my knowledge, helping businesses launch in the Chinese market, and connecting people to make it all happen. So I then opened up in partnership with the city of Changzhou Chassport Consulting, my second business. After 10 years of living and growing in China, we moved to South Africa. The complexity of opening and running businesses in different parts of the world fascinates me but when planning to launch my Activewear brand, Almas Libres, I realized I missed sharing my knowledge and noticed for the first time the gender gap in female entrepreneurs globally. So, once we moved to Switzerland I decided it was my time to combine all my international business experience and my life long studies on best practices for living a healthy lifestyle into one because I figured that burn out was also real among us ladies. That’s when my holistic coaching business was born because I believe female entrepreneurs can thrive when given the right business tools and mindset so that together we foster more female leaders globally, and that’s what I’m here to help achieve one #ladyboss at a time.
Andrea Cristancho
V: Why is your focus only on women entrepreneurs?
AC: Because I believe in the power of niching your marketing efforts to attract your ideal clients. I have nothing against working with man, however, I am here to let female entrepreneurs know it’s our time. I’ve been blessed to meet amazing women running their shows in many places around the world. The global sisterhood I’ve fostered is the legacy I want to pass down to my daughter, so I set my intention and allocate my time helping other women grow unto their next level side by side.
V: In view of your global experience, what difference you see between Swiss entrepreneurs and the rest of the world?
AC: Switzerland’s entrepreneurial scene is fascinating. I can compare with 3 other countries first hand in regards to the smoothness and speed in setting up, support in running the business, and in a nutshell, the level of efficiency, low cost, and tangible support are very welcoming. I can only give a big shout out to IFJ and their team. Even though it’s a small market the local network extends globally, and if you know how to find your place it’s like having a qualified external team willing to help you grow. I feel local entrepreneurs are savvy and ambitious, I love that! I’ve met some truly inspiring stories that prove Switzerland has thought it through to foster entrepreneurship for those daring to step in and contribute with their best game.
V: This pandemic has changed dynamics from every angle. There are budding entrepreneurs, a few established ones, and many in between but just like a reset button, most of the businesses have come back to a starting point. How can one stay motivated and gather support, both emotionally and monetarily, to overcome this challenge?
AC: I believe clarity is the only magic pill we can all foster in these uncertain times, internal clarity that is. We can not control what’s happening outside or foresee what will happen, there we can only take it one day at a time. However, when we’re clear and realistic about the goals we’d like to achieve with our own two hands we can then draft a clear roadmap with the baby steps we can take on a daily basis as the new norm after pandemic times unfolds too.
Financially, I feel we’re lucky to have fast action takers injecting money into the economy and communicating measures to go about in record time. I know a few business owners who have reached out to their banks and in less than an hour, they walked out with cash at hand. Also, one-third of rentals being waved to some local venues, trust funds have been opened to provide financial aid, etc. A sure thing is that not all qualify but those who do get it!
V: How do you think the future going to be for entrepreneurs and how should we be prepared and plan for better sustainable growth?
AC: We have all faced change and the hard truth is that we humans aren’t comfortable with change. Nevertheless, we learn the most and come out stronger after this type of situation. I believe collectively entrepreneurs and small business owners are becoming stronger together, and globally there’s a higher level of consciousness in what’s truly important and how we can improve our impact in the world.
As this disruption has forced many to pivot, my best recommendation is to create value ladders for your businesses that generate multiple revenue streams and can have a tangible presence online as well as offline. This is the time to streamline, evaluate what works, and capitalize on the few items that truly work. As one of my mentors likes to say, simplify to amplify, and that always starts in the mind and is followed in the systems applied.
