8. Immigration Edge

Hi everyone, this is Reza Mehman, and you’re listening to the eighth episode of the Project Mindset podcast. Today’s topic is Immigration Edge. I find the term incredibly interesting. Admittedly, I didn’t invent it myself; I essentially borrowed it from a very successful entrepreneur. I saw a YouTube video of his where he talks about how he immigrated to the US as an Armenian and successfully built his business there. The interesting thing was that he said he became successful precisely because he faced so many difficulties as an immigrant at the beginning, and because he had to navigate around these difficulties each time, constantly coming up with alternatives, he became successful.

He called the whole thing Immigration Edge. And another thought I have in this context is that, quite a while ago now, I think a year or two ago, I met three Syrian refugees at an event who had come to Germany. They were incredibly bright guys; they learned German relatively quickly and are now studying. I think one of them has even finished her degree, as far as I can tell. After my presentation, they asked me, “Hey Reza, how did you do it? How did you build your career? How did you manage to build all of this here? Could you give us some tips on how you got ahead?”

Experiences with discrimination

What they also unfortunately mentioned was that they had experienced some emotional discrimination here and there and, as a result, felt quite disadvantaged compared to others. At that moment, I gave them one or two tips on how I would handle the situation, but back then I couldn’t quite articulate what I try to do today, namely, that you can make a virtue out of necessity. That’s a great German proverb that I really like, because I truly believe in it. There are always situations where you think, “Wow, I’m stuck here, I have a problem, this is a challenge.”

I don’t have enough money, I don’t have enough resources, I don’t know enough people to make progress, and yet I still believe that in such moments, one can find ways to reach one’s goal. That’s why today’s topic is Immigration Edge, because I think many people with a migration background—and I certainly don’t want to exclude Germans, because there are also Germans who face corresponding challenges, let’s say, because they lack a network and so on.

Understanding the concept beyond migration

Or even, I know East Germans who came to West Germany and say, “Hey, I feel a bit disadvantaged here.” So, I don’t actually want to exclude anyone with the term “Immigration Edge,” but I think it captures quite well what I want to express, namely, that Immigration Edge consists of addressing a mindset issue, specifically, addressing one’s decisions. As a first example, for me, Immigration Edge in this case means specifically using the resources one has effectively.

What I mean is, when we first arrived in Germany, it was incredibly important to my parents that I get music lessons. Back then, of course, there was no YouTube.co where you could just book a few courses online; you actually had to hire a music teacher. It was quite expensive, costing several hundred Deutsche Marks at the time, but my parents were still determined to do it. My mother asked around among her acquaintances, and sure enough, one of them, who was a music teacher (or had been one), was willing to give me lessons.

In return, my mother offered to cut her hair, since she was a hairdresser at the time. I personally found it incredibly interesting that my mother tried to find a way, because money was perhaps a bit tight back then. But she still tried to use the available resources—in this case, her skill as a hairdresser—to give value to someone else, in order to receive value in return. So, in this case, that I get music lessons.

Working together with existing resources

This instilled in me very early on the idea that, typically, when I want to partner with someone, whether as a business partner or whatever, I should try to create a win-win situation. The resources I have—for example, I might be working with someone who needs exactly something that I currently possess in terms of my skillset—and that’s precisely what I offer to ensure that we both benefit and are happy and able to work together effectively.

A very small example in this context is that when I first started my film company, I didn’t have enough money to bring good people on board. But what I did, of course, was consider what I could offer them instead of money. And the first idea was to offer them shares in my company. Not money, but concrete shares in my company. That’s what I mean by the first Immigration Edge: using resources wisely to create a win-win situation.

Finding new paths through experimentation

The second immigration edge, which is essentially the mentality behind the second point, is trial and error. What I mean by that is, you might know this feeling: you’re moving to a new city, starting a new course of study, wanting to start a company, or changing employers. You basically have no idea how to do it. Now, you could complain about it: I don’t know anyone, I don’t have any money, I don’t have a network, and so on. Or you could think, and this is something I learned from my parents: trial and error.

I’m just going to give it a try now, I’m daring to take the plunge, I’ll gain the experience, and maybe I’ll even fail in terms of mindset. But that’s not a big deal at all, because all those failures will help me learn from them someday and ultimately succeed. I was talking to a good friend of mine about this a while ago, and interestingly enough, he told me—we’re about the same age—that he regrets not having tried more things in his life.

Maintain the courage to try new things

He now has a secure job and family, etc.. But he regrets not having tried more things because he had one or two wishes. But he never really pursued them because he always played it safe. He never tried anything new, never left his comfort zone. From my perspective—that was instilled in me, too—when I compare it to my parents, who came to Germany from Iran 35 years ago. They really just tried to establish themselves here.

Back then, they didn’t have a network, they didn’t have enough money, they didn’t have the necessary resources to be successful here. But they tried anyway. I think that’s one of the reasons why the startup rate in Germany is typically higher among migrants than the national average, simply because many migrants are a bit more risk-tolerant. I actually believe it’s because when someone from another country goes to a new country without the necessary skills, they’re simply more risk-tolerant by nature.

Learning from experience and making contacts

And I always try to apply this trial-and-error mentality to myself when I’m faced with a situation where I think, “Oh, this is a huge challenge, how am I supposed to decide this?” I tell myself, “I can’t possibly have all the information. I just have to try it out.” Only then do I know if it was right or wrong. I also really like the third immigration-edge mentality. I have the impression that, in some cases, the people who are more open, who approach others more, are also a bit more successful over time.

And what I mean is, let me put it this way, they’re simply open to new connections. What I mean by that is, two or three years ago I gave a short presentation, and right afterward, a really great young guy came up to me and said, “Wow, Arisa, I really loved your presentation. I want to work for you. I want to do an internship with you. You can start working for me.” I thought that was really cool. I think my colleague at the time was about 18, if I remember correctly.

He was really young and just approached me directly. And that really impressed me. That’s why I immediately, somewhat taken aback, said, “Yes, okay, gladly.” Interestingly, he was one of the best interns/working students I’ve ever had at my company. And that made me realize again that whenever I’ve started somewhere new, perhaps without a network or resources, I still always have to be open to approaching people and asking directly, “Hey, I need your help.”

Approaching other people openly

Can you tell me how to find this or that, or how to get hold of something? And quite honestly, I’ve very rarely experienced anyone reacting rudely to that. So, in the worst-case scenario, they say, “No, I can’t help you.” But this openness to connections, this mentality, is something I can truly recommend to everyone. I know many people don’t like doing it because they feel a bit ashamed. And I also come from a culture where shame is a relatively big issue.

Everyone wants to make a good impression. But if you approach people in a genuinely straightforward, polite, and friendly way and say, “Hey, I need your help right now because I’m stuck,” you’ll actually get help in almost all cases. So, that’s basically what I understand by Immigration Edge. I found this guy, Bedros Kylian—that’s his name if you want to Google him—who talked about Immigration Edge and how he became successful in the US.

Three thoughts for your everyday life

I’ve kind of transformed what Immigration Edge means to me. I hope you understood what I meant. So, number one is using your existing resources as efficiently as possible, meaning not thinking, “I have nothing to offer.” Sometimes a small skill you possess is all it takes when someone else needs it. Sometimes, simply creating a win-win situation by maximizing resource efficiency is enough. The second point was, of course, trial and error.

Honestly, when I first founded my company, I realize now, in retrospect, how little I actually knew. In five years, I’ll probably think about it even more. Oh my god, I really had zero clue about any of it—how to draw up contracts with clients, how to do marketing properly, and so on. But honestly, I needed that experience so I know what to do differently next time. And the third thing was being open to new connections.

I think people do this far too little. They don’t approach other people often enough to tell them they need help, that they might need another contact in that area. And I’ve actually made it a habit that whenever I’m at an event, I always make a point of talking to at least one or two people. Usually, something good comes of it, and I can only recommend that everyone do the same. Okay folks, as always, a very short episode. And as always, of course, if you liked the content, please leave me a like or review.

Conclusion and exchange

I’m really happy about this, because it’s the only way the podcast channel can continue to grow. Have a great day and see you next time. As always, mindset is everything.