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Greasing the wheels for Berlin’s expats

In our ongoing feature series, The Local looks into a successful entrepreneur's life - the story behind their successes, major challenges and how being an entrepreneur changed them forever. This week, Sparsh Sharma talks to Mario Paladini, founder of Club GLOBALS, a 'community marketplace' for expats.

Greasing the wheels for Berlin's expats
Club GLOBALS founder Mario Paladini

Club GLOBALS aims to make international life easier for the growing number of professional expatriates by creating online and offline connections. Expats can easily meet other expats, global minds and English speaking local service providers.

How did you come up with this business idea?

As an expat from Argentina, I have lived in Berlin for seven years and faced so many challenges with regard to finding apartments, opening bank accounts, deciding the right insurance and other mandatory formalities that any newcomer from abroad has to complete.

Also, I was ambassador of the world's largest expat community with 10,000 expats in Berlin and co-founder of two international Rotary clubs. I developed a good network and over time, so many professional expats started asking me to help them face the same challenges I had had.

It's one thing to help a few folks but it was challenging to be able to help everyone while having a full-time job and a busy schedule. But I really wanted to. That's when I decided to leave corporate life and devote my full working day in helping fellow expats and connecting people. That's how my passion took the shape of Club GLOBALS.

It is now an important point of contact for expats as it helps them find the right English-speaking service providers who we call 'Solutioners'. These user-recommended 'Solutioners' can enjoy online and offline spaces to introduce themselves and their solutions to the community.

What were the initial challenges? How did you overcome them?

When you come up with a new business idea, you need a good team as well. I could do the business part well but I needed a partner who could build the technical backbone of this company.

Then funding was also a challenge. We applied for credit and subsidies provided to startups by the state but were asked a lot of questions. It was a cumbersome process.

So we went for the angel investors. But then also, we had to change and iterate our product several times before giving it the final shape of a 'community marketplace'.

How has the journey been so far?

It has been a roller coaster ride but our global vision – to make life easier for expats – becomes more successful with each new milestone achieved.

While you may be always full of ideas about making the world a better place, you also need to focus to make things happen. That’s why I started wearing frames (without glasses) to focus on milestones.

When we had to get our platform ready, I wore a black frame. Then to find our first customer, I wore a white frame. To get our first investor, a red one. And now, to see a six-digit number, I wear an orange frame.

How has becoming an entrepreneur changed you, personally?

I started wearing frames, which looks crazy but makes people support me and remember my story.

When you work in a corporate, you sleep in hotels and live a good life. However, it all changes when you become an entrepreneur. Resources are limited and you may even have to sleep at a friend's place instead of a hotel room while visiting a new city.

But you always need to have a purpose, keep the big picture in mind and think of the team so as to lead them by example.

Any other personal reflections or message to budding entrepreneurs?

I had thought of starting up a business on the side, several times. It was only after I decided to devote my whole time and energy into this idea that things started happening.

Don't give up and maintain your focus. Wear a coloured frame to focus on your next milestone.

Sparsh Sharma holds a Master's in business administration and a Bachelor's in electrical engineering. After working in top Indian media companies he decided to come to Denmark in the fall of 2012 to study at Aarhus University and later worked at Lego. A Danish green card holder, he is currently looking for marketing or consulting opportunities globally, while working as a freelance journalist for The Local and blogging about his experiences in Denmark. You can follow him on Twitter at @sparsh_s.

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STUDYING IN GERMANY

What’s it like to study abroad in Berlin?

Picking the right city to study abroad in Germany can be a tricky decision, and there are numerous factors to consider. Freya Jones shares her experience of doing a year abroad in the capital and explains why Berlin could also be the right choice for you.

What's it like to study abroad in Berlin?

Five months after moving to Berlin for my year abroad (a compulsory part of my German degree from the UK) the German capital is certainly a destination I’d recommend. 

Although it’s less “traditionally German” than many other corners of the country, and simultaneously more comparable to the blanket big city experience worldwide, Berlin’s unique history and culture make it a great place to explore – and unsurprisingly very popular with international students. 

Like all capitals, it has its pros and cons, so here’s what stood out to me during my experience so far.

Arrival

You’ve probably heard horror stories about the Berlin housing market, and from experience I can say they’re largely true. Finding an apartment here before moving to the city is notoriously difficult, and more expensive than in other parts of Germany. 

What you should bear in mind, however, is that unlike other German cities, Berlin doesn’t impose fines if you’re unable to secure a registration appointment within two weeks of arrival (three months if you already have a visa). This makes searching for a good WG, Studentenwerk, or other rental far easier post-arrival if your first stop is a homestay or somewhere else temporary. 

Blocks of rental flats in Berlin.

Blocks of rental flats in Berlin. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Monika Skolimowska

Despite a recent wave of strikes and construction work, transport links in Berlin are still very strong. If you’re enrolled as a student during your year abroad, you’ll be entitled to a discounted pass for city transport, including a number of tram, bus and train options that run all the way to the city’s outskirts and even into Brandenburg (Zone C).

What’s more, direct trains from Berlin’s BER Airport make it more accessible than more remote locations in Germany when you arrive equipped with a year’s worth of luggage.

English

My German tutors in the UK were slightly concerned when I chose Berlin, because they didn’t think I’d have much opportunity to practise my German. Looking back, this worry wasn’t without cause, and if your primary goal is German language improvement, it may be worth considering somewhere more rural or less international. 

Unlike small towns I’ve visited elsewhere in Germany, where many people speak little to no English, it’s everywhere in Berlin. Because the international population is so large, new friends from any country are likely to speak it by default.

However, this can obviously be mitigated by signing up for German-only university classes, as I’ve done as an exchange student at Humboldt University, or finding a German language job. And on the flip side, if you’re here to study a discipline other than German, the ubiquity of English in Berlin has you covered.

READ ALSO: The top German cities for international students in 2024

Cultural Experiences

Unsurprisingly, Berlin offers no end of unique cultural experiences. For new arrivals, there’s plenty to fill your time with, and I’d really recommend “playing the tourist” for a couple of weeks while you settle in. 

Bucket-list locations include the National Gallery and museums on Museuminsel, the Berlin Wall memorial, the Brandenburg Gate, and the site of the Berlin airlift at Tempelhof. And beyond this, there’s never a shortage of things to do – walks around Tiergarten and the customary Sunday flea markets (Flohmarkt am Mauerpark being the most famous) are popular with visitors and locals alike.

A skateboarder performs tricks on Tempelhofer Feld

A skateboarder performs tricks on a former runway at Berlin’s Tempelhofer Feld, a popular meeting place in Berlin-Neukölln. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

Something I’ve also really enjoyed after being here for a while is noticing the small details which differentiate the former East and West Berlin sectors, such as different traffic lights and types of transport. While much of the architecture is admittedly stark, grey and not as pretty as other parts of Germany, the way in which present-day Berlin is a visible product of its recent history makes it a fascinating place to live.

READ ALSO: How do I get a student visa for Germany and what does it let me do?

Pros & Cons

Any culture shock inevitably comes with both positives and negatives, and these are a few which particularly struck me after moving to Berlin from the UK. 

Cons: many shops refuse to take card payment and only accept cash; all shops and supermarkets close on Sundays; there’s no guarantee of being let into a club or bar on a night out, and the traffic lights genuinely seem to conspire against drivers and pedestrians alike. (Also, the weather in winter really will destroy your soul, and this is a Brit talking…)

Pros: the quality of food is much better here than in the UK, and cheaper; the cost of alcohol is much lower; public transport is cheaper and more efficient than in London; work-life balance and mental wellbeing are taken very seriously; and finally, there’s a far less visible “class system” than in the UK, possibly due to the greater access and affordability of German universities.  (This is really nice, especially if you’re coming from a UK university where socio-economic prejudice is very common.)

READ ALSO: How to stay in Germany after graduating from a German university

Overall, Berlin has been a vibrant place to spend my exchange semester. Not only has it given me insights into the most significant shifts in recent German history, but it also offers the archetypal experience of living in a bustling, multicultural city. So while it’s distinctly different to anywhere else in Germany you might be considering, the variety of things to see and do in Berlin will keep you engaged for your full year abroad.

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