Episode 55
Follow The Host
Rewind: A German and Swiss Entrepreneurial Conversation with Priscilla Schelp
Ever wondered what it's like to sail across the Atlantic? Our fascinating guest, Priscilla Schelp, not only survived a grueling 17-day journey across the vast ocean but also found the challenges of space constraints, rationing, and relentless weather to be a profound learning experience. Join us, as Priscilla takes us on her thrilling adventure, advocating island hopping as a more leisurely, free, and rewarding way to explore the world through sailing.
But Priscilla isn't just an adventurous sailor, she's also an innovator with a solution for startups. We discuss her vision to build a global network for startups and how she's breaking barriers in Africa's entrepreneurial scene. We tackle language barriers in Europe, Brexit's impact on the startup ecosystem, and the rise of the digital nomad trend, redefining how and where people work. But don't just listen to prepare for a future of work, learn to stay prepared for natural disasters, a topic inspired by Priscilla's PhD research.
In our later segments, we delve into the contrasting venture capital landscapes between Europe and the U.S., the burden bureaucracy places on founders, and the benefits of tax havens like Andorra, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Delaware. As we wrap up, we hear about Priscilla's journey as a moderator, speaker, and interviewer, and her reflections on managing rapid growth while maintaining respect in professional relationships. Lastly, we touch on the political systems of Singapore and Germany, insurance, job security, and volunteerism in politics. Tune in for this riveting, multi-faceted conversation with Priscilla Schelp.
Topics of Discussion
Priscilla’s Resources
About The Show
Thoughts of a Random (Citizen Remote Podcast) is a podcast oriented around open ideas, entrepreneurship, travel, investing, politics, philosophy, and an odd take on history. Together with Toarc United &
Episode 55
Follow The Host
Rewind: A German and Swiss Entrepreneurial Conversation with Priscilla Schelp
Ever wondered what it's like to sail across the Atlantic? Our fascinating guest, Priscilla Schelp, not only survived a grueling 17-day journey across the vast ocean but also found the challenges of space constraints, rationing, and relentless weather to be a profound learning experience. Join us, as Priscilla takes us on her thrilling adventure, advocating island hopping as a more leisurely, free, and rewarding way to explore the world through sailing.
But Priscilla isn't just an adventurous sailor, she's also an innovator with a solution for startups. We discuss her vision to build a global network for startups and how she's breaking barriers in Africa's entrepreneurial scene. We tackle language barriers in Europe, Brexit's impact on the startup ecosystem, and the rise of the digital nomad trend, redefining how and where people work. But don't just listen to prepare for a future of work, learn to stay prepared for natural disasters, a topic inspired by Priscilla's PhD research.
In our later segments, we delve into the contrasting venture capital landscapes between Europe and the U.S., the burden bureaucracy places on founders, and the benefits of tax havens like Andorra, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Delaware. As we wrap up, we hear about Priscilla's journey as a moderator, speaker, and interviewer, and her reflections on managing rapid growth while maintaining respect in professional relationships. Lastly, we touch on the political systems of Singapore and Germany, insurance, job security, and volunteerism in politics. Tune in for this riveting, multi-faceted conversation with Priscilla Schelp.
Topics of Discussion
Priscilla’s Resources
About The Show
Thoughts of a Random (Citizen Remote Podcast) is a podcast oriented around open ideas, entrepreneurship, travel, investing, politics, philosophy, and an odd take on history. Together with Toarc United &
Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of Thoughts of a Random Citizen. This is actually an episode that you might have already heard before if you've been a listener from the start. This is because we are currently in the process of repurposing all of our old podcast episodes and cleaning up the entire feed. These changes will allow listeners to enjoy the best episodes and highlight the most insightful content. Now, if you're newer to this podcast and wondering where to find, or why you can't find, season 1 and 2, don't worry. They'll eventually be available on our website, torquianadacom. We do some fun, tear-i-say, innovative things with them, but stay tuned for that.
Speaker 1:In the meantime, we plan to release rewines every other week to repurpose older podcast episodes. This will simply just allow listeners to revisit classic content from insightful and featured guests and enjoy it in a new light at a different time in their life, to hopefully provide a new perspective. But at the end of the day, it's our intention to bring the best possible content to you. So enjoy this repurposed rewind, but at the end of the day, sticks and stones people break your bones. The word shouldn't really hurt you. I'm the kind of person who really likes to get to the bottom of things, and I don't let my own belief system get in the way of fact.
Speaker 1:It's one of the most important financial centers in the world by the terms of freedom of speech, expression and civil liberties and certifactorship. All right, and welcome back to another episode of Thoughts for Random Citizen. If you are just joining us on this podcast, welcome and thank you for tuning in. We cover a variety of different things in this podcast People, entrepreneurship, investing and a lot about perspective. Sometimes I like to dive into philosophical thoughts of my own.
Speaker 1:However, today we have an amazing interview with Priscilla Schelp. She most recently just got her PhD in disaster and crisis management and supply chain management. We dive into that. We dive into Europe. We dive into venture capital Back founder herself, as she is about to launch a platform called Networks which hooks up clubs and individuals looking for clubs. It's a fantastic conversation and I really hope that you guys enjoy.
Speaker 1:Again, if you are just joining us, please follow, subscribe whatever you want to do to the podcast and scroll through our backlog of episodes. Otherwise, enjoy the interview with Priscilla Schelp. All right, priscilla, thank you so much for joining us today. I'm very excited to talk about the many things that you're involved with. First off, I always like to talk about people's life experiences and an attempt to potentially motivate anyone to do the same. We talk about a bit of travel in this podcast as well, specifically how those experiences have shaped people such as yourself. And, seen as you've sailed across the Atlantic and considering that's super cool and something that I've wanted to do sailing around the world for some time now, can you tell us about that experience and maybe explain if it is or isn't a good idea to just attempt?
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks you for having me. I'm really excited to be here and I'm happy to share. It's really tough. It's mentally even more tough than physically. So it's more like, oh, that's the challenge, I want to do it, I want to show myself that I can do it. That was the way I was approaching it and it's. I think if you want to have nice sailing and so on, it's better to do island hopping, like in Greece you have more than 200 islands and that's super nice. And then you can decide yeah, one day I go to a marina, one day I want to snorkel. So I think we have a way of seeing it in a romantic way.
Speaker 2:This traveling around the world, sailing around the world, sailing across the Atlantic and across the Atlantic, the weather was so tough that we were on the boat. We were three people in total and there was no day during the crossing where we were able to swim. So we were stuck on this boat. It was like super, super hot during the day and we actually sometimes pulled up a bucket of water to put our feet inside and we had to ration everything like the food, the water. So we had defined like shifts where, because you can't stop on the ocean. So you have to sail 24, seven and divide that by three people. So we try different shift systems and you sleep little, you get like sunstrokes and it's just like it's it sounds like a blast.
Speaker 2:No, no. So really at the end, like we all thought never, ever again. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Who was it? Who was? Who were the three people that you're with?
Speaker 2:So one person was a friend of mine that owns a boat, so he sailed across the Atlantic multiple times, and the other one was my boyfriend at that time and, as you need to be careful who you go on the boat with, oh, yeah, my goodness, was it like a big boat or really small?
Speaker 2:Yeah it was a bigger boat, so it was like 80 meters and was a really good boat and it was luxurious in the way that such a boat for three people crossing the Atlantic is okay, because if people charter boats they will make the boat completely full and what happens is sometimes they have just half the cabins because you have this two shifts, so that basically, like you have like one bed for two people and like half of the time one person is sleeping and the other half the other person, and so, compared to that and we even though as we had situations where we really annoyed each other so badly that it's like you feel like pushing the personal overboard.
Speaker 2:Imagine three weeks. It's like nearly like we took 17 days, 10 hours, 15 minutes and you are stuck on this boat and a lot of times the weather is so bad that you cannot really do something. So you really have to be okay with yourself, otherwise you're in trouble.
Speaker 1:You start to lose it a bit, I assume. So island hopping is the way to go. I can't imagine if you did go around the world how like the Pacific is another animal in and of itself. So if you're really going, I couldn't imagine.
Speaker 2:So there are different challenges. So one is going across the Atlantic and then you are officially allowed to wear red trousers Officially. But the thing is, if you sail from Europe to the Caribbean, that's okay ish, so it's also can be dangerous. But if you go the other way around, then you sometimes have icebergs and stuff, so that's, and the weather is much more dangerous. And then you have another route that's actually very popular and it's around the Caporn, and if you do that, there's a rule that if you are, for example, with the Queen, you're officially allowed to put your shoes on the table. So yeah, like yes, it is a key challenge to go for. Okay.
Speaker 1:Wow, I didn't know that there are so many rules involved with sailing. That's funny.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I appreciate you taking the time and walking us through that. That's fascinating, but I really wanted to talk about this company that you're forming networks. It's an AI platform that, if I'm correct, matches individuals and clubs together. Can you elaborate on the purpose of this platform in the moment that made you aware to fill the specific need?
Speaker 2:Yeah, basically I bring young people in old clubs. So I won my first management award was 19. And I was awarded by one of the best management clubs in Germany. And then I traveled around the world for my work and joined different clubs and I was always the youngest and always also one of the few females, and that's all I.
Speaker 2:I got so much by being at these clubs. I learned by spending time with these people, how they make decisions. I found mentors, I found jobs, I got ideas. It's incredible. It's so many opportunities and I started talking to people and figured that most of them did not hear of many of the clubs, so there's no transparency. Also, what are the criteria to get in? And most of the times you need references. That's how the clubs intro the quality and, on the other hand, many clubs are over aging, so they are looking for young people, and so there's a mismatch and I try to connect that. I try to enable people that are really innovative, that want to make changes for the better, have an impact. I want to provide them with the networks they need to make that come true. On the other hand, I mean that's the legacy I want to bring them in the future and they actually massively contribute to economic growth, to international relations. So there are studies on that that they massively impact stability, freedom, safety, security and yeah.
Speaker 1:So who can qualify to become part of this network?
Speaker 2:So there's one stage where I decide who gets on networks, on the platform, and obviously I want to have people that want and are willing to make an impact. So I don't look just on grades and which amazing universities and so on, but I also look on personality, on visions, on goals. I like good people, I like kind-hearted people and honestly, I don't want to get people in there that are basically think about the next course but think about how they can make the life of other people, or like the world generally, better. Yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:So, as an entrepreneur in the process of building this platform networks, can you walk us through or tell us some of the challenges maybe the biggest one that has just been stressing you out from this venture?
Speaker 2:Okay, there are a lot of challenges and you need to see all the time that you don't freak out, and so I think the biggest thing is you really need to work on your mindset. You need to work on your willingness to grow and learn, because you have to do that literally every day and there were multiple challenges. I can give some advice I learned until now. So the first thing is you don't need to have an idea to be a founder. So there are platforms like one of the best is why Combinator where you can go on. There are people that are founders, that have amazing ideas and they are looking for co-founders. So I think I could have gone or I would have gone much earlier into entrepreneurship if I would have known, but I thought I have to wait for that idea and that's bullshit. So that's the first thing I learned. And then, if you have an idea and you're not the technical person, you're sitting there. You have this amazing idea and have no normally no technical co-founder and no money to basically have someone building your product. So you have a lot of chicken and egg situations.
Speaker 2:I solved it for me in a really funny way. So people told me yeah, priscilla, if you don't have an MVP, like a minimum viable product, like a prototype, and you don't have co-founders. So usually it disqualifies you already to get accelerators or to get into to get funding. So people told me you need to find a co-founder and like you need to have a technical co-founder or you need to get money. And this is like what do I do? And what I did is that I read a lot of books and one was the one about the Netflix company culture, no Rules, and it's about having the maximum talent density. And then also another person told me yeah, you should have an advisory board. So what I did? I did not have any co-founders, no prototype, no, nothing. I started gathering the best people I know and form an advisory board.
Speaker 2:So I have a specialist in every area, like people that are like super great people but also very successful so good on paper, but good in reality as well and that enabled me to attract co-founders. So I have a technical co-founder or MVP is ready next week we have one week delay, actually and yeah, so now we are looking for investment. But yeah, you just need to find solutions.
Speaker 1:And then, really quickly, I didn't quite catch what was that platform in which connects people who are looking for founders and co-founders? Because we'll throw it in the show notes for anyone who's interested.
Speaker 2:Yeah, one of the best ones is Y Combinator co-founder matching and Y Combinator is really famous, so they're basically investors and accelerators that really create trends by their investments, and you have things like Elon Musk, google, kkr and Y Combinator. So what they love is the tomorrow, you know. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, and then I know that you've told me one of the areas in which you're trying to reach out or are having actual interest from arising out of Africa and that, for whatever reason, surprised me quite a bit. Who specifically is interested in your product in Africa? And then do you see much growth as a region in general from that area?
Speaker 2:So we are having, or prototype, nearly ready and we have pilot clubs and we have partners, and then one of the partners is the startup launch Africa. So these are entrepreneurs in Africa and if you look at the club culture, there are actually a lot of also wealthy people in Africa and there are also clubs. So it's not that just companies are developing countries, that there are no clubs or no networks. So we plan to be global and we will definitely also cover Africa and I have a personal interest in it because my mentor is from there, from Nigeria, and she is really amazing, very successful and the great role model.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I just it was a surprise to me, because typically you know one to have a club over there specifically, but as like an entrepreneurial club. I was actually just interviewing a guy a few weeks ago who they're having in East Africa and Uganda. There's these orphanages where these kids just don't have much. Is that something that you guys are connecting with people in that regard or not? Really, is it something long term?
Speaker 2:So two things. So the first thing is about entrepreneurship. We have a trend of unscaling and that's due to computers, smartphones, ai, so everyone can build a startup in his or her garage and it doesn't matter if the garage is in Africa or in Germany or in Spain, and that's why location, I think, generally gets less important. And also, I think we'll take big chunks away from large companies because we are going more instead of building one big product that's and push it, and we go to customize solutions, as that's possible with AI now, and that's why you have more and more like small startup set serve certain niche. Regarding the what we try to do, what did you mention as an example?
Speaker 1:I was just specifically asking the entrepreneurial outlook in Africa and how there was a gentleman who was working with an orphanage over in Africa talking about how they didn't even have energy over there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we work with service clubs as well and clubs that are focused on international relations, and a lot of these push philanthropic projects. So in that way, we support that.
Speaker 1:OK, and then I know obviously you're based in Europe, but you have intentions of US being a large part of your business For all the listeners over there. How do they reach out and become a part of this product? Obviously, the MVP is about to be released, and then, on top of that, are you partnering with universities and finding youth in the process of building. Can you elaborate on all that for us?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we partner, for example, with universities, incubators, accelerators or also organizations that give away scholarships, and these are primary focus of the people that we actually take on networks. So, basically, you can sign up on the website or contact me on LinkedIn or there's a contact form on the website.
Speaker 1:Cool. Well, we'll post that in the show notes, obviously, for anyone in the US who's interested. So one thing in the US people definitely don't have to consider is the language barrier that kind of exists over here in Europe. How are you dealing with that with such a platform that you're building?
Speaker 2:The language barrier.
Speaker 1:I guess it's not really a barrier. I'm still getting used to being an American living in Barcelona. But I guess how do you deal with if you have a really good applicant in Spain who speaks Spanish primarily and only? Well, how do you deal with that if you have people of interest in Barcelona? Or are you specifically creating networks in all of Spain and then using that to promote within specifically Spain, Like? I guess, how do you deal cross-border?
Speaker 2:So the thing is maybe to just quickly tell you the process. Like you import, for example, you're linked in. Fill in a few questions. If you get accepted, you can choose the categories of clubs you're interested in as the location.
Speaker 1:Oh OK.
Speaker 2:And then you get just the clubs. You can just see the clubs where you fill the criteria, so you don't have to search, look at every club and see who do it even fulfill the criteria and then in these one descriptions, so you can see how international are they. So if you, for example, are looking for a club, then in Barcelona you would probably choose someone that's more international focused, maybe has diplomats in it. So actually, what is that? There are a lot of clubs, especially in like the main cities, where you have consulates, for example, or you have embassies. There are clubs actually, for example, american Spanish, or here in Frankfurt we have American German Business Club or American German Society. So there are a lot of these ones. Yeah, you're surprised because you don't know.
Speaker 1:And there are a lot of these and no one knows like a few people and I try to solve that problem. And you know, because I was literally thinking about filling that need over here in Barcelona, because I was like, how does this not exist? There needs to be some kind of collaboration on that, but that's good. So I'm assuming that exists over here in Barcelona and Spain as well? Yeah, that's what you're saying.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I can show you, Just for you. I can show you an overview over the Barcelona clubs.
Speaker 1:Let's do that. So, speaking of Europe, obviously there is a lot of potential growth in certain maybe underdeveloped areas in Europe. For different states in the US, it's quite simple to cross border, transact and just do business. In general, can you tell us more about the startup system in Europe specifically?
Speaker 2:Yes, I can. Actually, there are some shifts as well, also due to Brexit. So actually one of the favorite locations in Europe was the UK, because it's a place still where you can find a company, a limited company, with really little cost. But now, with Brexit, it's basically if you are not sitting in the UK, you then have to do double accounting and there are additional restrictions.
Speaker 2:So, I think it's getting less and less, and in Germany, for example, it's a free version, but the investors don't like it, so they don't invest, so you have to switch it into another legal form, and then, for example, germany's 25,000 euros then, or in Switzerland 25,000 euros to form a company.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like a GMBH, or in Switzerland, 30,000, and then you have obviously loyal costs and so on, and so that's why people are basically looking for alternatives Like, for example I think Estonia is now like a new one, and that's how countries compete a bit or like these kind of slightly less developed European countries try to compete and get to innovation and get to steal some from the entrepreneurial scene of the country.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. Well. That actually leads me up to my next question, Speaking of Estonia being that more tech focused hub and trying to rebrand themselves. I think Barcelona is attempting to do the same, as these Latin and Eastern European countries attempt to do those things. Are there any specific regions within the EU that you see new or growing markets that didn't exist 10 or even five years ago?
Speaker 2:I think, to answer that I think there's a general shift right now and so that I think we will see more and more entrepreneurs, and that's why it's not necessarily that one spot disappears and another one grows, but what you see is or salaries look at the development of the housing or rental crisis and or generation is like most people I know, they have like a pre-midlife crisis, or the generations after. You see, they make a completely different goal setting and because people realize like, just even if you have a really amazing career, you will not be able to afford what our parents were able to and I am not talking about big mentions, but just having a house, having a car, paying your children's education and that leads to more and more people like me thinking like why should I go into this hamster wheel? And it's not safety to be employed anymore. It's like they can kick you out anytime. They will anyways do it when you get older.
Speaker 2:So why not going all in? If you have an idea, or even if you don't have an idea, you can join another company and create something meaningful and, in ideal, at some point you make an exit and earn at least a decent amount of money. So you're rewarded for your work, and I think that's happening more and more and that's why I think all these startup hubs in the different countries will be growing, also due to Corona. You have another phenomena that you know, this working from the office, working from one place, is not that standard anymore, so you have more and more digital nomads that I think you will see. In summer, or like when this weather is nice, people go to all this place in southern Europe or wherever Dubai and work from there. Or in the winter, when they like skiing, they work from Austria. I think that will get more and more like the normal status.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely so. Speaking of that startup atmosphere, in what ways is venture capital different compared to that of the US?
Speaker 2:Oh, that's one thing I don't like about Europe, especially about Germany. Like people are really risk averse. If you're like, let's imagine it's like you tell people here an idea, they will tell you like all the many reasons why it can't work, while in the US, people find reasons why it could work and that also reflected in the valuations of the startups. So valuations are much higher. So I'm doing fundraising the first time now and I actually prefer to get US investors.
Speaker 2:So I guess you have any context, Because why should I stay here and get so much lower valuation and give a much bigger chunk of my company for less money? And US is anyways one of the biggest markets? Us is like amazing for clubs and there was a lot of startups. That's valuations like it's like you could start crying.
Speaker 1:Not a chance. Do you see that changing in the future because of the attitude such as yourself, that saying screw this, I'm gonna go somewhere else?
Speaker 2:It's, the valuations are slowly getting higher. Yes, that's the case. And also you have some US investors or foreign investors. They have offices here or they like invest in startups, like in German or Swiss startups, and so on. Otherwise, I think cultural change takes time. So what they try to do is, for example, in Germany or Switzerland, like from the government, you have initiatives that supports angel investing or support startups. However, I must say, especially Germany is so bureaucratic and you have so many taxes. So even if you're smart I think it's just providing work for all the lawyers and tax consultants Like you yourself will not be able to grasp everything and it takes a lot of way of if you, for example, get grants or get any support from the government. You have so much administration that there are a lot of startups that think I'm not sure if it's worth it, or they move their startups then as soon as they can to some other country, because it's also time you spend to do this, or money, and also the taxes are super high.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's really good Like Delaware is nicer or Switzerland. Really In Spain it's a joke, I think it's 40% VAT and just like straight across the board, and I could go into a rant there, but I'll just bite my tongue. But yeah, speaking of bureaucracy, I guess I didn't know that it was so slow in Germany, but over here in Spain, oh, it's something else completely and I'm just like for any of the US listeners out there. You think it's bad back home, but I'm over to Spain for a bit, or I'll be, guess Germany.
Speaker 2:Well, what are the biggest differences? I mean to the US from what I told you? Where do you feel is the biggest?
Speaker 1:Difference in meaning, like bureaucracy.
Speaker 2:Bureaucracy is like startups and VC.
Speaker 1:Oh for VC, it's quite easy, especially if you have a network of anyone. If you have a good idea, you're gonna get money thrown at you, depending on where you're at places over in, like Arkansas, or depending on what you're trying to do. You're not gonna have as much success as you would over in, like Texas, maybe Florida, the big hubs where there's a lot of capital flowing. But in regards to bureaucracy, oh for one example, like I'm still trying to get my visa over here and I've been working with a lawyer and like it's in the process, but everything is just inefficient.
Speaker 1:And like when I was over in Australia for a few years, the second I walked in there I'd done it all beforehand which is also an issue and you use a bit different. But like I just walked in and I was good, like it was just done, and I was like this is fantastic, I could get a job. I got a job in three days and then Amazing, oh, it was great. And then over here it's just hell. But that's just, but it's beautiful. I'm really enjoying it over here. Just in regards, it's funny that you said bureaucracy is an issue over there I was actually having a conversation with my partner and saying maybe we should think about going up to Sweden or Germany or something, because it's gotta be better, but no, not quite.
Speaker 2:So Switzerland is a good place to be.
Speaker 1:I've heard that.
Speaker 2:They are very supportive and a lot of. If you have a startup or something, there are a lot of things you can negotiate between the different counties in Switzerland, so they will compete for you, which is a nice position to be in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know I've heard you're familiar with Andorra. I think I've pronounced that right.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I've heard that's a good place for and it's no taxes or anything there I'm pretty sure Luxembourg and Liechtenstein, Switzerland yeah, Delaware, they are all like similar. Like yeah, it's crazy, because you guys are like you don't even hear about them in the US, I guess, unless you study Europe specifically but you guys have all these just tiny cutouts of these, just tax hubs, and you're just like come here, I feel like it's great.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm really curious what you'll learn in school about Europe.
Speaker 1:Oh, next to nothing. It's mostly just US. Us, there was a war at some point and then there was another war at some point. We learned, like early European history. I mean, we learned European history. I love history, but I guess they're just places like that you've mentioned you'll hear it maybe, but we just don't study much about it or what the purpose of what they are is Like.
Speaker 2:I heard of the.
Speaker 1:Vatican, but I didn't even know the Vatican was its own state until I came over to Italy. And they're like, no, it's still a thing. It's this little itty bitty wall around this tiny area. Okay, cool.
Speaker 2:That was a really nice interview I had once with an advisor of the Pope.
Speaker 1:Really, yeah, yeah, yeah, that was like yeah, really cool guy. Yeah, that's incredible. So, moving on, I know you have quite a vast background, so I wanted to talk about some of the other things you do. I know you recently finished your final review for your PhD in disaster and crisis management and supply chain management, and something you emphasize is about economic issues and scarcity of resources. Can you tell us some of your findings and how we maybe, as a society, need to prepare better for disaster impacts in the future?
Speaker 2:Yes, actually my sample, or like generally my data, was from the US, so it was from the New York Stock Exchange and what I saw really hit me. So I looked, so originally I got the full scholarship for a project with the United Nations and then I had to switch my topic and then I was studying the impact of disasters on companies, and so the thing is, usually you talk about disasters as being black swan events, right? So black swan events let's define it is something that, if you're unlucky, happens once in 10 years. So the data I looked at was five years and I looked, okay, how many companies have damaged due to disasters? And then I drilled down also to hurricanes and I was really surprised. So within this five years, 35% of the companies were affected by at least one disaster. Five years, 35% that's a lot and in total, if you look at all the companies, 30% had damaged due to hurricanes, and of this 30%, half of them were hit by at least one other hurricane. So one, two, three. So some of the companies were hit within this five years by four hurricanes. So the biggest emphasis I want to make Natural disasters are not Black Swan events anymore, because Black Swan events means you don't need to prepare for it.
Speaker 2:There's some things you have no influence. It happens if you're unlucky. No, nowadays it's a regular thing. It's due to global warming and due to globalization, and that means you can't hope and pray. It will not help you. You need to prepare.
Speaker 2:So I think that's the biggest statement I want to make here that for governments, for private people because there is a single person is always also affected, and so there are a lot of studies about what do you do with companies and preventive closures or facilities, but there are all these individuals that are affected as well, and I think that's another thing like how do you protect your family, how do you protect your homes? So in my doctorate I was focused on companies, but I felt like that the individuals are neglected. So I started an Instagram account giving advice on like and facts on different disaster types, how to protect yourself, how to behave during an incident, what to consider afterwards, and I think it's really important. Actually, my dream would be to create a computer game or simulation thing where people can train for it, because you know these are circumstances, that it's a shock situation, so you need to do it automatically and you can just do that if you train.
Speaker 2:So I think that would be cool.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's a really good implementation for augmented or virtual reality, one of the two. This is getting into opinion just based on what you said. Is there any thought? Because I've had a few thoughts about this before and not to be rude to anyone down in New Orleans who's you know Hurricane City down there why continue to spend millions if it is every few years, or billions, in these areas? Does that seem like a waste of resources or is that? How would you go about approaching that?
Speaker 2:Thank you so much, thank you so much, thank you so much Actually. So that's what I'm like. We had a really bad flooding in the Ata here in Germany, probably even in the US they saw it in the news and these are areas that like where people build very close to the river and then it's a water level rises. Then basically you get wet feet or you drown, depends on how bad it is. And so I believe it's especially nowadays when it gets more regular and we can see that it happens again, that it's safer and better for the people to not rebuild it but relocate. Yeah, but the thing is, the reason why people, I think, are not doing it is because the compensations, for example, from governments and insurances and so on, are not really set up for it.
Speaker 2:So I think we need to change regulations and insurances and so on that we enable people that are in these areas to basically make it easier for them to go somewhere else. What do you also can see if you are, for example, in the hurricane region that at some point it gets, it's nearly impossible to get an insurance.
Speaker 1:But that doesn't seem like it would be that difficult of an issue to instead of having the billions that we just spent in relief via the government, or the millions to billions that insurance spends every few years to just implement that in a different area.
Speaker 2:No, it's. That's why what I said before is so important. Nowadays it's like in the news that, oh my God, something incredible, unbelievable happened. How could we have known about it? And it's like, yeah, you could have known about it because of the position. That's what I need to be a shift in mindset, that we say we are not like surprised every time something like that happens and spend money in when the damage is done, but really focus more on prevention and tackling that topic strategically.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, my mind just floated off because where I come from I'm from Kansas City, in the middle of the US, and we have tornadoes, but those things like how would you because there are some areas which are pretty bad, but I don't know, it's the same how do you predict hurricanes One?
Speaker 2:thing, the way people. So if you compare the damage from a storm here in Europe that has hurricane strengths and then like an impact of the hurricane in the US, you have a lot of times much more damage. And that's because of the way you build houses, because I'm not sure where you live now, but, like here, you have really solid stone houses. So it's probably, if you're unlucky, a bit of your roof lives away, maybe also like things that are on top, but otherwise, like the houses are most of the times fine. Maybe you have damage due to like trees that fall. You know that, but in the US, if you especially look at this wooden houses and so on, it's like they are gone.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they just get blown away. I remember, after a huge, one of the worst tornadoes in a long time was in Joplin, which I actually have family. They were fine, unfortunately, but I was lucky enough I guess lucky is one way to put it to have a plane fly over and see the damage of the tornado cause and you could just see the path of these just nothing. It was like obviously like there you could see where houses used to be. They just took this wood and everything and just took it away. So okay, if you want to continue to build a new Orleans or in places like Joplin, missouri or tornado alley or places where it burns over in Australia or California, you just build properly, understand and build proper infrastructure. Don't just continue to do something that's going to get upended a year later.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think, to summarize, you need to see where you built and then, also, dependent on the risk of different disaster types, how you build and also, for certain occasions, you have also equipment and techniques, how you can protect your home. So there are a lot of companies that do create stuff for individual houses and that you also have a plan what to do. In this case, you need to train your family, you need to ensure, like, if something like that happens, where do you meet, how do you communicate, and all these things. So it's, yeah, about preparation.
Speaker 1:So I also know that one of the many hats you wear. Moving on to a different topic, maybe a bit more is that of a moderator, what is that like, and how did you come about landing such a unique career?
Speaker 2:I was hoping it would get like a career, like a full time career, because I was super excited about it when I got to that and that was not that long ago. Basically, I am doing a lot of voluntary work since I'm small. I was asked by a foundation during Kobe like they had to cancel all the outside events and they asked me hey, do you want to moderate? Help us and moderate digital event.
Speaker 2:And then I thought, okay, how hard can it be? You know, I had this women in mind in the TV shows that are looking pretty and not saying much, and actually I found out that moderation is quite a tough job so it's really it's not easy. I mean you know it as a podcast host.
Speaker 2:And then I thought like the first events were really cool and I directly had really nice guests, I had a member of European Parliament and this kind of level. People said, oh, you're really good, you have to continue. And I got within like a short time interview series and it just took me half a year to be like to really establish myself, moderating like really amazing events and interviewing like super cool people. But the secret to that was that I realized after the first one to events people are now surprised because they had literally zero expectation Right, but now if you want to continue operating on that level, you don't have that surprise effect anymore you need to scale like. You need to scale up very fast and also you need to have really professional equipment. So what I did I did speaking training, moderation training. I had a coach. I have I have like super sophisticated, probably the like some of the best equipment you can have as a normal person for podcasts or also for videos. I have a studio here.
Speaker 1:I see the green screen back behind you.
Speaker 2:It was too lazy to put something. You should have like nice pictures. But also I talked to journalists how, how they basically like, what questions do they ask? How does a structure? And I try to get feedback every time and that's basically how I got to a decent stage quite fast.
Speaker 1:One of the things I love about this podcast we were talking about this before is I really get to see considering I'm not on any form of social media which social media is a great tool. I'm not saying follow my lead because it's not easy, but it really gives me a chance to see how people will give that first impression of maybe speaking with individuals who they don't know and potentially might not benefit from, and seeing if they still have that kind of level of respect. For example, I know some of the corporate elite in the US view themselves as wolves, like you would on Wall Street and the political elite or something even more fierce. Do you ever come across people who aren't the nicest during your moderation and how do you deal with scenarios in which people might not be the most respectful, or is that not something that ever happens?
Speaker 2:Yes, generally I think it's your mindset is important, so people feel what you think and I generally believe in the best in people. So I rarely have I really rarely have that that people don't treat me nicely nowadays.
Speaker 2:If they do, it's usually so. If you meet people, the first component you are looking at is do you trust the person? So people usually trust me. The second one do they respect you? And yes, that sometimes can happen as a woman and you are young and so on. If I feel that people want to make you feel small, then I can get really big and then I can also really get. I can get tough as well if I have to. Then you just need to be bold and you really need to tell them off and then you can be nice again and they will respect you.
Speaker 2:But you can't like if you allow them at the beginning. It's like, for example, with playing polo at the beginning the horse will test you how far they can go and people do the same. So if you allow them to overstep your boundaries and treat your shitty, they will continue doing that. So you need to really make it clear at the beginning as soon as something happens like no way, that's not the way to go. And generally my best advice for people I don't do business, I don't have anything to do in my private life with people that I don't consider a good person with values and general interests in other people, because it doesn't matter how successful they are. They will cause you more trouble and more pain than anything else.
Speaker 1:Speaking with so many EU officials and politicians, I know you have a great understanding of the political environment, not only in the EU but places around the world like Singapore, and, considering you've lived there yourself, can you elaborate on your experience of living in Singapore?
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I mean the thing is the political system, or like generally, I think Singapore works a bit differently than Germany or Europe in the way that you have much more rules and there's much more respect for the government, and even people are partially also scared of the government because they are really strict and the punishments are quite hard. So I think the biggest thing I was scared of is that people get drugs in my bags when I was travelling because you have death penalty for that.
Speaker 1:People put drugs in people's bags.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because it's obviously too dangerous to smuggle it yourself because the punishments are so high, so you really need to be careful with that. Or, generally, there are a lot of rules and the people are really nice you barely have anything that gets stolen or people don't behave bad but it's also because there's a lot of control and rules. They really execute punishments. On the one hand, it's really good, so a lot of things work, a lot of things are really efficient, taxes low. But on the other hand, for example, what I was missing there was like the insurance. For example, is in Europe, if you lose your job, if you get sick, you are covered.
Speaker 2:In Singapore, you have rental contracts of an average of two years. Your probation period or your notice period is like, basically, you can lose your job within a really short time, so you need to have this money stack up that you can pay the rent for the next two years if you are unlucky. And also, usually your health insurance is tied to your work contract. So basically, if you lose your job, you lose your health insurance. So the thing is like getting sick or getting older.
Speaker 2:In places like Singapore, I think people are really scared and people save a lot of money or need to rely on family. What I like about Singaporeans or politicians is, or what I dislike about politicians here. So the politicians I met, they all had other jobs and like really good jobs, so like clinical, like director or something like that, and that helps in the way that these people are not. They don't have to rely on their political career. So I feel more comfortable that they make decisions that are good for the people and that's one of the biggest problems I have, for example, in Germany with politicians. I think everybody like politician shouldn't be a job.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think basically you need to ensure that everyone that goes into politics can't be some law student that thought, oh, I want to be famous, but that everyone has to have a normal job and they need to go back to it. And you need to restrict, I think, the periods people can be elected for, to basically put it to life that you don't get this career, politicians. It's not necessarily a flaw of the people, it's a flaw of the system, because if you put people in that situation where their livelihood depends on it yeah, yeah, they will save their own ass 100% and honestly, can you really blame them?
Speaker 1:Like obviously on the outside you're like hey, stop screwing over what we want, but then it's their livelihood. So I've thought about that many times. It's almost to that point where you have like an X amount of years where it's almost like a volunteer. You know you give back to help your country from. You've had successful career, you have enough whatever. You don't get really paid if anything, and you just volunteer because that's going to yield the best results. But I don't know. That's just my opinion, because we definitely have the same issues over in the US in regard to politicians, I wouldn't have thought.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, no way, it's great over there.
Speaker 2:It's honestly like sometimes your political matters are like, therefore, entertainment, because we get it in the news all the time and it's like the Kardashian family.
Speaker 1:It's crazy because, since I've been traveling abroad, I see almost more news on the US than I do in any of the countries that I'm visiting or living in, and I'm like, well, obviously that's not 100% accurate, but it's crazy how much emphasis there is on our circus back home. But yeah, so I'm going to wrap it up there, priscilla. Thank you so much for taking the time. I always ask one question of all my guests. If you could take all the experiences in your life and impart your knowledge from those experiences into one piece of advice, what would that piece of advice be?
Speaker 2:Okay, my piece of advice is and I said that before, not today but everything is possible and the only restriction like basically everything in life, what we create, what happens around us, is already created in our mind. So I think the biggest thing to focus on to reduce boundaries and limitations in our own head, because literally, we can do everything, we can achieve everything, we change everything, but as long as we sit here and complain how awful the world is and being at this victim stage like I, would really love for everyone that listens to it to go out, everything you need is inside of you and you just have to believe in it. And that's also what I try to do with my surrounding or with any of you, if I can be of any help. Support each other and help each other to make your dream come true, and I hope I can contribute to that also with my startup and networks.
Speaker 1:Amazing, wonderful. Yeah, I agree, Intentions are extremely powerful. So cool Before we get off. Where can people find you if they want to get in contact with you?
Speaker 2:I think the easiest way to reach out to me is via LinkedIn, so I try to respond quite fast yeah.
Speaker 1:Cool, I'll check that in the show next, priscilla. Thank you so much for joining us and I appreciate your time.
Speaker 2:Thank you a lot here for having me. It was really fun and very interesting Cheers.
Speaker 1:And that wraps up another episode. If you guys liked the show, spotify actually recently released a rating system. If you want to take one second and click 5 stars or whatever you prefer, it would be greatly appreciated. And same goes for Apple Podcasts. Although their reviews take longer than one second, it definitely helps the show a lot. Otherwise, if you do like the show, share it with a friend, maybe just one episode or the entire show. Either way, we're okay with it. Speaking of the show, of course I'll have experts on and all thoroughly researched before each episode. But it's your life when you make decisions. That's your choice In meaning this isn't advice. Seek professional help for anything and everything, apparently Nowadays, but definitely don't rely on this show or blame it. I love disclaimers. Anyways, I hope you guys tune in next week and until then, enjoy your life. And that wraps up another episode of Thoughts for Random Citizen. Thank you everyone so much for tuning back in. For those who are new listeners, welcome and I appreciate you joining. I hope you enjoyed the podcast and our guest today.
Speaker 1:If you are new and you're doing anything remote, be sure to check out Citizen Remote. It is fantastic. If you're already traveling the world, it's a great app to join a very quickly growing community. It's a great tool for those who are just about to begin traveling and figuring out how to navigate that, especially if you work remotely. It's a fantastic platform and we continue to build more and more tools for you guys, weekend and week out. Otherwise, if you're an entrepreneur and you're looking for tools or assistance with the next steps of what you need to do with your startup, or if you're looking for software development network connections, reach out to us at Torque United.
Speaker 1:Otherwise, if you're just tuning in for the conversations, thank you. That's why I love doing what I'm doing. Keep tuning in and actually keep a lookout for the not-for-profit that we're about to open up. Its main focus is going to be on international collaboration and helping build a borderless world, because it's something that I'm very passionate about. That's why I'm not only doing Torque United, but Citizen Remote as well. Really exciting stuff on that horizon. Please keep up to date with all of that stuff the not-for-profit and entrepreneurial side of things at Torque United. Again, if you're traveling the world, check out Citizen Remote. If you're wanting to travel the world, if you're a remote worker, check out Citizen Remote. Check out the app we've built for you guys. Check out the platform we've built. It's only growing every single week. Hopefully you guys will take part in that with us. Otherwise, I will speak with everyone in a fortnight. Until then, cheers.