Yana Immis
Hey there! I am Yana Immis, an online entrepreneur.
I am originally from Russia. When I was 18, I took a risk and moved to Germany to study for my Bachelor & Master degrees. Nobody knew then, that my journey would be one-way. Ten years later, I own my own business, have an MBA, speak five languages, and having lived in the USA, Japan, Germany, Russia, Austria, and Mexico, I am happy to grow my network, share my knowledge and help others fulfill their dreams.
After 10 years of working in the education, sales & recruitment industries, I started my study abroad business to help students' dreams come true. How? I place students at the best universities and business schools in Germany, Belgium & Holland. My services are free for students and their parents!
In addition to my work as an Educational Consultant, in my spare time, I consult for small businesses and start-ups on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Digital Marketing. I want to help those businesses grow with my sales/SEO/marketing contributions.
I actually have free time too, you won't believe it! I have been to 60 countries, I hike, go to the gym and snowboard, and I am truly a good friend - friends are my number one priority!
Location: Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Company Name: Yana Immis - Educational Consultant
Operating since: 2019
Website: www.yanaimmis.com
Socials: @yana.immis (IG), @yana_immis (Twitter)
How did you get the idea or concept for your company? What was your mission at the outset? Was there anything in particular that inspired you to start at the time you did?
There was a rather toxic environment in both of the places I worked at. I didn't like my job as I was no longer developing or meeting resourceful people and every day was the same. One day, as a coincidence, a few things happened that led to me risking everything and starting the business from scratch. I believe that immigration and education consulting are services needed by many individuals from developing countries who are moving to the developed countries. Mostly, there is no one to help or the services are too expensive, and this is where my niche is. My mission is to offer free-of-charge services for students who have no access to information otherwise.
Growing up, did you always intend to start your own company/organization?
I always wanted to be an entrepreneur, like my father, like my brother... and I finally managed it. I think I needed a push and that push was the sudden, unfortunate event in my life, when my father passed away in 2018 due to a heart attack. It was as if I had been sleeping all my life and I had suddenly woken up; I thought, ‘I need to do something with my life’, ‘I need to achieve something’, ‘I need to make him proud’.
How have your past personal & professional experiences helped you to run your company?
All the past experiences were useful in terms of the network that I created. Small businesses thrive when you have good connections. I had educational sales experience; hence, I use this to talk to future customers. My business education (MBA) helps me to do my own accounting, the marketing for my website and social media, and to use some good old negotiation skills when I’m talking to prospective customers. My network supports me in all ways; be that social media or with advice on the development of my business.
What is the biggest personal / professional obstacle you've had to overcome?
There are ups and downs, and the downs feel much more drastic when you are out of budget, but you have to overcome it. The biggest obstacle these days has been COVID-19 because instead of recruiting students, I have to work as a psychologist calming down students who lost their dreams to study abroad. It is emotionally very hard.
What's your definition of success? Do you consider yourself a success? If not, when will you?
A person is successful when he/she can maintain his/her lifestyle while doing who he/she loves. So yes, that would definitely make me successful. I have been travelling the last 15 months in 15 countries despite the COVID-19 and I maintained my living standard while working on the go with my laptop. I am happy that I can manage business from the laptop anywhere in the world!
Have the women around you helped you to rise? How?
Yes. My mother and my best friends in each country: Germany, Mexico, Russia, USA, etc. One of them is a marketing guru, another one is a life coach. We’ve got to help each other. Now, I need their help, but one day I will pay back! My mother always tells me not to give up, because I have already achieved a lot and there is no turning back. My best friends are there for me to cry when things don't work and for me to share when I am successful. I realized, I can’t spend more than 1.5 days without talking to either of them. It is like a continuous support group. We are far away from each other, but not really!
What are some of your future plans? Are you working on anything else right now?
I want to start a side income doing sales for IT Research firms to be ahead of the crowd! I have been searching for the dream side job as a Business Development Manager or Account Manager for some US/EU based startup with a fully remote work option. Wish me luck!
What advice would you give to a woman starting out in your industry or starting her own company/organization?
Try! Mostly, people are afraid to take risks and think it will never work out. Always aim high and settle for less only in the worst-case scenarios. I have a starter pack that I keep for all women out there who want to start their own business; it’s ready to send. Just give me an e-mail and you will have all the basics for yourself!
Describe yourself in ONE word.
Example
Complete this sentence: "To be a girl or woman today is..."
Not easy at all, as you have to set your priorities right: your time with the family, friends, work, projects - and do all of that parallel, but hey, nothing is impossible!