Robert and Andrea Lener, Germany
Robert and Andrea are German natives who have relocated to the Isle of Man. The pair loves to spend time outdoors and found a natural playground in the island.
Hello Robert, Hi Andrea! Thanks for meeting with us. Can you tell us why you chose to make the Isle of Man your new home?
We visited the Isle of Man a couple of times and completely fell in love with it. The beautiful nature, close proximity to everywhere and the friendliness of the islanders really got us.
The low crime rate and laid back nature of people here is really inspiring and freeing, certainly very different to life back home.
So-we decided it was time to make the Island our home.
How have you found moving your business to the Isle of Man?
When we lived in Germany our customers were spread over the entire country and we mainly worked remotely for them. So we asked ourselves, what difference would it make if we worked remotely from our adoptive home the Isle of Man?
The simplicity to fund and run a business and the direct, friendly, and very helpful contact with public authorities mirrors the friendliness of the Island community. Setting up our business here was a very smooth transition.
Do you still feel as connected to your clients?
Oh yes! It’s a very forward-thinking Island and the infrastructure and high speed internet is perfectly setup for people like us, helping us feel connected to our clients- whenever and wherever we choose to be!
The Isle of Man airport is so wonderful. There are so many daily flights, we can easily get to see our clients if need be.
How have you managed to keep up with your client base and still enjoy a work-life balance?
Being your own boss means lots of flexibility – we don’t have to do a strict 9 to 5 day – we often work in a very compact, intense manner so can take days off whenever we need them.
Sometimes sunny afternoons here are too good to pass up! The flexibility in our work means we can make the most of the great outdoors!
Absolutely! What kind of activities do you like to do around the island?
Depending on the weather and mood we often go Kayaking or walking, enjoying the outdoors, or spoil ourselves in one of the lovely restaurants or pubs with friends.
You can get nearly everywhere here within half an hour, so seeing everything the Island has to offer is easy - mountains, beaches, peaceful glens, castles, theatres and of course the stunning sunsets. In fact we spent our first few years exploring the Island every weekend, discovering Island life, its culture and nature.
With all that exploring, can you tell us your favourite ‘best kept secret’ about the island?
That’s hard! There is a huge amount of social activities and charities, something for every taste…
But we’d have to go with the food! There’s such a strong artisan and local foodie movement on the Island – it would be rude not to join in!
Looking back, would you change anything?
Running our own business, there are always unknown circumstances – but we look very positively into the future.
Relocating to the Isle of Man is the best adventure we ever jumped into… And we would do it again and again and again.
Andrea and Robert, thank you so much for sharing your story with us!
If you’re ready to start your new adventure, contact a member of our team today!
