“As more businesses cross borders, leaders who have the skills to gain the most from cross-cultural teams will have a distinct advantage.” – Financial Times

In 2016, Monica L. Selden, an American expat, moved to Bogota, Colombia with the dream of starting an international coffee business. After three years of hard work,  in 2019 she launched Selden Café, an online specialty coffee business that exports and offers Colombian coffee.

While starting her own small business in Colombia, she was able to utilize this skill set which helped the transition of learning how to deal and understand the cultural differences when running and operating a business in a foreign country. She has first-hand experience of what it is like to go through the adjustment process of learning how to find the best suppliers for her business, the exporting procedure of shipping coffee as well as build a steady clientele in Colombia and the US in order to stay competitive in the coffee industry.

Additionally, since 2016, Ms. Selden has served as an English teacher in Bogota, Colombia. She has taught at the university level, U.S. Embassy in Colombia, American businesses in Colombia and other private English institutions. This ad hoc skill set has helped her to perfect her teaching style and methods, in addition to effectively interact with Colombian students. Understanding the cultural and learning students’ expectations with them has been an invaluable experience for her.

It is extremely important to have consultants that have “walked in the shoes” of our potential clients. Ms. Selden has exhibited these qualifications. She has experience working with people from different backgrounds, work styles and management experience. Ms. Selden has global work experience as well as teaching and delivery experience. Most importantly, she has the ability to listen closely to clients and bridge cultural gaps through a natural coaching and consultative approach.