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Transcript

“There’s Too Much Noise in the Investment Migration Space”: 10 on the Weekend with Alaattin Kilic · IMI Podcasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Ten on the weekend is a weekly feature in IMI, the concept of which is simple.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Each time, we ask the same ten questions of a different IMI pro, letting readers get to know the interviewee on a more personal and informal level than they might during the ordinary course of business.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Our guest this week is Alaten Kulich, Head of Revenue at Visa Franchise.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: How do you spend your weekends?
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Weekends are my reset button.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: I spend most of them reading, walking along the waterfront in Miami, catching up on Turkish or international news, and filming or editing a YouTube piece if there's something timely I want to respond to.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: I also love cooking.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's one of the few things where I don't need a strategy, just flavor and intuition.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: What are your top three business goals this year?
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: Expand Visa Franchises Instorbase into new markets.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Develop a multilingual investor education portal that simplifies U.S.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: immigration options by pathway.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Launch a branded investor video series that positions our partners, attorneys, franchisors, developers, as thought leaders, not just service providers.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: What's your biggest business concern right now?
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Misinformation.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: There's too much noise in the investment migration space, recycled content, unclear legal advice, and overly aggressive sales tactics.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: It clouds judgment and erodes trust.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: My mission is to bring clarity and credibility back to the industry.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Which book is on your nightstand right now?
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: A brilliant breakdown of network effects and how companies grow from zero to scale.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: It feels very aligned with what we do in investor migration.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: Build trust, audiences, and traction.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: How and when did you first get into the investment migration industry?
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: I entered from the outside.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: I was working as a journalist with TRT World when I saw how much confusion there was around international real estate and residency options.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: I realized that storytelling, if used ethically, could help investors make better decisions.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I joined Property Turkey and launched Straight Talk, the first English language show in the region about real estate and immigration.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: That was the beginning, and I have since built everything on that foundation.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: What was your proudest moment as a service provider?
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: When I saw other companies in Turkey, including direct competitors, begin adopting our transparency-first educational approach.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: It proved to me that this wasn't just marketing, it was industry reform.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: Which investment migration market development has surprised you the most in the last year?
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Not really the last year, but rather this year, I was highly surprised by the Trump Gold Card initiative.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: I did not know what to make of it at first.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: The rumors that the gold card would replace the already existing EB5 program were really something to consider.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: We will still have to see whether it'll perform well.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: If you could go 10 years back in time, what business decision would you change?
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: I would have started building my personal brand earlier.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: For a long time, I was the guy behind the campaigns, directing, scripting, producing, but not visible.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: It turns out that visibility is not ego, it's proof of value.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: That visibility now helps attract partners, clients, and investors who align with my work.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: What investment migration industry personality do you most admire?
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: Patrick Fendaro, the co-founder at Visa Franchise and Vettedbiz.com, has impressed me with his scale, structure, and sheer work ethic.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: He built a major business while still appearing approachable and professional.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: A rare combo in this field.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's why I wanted to work with him, and it was a great decision.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: If all goes according to plan, what will you be doing five years from now?
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: I'll still be storytelling, but on a much larger scale.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: I hope to build a global media and investor education brand that sits at the intersection of investment migration, entrepreneurship, and cross-border living.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Think Bloomberg, but for global mobility.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: This episode first appeared as an article by Ahmed Abbas on imidaily.com.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: Subscribe for free to the IMI newsletter for breaking news and updates from the investment migration industry.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: And upgrade your membership to IMI Pro to get access to our exclusive professional community, citizenship catalog, investment migration company Rolodex, private briefings, and more members only content.