Case Study – Karsten Mathieu

Name
Karsten Mathieu

Where did you move to Lanzarote from?
I come from Germany near from the town Cologne.

When was this?
It was in December 2000

Where on the Island do you live now?
I live in Arrecife, the capital of Lanzarote.

Did anyone move over with you?
No, I came here alone to enjoy life here.

Why did you decide to move to Lanzarote?
A good question … to enjoy the lifestyle, the sun, the country and the people here.

How long before deciding to move, did you actually arrive?
I was once here for a holiday for one week. When my holiday was finished and I was back in Germany I missed everything. I was falling in love with this island. 2 weeks later I was back in Lanzarote … and now it has been 9 years.

Did you rent or buy your first home here?
I rented an apartment in Playa Blanca for the first time and later on in Mozaga, a little village here, but now I live in Arrecife the capital of the island.

Is there anything you miss from Germany?
At times I miss a little bit of rain …lol

How often do you return to Germany?
The last time was Easter 2001 for 1 ½ day in Germany.

What are the real benefits to you personally in having made the move?
I have a much more relaxed life here than in Germany. I have very good and real friends here, and on the other Canary Islands

What are the downsides if any, of having made the move?
Oh there was a lot, but these were normal things that you have whereever you live. At first it was the language, and wanting to do everything by myself, this was hard.

Your friends in Lanzarote – what country are they from, predominantly?
Most of my friends are from the Canary Islands – a lot are from here and Gran Canaria, then a lot of friends from England. One of my friends, he comes from Newcastle, and taught me to speak English. When I came here I didnt speak English or Spanish, only my home language. Now my friend says: “ you are the only German that I know who speaks English with a Geordie accent” lol

Could you speak Spanish before you arrived?
No I couldn’t speak Spanish or English when I came to Lanzarote.

How is your Spanish now?
I think my Spanish is good now, I can talk and listen without help and dictionary. My speaking English is ok but to write in English is very hard for me. (Elle: Don’t put yourself down Karsten… your English is very good!)

Is your lifestyle healthier… or less healthier… since moving to Lanzarote?
I don’t know. But all I know is that I enjoy life better than before in Germany.

With hindsight… is there anything you would have done differently?
Yes! To listen better what the teacher at school said, when we had English at school

Tell us about Transfers 4 You and why you started the business?
My last job was as a bus driver here on Lanzarote.  I transported people from the airport to the holiday resorts and back, I was also doing coach excursions and all this. I’ve seen so many people here arrive at the airport and often no guides were waiting to pick them up, or to help them, or give them any information about things to do here. Other guides here are so impolite that my face was going red. I was ashamed! Other people I’ve seen here were outside the airport in a taxi queue waiting 2 hours or longer to get a taxi.
So one day I started thinking “how can I do a better thing for this”.
I meet a lot of nice passengers, they remember me from being here over a year ago, and we start talking and joking…. Then one day I say “Stop! You must do much more than only thinking”. So I start to make a concept, with the plan to be much better than the services who already exist. I started searching on the internet and checked a lot of websites to see who was offering transfer services online, and the first thing I see is that these sites are so complicated for the passengers and it makes me crazy.
I contacted Elle and Alan from the webdesign company Gandy-Draper and asked them to build a website with easy steps to book a transfer service. Nothing complicated, only simple steps for the client who is booking… oh and they helped me a lot with many ideas too. I am really proud of them because they had done so a good job … and I don’t think I was an easy client. I was on page one of Google for lots of phrases in only one week, and they have already given me business.
I think now the website is very easy for clients to operate and the other thing is I wanted to work with moneybookers.com. Why? I want my clients to know that when they pay a transfer with a credit card, they can be sure that their details are in the right place, secure and safe. Moneybookers is controlled by the English FSA and Moneybookers made me jump through hoops to be registered as a merchant, and that I have a real and registered company. For me it was a very hard and long way to get a merchant account but I wanted to go this way, ro reassure my clients that they are on a secure site.

Tell us about what work you did before you started your own business?
I was working as a bus driver here on the island, this helps me a lot for my business now. I know 90% of all the hotels of the island, and many many villas, and so I can help clients when they ask me what they can do here – for example: excursions etc.

Will you stay living in Lanzarote?
I think I will die here, not sure on Lanzarote but definitely in the Canary Islands. I am home here.

What is your website address where people can contact you?
www.t4you.eu

A big thank you to Karsten for this interview – it is always a pleasure to see him, and we wish him all the very best with his business

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