Stefan

Canada
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Profile information

Travel information
I am currently
Travelling
Activities i am interested in:
I'm currently doing my MBA in Switzerland, but interested in a Workaway over the summer working on DIY, internet / tech help, and business building (e.g. B&B). All with a huge passion for chateaux
My next destination:
France
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Description
Hi everyone! I'm a journalist / writer / entrepreneur who has always had a passion for historic castles/chateaux.

I'm currently doing my MBA at IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland. But before that, I ran a solo consultancy helping tech startups with marketing, sales, and content ghostwriting. But anyone who knows me will tell you my real passion is for historic houses.

MY GOAL WITH WORKAWAY --

My goal with Workaway is to learn French in an immersion environment while helping/learning how to renovate or restore a historic castle/chateau. Eventually, I plan to buy/restore a chateau for myself, so I consider this learning as much as having fun.

My previous Workaway was with Anna and Philip at Chateau Gonneville sur Honfleur (you might know them by their YouTube channel: How to Renovate a Chateau Without Killing Your Partner) and I loved the whole experience.

DIY AND RENOVATION --

I learned DIY from my house-flipping parents and took on my own project in 2021 -- a 7-bedroom Victorian home built in 1898 in Eastern Canada. My partner and I have been renovating it and launched the Geldert Guest House bed & breakfast in 2022. We've been lucky enough to be featured in the New York Times, CTV National News, and Maclean's Magazine, among others.

OTHER SKILLS --

As a 3x entrepreneur and professional writer, I absolutely love talking about business strategy, tech, marketing, and growth plans.

FRENCH / LANGUAGE SKILLS --

I also started taking French classes on a weekly basis since January 2023, and am at B1/B2 level; I'd like to improve that with daily conversations during a Workaway. I'm also happy to help anyone who wants to improve their English (or just practice).

A BIT MORE ABOUT ME --
- I was born and raised in Canada (in the country near Toronto), but am half-Greek and the other half a mix of Scottish and Italian
- I studied sociology in undergrad at Yale University with a focus on workplace/office culture
- Since graduating university, I've started three businesses: tech company (failed), consultancy (succeeded), and a B&B (succeeding!)
- As a journalist and researcher, I've interviewed over 500 entrepreneurs on how they built their businesses (another passion of mine)
Interests
LGBTQ
Technology
Self development
DIY & crafts
Languages
Writing
Yoga / Wellness
Fitness
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Intermediate
Greek: Beginner
More details about my language interests
Would love to practice my French! And happy to help anyone practice their English
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Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn
Some knowledge of:
General Maintenance
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Helping around the house
Able to teach about:
DIY and building projects
Helping with Computers/ Internet
Hospitality/Tourism
More details about your skills
- Cooking
- Cleaning/removing wallpaper
- Website setup (wordpress, squarespace, and wix)
- General maintenance
- Painting
- Carrying/moving things
Age
32
What else ...
I've lived in the US, Canada, and Switzerland. I've also solo travelled around Europe, North Africa, and Australia in the past so I am comfortable in new settings.

As a writer and entrepreneur, I've set up multiple websites using builders from Wordpress to Carrd (and a couple of the new AI builders as well). While not a coder, I know the general features of these platforms and would be happy to offer guidance or help.

I love kids and pets! While my goal with Workaway is to learn the ropes of renovation/restoration and to learn French, I try to be as helpful as possible so helping with kids / animals is definitely possible
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  No allergies
- Special dietary requirements
  No dietary restrictions or requirements

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Feedback

12 Apr 2020

Left by host for Workawayer ()

We feel very lucky to have had Stefan as our workaway guest recently. Not only did he work non stop to help us advance in our renovations with painting and decorating and helping in the grounds, but he also gave us so much of his time and shared his expertise in business and social media strategy and gave us invaluable advise with our website.… read more

(Excellent )

22 Mar 2020

Left by Workawayer () for host (Those passionate about ...)

Anna, Philipp, and the whole family were absolutely amazing. The chateau is precisely as described (that is to say, beautiful) and the exchange opportunity was fantastic. I got to learn a lot about what chateau life is really like and take part in it firsthand, plus learned some French and German along the way.

Everyone welcomed me in as a… read more member of the family, meaning that family dinners with Hildegard and the two girls were a nightly occurrence and the conversation was easy and fun. As well, everyone did what they could to make my stay a happy and fulfilling one:
- Anna took me into the town of Honfleur and walked all over, playing both tour guide and friend
- Philipp shared a lot about the family's chateau buying journey, giving me tips and taking time to discuss where in France you can get amazing chateaus
- Hildegard (Philipp's mom) cooked absolutely delicious food for everyone all the time
- Lilly and Ella (Anna and Philipp's two daughters) welcomed me into play time!

It also gets interesting: I was in the middle of my workaway when the global coronavirus / covid-19 pandemic exploded. I arrived on a Sunday. By the following Friday, France was announcing a lockdown and the Prime Minister of Canada (where I'm from) started asking people to return home. By the Monday after that, trains were decreasing in service, many flights were getting cancelled, and the country was on total lockdown.

Anna and Philipp did two things for which I will be forever grateful: They first said that if I couldn't get home that I could stay with them at the Chateau for as long as needed - they wouldn't kick me out or send me to a hotel. And they also offered to drive me to the airport in Paris (2.5 hours each way) so that I didn't have to risk it with public transit all but shut down. Luckily, I got a flight out. Philipp woke up at the crack of dawn to take me to the airport. I ended up ending my workaway only 3 days early when it was all said and done, so I didn't miss out on much. The worst part though was leaving without being able to give everyone a hug.

I am beyond grateful for the opportunity of workawaying here. I'd go back in a heartbeat as a workawayer and I'm so excited for Anna and Philipp to launch their new business.

If you're interested in owning a chateau (even if it's just a dream) and you want to know what it's really like owning and running a business from a chateau, you want to workaway here. You'll be grateful.

(Excellent )