How One German Class Led to 12 Years in Germany

Jordan and I could have talked all day. About life in Germany, about marketing about being a solopreneur in Germany. It was great.

We kicked off with the story of her journey from Washington D.C. to Kiel, Germany. It all started with a simple decision in high school – she chose German over Spanish because of her German last name and wanting to be different. Her mom was like “you should definitely take Spanish in the US” but Jordan was having none of it.

That one rebellious choice led to studying Germanic languages and literature, a study abroad program, and eventually graduate school in Heidelberg. -“I’ll be back in 18 months” may be a familiar story for many of us.

What was supposed to be 18 months turned into over a decade. Jordan met her future husband at a ball in Heidelberg (though German men apparently take their sweet time making moves!), spent time at US embassies in Bulgaria and Croatia, did business school in Scotland, and finally settled in Germany for good.

Building a Digital Marketing Career in Germany Through Blogging about Hamburg and Kiel

Jordan’s entry into digital marketing came through her travel blog, “Wayfaring with Wagner,” which she started in 2013 to keep her six siblings updated on her German adventures. The blog was initially called “Beer Time with Wagner” – but people thought she only drank beer, so she rebranded! Smart move, Jordan.

This side project became her ticket to a job in Germany. When she moved to Hamburg and realized a political career wouldn’t work in Germany, she leveraged her blogging experience to land a job at a digital marketing agency. Her unique position as a native English speaker who understood German made her valuable for international campaigns.

“I was able to use that and convince them, okay, I know what I’m doing on the Internet, I know what I’m doing when it comes to blogs and things like that.”

She worked on Ritter Sport’s(!) US and Canada marketing campaigns, creating content with American cultural references and directing creative shoots. Plus, free chocolate! 🍫 (Basically my dream job!)

Pivoting During COVID and Going Solo

When COVID hit, Jordan had to pivot like everyone else. Her travel blog traffic plummeted overnight, so she shifted focus to northern Germany content with “Hamburg and Beyond.” She discovered that targeting niche German locations that bigger travel sites hadn’t covered was pure SEO gold. Important lession: sometimes being small and scrappy is feature, not a a bug.

The pandemic also sparked a community-building project. Moving to Kiel during lockdown with no friends, she started a Facebook group for women. It’s now grown to almost 1,000 members with member created spin-offs like yoga classes, book clubs, and art groups. She turned a personal need into something amazing for a whole community.

“I started a Facebook group… and in the past four, five years, it’s almost grown to a thousand women.”

In 2022, Jordan took the entrepreneurial leap and started Jordan Beck Media, her own digital marketing agency. The timing was perfect – she got her Niederlassungserlaubnis and could finally start her own company. Next week marks her three year biz anniversary!

The Reality of Running a Digital Marketing Agency in Germany

Jordan’s business model has solid niching and positioning. She works primarily with B2B companies on social media strategy, mainly on LinkedIn and Facebook. Her clients appreciate her “work smarter, not harder” approach – if content worked last year, why not repurpose it? (I heartily concur!)

Her client acquisition strategy is simple: word of mouth and networking. Every single client has come through personal connections or referrals. She told everyone she was going freelance and got lucky with timing – including finding her longest-running US client through a Facebook group post. Sometimes the best business advice is just… tell people what you’re doing!

The Business Setup: Self-Employed in Germany

Jordan operates as selbstständig (self-employed) in Germany, above the Kleinunternehmer threshold but without a GmbH to avoid all the gnarly taxation that entails. Who has time for GmbH paperwork when you’re trying to run a business? She uses Accountable for bookkeeping after switching from Sorted, and relies on MyExpat Taxes for US tax compliance.

Jordan’s advice is on what to do before you start you go out on your own in Germany is spot on:

Start networking before you quit your job – Use that three-month notice period to find clients
Research tax software thoroughly – Don’t just jump into the first option like she did
Join Künstlersozialkasse if you qualify – It covers half your pension and health insurance, which is huge

The Future: Substack and Beyond

Jordan’s exploring Substack as a new revenue stream, planning to merge her expat expertise with niche northern Germany travel content. She’s thinking about gatekeeping premium content like point-hacking strategies and detailed destination guides behind paid subscriptions. I’m in a group chat with Jordan, and can attest that her point-hacking game is strong!

Her blogs continue performing well through pure SEO magic – Hamburg and Beyond still gets consistent traffic despite minimal social media promotion and only 1-2 new articles per year. Sometimes less really is more, especially when you nail that SEO sweet spot.

Key Takeaways for Expat Entrepreneurs in Germany

✨ Language choices in high school can literally change your life trajectory
🌍 Side projects and hobbies can become assets and portfolio projects that help land a job in Germany
🤝 Networking and word-of-mouth are still the best client acquisition strategies
📱 Niche content can outperform big players in SEO
💡 Sometimes the best business opportunities come from solving your own problems (like Jordan’s community group)
🎯 Focus on what works – don’t be afraid to repurpose successful content
💰 Start your Germany business setup process early, (especially your taxes and accounting!)

Jordan’s story proves that sometimes the most unexpected paths lead to the most fulfilling careers. From a high school German class to running a successful digital marketing agency in northern Germany – it’s a reminder that saying yes to opportunities (even when they seem scary) can lead to amazing places. Plus, you might meet your future husband at a ball in Heidelberg, which honestly sounds like something out of a fairy tale!

Connect with Jordan:

LinkedIn: Jordan Beck Wagner
Instagram: @jordanbwagner
Company: Jordan Beck Media