community matters for e-⁠residents: lessons for entrepreneurs

Maya Middlemiss • Jan 29, 2025 • 9 min read

Entrepreneurship thrives on connection, whether through sharing ideas, finding collaborators, or learning from those who’ve walked a similar path

By joining the e-⁠Residency ecosystem, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and digital nomads from over 179 countries become part of a global network of like–minded individuals. These people aren’t confined by geography or traditional boundaries; their bond is in the digital realm, united by a shared vision of borderless business and innovation. Community matters for e-⁠residents as it helps them get started and supports business growth.

As Estonia evolves its e-⁠Residency programme, new strategies aim to strengthen this community, ensuring it supports professional growth and deeper collaboration.

The power of community is especially significant in a world increasingly shaped by digital–first interactions. It encourages happiness, optimism, and a sense of belonging–qualities that are essential for personal and professional growth.

The interplay between happiness, optimism, and belonging

Thriving in business requires more than just strategy and resources. It demands a foundation of well–being, optimism, and a sense of belonging. The interplay between these elements and professional success is well–documented, with thought leaders like Simon Sinek and researchers like Harvard’s Robert Waldinger highlighting the profound impact of relationships on happiness and productivity.

The happiness advantage in community

That’s all because happiness is not a by–product of success, it is a precursor. People who feel supported and connected are more likely to approach challenges with creativity and resilience. Studies indicate that meaningful social connections are key drivers of happiness which make a real difference even in the face of clinical depression and major mental health difficulties. Indeed, some progressive medical practices are developing a strong evidence base for social prescribing – encouraging patients to engage in shared activities and interaction with others. Where before this approach might have focused on exercise and individual wellbeing and self–care, there’s a growing understanding of the role of collective action towards a shared goal, in amplifying positive emotions from resilience to pride in accomplishment.

Fostering community online

Within the e-Residency ecosystem, community matters immensely. Connection between e-⁠residents is amplified by the shared identity of being part of a pioneering digital-first initiative. If entrepreneurship gets lonely and frustrating, as it can do from time to time, there’s a sense of shared struggles, as well as social networks to get tangible help and support from.

Last year e-Residency launched a brand-new portal - the My e-⁠Residency Portal - designed to help e-⁠residents start, run, and grow their Estonian companies while fostering a deeper connection to the e-⁠Residency community. In its initial phase, the portal focused on supporting new e-⁠residents during their onboarding journey.

This year, the introduction of enhanced features in the My e-⁠Residency Portal will provide e-⁠residents with curated content, such as success stories, company profiles, and ways to engage with community leaders. By spotlighting opportunities and creating an intuitive starting point, the portal will make connecting with peers seamless and inspiring for new and existing members. And we’ll all learn from the stories of our fellow e-⁠residents, and feel part of something bigger than ourselves.

Introducing the My e-Residency Portal

Streamline your journey to entrepreneurship via our brand-new portal designed to help e-residents start, run, and grow your Estonian companies.

A digital diaspora of entrepreneurs

Belonging is often linked to physical place, but communities like e-⁠Residency, and my own initiative Remote Work Europe, challenge this notion. Members of each form a global community connected by shared values and a commitment to a way of working, not by borders or location.

The unique sense of transnational belonging that e-⁠residents feel has been documented in academic studies. In practice, it is reinforced by tools like digital identity and virtual meetups, enabling participants to develop and maintain connections no matter where they are in the world.

These interactions aren’t just transactional; they build trust, inspire optimism, and encourage collaboration. Trust is a core value of the e-⁠Residency programme, and it starts building when people are vetted for membership of the scheme itself – where else can you find a business partner, collaborator or supplier who has already had international police vetting?

Local meetups cement the network effect, and e-⁠Residency’s forward focus on decentralising community-led events will bridge the gap between digital and physical interactions.

Find events on the e-Residency Events Calendar:

E-Residency Events Calendar

Register for upcoming community meetups, workshops and webinars related to e-Residency and running your business in Estonia.

Optimism as a business asset

Optimism isn’t just an attitude; it’s a powerful business attribute. But for entrepreneurs - especially if you're operating solo - it’s not always easy to see that in your own work. When you’re part of a community, you find your confidence bolstered by the success stories of others. Indeed, the e-⁠Residency programme’s strength lies in its ability to transform connections into tangible business outcomes. Entrepreneurs who leverage the community gain more than collaborators—they access insights, partnerships, and global growth opportunities.

Whether it’s hearing about a fellow entrepreneur who scaled their business across borders, or discovering new funding or partnership opportunities through the network, the culture of shared wins sparks optimism–at least in those with an abundance mindset, who don’t see happiness as a zero–sum game, and seek to give before they get.

Similarly at Remote Work Europe we strive to promote a ‘give first’ culture, to offer before you ask, especially when developing relationships across borders with people you haven’t met face-to-face. Social media interactions can easily degenerate into a pile-on thread of selfishness, and we’ll take inspiration from the shifts in the e-⁠Residency collaboration tools to encourage generosity and growth.

By nurturing happiness, optimism, and belonging, communities like e-⁠Residency offer entrepreneurs more than just practical tools. They provide the emotional foundation to pursue ambitious goals. These qualities translate directly into tangible business benefits for entrepreneurs and their ventures.

Bringing it back to business: Community matters for success

Belonging to a community that values happiness and optimism directly benefits business outcomes. For e-residents, the global network within the e-Residency programme is a resource for scaling ideas, solving problems, and discovering new opportunities.

e-Residency community event group picture

4 ways to benefit from the e-Residency Community

‘Community’ is one of our 4 core values. Find out how to connect with the world’s entrepreneurs when you become an e-resident of Estonia.

Turning connection into collaboration

The e-⁠Residency ecosystem brings together individuals from diverse industries, locations, and experiences. Whether you’re looking for a technical co–founder, advice on navigating EU regulations, or simply a sounding board for ideas, the network is full of potential collaborators.

E-⁠Residency–hosted events, both virtual and in-person, provide platforms for meeting like-minded entrepreneurs. These events range from casual meetups to structured networking opportunities such as pitching contests and business conferences like Latitude59 and sTARTUp Day in Estonia, along with regional meetups worldwide.

Many success stories have begun at these gatherings, where e-⁠residents find mentors, clients, or partners to help propel their ventures forward, and they are frequently facilitated within the community itself rather than being initiated by the team in Tallinn. And in 2025, Remote Work Europe is following this example, organising our first on-site gathering in Southern Spain, to bring community members together for learning, networking, and socialising.

The community’s digital–first approach is key to its success. This accessibility ensures that even the most remote entrepreneurs can benefit from the collective wisdom and opportunities of the network. Localised leadership within groups, like e-⁠Residency's Envoys and Community Leaders for example, helps maintain cultural relevance, while the introduction of enhanced digital tools ensures smoother cross-border interactions.

Trust anchors in a sea of information: the importance of e-Residency Spokespeople

e-Residency envoys and community leaders

E-⁠Residency has enlisted a team of rockstar e-⁠resident envoys and community leaders to help spread the word about the Estonian way of doing business.

Opportunities Without Borders

The global nature of the e-⁠Residency community means that opportunities often come from unexpected places. Members frequently find clients, investors, or partnerships through connections within the programme. The diversity of the network ensures that entrepreneurs can explore markets and collaborations far beyond their immediate geographic region.

Estonia itself provides a strong foundation for these opportunities. As an EU member state with a reputation for innovation and efficiency, it offers access to the world’s largest trading bloc and its harmonised business environment. For e-⁠residents, this means easier access to new customers, investors, and grants.

In fact, a great many EU funding programmes are simply not intended for solopreneurs or startups not grounded in a community, instead they specifically require consortium bids. At a regional level, the benefits of a community collective approach are embedded structurally, in the way the money flows.

Challenges in community collaboration

Operating within a globalised community isn’t without its difficulties. Time zones, differing legal systems, and varied levels of digital literacy can complicate communication and collaboration. For example, scheduling a meeting across three continents or aligning expectations between partners from different business cultures can require extra effort.

Within Remote Work Europe, we have a diverse range of languages and cultures, and this is why we seek out local representation from our communities. It’s far better if a local group is moderated by someone who either grew up in that culture/region, or alternatively has lived there awhile and done business there. In some ways the ‘naive immigrant’ perspective is a valuable one, as figuring out how to get things done locally is a powerful tool for community building success.

Those who happen to be Estonian e-residents are supported by the programme’s robust digital tools and increasingly important localisation strategies. Social media groups, webinars, and forums also provide spaces for ongoing communication, making it easier to maintain relationships despite logistical hurdles.

The challenges of cultural differences, language barriers, and logistical complexities are real, but they pale in comparison to the opportunities that arise from working together. When entrepreneurs focus on the common threads of humanity–creativity, ambition, and the desire to make a difference–they create something truly remarkable: a community that thrives on diversity and achieves more together than any individual could alone.

Collectivism is the key

In a world that often feels fragmented, by borders, cultures, and competing interests, true success and happiness come from collaboration.

Indeed, the big challenges we face today, from climate change to economic inequality, are too vast and complex for any one individual, business, or country to tackle alone. They’re ‘wicked problems’, without even a clear end point to aim for. No one group or interest has the diverse experience and neutral perspective we need, to fix these big issues.

But when we come together, we unlock the collective creativity, resilience, and strength needed to create meaningful solutions. The e-⁠Residency community embodies this spirit of unity, proving that collaboration knows no borders.

By fostering connections and finding common ground, we don’t just build stronger businesses, we build a better world. Together, we can achieve what once seemed impossible.

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community matters for e-⁠residents: lessons for entrepreneurs