episode 0060 | Andis Combi

VibeSociety

From a small town in Albania to Chicago, Andis Combi shares his story as an Eastern European immigrant turned businessman.

Moving to Chicago from (at the time) communist Albania when he was 13 was no easy transition for Andis. Culturally, he talks about how the openness of Albanians made him very receptive to learning and understanding the culture of the U.S. However, there was still so much for him to learn and at the time, business was the furthest thing from his mind.

He went from wanting to live a life in the Criminal Justice world based on what he would see on TV to finding a true passion for technology.

Andis was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and started taking risks and achieving success by following his passions. One of the most important things to him, though, is giving back:

“When you come from a place where you don't have anything and when you've been poor and you learn what it takes to achieve certain levels of success, it's a different satisfaction that you get when you give to people.”

For Andis is not about handouts but about giving people the opportunity to achieve whatever their dreams are.

“We just want to provide a resource or a path for someone that doesn't necessarily have that Ivy league school experience or that fatherly figure at home.”

Learn more about Andis’ story, how he marries his love of technology and real estate, and how he’s helping mentor the future generation of entrepreneurs on this episode of The Face of Chicago Business Podcast.