Sean Earp, MOB’s very own Community Builder and PAU’s Space Manager, landed in Barcelona all the way from South-Africa (with a little detour). His entrepreneurial spirit and hustler mentality quickly showed how well he fitted into the eco-system, and how qualified he is to nurture it: did you know, Sean’s our plant whisperer, saving all MOB’s plants from extinction?
“In my final year of university, I started a company called Creative Cocoon. Handmade fashion accessories, little bags, wallets. It started out in Capetown, and within two years, we got into multiple cities within South-Africa and we also started selling in Nairobi, Kenya. I believe entrepreneurship is really interesting and being surrounded by entrepreneurs every day here at MOB is super inspiring. People are doing their own thing, they’re hustling all the time. I get to learn from these inspiring people every day.
Moving around and exploring has always been a big part of who I am. When I finished my graduate degree in 2017, I went to live in Colorado to work on the ski slopes, this was a really cool experience. I traveled through America for a couple of months: from the midwest to California.
I went back to South-Africa for a bit but quickly realized I had itchy feet again, I wanted to see more, do more. I packed my things and set on a new adventure: Europe. I went to Portugal, France, Belgium, Austria, Germany, Spain, and all these wonderful countries. I traveled for at least 5 to 6 months, but Barcelona hit me differently… I immediately felt a strong connection to this city.
Barcelona reminds me a lot of where I grew up in terms of cultural diversity, there are a lot of different, crazy, and amazing people. All from different backgrounds, all in one small space. The people here are liberal and free. You’re interacting with a melting pot of human beings, which I think is awesome. I tried everything to stay and after months and months (and multiple tourist visas, flying in and out), I finally ended up being able to settle here… and now I’ve been here for about 11 months now.
I grew up in Johannesburg but lived in Capetown for a while. What’s the most South-African thing about me? Probably that I love to Braai. It’s like a BBQ with your friends, bring the community together, where you drink beer and watch sports. I do miss home sometimes, the nature, the animals… But, I’m really happy I’m here now!”
