“There’s Too Much Noise in the Investment Migration Space”: 10 on the Weekend with Alaattin Kilic

10 On The Weekend is a weekly (-ish) feature in IMI, the concept of which is simple: Each time, we ask the same ten questions of a different IMI Pro, letting readers get to know the interviewee on a more personal and informal level than they might during the ordinary course of business.

Our guest this week is Alaattin Kilic, Head of Revenue at Visa Franchise.

How do you spend your weekends?

Weekends are my reset button. I spend most of them reading, walking along the waterfront in Miami, catching up on Turkish or international news, and filming or editing a YouTube piece if there’s something timely I want to respond to.

I also love cooking. It’s one of the few things where I don’t need a strategy — just flavor and intuition.

What are your top three business goals this year?

1. Expand Visa Franchise’s investor base into new markets.
2. Develop a multilingual investor education portal that simplifies U.S. immigration options by pathway.
3. Launch a branded investor video series that positions our partners — attorneys, franchisors, developers — as thought leaders, not just service providers.

What’s your biggest business concern right now?

Misinformation. There’s too much noise in the investment migration space — recycled content, unclear legal advice, and overly aggressive sales tactics.

It clouds judgment and erodes trust. My mission is to bring clarity and credibility back to the industry.

Which book is on your nightstand right now?

The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen — a brilliant breakdown of network effects and how companies grow from zero to scale.

It feels very aligned with what we do in investor migration: build trust, audiences, and traction.

How and when did you first get into the investment migration industry?

I entered from the outside. I was working as a journalist with TRT World when I saw how much confusion there was around international real estate and residency options.

I realized that storytelling, if used ethically, could help investors make better decisions. So, I joined Property Turkey and launched Straight Talk, the first English-language show in the region about real estate and immigration. That was the beginning, and I have since built everything on that foundation.

What was your proudest moment as a service provider?

When I saw other companies in Turkey — including direct competitors — begin adopting our transparency-first educational approach. It proved to me that this wasn’t just marketing. It was industry reform.

Which investment migration market development has surprised you the most in the last year?

Not really the last year, but rather this year, I was highly surprised by the Trump Gold Card initiative.

I did not know what to make of it at first. The rumors that the Gold Card would replace the already existing EB-5 program were really something to consider. We will still have to see whether it’ll perform well.

If you could go ten years back in time, what business decision would you change?

I would have started building my personal brand earlier. For a long time, I was the guy behind the campaigns — directing, scripting, producing — but not visible.

It turns out that visibility is not ego; it’s proof of value. That visibility now helps attract partners, clients, and investors who align with my work.

What investment migration industry personality do you most admire?

Patrick Findaro (Co-Founder at Visa Franchise and Vettedbiz.com) has impressed me with his scale, structure, and sheer work ethic.

He built a major business while still appearing approachable and professional — a rare combo in this field. That’s why I wanted to work with him. And it was a great decision.

If all goes according to plan, what will you be doing five years from now?

I’ll still be storytelling — but on a much larger scale. I hope to build a global media and investor education brand that sits at the intersection of investment migration, entrepreneurship, and cross-border living. Think Bloomberg, but for global mobility.