Afleveringen

  • When companies expand into Europe, many start in the UK or Ireland, and as they gain experience they move into big GDP countries like France and Germany that are more challenging in terms of language, localization, etc. While this approach is understandable, there are many important markets that are left until later or treated as afterthoughts. When taken together, the Nordics plus Benelux make 16% of Europe’s GDP - which is larger than France, and larger than the UK in terms of contribution. At the same time, most of these nations are extremely English-savvy, and require less localization than Germany or France. That doesn’t mean you can take a generic approach, there is a learning curve and some important differences to be aware of, and in this episode I’m really excited to have Paulo Rodriguez as my guest to talk through his experience taking Software into Benelux and the Nordics. Paulo has done this at 3 very well known companies, starting at Google, then Dropbox, and now for Vanta. Please enjoy and share!

    Links:

    www.portofentrypartners.com

    Paulo's LinkedIn

    Here's what we cover:

    Diversity within Europe and the education needed before starting the expansion process. The expansion approaches most foreign tech companies taking when they enter Europe, and the most common mistakes Observations and learnings Paul has made during his experiences taking new technology across Europe. Mistakes and corrections Paulo has made. Internationalization vs localization and how much of each is needed to tackle the Nordics and Benelux Some of the most important differences between selling Software in the Nordics/Benelux versus other parts of Europe Cultural differences that impact buying and selling behavior The best locations in Europe for getting candid feedback on your product Striking the right balance between being data-driven and using your own observations about market behavior Where the Nordics/Benelux should rank in terms of a continental strategy for Europe, assuming the technology applies everywhere Operationally how to go in - where to put the first employees, where to expand later on. Anecdotes on selling in the Nordics and differences in body language from buyers.
  • If you asked 100 companies to rank the most challenging countries to enter, Japan would rank at or near the top on most every list. Not only does Japan have very high bar and specific set of localization requirements, nearly every aspect of doing business is different than in the US and most western markets. That said, Japan is the 3rd largest economy in the world, so it cannot be ignored by any company with global ambitions, and there are many success stories to learn from. In this episode, I’m honored to have Daiki Nakajima as my guest. Daiki is the Director of Business Development at the Japan External Trade organization, shortened to JETRO, whose main objective is to provide support for bilateral investment between the USA and Japan. Daiki oversees all activities of Invest Japan, Japan-US Bilateral Economic Relationships, Startup Initiative, and Global Acceleration Hub at JETRO in New York. When it comes to foreign tech companies entering Japan and vice versa, in the words of a mutual colleague at Hubspot, Daiki “has seen it all” over the past 12 years. Please enjoy and share. Here's what we cover:

    4:00 Daiki's bi-cultural background, what led him to focus on Japan-US trade 6:00 Japan External Trade Organization - overview of how JETRO and how they help foreign companies enter Japan 11:00 Things you need to know and consider before you begin working on Japan market entry, pre-reqs for entry 18:00 Differences in marketing style and the research needed to adapt your marketing strategy 22:00 Beyond website and UX, the things that require localization 23:45 Differences in presentation styles, pitching properly in Japan 27:00 How meetings work in Japan - matching seniority levels, formality at mid-size companies, knowing how to interpret signals, expectations around timing and follow ups 33:30 Aligning with fiscal cycles and budgeting seasonality 36:00 How to gain trust, early traction, case studies, and retention when you are a newcomer. Value propositions that resonate with Japanese buyers. 45:00 Common traits among companies that have done well in Japan - the importance of persistence, having strong presence on the ground, meeting face to face, and more. 50:00 The hiring process and cycle for new grads, and the only time of year you will find a new hire. 56:30 What Japanese customers expect after the sale. The importance of excellent customer service and making a good first impression in terms of the product, translation, and overall experience. 1:01 What's changed in Japan since COVID. How policy drives rapid change within the business environment. 1:08 The emerging "global generation", how this generation is shifting the way business works, and applying these learnings to your Japan entry strategy.
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  • China is one of the most complex and challenging markets for foreign tech companies to succeed in. It has so many hurdles to clear, including strict regulations, thorny geo-politics, and significant language and cultural learning barriers. But for those who succeed, the rewards and market potential are massive. With a GDP of over $18 Trillion it’s the second largest economy in the world, and in terms of population and potential end users, it’s the world's largest. One of the first things you have to do extremely well is to find an excellent leader for your team there, and I’m really happy to have Jason Li as my guest for this episode. Jason has been on the early teams at not 1, not 2 but 3 well-known foreign companies including Gartner, LinkedIn, and most recently at Branch where Jason and I got to team up. Jason scaled up our business from zero to becoming the highest performing regions and teams in the company, eventually opening 3 China offices and landing many of the largest logos in China in just 3 short years. He is also a multi-time startup founder and is currently CEO and building a new SaaS startup backed by Branch. Please enjoy and share!

    Here are the topics we discuss with timestamps:

    4:00 Maturity differences between Chinese and US SaaS companies

    6:15 Similarities and Differences between China playbooks at LinkedIn, Gartner, and Branch, Gitlab, Canva and more. Expansion phases, partnerships, and entity structures

    11:30 For companies that do not have experience in China - what you need to know about the tech ecosystem, user preferences, competitive dynamics

    16:00 How to test and validate product market fit in China before making a bigger investment

    18:30 ICP Licensing and the requirements for operating a business over the internet in China

    21:00 The state of B2B SaaS in China - domestic supply and demand for cloud vs. on-prem services, willingness to build vs. buy, and the opportunity for foreign SaaS companies to sell to Chinese businesses.

    26:00 What works when selling SaaS to Chinese companies. Jason's framework for value selling.

    29:00 The importance of relationships and guanxi when selling, customer expectations, proof of concept and ROI, and cultural difference when selling in China versus elsewhere.

    34:00 Tactics for building brand awareness in China

    36:00 How to build a world class team in China - where to find candidates, local job boards, the role of headhunters, and how to classify and filter applicants to build your early team.

    42:00 Beyond selling directly to customers - the role of agencies, partnerships, and government when entering China.

    46:30 Preventable mistakes - hard lessons to learn from companies that have failed in China. Product Market Fit vs Solution Market Fit. Local vs remote decision making, respecting local business practices and norms.

    50:00 Best practices and recommendations based on Jason's experience leading the China initiative multiple times

    55:00 Post pandemic re-opening - perspective on timing and market readiness for foreign companies entering China as early 2023

  • This episode is focused specifically on best practices when entering France, and I’m really happy to have Natascha Chamuleau as my guest. Natascha is currently the Chief Advertising Officer of WeTransfer, a position she has held since July 2020, having joined as Vice President of Sales in 2017. Before WeTransfer, Natascha spent three years at Facebook as Head of Sales and Client Solutions for Benelux and Central Europe. Prior to this, she worked in a variety of leadership roles including eBay Classified and Marktplaats, ranging from Sales to Growth and Product Innovation.

    Natascha and I were introduced when I began asking around about companies that had done a world class job of entering the French market, which as many know is one of the most challenging in Europe and in the world for foreign companies in terms of localization, building the right strategy, and winning the hearts and minds of customers and partners in the country.

    We’re here today to dive into WeTransfer’s story and the approach that they followed to thrive as a foreign company in the French Market.

    Links:

    Port of Entry Partners - www.portofentrypartners.com Helping companies thrive and scale in international markets

    WeTransfer

    Natascha’s LinkedIn profile

    Topics Discussed:

    3:00 - Natascha’s background and early influences that led to an international career

    8:15 - How France is different from other markets in Europe - things to know before you start

    11:15 - How to build relationships in France - what to do, and what NOT to do

    13:00 - The Eiffel Tower strategy - landing a well known local client to start the snowball rolling

    16:00 - Navigating B2B relationships - corporate hierarchies and the importance of roles and rank in France

    18:00 - Striking the right chord with French end users with B2C businesses and the importance of trust

    20:30 - The importance of language, cultural nuances and a funny example of getting the French wording WRONG.

    23:00 - Setting yourself up to succeed in France culturally and when communicating. Small changes that make a big difference.

    25:30 - Entry pre-reqs, the work you need to do BEFORE you begin hiring, and the challenges for employers in France

    30:00 - Spoken and written language - when and where using the French language is essential when doing business in France - in meetings, with clients, events, and in contracts.

    38:45 - Where does France rank in terms of priority for companies entering Europe? When should you start working on entering France?

    44:00 - Where to find top talent in France, how to write local job descriptions, and how to set employee expectations properly

    49:00 - Getting started entering France. Some practical first steps, timing expectations, and the importance of on the ground research.

    51:00 - Resources to help you get started in France - WeGrow, The Culture Map

  • www.portofentrypartners.com

    This episode is focused specifically on entering Korea, and I’m honored to have Troy Malone as my guest. Troy has had one of the most exciting international tech careers of anyone I’ve met. He’s been a venture capitalist and a multi-time entrepreneur, and has been helping companies including Evernote, Drata, Weebly, and All Turtles (the startup studio founded by Phil Libin) take some of the most loved tech products into new markets all around the world.

    I highly encourage folks to check out Troy's new company called Relevant that helps startups and scaleups build their lead funnel in new markets.

    In this interview, Troy shares his experiences building up Evernote and Drata in Korea. Notes below. Please enjoy and share!

    Show Notes:

    3:45 - Troy's experience Immersing in Korea as a foreigner for 2 years

    6:45 - Landing the opportunity to help Phil Libin take Evernote into Asia

    9:00 - Things companies needs to know up front about Korea, and the 3 pillars of Evernote's Korean Expansion Strategy

    14:00 - How to find local influencers and a solid PR agency

    20:10 - Building and cultivating a strong local community in Korea for Evernote

    21:20 - Finding resonance within Korea's culture of record keeping

    24:15 - Deviating from the usual playbook, and outperforming Google, Facebook and Uber on a small budget

    27:45 - The role of partnerships, agencies, and operating alongside Korea's massive chaebols/conglomerate companies (Samsung, Korea Telecom, Hyundai, etc.)

    33:22 - B2B vs. B2C entry approaches

    38:40 - When to hire, where to find talent, and what to look for when building your team in Korea

    41:20 - Managing a team in Korea - cultural differences to be aware of

    45:35 - Common mistakes foreign companies make in Korea

  • Rachel is Head of Internationalisation & Localisation at Canva. Canva is an online design and publishing tool with a mission to empower everyone in the world to design anything and publish anywhere. Since it was founded in 2013, Canva has grown into a unicorn and one of Australia’s most famous tech companies. Rachel has been at Canva for over 4 and a half years, so she’s overseen an incredible period of international growth as Canva now reaches over 60M MAU in 190 countries and over 100 languages. Rachel is a member of the international mastermind network and a Bay Area native that is now living and working in Australia, so we share a lot of common interests and connections, and I’ve been looking forward to having her as a guest for a long time. Here's what we covered:

    Rachel's background and decision to leave the Bay Area and live and work abroad. Planning international expansion starting from Australia Localization and Internationalization - what these terms mean to Rachel Rachel's day-to-day role at Canva Going live in 100 countries - what goes into it, and the motivation behind such a big push
  • Robyn Larsen is an International Growth and Marketing UX leader at Shopify. She’s a front-end developer, entrepreneur, and speaker, and advises numerous startups across multiple industries and frequently mentors women in tech and STEM. In addition to the work she does at Shopify, she teaches Zero to Launch workshops for entrepreneurs through Embrk. Shopify powers over 1.7 million businesses in more than 175 countries, and in this interview, I had the chance to ask Robyn all about her learnings after spending the last 4+ years localizing Shopify's experience for markets all across the world. Below are the topics we discuss:

    Shopify's current international presence and state of localization Things a tech founder should know about what it takes to make technology resonate in global markets in a first-class way The capabilities she recommends building in house, and the things that are ok or even better to buy or outsource How to choose where to start, and which regions and languages should be top of the list for localization The companies are doing the best job of localization, and what they do they do differently The mistakes Robyn made, and advice that could save someone else from making the same mistakes Pseudolocalization - what it is, and how it can help your localization team UX experiences that many learn the hard way
  • Jeff Paine is a Co-founder and Managing Partner of Golden Gate Ventures, an early stage technology venture capital fund based in Singapore. Golden Gate Ventures currently has over US$175 million under management and has made investments in over 45 companies since 2012 across Southeast Asia.

    Jeff also started and manages the Founder Institute incubator in Singapore. Since 2010 the Founder Institute has graduated over 100 companies in Southeast Asia and Japan, and he received the Director Award for “Greatest Ecosystem Impact” Worldwide for his work there. He’s currently an investor and advisor to Redmart, Tradegecko, Coda Payments, and mentor at JFDI Asia, Chinaccelerator and of course at the Founder Institute.

    Jeff is a Singapore native, but he spent the first eight years of his career in early stage venture and private equity in the US, and he graduated from USC, so he understands how things work in Silicon Valley and in Southeast Asia, and he's is an ideal person to help folks like me understand how to think about the region when taking technology from here to there. 

    Below are the topics we cover during this hour-long conversation:

    How the investing and startup environment has evolved over the past 10 years in Southeast Asia, and since the pandemic began How to think about and prioritize the markets that make up Southeast Asia Where this region should fit in a global expansion timeline The types of businesses that are succeeding in the region The best places to find engineering talent, and what to look for The first wave of regional unicorns, and lessons being applied by the second generation of entrepreneurs in SEA Advice for founders and entrepreneurs on how to approach this region, and things to be cautious about
  • This episode is a crash course on entering Europe from Robbie O'Connor. Robbie had led the local charge for Google, Dropbox, Asana, and now Notion, and in this interview, he reflects on the best practices he's learned first hand, from setting up the team, segmenting the continent, and localizing the go to market approach. We also discuss how each of these things have evolved, and what's coming next. Below is the full list of topics we cover:

    What Notion does, and the responsibilities placed on the GM of Europe Benchmarking Notion's presence internationally users, geos, and headcount as of June 2021 How to prioritize geographies when a company has clear product market fit and plans to be everywhere eventually The pre-req's and milestones your company should achieve before expanding internationally The advantages of setting up a European hub in Ireland - talent, tax, and regulatory benefits The current funding environment in Europe, and other talent hubs on the continent Ways to segment Europe into sales territories - initially and as your team grows The amount of localization that's currently required to succeed as a SaaS company in Europe Whether a single sales methodology works in all markets around the world, and the right way to adapt the sales approach for each market The pros and cons of starting with a functional leader such as a sales leader versus a general manager when entering a region The challenges and soft art of being a regional leader Best practices and tactics for staying aligned with HQ and building bi-directional communication What companies can do to set their regional leaders up for success Knowing what good looks like when you are getting started in Europe The importance and impact of data privacy laws in Europe, and what companies should know before entering The mentors and opportunities that helped Robbie build his international leadership skills Expectation setting and preparing for the bumpy road when going into new markets
  • Ron Schneidermann is the CEO of AllTrails, and has been building technology that helps people enjoy the outdoors for over 15 years. He's an accomplished entrepreneur and a hands-on leader who devours data and isn't afraid to veer from the standard startup playbook. Many of the folks listening know AllTrails as the outdoor app that helps you find the perfect activity for your preferences, and once you’re there, you can take advantage all sorts of detailed maps to keep you on the trail, even when you’re out of cell service. AllTrails has been around since 2010, and now hosts over 200,000 trail guides in 190 countries across all 7 continents, and has over 1M premium subscribers worldwide. This isn’t Ron’s first expedition as an outdoor technology leader. He co-founded Liftopia and built and ran the world’s leading ski lift ticket booking tool for 8 years, backed by all-star investors like Marc Benioff, Chris Sacca, and First Round Capital. He also led Growth at Yelp before taking over the reins at AllTrails. In our talk, Ron shares his approach to covering the globe, lessons he's learned the hard way, and the questions he's still chewing on. Here's what we cover:

    Ron's experience taking AllTrails from 6 people to 100 people, and through a really tough transition period. Carving a non-conventional path as a startup. Going for profitability early, and deciding the early adopters were not the profile to build around. The inflection point that led to the focus on becoming a global company. The pros and the cons of using acquisitions to fuel growth. The pandemic experience - the explosion of hiking, helping people stay healthy, and growing the team during lockdown. How AllTrails approaches international expansion and coverage across all 7 continents. Translation vs. localization, and things that broke when going from one market to the next (even from the US to the UK). Machine translation - when to use it, when to avoid it. How to support one billion end users around the world, and the trade-offs between centralized vs. de-centralized teams. Ron's advice and hindsight for companies going global and maximizing momentum. Hindsight on acquisitions, and things NOT to do to avoid making users really angry and avoid bleeding eyes :). How best to structure your team to get the most out of each market, and to diagnose problems when markets aren't performing as hoped. The aspects of international expansion that are still up for debate at AllTrails, and most likely at many other growing companies.
  • Nataly Kelly is currently the VP of Localization at Hubspot. As most are aware, Hubspot is one of the foremost CRM platforms out there in market, and for context on their global presence, they have over 4500 employees across 11 global offices, and serve over 113,000 customers in over 120 countries. Nataly has been doing amazing work in international business for over 20 years, from localization and translation, to research, consulting and advising some of the largest companies in the world on their international strategy. She is also an author of two books on translation, a frequent contributor to publications including The Huffington Post and the Harvard Business Review, and she has a fantastic blog called Born to Be Global which I read regularly and highly recommend checking out.

    Below are the topics we cover, and links to the resources discussed:

    Nataly's journey from rural Illinois to Ecuador and the influences that led to a career in translation and international business Defining translation, and how that concept and the field has evolved over the past 2 decades The story of the $71 million dollar word - a cautionary tale about translation vs. interpretation The best definitions of the following terms I've ever heard - translation, localization, internationalization, and globalization The ideal first hire on your localization team (it's not what you might expect) Machine versus human translation, and the best use cases for each The role of translation agencies - pros and cons, and when to leverage them Where companies waste money localizing content How to achieve consistency in your marketing tone and brand voice all around the world Cultivating Content Design - by Beth Dunn How to hire people you can trust to convey your brand voice in different languages and cultures The hallmarks of operating as a world class global-minded company What’s coming next in terms of innovation within localization - velocity, differentiated workflows, continuous delivery, and the metrics that matter most Nataly's mentors and role models
  • In this Episode, my guest is Abe Smith. Abe is currently Head of International at Zoom, where he oversees the business, AKA spreading happiness, globally in EMEA, APAC, Japan and Latin America. Over the past few years and throughout the pandemic, Abe has overseen an unprecedented amount of growth and challenge, as Zoom has become a verb and as the technology has taken a central role in the daily lives of businesses, governments, schools, and individuals all around the world. Prior to taking on this role, Abe was President of EMIA at Cision, and has held senior leadership roles focused on emerging markets at Oracle, Badgeville, Mindjet, Cisco and Webex. Abe has established a tremendously successful track record as an international commercial leader and operator, scaling up teams in emerging markets for well over 15 years. See below for the topics we covered during this conversation.

    How and why Zoom became the verb for videoconferencing despite all the competition in this space
    The mindset and commitment needed within Zoom to keep the platform and operations running throughout the COVID-19 pandemic
    Responding to huge spikes in demand and never before imagined user scenarios
    Benchmarking where Zoom was before the pandemic, and how much the company has scaled since then
    Tactical questions on international expansion - when is it the right time for companies to begin, and what are the pre-reqs?
    The value of starting with lower complexity markets
    The role of the pioneer, and setting the foundations for a continental strategy
    Factors to consider when to move into more complex but large or strategically important markets
    The level of localization needed to begin selling internationally in the early days, and over time as the sales organization matures
    The extra-challenging expectations often placed on remote sales teams
    Ways to create transparency and visibility for remote teams, and to help the organization think from the perspective of those outside of HQ
    Ways to embrace regional tribes within the company while reinforcing values globally
    The most important values inside of Zoom, and what it has been like to find and onboard the right people during this period of hyper-growth
    Speed of Trust - required reading at Zoom
    Beyond advertising - the importance of product and PR when building a brand like Zoom
    Advice for a founder or CEO before going into their first international market
    What it's meant to Abe to be part of Zoom during the pandemic, professionally and personally
  • In this episode, Ana Guzman shares her journey starting from El Salvador, moving to the US for university, driving Squarespace's early international expansion team, and then founding International Mastermind and a bilingual education company. She goes deep into the cross-functional effort and pre-work that her team at Squarespace undertook to properly localize their product and message for the German market, and shares lots of valuable learnings and hindsight from this experience. See below for the topics we covered during this conversation.

    Ana's journey from El Salvador to the US and into international expansion as a career
    How international expansion started at Squarespace, and the foundational pre-work that went in before expansion began
    Signals and data used to help prioritize markets
    Entering Germany - why this market was chosen first at Squarespace
    Localization - what was required beyond translation and currency to succeed in the German market
    The cross functional teams needed to make this happen - which departments were involved, and how to lobby for constrained resources
    Getting buy-in and executive support behind the international initiative
    The process and work that went into building a brand in a new market
    The resources that helped inform Squarespace's expansion strategy
    The importance and benefits of spending time on the ground before entry
    What it means to be market-ready versus what it means to launch the business in a new market
    KPIs used to measure success post-launch
    Setting expectations and benchmarks, and communicating progress internally
    Key learnings, and applying the lessons learned in the first market to countries that came later on
    Keying into cultural nuances - why this matters, and an example of what resonates with German consumers vs. American consumers.
    Product requirements and effort needed to set up a localization layer within the product.
    International Mastermind - what this group is, and the vision that led Ana and her co-founders to start this group
    Helpful resources that Ana reads regularly - Ben Thomspon, and Nataly Kelly's Born to be Global blog
    Ana's advice for people who want to pursue International Expansion as a role
  • In this episode, Talia Baruch provides a masterclass on how to properly localize a company's Vision, Mission, Value Prop, and product experience, and why it's so important to take on a global-ready mindset from the start. She goes into dozens of real world examples of how companies including LinkedIn, Evernote, Starbucks, and Coca-Cola adapted their approach in order to succeed overseas. Below is a chronological list of topics we cover with links to external resources. Enjoy!

    The ParlamINT - Talia's GlobalSaké monthly series covering the holistic, cross-functional areas for building a global-ready and geo-fit product strategy, integrating the right regional and cultural factors to win local new markets on a global scale. Yewsdene and Talia's Influencers. How far Localization has come in the past 20 years How to set up your company to be global ready from the start, and the re-work needed if you don't Learnings from companies that nailed the local approach in Japan and China - Evernote and LinkedIn Localizing your brand and lightweight entry strategy for China Localizing the entire user journey - way beyond language How should you build your international team, and where this function should live within the organization What's the right first hire, what other skills do you need on your international team Internationalization vs. Localization and what most companies overlook. The spectrum between straight translation, localization, transcreation and local content origination. Setting up your platform infrastructure architecture the right way to prevent code re-factoring and rework later Vision, mission and value proposition - how these concepts intersect, and what should be adapted to fit your priority new markets How Starbucks and Wix had to adapt their brands to not offend customers in the Middle East and Germany. Here's a video of Wix turning an awkward brand name mishap into marketing gold (hint: Google 'Wix in German'). Is anyone big enough to not need to localize? Germany and Japan - why these markets are so different from the rest and what they have in common Localizing your Marketing approach for Europe and Asia The pitfalls of localizing for Asia but without local content The importance of "guanxi", reciprocity, and trust in Asia Fun ones - Talia's biggest cultural learning, favorite hotel, tips for jetlag, and biggest influence

  • Hello and a very warm welcome to this inaugural episode of the International Expansion Podcast! 

    On this podcast, we talk with the people responsible for taking their companies into new international markets. They share their best practices, what they got right and wrong, and valuable hindsight so that we can all learn from their experience.

    In this episode, Tariq Mahmoud describes what it takes and means for Reddit to enter new markets. He also shares some of his learnings from taking on similar roles at Roku and Verizon Media.

    Here's what we cover:

    The international team at Reddit - size, reporting, growth; Reddit's DAU and international growth; How the product is localized for new markets; How markets are prioritized; Keeping stakeholders on the same page (literally) using Decision Documents (love this!); Managing across timezones and languages; Implementing matrix management; Getting into the role of International GM - what it takes, how it happens; Resources on expansion and and the CAGE Distance Framework; The hardest markets to enter - Japan and China; Biggest surprise learning, and getting C-suite buy-in