Expand global. Excel local.

Have met and partnered over the course of my career many great entrepreneurs. They created businesses, products , services. Some of them in their 20s some of them late 50s. All of them had one theme in common at one stage in their business journey. Do I have to scale up and beyond and go global?Or excel local first.
For many, it is a scary thought to go do business in a foreign country. Doing business in country that that you might not speak the language of. Different alphabets? Customs, cross border trade , regulations, cultural differences, political ups and downs.
On the downside, global arena is intimidating, it is unfamiliar, unpredictable and confusing at times. The way different cultures comprehend time, social responsibility , performance and ethical code of behavior change on a large bouquet of colors. It almost makes the behaviors of your counterparts challenging to comprehend.
On the upside however, it is a world full of wonders. Great people with great ideas. Some-ideas , even in todays global village take time to be implemented across borders. New perspectives brought into a culture carried over from another cultural origin makes impactful and creative changes to businesses and lives of others in that culture on a positive way.

All in all on a last count , I realize that I have done business in 20 countries so far. Some developed world countries , some developing world countries. Different cultural backgrounds, religions , races. Different climate conditions -40 degrees celcius /fahrenheit all the way to 50 degrees celcius / 122 fahrenheit. Humid - dry. Fast to slow. Made and lost money in some, the experiences that make me understand the world better today contributed to my journey in business life.
Each of the dimensions… excelling and conquering the world… To bring strength to both of the dimensions require resources. The paralel fulfillment of strengthening both dimensions in a balanced manner is doable. Learning from international expansion efforts and excelling and contributing to product and service specs on one of two chains and excelling in product specs to go after global conquest on the other chain. Both intertwined and inseparable like the DNAs two chains coiling around each other.
A team comprised of inherited international business DNA with top area specific know how. Team mates that have done business in 3 or more countries was a selection criteria was the recipe I used when I have establishing my latest company on my conquest to make the world a better place.

#startup #diversity #excellence #global