Market Entry Strategies

In the U.S., you can grab coffee with a CEO in two weeks. In Europe, it might take two years to get that meeting. I ’ve spent years building relationships across both U.S. and European markets, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: networking looks completely different depending on where you are. The way people connect, build trust, and create opportunities is shaped by culture-and if you don’t adapt your approach, you’ll hit walls fast. So, if you're an executive expanding globally, a leader hiring across regions, or a professional trying to break into a new market-this post is for you. The U.S.: Fast, Open, and High-Volume Americans love to network. Connections are made quickly, introductions flow freely, and saying "let's grab coffee" isn’t just polite—it’s expected. - Cold outreach is normal—you can message a top executive on LinkedIn, and they just might say yes. - Speed matters. Business moves fast, so meetings, interviews, and hiring decisions happen quickly. But here’s the catch: Just because you had a great chat doesn’t mean you’ve built a deep relationship. Trust takes follow-ups, consistency, and results. I’ve seen European executives struggle with this—mistaking initial enthusiasm for long-term commitment. In the U.S., networking is about momentum—you have to keep showing up, adding value, and staying top of mind. In Europe, networking is a long game. If you don’t have an introduction, it’s much harder to get in the door. - Warm introductions matter. Cold outreach? Much tougher. Senior leaders prefer to meet through trusted referrals—someone who can vouch for you. - Fewer, deeper relationships. Once trust is built, it’s strong and lasting—but it takes time to get there. - Decisions take longer. Whether it’s hiring, partnerships, or leadership moves, things don’t happen overnight—expect a longer courtship period. I’ve seen U.S. executives enter the European market and get frustrated fast—wondering why it’s taking months (or years!) to break into leadership circles. But that’s how the market works. The key to winning in Europe? Patience, credibility, and long-term thinking. So, What Does This Mean for Global Leaders? If you’re an American executive expanding into Europe… 📌 Be patient. One meeting won’t seal the deal—you have to earn trust over time. 📌 Get introductions. A warm referral is worth more than 100 cold emails. 📌 Don’t push too hard. European business culture favors depth over speed—respect the process. If you’re a European leader entering the U.S. market… 📌 Don’t wait for permission—reach out. People expect direct outreach and initiative. 📌 Follow up fast. If you’re slow to respond, the opportunity moves on without you. 📌 Be ready to show value quickly. Americans won’t wait months to see if you’re a fit. Networking isn’t just about who you know—it’s about how you build relationships. #Networking #Leadership #ExecutiveSearch #CareerGrowth #GlobalBusiness #US #Europe

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘&𝗦 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗜𝘀 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻—𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗔𝗻 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 The E&S market hit $100B in 2024. But we're still using technology from 2004. Here's what nobody is talking about: ✅ 80% of E&S submissions get rejected—not because they're bad risks, but because we can't analyze them fast enough ✅ The average E&S policy takes 30+ days to quote   ✅ Most carriers are running on systems built before the iPhone existed But this broken market is creating a perfect storm for innovation: 1. Data is finally structured enough for AI 2. Specialty carriers are desperate for tech solutions 3. Capital is flowing to companies that can solve these problems The next wave of risk-tech unicorns won't be direct-to-consumer plays. They'll be the companies that crack the specialty insurance code. What I'm seeing work: • API-first platforms • Automated submission intake • Real-time risk modeling • Embedded specialty coverage The E&S market doesn't need disruption. It needs infrastructure. Who's building in this space? Drop a 👋 below.

I often get questions from New Zealand businesses looking to enter the US market.  There's rarely a simple or straightforward answer, which isn’t surprising given the size, competitiveness, and complexity of the United States. Take Fix & Fogg for example - we’ve had a solid run in America, starting on Amazon in 2018 and now selling in ~2,000 stores, including every Whole Foods Market. That’s no small feat, yet, I’ve certainly had my share of missteps and blunders along the way. Luckily, there have been plenty of learnings and wins too. So with that in mind, if you are looking at this market then the top three tips I’d give you (and in this order) are: 1. Ask yourself why (a lot, please): Why are you focusing on the USA - instead of doubling down in NZ? Why now? And why is your business truly ready to make the leap? Why should a US customer choose your product over the competition? Yes, the US market is big and attractive, but it's a game of high stakes, so dig deep on the why's. 2. Do your homework on the ground: Visit stores, walk the aisles (as many as you can), go to trade shows and expos, talk to customers and buyers, forge relationships, taste test the competition, figure out your margin tree, understand the distributor environment, decipher whether there any trade tariffs you need to consider (like we have to) or potential IP issues, etc, etc. There's a mountain of work you need to do States-side before even thinking about selling your first unit. 3. Surround yourself with the right team. Start with those people in your corner who've actually walked-the-walk, which can be surprisingly rare (trust me). These people are invaluable due to the fact they can genuinely relate to your journey. You'd be hard pressed to find two better advisers than Jake Boyd and Bob Burke. I've been lucky enough to know them both for a number of years and their market knowledge is eye-wateringly good. *Not a paid endorsement - just two smart, kind humans that really understand the American CPG space* Good luck y'all!

When I was 14, I sold a product that wasn't real. On purpose. I wanted to start a mail-order business selling fly-tying materials to fishermen. But I had no idea if anyone would actually buy. So I placed an £8 advert in Trout & Salmon magazine: "Send for my catalogue." The problem was, I hadn't printed the catalogue yet. I hadn't even bought any stock. When 25 people responded, I told them we had "sold out" and they were out of print. Then I scrambled to put one together. That £8 test told me everything I needed to know. There was demand and the business was viable. I went on to turn over £1,500 in the first year, with £356 profit. That felt good for a teenager with a £100 loan from his mum. Here's what I learned about validation: ➡️ Test before you invest The biggest mistake founders make is building before they validate.  They spend months (sometimes years) perfecting a product nobody wants. ➡️ Make your test affordable £8 bought me the answer to a £10,000 question.  You don't need venture capital to test an idea.  You need creativity and nerve. ➡️ Make your test fast I had my answer in a week. That's how I discovered that speed matters.  The longer you wait to test, the more attached you become to an idea that might not work. ➡️ Let the market decide I didn't ask friends what they thought.  I didn't run focus groups.  I put real money on the line and saw the results. ➡️ Copy what works, then improve it I didn't invent fly-tying materials.  I just found a better way to sell them.  Take what's already working and find a way to execute it better. It's about getting it 80% right, then letting your customers show you the rest. The software industry worked this out years ago.  They release version 1.0 knowing it's not perfect. Then they improve based on real feedback. You can do the same, whatever your business is. A simple test you can run this week: Before you invest a large amount of money, run the smallest possible test that proves demand. - A classified advert like I did. - 10 conversations with potential customers. - A prototype made from cardboard and duct tape. Whatever proves people will actually pay for what you're planning to build. Because the market will always tell you the truth if you're willing to ask. If you're currently testing a business idea,  I'd like to hear how you're validating demand before you build. 

One of the most expensive mistakes a founder or investor can make is treating Africa as one big single market. It is not! While there are markets considered to be the continent's digital hubs, digital finance hubs, which is exciting, their regulatory DNA is fundamentally different. You may have a perfect product, but applying a "Kenyan strategy" to the Nigerian market isn't just difficult, it’s a recipe for significant compliance friction, capital inefficiency, and ultimately, failure. One example which comes to mind is how MPESA has done so well in Kenya but not so much following its launch in Ethiopia in 2023. Another is how MTN's MoMO has done well in some markets and not so well, if not failing, in others. These markets are different. This includes the way they are also regulated. I’ve briefly mapped out the regulatory logic of Kenya, Rwanda, Ghana, and Nigeria in the image below to show how these differences impact your product launch or expansion. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻: 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝘆𝗮: Pragmatic and inclusion-led. Great for scale, but conduct scrutiny is tightening. 𝗥𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮: The ultimate testbed. Modular licensing makes it the perfect regional proof-of-concept. 𝗚𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗮: Highly structured digital rails. Interoperability is the name of the game here. 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮: High-stakes, capital-heavy. Massive upside, but you need a "stability-first" compliance mindset. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲: Different markets, different regulations. Stop treating these regulations as hurdles. They are not. They are a blueprint for your product design and valuation. Whether you are navigating PSP tiers or sandbox entries, the "copy-paste" regional expansion model will not work (well, only until license passporting starts working, like the Kenya -Rwanda-Ghana passporting frameworks). So what does success in the "African fintech market" require?....A localized regulatory strategy for every border you cross. Found this helpful? 🔔 Follow me for more insights on fintech strategy and African market entry. 🔄 Repost to help a founder or investor in your network avoid a market entry and compliance headache.

The failure of Five Guys in Germany is more than just a story about overpriced burgers — it’s a masterclass in cultural misalignment. When American brands expand into Europe, I always say: market entry is the ultimate pressure test for your marketing playbook. If you haven’t defined your value proposition sharply enough, you can’t adapt it to local culture and friction is guaranteed. Five Guys entered Germany with a US-centric model: premium fast food, higher prices, low marketing, and the belief that quality would speak for itself. But in Germany, it didn’t. A good example is their German Instagram channel. One of their posts promotes Milkshake Mix-in flavors of “Reese’s ” or “Cinnamon Bun”. In the US, these are nostalgic, beloved, high-recognition brands. In Germany? Reese’s has niche awareness, Cinnamon Bun is not a cultural staple, and neither triggers emotional resonance. To be successful in Germany you need to understand the Germans: 1. Price sensitivity & uncertainty avoidance – Germans value structure, reliability, and rational decision-making. Paying twice as much for a burger with no clear differentiation simply didn’t add up - and the macroeconomic environment didn't help. 2. Individualism vs. collectivism – American brands often sell an emotional “have it your way” narrative. In Germany, shared experiences and consistency matters. 3. Long-term orientation – German consumers reward brands that invest locally, adapt to culture, and show commitment — not those that copy-paste global playbooks. Localization isn’t about translation. It’s about resonance. It’s understanding what people value, what they expect from brands, and what will actually make them care. In my work with US companies expanding into Europe, I’ve seen it repeatedly: those who adapt thrive. Those who don’t become case studies. #Localization #GlobalMarketing #BrandStrategy #CulturalIntelligence #Hofstede #MarketEntry #FiveGuys #MarketingLeadership

Every region has its own rhythm. They’ve got different expectations, buying behaviours, cultures, and decision-making patterns. Expansion fails when companies try to copy-paste what worked at home. The mindset that actually works is simpler: •⁠ ⁠Listen before you sell. •⁠ ⁠⁠Adapt before you optimise. •⁠ ⁠⁠Build relationships before you build pipelines. •⁠ ⁠⁠Solve a local problem, not a global assumption. The goal isn’t to “enter” a market. The goal is to belong in it, to understand the strengths, gaps, and nuances well enough that customers feel you’re part of their ecosystem, not an outsider offering a generic solution. A company scales globally only when it learns to think locally. Real expansion isn’t measured by office locations or launch announcements. It’s measured by the strength of the partnerships you build, the trust you earn, and the value you consistently deliver - no matter the geography. Grow with intention. The right markets will meet you halfway.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐕𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐧𝐚𝐦 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐭) 𝟒 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫: After a decade working in PR and Communications, helping international brands enter Vietnam, I've watched the same patterns repeat over and over. Brilliant companies with massive budgets and proven track records elsewhere. But when they land here? Complete disaster. It's not because Vietnam is "difficult." It's because they make the same 4 mistakes that could have been avoided with better preparation. 👇 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 #𝟏: 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 "Vietnam is an emerging market, how complicated could it be?" Very complicated, actually. Take Zoomcar. Car-sharing worked in India, so why not Vietnam? Turns out, Vietnamese consumers have completely different relationships with vehicle ownership and mobility preferences. They didn't dig deep enough into local behavior patterns. 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 #𝟐: 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞-𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐟𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 Remember when Changee launched and immediately got boycotted because of a map showing the nine-dash line? One image destroyed their entire market entry. Vietnamese consumers are incredibly patriotic and will unite against brands that disrespect our cultural values. → This isn't political correctness - it's basic respect for the market you want to serve. 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 #𝟑: 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Gojek tried to localize as “GoViet” - the original name of Gojek when entering the Vietnamese market but still lost to Grab. Even worse? Local player Be has been quietly gaining market share with campaigns perfectly tuned to Vietnamese humor - like "Be Thuyền" during flood season and "Be Trực Thăng" during military parade season. → Local competitors don't just understand the market better. They move faster and speak the cultural language fluently. 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 #𝟒: 𝐈𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 Uber and Air Asia both learned expensive lessons about the Vietnamese regulatory environment and business practices. → What works in Singapore or Thailand might be completely wrong for Vietnam. Here's what I tell every international client: Vietnam isn't a smaller version of another market. It's its own ecosystem with its own rules, preferences, and cultural dynamics. The brands that succeed here don't just translate their global strategy. They rebuild it from the ground up with Vietnamese insights. Respect the market, and the market will respect you back. Think global, Act local What's the biggest cultural mistake you've seen an international brand make in your market 🔔 Follow me Ivy Nhi Chau for more content like this.

For 13 years, I’ve been on the frontline of the B2B data wars. Here are the 5 strategies startups can use to defeat larger incumbents in their battle for market share: BACKGROUND: When I was VP at ZoomInfo they outflanked D&B by going after SMB. When I was President/COO at Apollo I saw them build a self-serve PLG engine to take that very same SMB segment from ZoomInfo. In the coming years, some B2B data startup will do to Apollo what they did to ZoomInfo, and ZoomInfo did to D&B. That is the nature of the beast. Here are the 5 ways I've seen new companies defeat incumbents: 1. Capture Attention Better Than Your Competition -  Only companies with the ability to cut through the noise succeed -  No matter what you do, there are likely over 20 teams doing the same -  Lower the search cost for the buyer. Nurture a community, develop a memorable brand, think about market virality early on, invest in an Inbound flywheel 2. Just Be Different - There’s always room to innovate - Innovation can be in GTM or packaging (doesn't have to be product) Example (Packaging): ZoomInfo differentiated from D&B by selling a self serve tool for $5K/year; when most data vendors were selling data dumps for $100K+/year. Apollo differentiated from ZoomInfo by selling a self serve tool for $99/user/mo to SMB; when others were selling $25K/year plans to enterprise. Example (GTM): ZoomInfo innovated in GTM with efficient inside sales teams as opposed to D&B’s field sales staff. Apollo innovated with PLG for the data business as opposed to ZoomInfo’s inside sales team 3. Refuse To Copy Your Dominant Competitor - Most entrepreneurs have so much respect for the dominant competitors that all they can think of is playing catch up and aim for feature parity - By the time you copy a feature, the dominant player will build 5 more and the gap widens - Instead, craft your own path. Identify an audience that your competitor is ignoring and roadmap that will make you look distinct 4. Relentless Focus On Optimizing The Low End Of The Market - Most disruption comes from the low end of the market - Zoominfo went after the SMB, which D&B was willing to forego without a fight - As the ZoomInfo business grew, they moved upstream and Apollo went after the low end of the market that ZoomInfo did not care as much about anymore - It’s only natural that Apollo will find going upstream more attractive as the business scales, paving way for a NewCo to acquire the SMB market once again 5. Be the best at something and don't try to be good at everything - Every team can be exceptionally good at something - Identify what your superpowers are - Is it Product, Sales, Marketing, CS? - Double down on your strengths, ignore your weaknesses - Do more of what you are good at to create a competitive edge TLDR: 1. Learn how to capture attention 2. Be different 3. Don't copy your competitor 4. Focus on low end of the market 5. Be the best at something P.S. Have questions? AMA in the comments. 👇

“Why do I have to pick a niche? OpenAI didn’t have to pick a niche!” - every founder in 2025 Every startup that’s doing something new faces a challenge when moving from risk-tolerant early adopters to risk-averse mainstream buyers. How do I (the founder) convince the latter to take a bet on my small, unproven company? Unlike early adopters, the early mainstream market wants much more than software. They want: → deep support & documentation → onboarding, training, change management → pre-built integrations → partnerships in their industry → 3rd party support → a fleshed out ecosystem → a compelling use case All these factors reduce the perceived risk of investing time and energy into a startup. This jump from visionaries (who are happy to shoulder the burden of the above list) to the pragmatists (who are not) has been called the “chasm” — a concept popularized by Geoffrey Moore. The traditional path to winning the hearts of the early majority is by picking a niche segment and simply delivering the “whole product” for them (I.e. the software and everything from the list above). The reason you can only do this for one niche at a time is because each segment needs a different set of requirements beyond the software itself — and no small startup can deliver multiple different “whole products” at once. Examples of companies that grew from this strategy are Gusto and Square (as you can hear about in an excellent episode of First Round Capital’s In Depth podcast) and Tesla. However, there is another way that companies cross the chasm: They can borrow credibility from millions and millions of passionate users acquired from a more horizontal PLG approach. It’s one thing to approach a company and say “take a bet on us”… …and another to say “40% of your employees ALREADY use us.” The bottoms up approach has been used very effectively by companies like Notion, Airtable, Slack, and most recently OpenAI with ChatGPT. The goal is to get so many users that you’re a household name by the time you approach the majority for more end-to-end adoption. And added benefit — the passionate community effectively creates the “whole product” for you (as we see with the countless user-generated templates, trainings, etc. created by Notion and Airtable users). This second approach requires: 1) a fast time to value for individual and team users 2) that can adopt the product self-serve 3) and be reached through highly leveraged, viral distribution mechanisms 4) and ultimately lead to millions and millions of users