One of my favorite aspects of working with the EBT is visiting different countries and working with our local Microsoft resources learning how Microsoft can help companies prosper in their local economies and worldwide. Over the years I have done this in the UK, Israel, France, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden. I have done it to some degree in Canada and China – but not directly in-country like in the other areas. I am always fascinated by the cultural differences in how to build and sustain a business.
I have an uncle who is a successful businessman in Italy ( along with my aunt and all my cousins who also own their own businesses in Italy ), I lived a bit in England, Leeds to be exact, when in High School, and traveled throughout Europe ( UK, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Greece ), studying international business in college. Even though us Americans like to think we have the best free enterprise system, entrepreneurship is alive and well worldwide and prospering today like no other time in history.
So when I go to a new country, what do I do with startups to help them be successful? It's actually quite pragmatic and involves aligning the Microsoft resources and efforts to fit with the local culture and economic trends, especially in the target markets and demographics. Unfortunately Microsoft tends to take a model that works well in Chicago and put that same model into operation in China, only to find out that that model does not work well in China at all.
Once we can support startups effectively in our local offices, then we can leverage our global presence to help startups grow into other markets. With strong local knowledge we can help companies understand how a product that is doing well, in say Brazil, may also do well in France, or Columbia. I have helped companies cross borders from France to the US, from Sweden to the UK and from Finland to China. Global market expansion does not always make sense, and costs much more than most companies predict, but when it does work, expansion can be lucrative.
My meetings here in Brazil are about to start, but I will post later this week with updates.