Q: What are some of the most common mistakes people make when trying to expand into markets outside the United States?
A: Assuming that everywhere else is like the United States, assuming the same rules apply elsewhere, and underestimating the complexity.
A common mistake is hiring people just because they speak good English or have lived in the United States. That doesn’t mean they are good at what they are doing over there.
Timing is huge. The speed at which people do business in this country is very fast. Abroad it is about building relationships first, and that takes time. There is a gap in the sense of time.
Q: Is it true that managers in France greet employees by kissing them four times? What are some cultural differences people need to be aware of?
A: I was being kissed four times in Paris and wondering how I could get around it. You would never kiss a Japanese colleague. Americans will tell you their whole life story in five minutes. You don’t get that overseas.
Europeans speak of we. In the United States we say I. When you say I all the time in Europe, it doesn’t come across very well.
Q: What is different about your club?
A: It is a forum for people to get together and learn from each other about doing business abroad. We have 120 members and a larger community of 480 associates. We cap the number of service providers we allow into the club. No pitching is allowed.
How do you stay up on the fast changing dynamics of this global economy? You could go to a university and listen to a lecture. That is slow and expensive. Many people don’t have the time to do it. You can read the Financial Times, the Economist and watch BBC World. That is too general. The best way to learn is to ask people.
Q: What advice would you give to a small-business owner looking to do business abroad but not sure how to get started?
A: Talk with people who are doing it, who have done it, who understand the practical aspects of doing it. We have a category for members who have specific plans to expand abroad in the next 12 months.
We have such an incredible depth of international business experience in the club, and people like sharing their experiences.
People who have serious plans to expand abroad, we will take them under our wings.
Q: Did growing up in Switzerland make you more attuned to how people interact across cultures?
A: Absolutely. I grew up in town called Biel that was half Swiss-German and half Swiss-French. Swiss-Germans are more similar to Germans than they are to the Swiss-French. And the Swiss-French are more similar to the French.
Q: Do you plan to return to Europe or are you here to stay?
A: The United States will be my home. Europe is an older society where things are more structured. Switzerland for me felt so organized, so on time.
I always felt it was like living in a little box.
I love Switzerland and being Swiss. But things here are more free-form and flowing. This is the land of opportunity. For people who are go-getters, this is a great place. You are not as confined here.
Q: Did the mountains attract you to Colorado?
A: It is as close to Switzerland as I can get and live the American lifestyle.
Edited for space and clarity from an interview by staff writer Aldo Svaldi.
