All posts tagged: Business Launch

Expanding Overseas: Which Country is right for your business?

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Having decided you are ready to expand internationally, how do you decide where to target? Which country or countries is the best fit for your business? According to the UN there are 195 countries in the world. That’s a lot of potential countries. Some will not be open to you, if you are a US based company, you will not be allowed to do business in some countries, such as Iran and North Korea for example. Some countries prohibit foreign companies for operating in certain sectors, military and essential infrastructure are common areas for restrictions. There can be religious restrictions, if you market alcohol you will not be welcome in Brunei. But even with these legal, governmental, and religious restrictions there will still be many to choose from. So how do you select the countries that are right for you? Proximity One criterion I feel is important and one that is often overlooked is proximity. There is a huge difference operating in a country that is a two hour plane ride away to one that …

The Minimalist Approach to Success.

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Lessons from “The Minimalist Entrepreneur – How Great Founders Do More With Less.” By Sahil Lavingia  Are you a Minimalist Entrepreneur? Introduction: Sahil Lavingia started his career chasing unicorns. He joined Pinterest as employee number two but left before his stock invested to build his own billion dollar company: Gumroad. A tool to help creators sell their products online. Simplicity was key, no complicated setup, no elaborate storefront. Just a link for customers to pay and you are in business. Fifty thousand people visited the site on the first day and Sahil felt he was on the cusp of something big. Gumroad never did become a unicorn, after burning through $10 million of investor’s capital, growth plateaued, attempts to raise additional capital failed. Three quarters of the company’s staff were laid off, including many of Sahil’s good friends. From the perspective of Silicon Valley, and in his own eyes, Mr. Lavinga was a failure. A move from San Francisco to Provo Utah enabled Sahil to change his perspective. Gumroad was a sustainable business, thousands of …