An International perspective
Written by on Friday, November 30, 2007 – 10:28 am -I recently had the pleasure of catching up with 3 of my friends and previous co-workers from Dublin (from my AOL days) over drinks the other night and we discussed many things, one of which is their take on startups and the whole craze (if you will). Being a naive American, I simply assumed that they had the same perspective on the startup culture and the excitement around it, but turns out I was dead wrong (at least one of them did not share the same view on it as I did, and the conversation was mainly with him as the other 2 were too busy with their drinks). His take was that he did not really buy into the whole startup craze taking place here in the states, and to some extent in London and parts of the rest of Europe (but apparently not in Dublin).
Needless to say, this got me thinking about launching a startup and whether or not you take into account your international reach. Do most startups go into it thinking that they are just going to have a presence in the States and no where else? I am guessing that either they think that or have not even thought about international all together. There is an important lesson to be learned here in that you need to understand your target demographic and what the expected uses will be from your users. As if worrying about what your users in the States are going to do and how to react to it, imagine what the international community will do with it! One cannot assume that they product will be used the same in different countries, and if you do, you are sadly mistaken. Take for example when Chevrolet cam out with the Nova for Latin America. They could not figure out why it was not selling well. Duh, no va in Spanish means does not go. Not a good name for a vehicle, right?
Bottom line is that when you are building out your product, you need to give some serious consideration as to what other countries may take interest in your product and try to embrace the ways that they may want to use your product (of course take this with a grain of salt, there are certain things that you cannot change because it may go against a core piece of functionality, but at least try to be cognizant of other potential uses). After all, the web has created a forum for companies to launch products internationally fairly easily, so give some thought to our brothers and sisters abroad and try to accommodate where you can.
Posted in Business, Opinions, Web Community |
Will Kern's take on business, startups, life and everything in between. This blog is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.
November 30th, 2007 at 10:38 am
Good thoughts, Will. I’m curious though–you mention that the Dubliners had a different mentality toward startup businesses and then gave examples of poor research before launching in foreign markets–or did I read that wrong? I’m curious what specifically your friends last night were saying–was it that Americans don’t know how to position their startups to adequately accomodate the rest of the world’s needs…or was it that the rest of the world is just less likely to accept newer applications…or that the rest of the world isn’t as quick to launch new tech businesses or…?
It’s a great topic and I’m genuinely curious what your friend was arguing. Thanks for sharing!
November 30th, 2007 at 11:12 am
@Jared,
The two were not explicitly related, it was just that his take on startups made me realize that the international community has a different take on a lot of things, one of which is startups and the other being product usage. His comments were really just a segue for me to ponder international product releases and how one should address them.
Does that help?
As for his specific take on startups, if you want me can discuss in further detail.
November 30th, 2007 at 11:31 am
Thanks for the head’s up… I look forward to hearing more when the time is right
November 30th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
I’ve had international aspirations for both of my startups since day one. But, I think you’re right that most people feel comfortable limiting themselves stateside.
I’m currently in London for Startup Weekend (Dublin in the next) and the attitudes towards how to do a startup are slightly different. It’s too early to make specific claims, but I’ll follow up about my observations on the cultural differences once I’ve had time to digest and think about it.
One thing I did notice, however, is the different style of designers out here. Logos, street signs, company names, and everything else belongs to a different aesthetic out here. Not that it’s a bad thing, but it’s something to be aware of when bringing a US-based product over the pond (and vice versa).
December 1st, 2007 at 9:50 am
Will,
I’ve been burned at least once by not looking at international data. Someone asked me about joining a startup. I’d never heard of them. Did some initial digging on their traction and they were negligible.
Unfortunately, the report I looked at defaulted to U.S. If I’d flipped the switch to International it would have been a whole different picture.
They just got bought for a big pile of money.
December 1st, 2007 at 4:17 pm
@Michael,
Yes, I have been trying to keep up with your London posts, sounds like you all are having a good time. I would definitely like to catch up with you after Dublin to see what your thoughts are on their take on startups to see if it matches what my friend’s feelings were. Actually, a friend of mine has signed up, his name is Diarmuid Gill so if you see him, tell him you know me. He is a good guy.
@Rocky,
That sucks that that happened to you, hopefully next time it won’t
W
December 3rd, 2007 at 1:43 pm
I _think_ i am one of the friends that Will was speaking about. I did not have anything against startups. What i did have a problem with was the startup weekend. I have a job that keeps my fully occupied, a beautiful wife and a fantastic 5 month old baby and would rather spend my all to short weekends with them.
When the time is right i would hope i have the courage to strike out a startup of my own but for now its all about family. That was my point. The Irish tech scene is solid and the environment is ripe for doing business in many shapes and sizes and succeding .
Will , if your gonna quote me , get it right
December 3rd, 2007 at 5:33 pm
@Eain,
Are we a bit presumptuous these days to assume it was you I was referring to ;-).
Thanks for the clarification, you are absolutely right the conversation was in the context of Startup Weekend, but the conversation in general is what sparked my thought about understanding your entire demographic, not just that demo in country.
Please take this as my formal apology, and please do not strike me from your friend list