What have been your biggest learnings on scaling a business globally?

Love this question! I'll keep this focused on building out product marketing teams globally (vs full businesses or even broader marketing orgs) but I think there's a few things that not only stand out but are also consistent across different businesses I've worked at. Similar to one of the other questions I answered, spend a disproportionate amount of time and energy on hiring the very best you can. This might be obvious but all too often poor hires (or poor 'fits') result in a multitude of issu ...Read More

The most important thing is understanding that regions work at different paces—the rate of acceleration between role types and career progression. And it’s also important to understand the hierarchies of every region: While it might be OK in the US, for example, to get direct answers from team members of every level, when you work with teams overseas, sometimes it’s best to start with the leadership. And small gestures can go a long way toward building international teams—international-friendly ...Read More

The biggest learning and maybe an obvious one is that what works in one region may not work in another. Cultural differences absolutely can and do impact how things like sales, marketing, and customer engagements are received. If your company is expanding globally to new regions, spend time with your teams on the ground there - join sales calls and learn about how business is conducted in those areas. These insights will help you develop the right go to market strategies. In addition to that - m ...Read More

Cultural nuances are a real thing. Get comfortable with not having the same amount of high touch, but bear in mind that the regional differences do matter. In the UK words that we would spell with a Z (materialize) are spelled with an S (materialise). These innocuous differences do matter. In a former role we sold a platform that managed entitlements, and that literally had no direct translation in French.  In many Nordic countries gifting isn't just frowned upon, it's against the law. So my big ...Read More