The ROI of preparation - You don’t know what you don’t know
When starting something new, you don't know what you don't know. You don't know which questions to ask and how to prepare. Foleon's VP of Sales Douglas van Oijen learned from experience what the ROI of preparation is. Douglas shares his lessons learned from managing and doing business with Americans, and how preparation would have helped him hit the ground running those first few months when everything was new.
In 2018, Douglas and his family moved from the Netherlands to New York, to manage Foleon's New York office. Like many other Dutch expats, he did not prepare for the cultural differences because Dutch and American culture are so similar - at first glance. He soon realized that those minor cultural differences have a large impact on doing business in the US, both financially and in employee satisfcation.It didn’t take long to understand that awareness of the differences makes cooperation and communication between the Dutch and American office a lot easier!
You don't know what you don't know. By talking to the experts and people who have made the move before you, you will discover what you should know, and can prepare accordingly
Douglas van Oijen, VP of Sales, Foleon
Now that Douglas and his family are back in the Netherlands, he reflects on what he would have done differently when preparing for the move from the Dutch office to the American office, and shares the lessons learned. As an added bonus, Douglas shares how he implemented some typical American habits in the Dutch office and how that made a difference for Foleon.
What you will learn
The ROI of preparation
Why you can't duplicate your processes and implement them in the foreign office
Why both US and Dutch teams need cultural training to improve cooperation between the local office and the foreign HQ
How hiring can make or break a foreign expansion
The importance of creating clear objectives including a "what and why". Leave the "how" to the local office
Resources
Culture Guide - Top 10 insights for doing business in the US
The Culture Map - very insightful book about cultural differences. A fun and easy read!
Connect with Douglas van Oijen on LinkedIn
Share your thoughts!
I would love to hear your experiences doing business in the USA? What was your “lesson learned”? Feel free to share your experiences by simply clicking here
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and how you can use the Dutch American differences to your advantage?
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