Skip to main content
Global Insider Talks
February 6, 2023

Episode Notes

As you consider expanding your business to the United States, are you asking the right questions to set yourself up for success? The United States is a great place to do business with a diverse population, a strong economy, and a government that is friendly to foreign investors.

However, with 50 different states, hundreds of counties and cities, the U.S. isn’t one homogenous nation. U.S. tax regulations and laws can be complicated for a foreign business executive trying to decide where to establish their business. And consumer spending habits and tastes often vary by region.

Working with local business consulting services and conducting proper strategic planning enables non-U.S. business owners and entrepreneurs to determine the best place to establish their businesses and begin selling. Should you incorporate in a tax-friendly state and start selling in a city where there’s already competition? Or, do you begin where there’s market demand but little competition as Belgium-based Renson, creator of healthy outdoor living spaces?

For his book Make It in America: How International Companies and Entrepreneurs Can Successfully Enter and Scale in U.S. Markets, our guest Matthew Sawyer spoke with 100+ companies in 40 countries, and presented fascinating case studies on how some companies succeeded, while others failed.

Our interview highlights several case studies, including Hyundai’s introduction to the U.S. in 1986 as a low-cost, high-quality automaker, to the high-end German window producer, Menck Fenster which totally misread the U.S. market when they entered in 2015 (later pulling out in 2017).

Here’s more on how to enter the U.S. market successfully — along with tips, insights, and company case studies of key successes and failures to learn from:

Background reading:

For more information on planning your global expansion, book a free meeting with us today.