James Isilay of Cognism: Moving Company Culture to the US
Moving to the United States
Our guest in this episode is James Isilay, the CEO and Founder of Cognism, a B2B sales enablement platform which helps companies find new markets. With background in software development, James tells us how he started Cognism, and when, how, and why they expanded to the US. He shares key things that helped his company open an office in New York and acquire new clients. From building systems and company culture, to having the right advisors and being visible to foreign investors, James outlines the path that brought success to Cognism in America. He also cautions against expanding before a...
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Alex Klein, CEO at Kano: Computer Design As Simple As Lego
Moving to the United States
Today our guest is Alex Klein, the co-founder and CEO of Kano Computing. He invented a computer for kids to assemble when he was challenged by a 6 year old cousin who wanted to make his own computer, but to be as simple and fun as Lego. Although the idea appeals to kids, it’s not the exclusive target of their products. The spirit of the design process is the beginner’s mind. The goal of Kano is to tell a story that could be comprehensible to any culture, language, and geography. However, the products are particularly caught on in the US. Alex caught the opportunity and expanded...
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Alan Donegan: Ins and Outs of a Nomadic Business
Moving to the United States
Today we are joined by the founder of the PopUp Business School, Alan Donegan. Running a nomadic business across numerous different countries, he’s got a lot to share about how to start a successful business, and how to expand and operate in different countries and cultures once you do. Alan is a strong believer in the idea that you don’t need a lot of money to start a business. All you need is a good idea and the right direction. He tells us everything he does to help starting businesses, as well as what his own journey has looked like starting the PopUp Business School. ...
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Maeve Kneafsey of CloudKPI: A Female Tech Founder in the US
Moving to the United States
On today’s episode we are joined by Maeve Kneafsey, owner of CloudKPI. Running a company that has teams in both Dublin and America, she knows a lot about what it’s like to be moving your business. From the very start of CloudKPI’s conception Maeve decided to focus on the American market and have a base set up in the States. She had a lot of people help her make the transition from Ireland to America, and now she’s looking to help others who want to do a similar move. We talk about her whole experience moving across, from the different ways she’s treated for being a...
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Murali Akella of TransferWise: Not a Job, But a Revolution
Moving to the United States
In this episode, we are joined by Murali Akella, who has helped TransferWise partner with banks across the globe. TransferWise has been a revolutionary form of transferring money overseas at the lowest possible cost. Started in 2011 in the UK, it quickly became popular and now has over 6 million people who use their service. Unsurprisingly, to get to this stage they needed to expand. They opened up offices across the globe, including America. Murali shares with us what this experience has been like, why it was necessary, and the differences in the American market compared to the United...
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Husayn Kassai: Onfido Sets New Identity Standards for the US
Moving to the United States
On today’s episode we meet with Husayn Kassai, the CEO of the identity standard testing company Onfido. Founded in 2012, Onfido quickly expanded its offices outside of London, to include San Francisco, New York, Lisbon, Paris, New Delhi and Singapore. Husayn shares with us everything he’s learnt on his journey of expansion, and things he wished he knew before making the move across the pond. Having offices on both sides of America gives Husayn two very different perspectives of running a business in the United States. He talks with us about the different benefits both spots have, and the...
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Joe Blake of Artomatix: Empowering 3D Artists
Moving to the United States
Today we meet with Joe Blake, CEO of Artomatix, an Irish based tech company that helps studios create 3D content quicker than ever. He has always had his eye on the US market and expanded there very early on. However, although they have staff on the ground in America, they do not have a main office there and Joe explains why this is. He emphasises the importance of knowing your target audience and being able to visit your clients. He explains the high costs involved with opening an office in America, and how often if you have money to invest in your business it can be spent better elsewhere....
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Ashleigh Hinde: How Waldo Contact Lenses Cracked the US
Moving to the United States
In this episode we met with Ashleigh Hinde, founder and CEO of Waldo contact lenses. Waldo was created to give contact lense wearers more control over their purchasing while also reducing the cost. It’s a great company, run fantastically, and after a successful first year in England, Ashleigh expanded the company to America, opening up an office in New York, and even moving there herself. She talks us through how her business works, and explains what her experience was like moving Waldo to America. "You need to make sure you have the capital and the plan in place to launch in the US.” -...
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Aneesh Varma: Changing Credit Perception in the US
Moving to the United States
In this episode we are joined by Aneesh Varma, founder and CEO of the forward thinking credit assessment service Aire. He shares Aire’s mission of moving data collection away from the limiting aspect of only looking at the past, to also taking into account a person's present and probable future. By doing this, lenders can make smarter decisions, and borrowers get fairer access to credit. He tells us why he set up Aire, how it works, and what the experience has been like expanding to America. Different countries have different cultures and attitudes towards credit, and Aneesh talks about how...
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Luke Pearce: Radical Tea Towels in American Homes
Moving to the United States
Today we meet with Luke Pearce, the co-founder of Radical Tea Towel, a company that makes political and social statements for the home. He talks with us about how his company came into fruition and how it operates now. Keeping the manufacturing process in England, keeping quality control high and being part of a niche market made the company very successful. And after having tea towel success in England, Luke decided to bring the company across to do business in America too. With a different continent come different challenges, and Luke was surprised to find out he even had to explain what a...
info_outlineWhen you move your business to the States you’re going to need people to help you run it. So we tracked down Michael Molony, a high-level recruiter based in Austin, who works with the recruitment agency GQR.
Michael is originally from London but has made it big in the States and is absolutely loving it there. Me and Sebastian headed to his office, which looks out over Downtown Austin, to find out all about recruitment, work, and play in Texas!
He tells us how businesses are run differently in America compared to Europe, and how the way that they view failure is completely different too. Talking about change, we find out how the people can change, how his hobbies have changed, and most of all how his lifestyle has changed.
Telling us everything that makes Austin great, he also shares with us the downsides of the city, although to be honest, there’s really not that many...
“In America, the salaries are higher than in Europe, inherently through that, we see a higher reward from our endeavors.”
- Mike Molony
Time Stamps:
1:48 - What Michaels company does and how long it’s been running for.
2:43 - The reason that Michael moved to Texas.
5:23 - The difference in businesses in America compared to Europe.
8:22 - What the best lessons are that can be learned when doing business in America.
10:38 - How the definition of excellence is different in Texas compared to London.
13:00 - What it’s like dealing with American clients.
14:55 - The reality of failure, when if you fail you have no option but to go home.
17:54 - How well business in America pays.
19:16 - What the worst things are about living in Austin.
21:18 - How much the city is expanding and what this means for entrepreneurs.
23:01 - The new pastimes and hobbies that you can find in America.
26:06 - The everyday views from Mikes office.
27:47 - The best restaurant in Austin to go for a business lunch.
28:45 - If Mike sees a long term future for himself in Texas.
Resources:
Connect with Kevin Turley:
Website
Connect with Sebastian Sauerborn:
Website
Connect with Mike Molony: