During one of his conquests, with his army marching behind him, Julius Caesar passed through a small village in the Alps. Plutarch reports that Caesar observed that he would rather be the first man there than the second man in Rome. His comment reveals an interesting psychological insight into one of history’s greatest leaders.
His ambition was such that he felt he should lead in whatever situation he found himself in. Luckily, he led the Roman Republic to its position as the dominant force in the world at that time and an empire that is still looked upon as perhaps the greatest culture in antiquity.
Caesar did not run a startup business but if he had, it is easy to imagine that he would want to be a world leader in that sphere too. In the modern world, being first in your village is nice, but being first in Rome is what everyone aspires to (including Caesar).
The current global market is more connected now than it has ever been. Finding customers overseas has become easier and simply as a result of the Internet. Technology has also made the process of running a business more efficient too. Globalization has prompted governments to
Globalization has prompted governments to strike trade deals, and more than ever before the world’s economies are closer interlocutors. To succeed, you need to adapt. Here are a few tips for running a business in the global age:
One of the difficult things about doing business with people around the world is that you may not speak their language and they may not speak yours. You both may understand money, but if you cannot communicate to each other how you intend to make it, you will be in trouble. If you employ a leading provider of Translation Services, you can start making contacts all over the world.
Another thing to consider when doing business with people from different places and different cultures is that their business customs may be rather disparate from yours. To ensure that you do not make a faux pas, or worse, initiate some sort of diplomatic incident, you should do some research about how things are done in the places that you are hoping to do them. It would be foolish to allow a business opportunity to sour as a consequence of a simple matter like a potentially impolite misunderstanding.
As long as you intend to do business overseas, you need to ensure that you can find customers there. You would once have asked a local advertising agency to promote you on buses or billboards but doing that all over the world is going to be immensely expensive and a logistical nightmare. Social media is a better option. It still takes work but with a projected 6.1 billion people having smartphones by 2020, it is worth your time and attention.
Doing business around the world is an ambitious goal, and whatever it is you want to sell, it is going to be a hectic, stressful endeavor. Generally, it is good practice to have a clearly articulated business plan but it is absolutely necessary when you intend to be more than the first person in your village.