As ON-Brand Partners starts to become established and gain more success internationally, I’ve been asked by a number of people to share my thoughts about what it takes for a New Zealand company to ‘get started’ on the international stage. While I certainly don’t have all the answers, we’ve certainly learnt some valuable lessons.

Nearly twelve months ago I sat in a meeting room with a group senior executive of one of the world’s largest banks.  He started by saying… “The work you’ve done with us in Malaysia is impressive, but obviously as a small company based on the other side of the world, you can’t help us globally. But let’s talk anyway”. 

Two hours later he concluded the meeting with a single comment “Come back to me with how you think you could support us globally”.

A year on, we have delivered an organisation-wide solution to an GBP18bn turnover business (with fantastic results), started with another (the largest in it’s sector) to co-create a market-leading customer experience strategy and have established relationships with key executives in a list of companies that even our local competitors shake their heads at in astonishment.

It’s been a tough year, and we are not there yet. There’s constant pressure on resources and cashflow, plus ongoing (and surprising) business administrative challenges.  But, we know we are onto something.  As a business, we have the ‘belief’ that, if we can sustain our momentum, we can truly crack it on an international stage.

Our key insight is that success requires focus, energy, and local partners to make it happen. Read the rest of this entry »