India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem has grown tremendously in the past two decades and we’ve started to see a huge increase in the number of companies that are growing beyond the borders and taking on global opportunities at scale. For many, the most lucrative opportunities lie in selling into the US market because of the large consumer and enterprise footprint, as well as the signalling power that operating in the USA can provide.
However, in order to execute a successful strategy in the USA, it’s recommended that you have a presence there which can be utilized to drive that expansion.
Why Is Having a Presence in the USA Important?
The globalization that we’ve seen in recent years has made the global supply chain as efficient as ever. So, you might wonder why you would need an actual presence in America at all?
Well, here are some of the key reasons why:
- Time Zone. When you’re selling into the USA, you’re going to need to be available to interact with customers, suppliers, partners, and other stakeholders – so that you can build trust and operate efficiently. Doing so over the phone is challenging because of the time zone difference that requires lots of gymnastics to get around. Having a local presence means that you can match working hours with your clients – making for much more seamless value exchange.
- Perception. Having a local US office can do a lot to signal that you’re a global company that is taking its American expansion seriously. It shows that you’re not just a fly-by-night operation, but rather than you’re a multi-national company seeking to make a dent in overseas markets. This builds credibility and trust with local Americans which can only serve to improve your prospects across the country.
- Local Context. When you’re selling into an unfamiliar environment, it is very easy to miss the cultural and economic context that is at play in those communities. When there’s an imbalance here, there is a risk that your offering doesn’t fit what’s required and that can lead to problems. Having a local office means that you have feet on the ground and you can learn about the people that you’re selling to. Just by engaging in that specific location, you’ll drastically improve your ability to craft a compelling and viable proposition.
- Opportunism. Having a local presence in the USA will also help you to spot additional opportunities that you might be able to capitalize on. By drawing insights from what’s around you and, more importantly, what’s not around – you can come up with new product ideas that might be even more lucrative than what you’re currently doing. It’s all about creating idea factories that can give you the insights you need to continue innovating.
Those are just a few of the things that make a local US presence so powerful for Indian companies looking to expand. However, doing so can be an expensive and challenging endeavor if you go about it the wrong way.
Mistakes That Companies Make When Trying to Expand to the USA
In our experience, we’ve seen that some of the more common mistakes made when opening in the USA are as follows:
- Significant Upfront Expenditure. Some organizations invest too much too early before they’ve had a chance to actually check the product-market fit in the USA. They will go and sign an expensive lease, invest in new assets, and incur a wide variety of other expenditures upfront. This is risky because you don’t have much wiggle room here and if you aren’t able to start making inroads quickly you can find yourself in a difficult spot.
- Lack of Market Research. The USA is a big place and it has a lot more diversity than many of us realize. As such, it’s crucial that you do your market research about the best place to be, how you should enter the market, and what offering you should lead with. Companies who don’t do this often find that their assumptions were wrong and they can quickly find themselves behind the 8-ball.
- Forgoing a Premium Address. Some companies know that they need an American address to build credibility but the thought process stops there. As a result, they choose a cheap USA location only to find out that the address doesn’t carry the sort of cache that they were hoping for. In these cases, they simply don’t get the return on the investment they were hoping for because the address wasn’t premium enough.
These three mistakes are emblematic of trying to do it yourself without the context and experience that you need to do it well. It makes a lot more sense to partner with someone who has done it before and can ease the path ahead of you.
Here at FlexyVO, we’ve set out to solve that by crafting unique virtual office solutions for companies who want to make the most of their time in the USA. We’ve gone above and beyond to make it easy and efficient to set up shop overseas, and we’re so thrilled with what it’s been able to do for our clients.
Why Should You Use FlexyVO to Create a Presence in the USA?
While it might be tempting to do it all yourself, the truth is that makes much more sense to work with a partner who has done it all before. At FlexyVO, we pride ourselves on helping companies of all types transition into the USA at an affordable cost, with ultimate flexibility, without compromising the key components that make it such a powerful move in the first place.
Here are the key reasons why you should use FlexyVO to live your American dream:
- Wide Network of Offices. We have secured real estate all over the USA in some of the most sought-after spaces in major cities. You can select from this wide range and ensure that you’re in close proximity to your customers and to the rest of the industry – without any fuss. This makes the world of difference when you get started because you don’t have to spend time and effort looking for that perfect office that is going to work for you. All that is already done for you and you can leverage the existing infrastructure with ease.
- Affordable Pricing. Our offering is very affordable because we can take advantage of the economies of scale we have already built. When you get started, there are no upfront capital expenditure costs, meaning that you can trial your efforts in the USA with very little risk. The cost is completely predictable and you can work that into your budget so that you are fully in control of what you’re investing. In addition, we also offer very favorable contract terms that are designed to mitigate as much risk as possible for you. It’s an offer that just can’t be beaten.
- Flexibility. Our virtual office solutions allow you a tremendous amount of flexibility and agility so that you can operate without constraint or investing a lot in upfront cost. All of our facilities can be used on an ad-hoc basis making for a setup that can be adjusted and adapted according to what you’re looking for. You pay only for what you need and nothing else. This means that your downside risk is capped and you can go head-first into the American market with nothing weighing you down.
- Conference Rooms. Sometimes you might need to host meetings with US counterparts and you want to know that you can manage these with the credibility and convenience that is becoming of a multi-national organization. FlexyVO’s offers state-of-the-art conference room facilities that you can use on a monthly basis as you wish. Being able to book these and entertain clients and partners makes a big difference when you’re trying to make a name for yourself in a new city.
- Liaisons in India. We have a dedicated FlexyVO team on the ground in India to help you make the move as smoothly and efficiently as possible. You can connect with them in advance and get all the information that you need from someone who understands what you’re trying to accomplish. Our team is very passionate about helping Indian companies expand their horizons and they are the perfect guiding force to help you along your journey.
- Privacy. We understand that you might have extremely sensitive and confidential documents coming through your US address. We have set up our operations in a way that protects your privacy every step of the way. You never have to worry about inadvertently losing data or having your internal documents in the wrong hands. We endeavor to protect your company in the same way that we would our own.
As you can see, we’ve worked hard to ensure that our clients can seamlessly transition into a US environment and enjoy all the benefits that come with it. Nothing makes us happier than seeing organizations thrive in new ecosystems because they get started in the right way. Leverage our experience, facilities, and mindset – so that you can succeed over the long term.
If this is of interest, be sure to get in touch today, and let’s discuss how we can take your Indian organization to the States and beyond
(Sponsored Feature)
