How to successfully take your business global, with Brigitte Bojkowszky

12/20/21 • 51 min

Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here!

Breaking into the international market is a great way to expand your customer base and generate more revenue. It elevates you, your brand, and your business, but...it can be really complex.
There are not just the legal and financial aspects to think through, but also cultural differences that you need to be aware of - a part of going global that can either make or break your efforts.
"But where do I start and how do I go about this?"
"I'm not an enterprise-level business - I won't stand a chance out there."
In this episode of Help, My Business Is Growing, global & personal branding strategist, Brigitte Bojkowszky, Ph.D., will share some of her expert insights on what to consider when thinking of expanding internationally.
Brigitte is a branding expert - both for global and personal brands, an author, teacher/professor, founder of BridgetBrands, and the host and producer of the podcast BrandsTalk. She empowers brands to unleash their full potential in their home markets and beyond.
In this week's episode, we discuss:

04:32 Some of the major reasons companies fail when they try to take their brands internationally
08:07 Examples of companies that thought they would experience "slam dunk" success in the geographically close market but failed due to unexpected socio-cultural and psychological differences
20:41 Things to keep in mind when researching how to expand in the international arena. What to look for and what to focus on especially when the budget is tight for extensive research.
24:57 Markets that are easier for a US-based smaller business to penetrate when growing internationally
26:18 Who can help with global brand building and businesses planning to expand abroad
27:52 Is it possible for a company to customize their products and services when entering a new market that almost becomes unrecognizable from its original form and brand? How can business owners balance that - especially when trying to develop one global brand that's also still recognizable in other markets?
36:49 What to consider when modifying the company’s logo for global expansion
Resources:
Bridget Bojkowszky, Ph.D., Global & Personal Branding Strategist, Founder of BridgetBrands:
https://bridgetbrands.com/
Email:
[email protected]
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bojkowszkyb/

Kathy Svetina, Fractional CFO:
https://www.newcastlefinance.us/
Blog post | How to Successfully Take Your Business Global
https://www.newcastlefinance.us/post/how-to-successfully-take-your-business-global

Is your growth causing financial headaches? Sales up, but profits lagging? Financial practices stuck in entry level mode?

Don't worry, it's not you—it's your financial setup.

Introducing NextGen Finance Blueprint by NewCastle Finance. This CFO-led roadmap: • Brings fuzzy finances into focus • Gives you a clear money picture • Creates a step-by-step action plan

Ready to level up? Visit newcastle.finance/blueprint

Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here!

Is your growth causing financial headaches? Sales up, but profits lagging? Financial practices stuck in entry level mode?

Don't worry, it's not you—it's your financial setup.

Introducing NextGen Finance Blueprint by NewCastle Finance. This CFO-led roadmap: • Brings fuzzy finances into focus • Gives you a clear money picture • Creates a step-by-step action plan

Ready to level up? Visit newcastle.finance/blueprint

Previous Episode

How to build your executive presence in the Zoom era, with Pamela Wigglesworth

Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here!

Today, it is our smartphone, tablet, and computer webcams that allow us to connect with our teams as well as suppliers, clients, and sales prospects.

This is the current reality of our daily working lives, video calls and meetings are now the norms.

And since we are keeping it real, distractions - whether you realize it or not - are now also part of your meeting agenda!

The physical disconnect makes it that much easier for your audience to drift away to deal with other work, the dog, the kids, dinner or to take a quick peek at Tiktok.

So how do you keep your audience engaged and how do you ensure they are still taking you seriously from the other side of the screen?

In this episode of Help, My Business Is Growing, International Communication Consultant & Presentations Coach Pam Wigglesworth reveals how you can nurture, build and develop your executive presence. And in this "Age of Zoom," we are currently living through, it is even more critical to have an executive presence and to ensure that you project it when the camera starts rolling.

Pamela Wigglesworth is an American, Singapore-based, International Communication Consultant & Presentations Coach, Speaker, Author, and the CEO of Experiential Hands-on Learning. She works one-on-one with senior leaders, C-suite executives, small business owners, and more to help establish their executive presence; structure a clear, concise presentation message; and deliver their thoughts and ideas with style, confidence, and authority.

In this week's episode, we discuss:
3:07 What is executive presence? And why is it so crucial for business owners or founders to spend time cultivating it?
7:49 How does one build an executive presence?
9:58 Tips on how to get gravitas and executive presence to shine through the camera.
13:52 How do you look at the camera, pay attention to facial expressions, and maintain eye contact with another person?
18:24 How to structure a presentation so that it's engaging and valuable to your audience
26:45 Time-tested tricks to eliminate filler words
30:45 How important is good appearance when working in a virtual environment?
38:58 Helpful books and resources
41:03 How does EQ or emotional quotient tie into executive presence?
44:47 What is the one tangible next step to take to cultivate executive presence?

Resources:

Pamela Wigglesworth, International Communication Consultant & Presentations Coach, Speaker, Author, and CEO of Experiential Hands-on Learning.
Website: https://experiential.sg
LinkedIn:
https://sg.linkedin.com/in/pamelawigglesworth
Instagram: @pamelawigglesworthcoach
Pamela's Free Resources | Executive Presence:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11jYf6UIkV8qKJL3ODx2KAWV0DK-4Cwpd?usp=sharing

Kathy Svetina, Fractional CFO:
https://www.newcastlefinance.us/

Blog post |

Is your growth causing financial headaches? Sales up, but profits lagging? Financial practices stuck in entry level mode?

Don't worry, it's not you—it's your financial setup.

Introducing NextGen Finance Blueprint by NewCastle Finance. This CFO-led roadmap: • Brings fuzzy finances into focus • Gives you a clear money picture • Creates a step-by-step action plan

Ready to level up? Visit newcastle.finance/blueprint

Next Episode

Advanced tax strategies for a growing business, with Ronica Brown, CPA

Comments? Suggestions? Text the show here!

Even if you think of taxes (both planning and paying them) as a "necessary evil," you can also make them work for you. Taking the time to plan your taxes and incorporating advanced tax strategies is a practical way to help your business save money.

In this episode of Help! My Business Is Growing, Tax Planning Expert and CPA Ronica Brown share how you can dig deep into the tax code and find a gold mine of methods to save on your taxes.

Ronica is a CPA, tax planning expert, speaker, and owner of RBA Tax Advisors. She helps organizations of various sizes rethink their tax strategies and reduce taxes by 30% by focusing on strategic tax planning. She is also a wife and mother and is passionate about gardening and cooking.

In this week's episode, we discuss:

2:10 How is a CPA specializing in advanced tax strategies different from regular CPAs that business owners are used to working with?

04:24 How would you find a CPA that provides advanced tax strategies and who can support the current stage your growing company is in?

07:18 What is the process of determining how to maximize tax credits based on a company's financial statements such as a P&L and balance sheet?

15:17 When is the right time to move from an LLC to an S, or even a C Corp?

17:09 What are some of the advanced tax strategies that have made a dent in people's tax bills?

19:02 How can business owners find strategic partnerships that give them a tax advantage?

24:12 What does the IRS look for in case you do get audited? What are some of the documentation you need to have if you end up hiring your child as a tax strategy to prove that they are actually doing things in the business?

27:10 What can business owners and founders do today that will take them closer to having a sound tax strategy in place?

Resources:

Ronica Brown, CPA, Tax Planning Expert, RBA Tax Advisors:
https://rbataxadvisors.com/

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronicabrowncpataxandacounting

Subscribe to Ronica's channel:
https://youtube.com/channel/UCapjVwFkaQhyvyWQBu3s8CQ
Kathy Svetina, Fractional CFO:
https://www.newcastlefinance.us/
Blog post | Advanced Tax Strategies For A Growing Business
https://www.newcastlefinance.us/post/advanced-tax-strategies-for-a-growing-business

Is your growth causing financial headaches? Sales up, but profits lagging? Financial practices stuck in entry level mode?

Don't worry, it's not you—it's your financial setup.

Introducing NextGen Finance Blueprint by NewCastle Finance. This CFO-led roadmap: • Brings fuzzy finances into focus • Gives you a clear money picture • Creates a step-by-step action plan

Ready to level up? Visit newcastle.finance/blueprint

Help! My Business is Growing - How to successfully take your business global, with Brigitte Bojkowszky

Transcript

Kathy (host):
Well, hello there. And welcome back to Help! My Business is Growing, a podcast where we explore how to grow and build a business that it's healthy and sustainable. I'm your host, Kathy Svetina. Breaking into the international market is a great way for your company to expand its customer base and generate more revenue. It elevates you, your brand, and your business, but it can be really, really complex. Because there are not just legal financial aspects that yo