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 company nails its home market.

"Sales people in general just want to get rich, so as long as you give them a great product, and they are hitting their numbers, they are happy." - James Isilay

Time Stamps:

01:30 - James' background and how he founded Cognism

03:30 - What benefits clients have from using the Cognism system

05:20 - How Cognism collects all the real-time

07:00 - When the company was founded and where their offices are

08:21 - How they expanded to the US by being visible to foreign investors

10:15 - Why it's so important to have the right advisors

13:00 - How investors discovered and approached Cognism 16:50 - How to transplant the company culture into a new country

20:36 - The typical hiring mistake that companies make when expand abroad

24:32 - Why they chose New York as the location for the American office

27:25 - What are the reactions of customers and employees

31:10 - How they segment the market in America

35:56 - Planning is key if you want to expand

38:10 - What James learnt about systems and processes from living in Switzerland

39:30 - Do's and don'ts for expanding to the US: bring your culture, plan in detail, don't move unless you have a good reason to do it

Send us questions you want answered to info@mtbonnell.com

Resources:

Cognism

Mount Bonnell Advisors

Connect with James Isilay: LinkedIn

Connect with Sebastian Sauerborn: Website

Connect with Nastaran Tavakoli-Far: LinkedIn