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

Today our guest is Alex Klein, the co-founder and CEO of Kano Computing.

He invented a computer for kids to assemble when he was challenged by a 6 year old cousin who wanted to make his own computer, but to be as simple and fun as Lego. Although the idea appeals to kids, it’s not the exclusive target of their products. The spirit of the design process is the beginner’s mind.

The goal of Kano is to tell a story that could be comprehensible to any culture, language, and geography. However, the products are particularly caught on in the US. 

Alex caught the opportunity and expanded business in the US, from London where the company was set up. Although that was a very successful move for him, he has a lot of advice on how to be careful when deciding to make that kind of move. 

“If you see an opportunity to do any business in the US, the one that could even be 20-25% of your annual run rate, then take it, because it may expand well beyond that, as it did for us.” - Alex Klein

1:30 What Kano does
3:10 Where the idea came from and how it developed further
5:40 Why they set up in London
9:00 How conquered the US market
10:20 What type of a person their product should appeal to
11:23 When is the right moment to go to the US with the business and why do it
15:57 How they chose the person for running the US office
18:15 Why the product is more popular in the US than in Europe
18:55 How they funded the expansion
19:47 What kind of state you should be in when you want to raise money
20:25 What are the do’s and dont’s if you want your company to expand
23:30 How the US customer is different from the rest of the world
25:10 How things in London were done after the expansion

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

Kano Computing
Mount Bonnell Advisors

Episode Transcript

Connect with Alex Klein:
LinkedIn profile

Connect with Sebastian Sauerborn:
Website

Connect with Nastaran Tavakoli-Far:
LinkedIn

Today we are joined by the founder of the PopUp Business School, Alan Donegan.

Running a nomadic business across numerous different countries, he’s got a lot to share about how to start a successful business, and how to expand and operate in different countries and cultures once you do. 

Alan is a strong believer in the idea that you don’t need a lot of money to start a business. All you need is a good idea and the right direction. 

He tells us everything he does to help starting businesses, as well as what his own journey has looked like starting the PopUp Business School. 

"We go through five different ways to start a business without debt. Because one of the most common beliefs is it takes money to make money, and that’s just not true." - Alan Donegan

00:11 - What PopUp Business School is and why Alan started the company.
01:20 - How it works and where the money comes from.
02:47 - How long the course is and how many people are involved. 
03:55 - What kind of businesses have started with the course.
05:30 - How to get involved with PopUp Business School, and what the curriculum looks like.
09:09 - Where the business runs its courses. 
13:36 - Where Alan’s team is.
15:26 - What it’s like running a company nomadically.
21:22 - The types of businesses that can be successfully ran nomadically.
26:45 - How Alan’s friends and family reacted to his idea to run a business nomadically.
29:42 - The risk involved with starting a business from debt.
32:49 - Expanding the business outside of the UK.
35:27 - How sponsorship changes across countries.  
44:29 - The importance of focusing on the sales.
45:15 - How Alan has found the opportunities to expand into other countries.
48:31 - How to deal with different cultures as you operate in different countries.
50:48 - How people's reasons to start a business change across different cultures.
52:51 - Things to avoid when you’re starting a business.
56:13 - The amount of time it takes to build a business.
58:04 - Dos and don’ts for starting a company nomadically.

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

PopUp Business School
Mount Bonnell Advisors

Connect with Alan Donegan:
Website

Connect with Sebastian Sauerborn:
Website

Connect with Nastaran Tavakoli-Far:
LinkedIn