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
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
Connect with James Isilay: LinkedIn
Connect with Sebastian Sauerborn: Website
Connect with Nastaran Tavakoli-Far: LinkedIn