BUSINESS OF

START-UPS

THINK BIG AND TAKE ON THE WORLD

YOU MIGHT think it’s hard to become a global business, but companies from all over the world are managing to make it internationally, says Vaughan Rowsell, the founder of Vend, who has the following advice on how it can be done:

1. It takes the same effort to stand out a little, or a lot. To get the world to notice you, sometimes all you need is interesting online content that can span geographies. It takes thinking rather than big budgets. “Back when I started my company Vend, we had a skydiving school using our software, so we decided to go something a bit different: I was filmed being thrown out of a plane using our point-of-sale system to show that we accept payments anywhere (and it worked!) Watching someone try to sell their product 1 000 metres in the air seemed to appeal to people,” says Rowsell.

2. Act like the company you want to be tomorrow, today. Act like the bigger, more worldly company you want to become. “For example, set up a professional management board with international experience even if it seems excessive at the beginning. The advice and connections from your board will increase your chance of success and show you how to get there.”

3. On the internet no one knows who you are. No one knows you’re a dog or someone pretending to be a little more global than they already are. This was the case for Vend. Founded in New Zealand in 2010, it now provides digital cash registers for more than 20 000 retail stores in more than 140 countries. “We promoted ourselves internationally from the outset, picking up customers in different time zones and increasing our growth rapidly.”

Internationalism spurs growth and constant innovation. | Staff Reporter