When Sifra Geytenbeek's first daughter was born, she sewed a cover for the second hand bouncy chair she just bought. A few years and lots of seat covers later, she is a rock star in the world of entrepreneurs and the CEO of Ukje, whose mission is to create happy families - today and for generations to come.

Enjoying a challenge, she expanded Ukje to the US market.  And a challenge it was! When Sifra started her American Adventure, she did not think there were cultural differences to pay attention to. Along the way, she quickly learned that there are differences in the way Americans shop, assemble products and what customer service means to an American audience. 
Curious how this award winning entrepreneur is on her way to conquer the American market? Sifra shares her "lessons learned" in this episode of The Dutch American Connection podcast. 

What you will learn: 

• Major differences between the Dutch and American customer journey
• How to use these differences to your advantage
• What to adjust when selling on the US market
• What drives American buying behavior, what drives Dutch buying behavior
• How to adapt to the 50 states' unique identities
• How important "environmentally friendly" is in the US 

Listen to this episode of The Dutch American Connection to find out who you can find the right partner and successfully expand your business into the USA!

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 When expanding to the USA, working with a local partner can be one of the most powerful ways to fuel your growth engine. But did you know that the American partner’s definition of a successful collaboration often differs from a European partner’s expectations?  The foundation of a strong  partnership is built on a shared vision of success! But where to start in the search for a US partner?

Sophie Boutelegier shares what makes a European American collaboration successful. Sophie is the owner of Expandify, a California based consulting firm which helps European businesses build a strong expansion strategy for rapid implementation.

Sophie and I will continue the conversation on what makes Dutch American collaborations successful on 20 April 2023 at 5 PM CET. We will be joined by the CEO of a Dutch company which successfully expanded into the US, using local partners. Join us by sending me an email.

In this podcast you will learn:

-       3 things you need for a successful European/ American partnership

-       How to determine if you are ready to take the leap and expand in the US

-       What most European companies do wrong when working with a US partner

-       How the American and Dutch perceptions of risk differ, and how to manage risk

-       Are Americans loyal? How can you make sure they stay committed to the partnership?

Listen to this episode of The Dutch American Connection to find out who you can find the right partner and successfully expand your business into the USA!

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Ready to scale up and set up a US business? There are a lot of factors to consider when sending an employee to live in the US. A vital yet often-overlooked  consideration is the US visa application: when to apply and what visa has the best chance of approval? EU citizens planning to live and work in the US can’t just move and work in the US; the US government requires them and their company to meet certain criteria, which aren’t always easy to prove.  The type of visa a company applies for will determine the application time, approval or denial chances and duration of the visa. Whatever visa selected, the most crucial element is proving that there is a benefit for the US. What does this mean, and how to make sure your visa application does not get denied? Steve Maggi of SMA Law Firm shares examples of his extensive experience in helping expats secure their visas and explains the crucial do’s and don’ts when applying for a US visa. To sum it up:  It is a question of mentality- don’t cut corners!

  “There are different kinds of visas, one is more easily approved, and the other is more easily denied”

Steve Maggi, SMA Law firm

In this podcast you will learn

·       How to apply for a US visa?

·       Do I need a US visa? 

·       What is most important to secure a US visa?

·       How much money is needed to obtain a visa?

·       Different types of visas? 

·       Why “How will this benefit the US?” is one of the most important questions on a visa application

·       Why the text on the Statue of Liberty is outdated

·       What is an ESTA and what does it allow a visitor to the US do?

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Ever wondered what Americans really think of doing business with the Dutch? What they think is different (if not weird!) about doing business in the Netherlands?

Or for my American audience, do you want to know the secret to doing business with the Dutch? What are the "do's and don'ts" of doing business in the Netherlands?

Listen to my conversation with Nancy Grossman, an American entrepreneur who has lived in the Netherlands for 29 years. Nancy shares her observations of an American living in the Netherlands, and gives us an insight of what it is like for Americans to do business with the Dutch. 

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Why you should use a lawyer for all US transactions

Remember the lady who sued McDonald’s and got millions of dollars? She spilled hot coffee on herself and got rich – or so we think.  Lawyer Carl van der Zandt tells us the real story behind this headline- grabbing court case and explains the differences between the Dutch and American legal systems. Carl is a Dutch lawyer who practices law in New York. He has helped countless European scale ups establish their US entity and do business the American way.  Turns out, while Americans may be quicker to sue someone, it is not as easy as popular opinion may have you think. And there are lots of ways a lawyer can help you reduce the risk of getting sued. 

Getting sued is an invitation to negotiate – Carl van der Zandt

Carl explains why it is necessary to have a lawyer guide you through just about every business transaction, and what Dutch scale ups should know about the US legal system. 

-          If you want a right, you have to write it down 

-          Differences in promises between a US and Dutch contract

-          What is contractual freedom?

-          How to minimize the risk of getting sued

-          What is means to get sued – is it really that bad?

-          Differences in contract enforcement

-          Should your contract be Bullet proof or water tight ?

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How long will the average user stay on a web page before leaving? Not very long.

Why do they leave? Because the value proposition is unclear and users do not immediately find what they need.

How do you keep the attention of a potential customer to your website? One way is to tailor the contents and lay out to the local audience, and not just translate your website into the local language. 

The objective of visiting a website varies per country, as does the way buying decisions are made. Time for The Dutch American Connection podcast to learn more about these differences with New York based Dutch designer, Pierre Janssen of LUSHmedia. We talk about why and how to tailor your website to the local market, what these differences mean for your website and your brand when expanding internationally, and how to attract customers in new markets.

“Websites in the US will be built with the understanding a child should be able to understand and navigate them vs European websites are which focused on a more mature audience. In the US a website is (more often than not) built to sell something in contrast to European websites which are meant to convey information.” ~Pierre Janssen

What you will learn: 

• How cultural differences manifest themselves in branding and website design 
• The many reasons translating your website to the local language will turn away potential customers and partners
• What Europeans expect of a website and what Americans expect of a website (and they are very different!)
• What message a badly branded website sends your customers
• Why US websites have a different lay-out than Dutch websites
• Why it is so important to bring in a local resource
• Why you can't create one website for both Canada and the US

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What you will learn: 

• How to find the state with the most advantageous tax and other incentives for your business
• What other factors to consider when deciding where in the US to locate your business
• How to identify your drivers for success and use them to determine your location
• Identify cultural differences per state (this is still a podcast about cultural differences!)
• The roles of labor unions which are different per state
• That the accounting rules differ per state
• You don't have to go to the big cities to find talent

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Most entrepreneurs are aware of the cultural differences between the US and the Netherlands - but how do these cultural differences affect business? Most entrepreneurs find out when their potential customers or investors stop paying attention 5 minutes into your presentation, or when American new hires leave the company sooner than expected. Just some small differences in communication that have a huge impact………

In this episode of The Dutch American Connection podcast, I have a conversation with Floor Bergshoeff of TABS about the year-long research project she did on Dutch Ventures in the US (DIVTUS). Floor describes what makes a Dutch venture in the US successful, including how to pitch to your American partner or investor, how Dutch and American marketing strategies differ and the secret to managing US employees - to name a few of the many tips and tricks shared in this podcast.

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When starting something new, you don't know what you don't know. You don't know which questions to ask and how to prepare.  Foleon's VP of Sales Douglas van Oijen learned from experience what the ROI of preparation is.  Douglas shares his lessons learned from managing and doing business with Americans, and how preparation would have helped him hit the ground running those first few months when everything was new.

In 2018, Douglas and his family moved from the Netherlands to New York, to manage Foleon's New York office. Like many other Dutch expats, he did not prepare for the cultural differences because Dutch and American culture are so similar - at first glance. He soon realized that those minor cultural differences have a large impact on doing business in the US, both financially and in employee satisfcation.It didn’t take long to understand that awareness of the differences makes cooperation and communication between the Dutch and American office a lot easier!

What you will learn: 

• The ROI of preparation
• Why you can't duplicate your processes and implement them in the foreign office
• Why both US and Dutch teams need cultural training to improve cooperation between the local office and the foreign HQ
• How hiring can make or break a foreign expansion
• The importance of creating clear objectives including a "what and why". Leave the "how" to the local office

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As a country of immigrants with a long history of racial tensions, it can be said that DEI - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - policies in the US have come a long way compared to the Netherlands. Director of DEI Paula Robinson takes a deep dive into what DEI is, why it is important and how it can be turned into a competitive advantage. Discover what the Dutch can and must learn from American DEI policies!

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