The US is known as a very litigious society in which a simple mistake can lead to million dollar claims for your business. How much truth is there to this? In this episode Fleur & Flora talk to Manny Schoenhuber, attorney at Jackson Walker in Houston, Texas and discuss the claim culture in the US, how a company can protect itself from unnecessary legal exposure and the legal do’s and don’ts of doing business in the US.  

Manny Schoenhuber is a business litigation and dispute resolution attorney with particular experience handling construction-related issues. A native German, Manny works closely with European companies and their subsidiaries in Texas, and European investors in the United States. His practice focuses on market entry, contract negotiations and drafting, litigation, and dispute resolution. Manny also acts as outside general counsel to his European clients. https://www.jw.com

If there are any topics that you’d like us to cover for  the second season of the US Expansion Series, please send us a message on LinkedIn or reach out to us at  [email protected]. 

In today’s episode we dive into the market expansion of the well known chocolate brand Tony Chocolonely with their Chief of Markets, Frits Snel. Tony Chocolonely expanded to the US in 2015, starting in Portland Oregon. Fast forward to 2022 and you can now find Tony’s chocolate bars in all major retail stores across the US. In this episode Frits shares how they were able to succeed in the US market. Frits lived in New York himself during 2020 to oversee the US market expansion of Tony Chocolonely. 

Frits Snel is the Chief of Markets at Tony’s Chocolonely - a Dutch impact company founded in 2005, which produces and sells chocolate. Tony’s Chocolonely is committed to eradicate all forms of illegal child labour and exploitation in the cocoa industry. Frits’ expertise lies in international markets, commercial strategies, fair prices, social impact and transparent product chains. Before becoming Chief of Markets, Frits headed Tony’s U.S. from 2020 to 2022.

www.tonyschocolonely.com

For this 3rd episode Flora sat down with attorney Daniel Glazer from Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati to discuss all legal aspects of setting up and scaling your business in the US. From setting up a subsidiary, working with local agents to scaling and fundraising from US investors. Daniel assisted many unicorns and fast-growing scale-ups with their US expansion, fundraising and IPO. Based on his many years of experience, he shares the key do's and don'ts for European companies looking to expand to the US market.

Daniel Glazer is an American technology lawyer, strategic business advisor, and the managing partner of Silicon Valley-headquartered Wilson Sonsini’s London office and US Expansion group.  Dan and his team support technology-driven UK/EU companies through their US life cycle:  US launch, scale, venture capital financing, and IPO/M&A exit.  Dan collaborated with the US Department of Commerce to conceive of and develop its "SelectUSA Tech" program for non-US technology companies, and the legal publication The American Lawyer named him its inaugural “Transatlantic Innovator of the Year.” 
www.wsgr.com

In this second episode Flora and Fleur of TABS invited Jordi Vermeer, VP Revenues America @ ChannelEngine to update us on the top performing marketplaces in the US and how an Ecommerce business can maximize its revenue by integrating with these channels.  The US market offers many opportunities for E-commerce businesses, it’s the world’s largest economy and the world’s second largest e-commerce market.

Jordi Vermeer, VP of Revenue, obtained his MSc from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in Policy, Communication, and Organization and currently leads the North American expansion for ChannelEngine, Inc. a leading global eCommerce marketplace integrator. Jordi has worked in eCommerce Technology for the past 8 years with a significant focus on empowering businesses to successfully benefit from the growing dominance of marketplaces. Jordi thrives on maximizing revenue for brands and retailers by leading the conversation on International strategies and implementation, heavily attributed to his passion and experience in growth and tech.

www.channelengine.com

For this episode Flora sat down with pitch coach David Beckett of Best3Minutes on how to create a winning pitch. Pitching is a very important part of a US expansion but not necessarily something that all European entrepreneurs are prepared for. In this episode David talks about the key elements of a great pitch, what US investors are looking for in a pitch and he explains the cultural differences between Europe and the US.

David Beckett is an international pitch coach, who has trained over  1800 Startups and Scaleups to win over €400Million in investment. He's also trained more than 250 Dutch startups to pitch in the USA, for trade missions, and at events such as CES. David is the creator of The Pitch Canvas©, author of the books Pitch To Win and Blue Moon Pitch, and has coached over 30 TEDx speakers. 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidbeckettpresentationcoach

Website: www.Best3Minutes.com
Tune: Vienna Beat by Blue Dot Sessions