This past week, our CEO, Kevin, spoke with Nick Spiller of the University of Texas College of Liberal Arts new Student Ventures program about entrepreneurship abroad. Through his journeys he has worked with countries across the World, but has a soft spot for Mexico, Chile and Colombia. Our Tech Ranch® team currently works across Asia and is in communication with partners across Europe. Listen as he discusses the general topic, Tech Ranch® and global opportunity!
Key Takeaways:
- Talking about starting Tech Ranch®, “I couldn’t get to the point where I could change the World myself…so I founded Tech Ranch.”
- Discussing how he used a personal tragedy to really dive into entrepreneurship, “Not thinking straight can be a valuable tool…so is naivete.”
- Where in the World is entrepreneurship going to take off next? “Some of the biggest growth areas are not here…international opportunities represent a green field. Developing nations are developing fast AND furious and people at the bottom of the pyramid are very hungry. There isn’t anywhere on the planet that doesn’t have some level of entrepreneurship, even someone selling on the side of the road is entrepreneurship.”
- On global business, “If you go to a foreign country there is a very good chance you will go through culture shock, it is only natural. Knowing that there is multiple ways of looking at the World, is one of the gifts my dad gave me because of his work in the Peace Corps. Having a different framework of thought let’s you not be blinded by ‘this is how we do it in the United States’, there are a lot of people in this country that are blinded by the idea that the US has the best ways of doing everything.”
- From the students…”In Germany it is the opposite from Mexico, you go into a meeting with the intention of getting things done.” “In Peru, you make a friendship before doing business because there are trust issues, if you understand each other before it makes things easier.” “I’m originally from France, but have moved from Miami to L.A. to Texas, even within the US there are different cultural nuances.”
- Watch the video for more!