29 Aug Think Global right from the start!
Denmark is only a small country in the world, and yet many Danish companies have huge opportunities for developing strong international businesses.
We have strong international positions of strength which we can build on and in the digital world, most global markets have come easier to approach.
Most Danish growth companies have their minds set on export markets, with good reasons. Our home market is only a small fraction of the world economy and it is simply not enough to only focus on Denmark if you have ambitions.
However, it can be a big advantage to start your business in Denmark. Danish companies and the Danes as such are normally very open and innovative and ready to test new ideas. This also goes for the public sector which is known internationally for being âfirst moversâ when it comes to testing new ideas. So, both Danish and international companies gain from testing new technologies, new products and new business models in the Danish market.
However, it is important that the ability to scale your business is built in from the very start! Even when you start your business focusing on a small market, you need to establish internal processes, it-systems or platforms and business models that are able to scale and be can be replicated in other markets. Your back office systems (your âback stageâ operations) should almost always be the same, even if you adjust and localize your value proposition to a local market (your âon stageâ show).
The secret behind most success stories on export markets are found here: the companies who understand how to adjust to local market needs and at the same time reap advantages of big scale operations in development, it-systems, internal processes, production, administration etc. â these are also the companies who are profitable when going international. That is why it is so critical that all companies understand their own value chain and thus also understand their own unique money making logic. Often it can be a big advantage for smaller companies to co-operate within the industry and thus become stronger together. But to make decisions like that, you need to build your organization with a global ambition from the starting point and you need to understand when to invest in your own value chain and when to find a partner!
Read the blog in Danish:
TĂŠnk Globalt fra starten!
Danmark er et lille land i verden, men mange danske virksomheder har alligevel gode muligheder for at bygge en international forretning! Dels har Danmark en rĂŠkke nationale styrkepositioner som vi kan bygge pĂ„ og dels har digitaliseringen betydet at de fleste globale markeder er âkommet tĂŠttere pĂ„â.
De fleste danske vĂŠkstvirksomheder har blikket rettet mod eksportmarkederne â og med god grund. Vores hjemmemarked er kun en ganske lille brĂžkdel af verdens Ăžkonomi â og derfor er det ganske enkelt ikke nok kun at fokusere pĂ„ det danske marked.
Til gengÊld kan der vÊre store fordele ved at starte netop i Danmark. De danske virksomheder og danskerne generelt er normalt Äbne og innovative og klar til at afprÞve nye ideer. Det gÊlder ogsÄ den offentlige sektor som ogsÄ i udlandet er kendt for at gÄ foran med afprÞvning af ny innovation. BÄde danske og udenlandske virksomheder kan altsÄ med fordel teste deres teknologi, produkter og forretningsmodeller af i Danmark.
Men det er ogsÄ vigtigt at man har Þje for skaleringspotentialet. Selv om man starter med at fokusere pÄ et mindre marked som Danmark, skal man helt fra starten etablere interne processer, it-systemer/platforme, og forretningsmodeller, der kan skaleres og duplikeres til andre markeder. Virksomhedens back office systemer (Back stage) vil nemlig ofte vÊre nÞjagtig de samme selvom man tilpasser sine vÊrditilbud til det lokale marked (on stage).
Hemmeligheden bag virksomhedernes succeshistorier pĂ„ eksportmarkederne findes nemlig her: De virksomheder, som for alvor forstĂ„r hvordan man tilpasser sig lokalt, samtidig med at man fastholder stordriftsfordelene i udvikling, it-systemer, interne processer og administration â ja det er ogsĂ„ de virksomheder, som for alvor tjener penge pĂ„ internationalisering. Og netop derfor er det ogsĂ„ vigtigt at man som virksomhed forstĂ„r sin egen vĂŠrdikĂŠde og forstĂ„r sin egen evne til at tjene penge â âmoney making logicâ. Ofte vil man med fordel kunne samarbejde indenfor branchen og dermed stĂ„ stĂŠrkere pĂ„ eksportmarkederne. Men det krĂŠver at man bygger sin organisation med en global ambition fra starten og forstĂ„r hvornĂ„r man selv skal investere og hvornĂ„r man skal finde samarbejdspartnere!