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How Startups Are Using Technology To Go Global

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The quintessential startup of the ‘80s and ‘90s was an image of a person or two sitting in a garage, developing software or inventing a gadget. Apple, Google, and HP were all created this way. The image persists, with just a minimum of a place to sit and a laptop as all you need to start a business.

Thanks to technology, this image is antiquated. Many houses have a home office, and a startup’s employees could be lounging in said home offices around the world, meeting in person only sporadically. This is possible because advancing technology is improving communication, and collaboration over distance is becoming incredibly simple with the cloud. Even the legal quagmire of international payroll laws has an answer to help budding entrepreneurs pay their employees without a headache.

How, then, can you utilize technology to build your own startup across the globe?

Saving to the cloud

Using the cloud to share files makes collaboration with employees based anywhere in the world a simple task. While you can have your own server, many businesses opt to rent a server from a dedicated service, which then takes care of maintenance and any problems that might pop up. You can access the network drive associated with the server anywhere you have an internet connection, allowing you to drag and drop files on the go – from Japan to Germany, San Francisco to Toronto.

For example, a worldwide team is collaborating on a promotional video for their company. The visual effects lead is working late and finishes just before 11 p.m. From his office in Los Angeles, he saves the file to the network directory and leaves for home. In Sussex, the sound designer is taking her first sip of morning tea at 7 a.m., checking the drive, and sees that she can immediately start work on the music for the video. The entire process takes only as long as uploading and downloading the file.

There’s an app for that

Now that your employees can share files, your next step is managing the workflow for a dozen employees in 8 different countries. Asana and Trello, for example, track what work is completed, allowing easy collaboration. IDoneThis sends a daily email, with employees responding with what they accomplished that day.

This list includes translation services and international trading references, useful for any company that has gone global. Google Translate will work for a quick translation, and the phone app can translate text on-screen in real time. Gengo or Verbalizeit both offer full-time translators for professional needs beyond wondering what a short email says.

Internet phone lines

One of the biggest limitations in communicating over the internet is bandwidth – not distance. Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, can bring employees halfway around the world into a conference room, provided both have adequate internet connections. With file-sharing and work management taken care of, you need actual interaction.

The internet as a whole has allowed for great strides in teleconferencing and telecommuting, making video conferencing and digital phone conversations – using the internet, not traditional phone lines – available at a moment’s notice. A tactic gaining traction in international companies is leaving an open connection on in a conference room, with remote employees hooked in, able to interact with passersby. A small company just needs an open monitor to do the same.

Paying your employees

Payroll basics aren’t hard for a small business – until it has employees in different countries. It’s a fairly significant task to deal with payroll laws from multiple countries, ensuring all of your workers are paid. We again turn to technology, with services available to help you navigate the murky waters of international payroll law. You (or your HR department) might be able to handle a few employees from different states, but when multiple countries come into play, technology can do the heavy lifting. This will help with what Quickbooks has identified as the worst cost for a fast-growing company: regulatory and tax costs, especially global tax costs

An employee thousands of miles away can virtually be in the same room with you. A small company may only have a few employees per country, let alone sharing time zones. Thanks to modern technology, location, languages, and different payroll laws are no longer obstacles for a startup going global.

Photo Credit: Marylou1504 Flickr via Compfight cc

What’s Better: Startups Or Established Companies?

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“For my first job after school, is it better for me to work at a small company, like a startup, so I can get my hands dirty? Or a bigger, more established company, so I can build my resume?”

Some variation of this question is among the top three questions I’m asked by millennial job seekers today when I’m providing advice to our community of job seekers on FirmPlay. So I figured it’s time I provided a definitive answer, once and for all.

Ready?

There is no definitive answer.

Why? Because it isn’t about small or big, unknown vs brand-name. On their own, those terms are without context and completely meaningless.

What it is about is your personal preferences for a work environment, and your longer term goals. In other words, there’s no cookie-cutter answer; you’ll have to weigh multiple considerations to figure out what’s right for you.

So what exactly should you consider? While the list could be as long as you want it to be, the following handful of considerations should be at the very top:

Goals

Do you know what you want to do for a career? If you can’t answer the question “what do you want to be doing in 10 years” (and it’s ok if you can’t – I certainly couldn’t at the start of my career), then consider that smaller companies tend to be good for experiencing a variety of different roles. Smaller companies that are doing well – especially super-small companies, like startups – tend to have a lot of work that needs to get done…and not enough people to do it. So out of necessity, you’d be forced to take on a variety of roles (i.e. “wear multiple hats”) that stretch the boundaries of your job description.

Development

How do you want to develop yourself at work? If you prefer to learn by doing, smaller companies might be more likely to give you that opportunity (again, lots of work, not enough people, especially at successful small companies). You’ll often be learning because you have no other choice – others won’t have time or know the answer, so you’ll have to figure it out. You’ll need to be comfortable being uncomfortable. However, if you want a more structured, formal learning environment, larger companies are more likely to have existing trainings and where you’re more likely to have a clearer management structure within which you could learn the basics of the business or industry.

Risk

What’s your risk appetite? Smaller companies, especially startups, can test anyone’s nerves. By some estimates, 90% of startups fail. The enormous pressures a company faces in its early days can lead to stressful days and uncertainty about its future – which is directly tied to your paycheck. If you have loans or other major obligations, stability will be important to you. While “small” doesn’t necessarily mean “new”, be mindful of just how much risk you’re willing to assume in your first job. (But if a startup makes it? Well, the risk could be worth it.)

Skills

Is there a specific skillset you’re trying to hone? Oftentimes, the decision is made for you based on the skills you’re trying to develop. For instance, if you want to develop software for 3D printers, the majority of companies that you could work for are small in size. Similarly, if you want to design cars, you’re probably looking at bigger companies. So think hard about the skills you want to be using and developing in your first job.

This list could go on forever – so consider the above a starting point. Still, I’m willing to bet that you’ll start to get a feel for what’s better for you pretty quickly into this exercise.

After all, there’s no right or wrong answer. Only what’s right for you.

Vasilios Alexiou is the Co-Founder of FirmPlay, a new job search site that takes job seekers behind the scenes at companies using photos and videos…so they can discover a job they’ll love. He received a B.A. from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College. Follow Vasilios on Twitter at @FirmPlay, and read his other posts at FirmPlay’s career advice blog.

Create A "Small Company" Culture Anywhere

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What is it about small companies? Like a good restaurant or an undiscovered band, they often tend to attract a devoted following that can’t imagine going anywhere else.

Is it the quality of work? The people? The hours? The pay? What is that magical difference that makes small companies so attractive to top talent?

Does Size Matter?

The secret is culture. A strong company culture unites employees and gives them a larger purpose beyond their individual responsibilities. That’s why employees — especially Millennials — gravitate toward start-ups. They crave that “small-company” feel and want the chance to make an impact on culture.

That’s great news if your company is one of the little guys. But what if you’re at a large corporation? How can you offer employees the chance to make an impact if a reputation for process and procedure precedes you? Rules aren’t all bad, of course; structure helps turn chaos into order. But all too often when companies grow, they sacrifice cultural strengths along the way. What to do?

In today’s tough business environment, as large companies struggle to recruit, retain, and inspire top talent, you can’t afford to miss the cultural mark. Instead, why not approach culture as an ace up your sleeve?

Sustainable Advantage

A strong corporate culture can create a huge competitive edge. Driven by organizational values, business objectives, and employee engagement, it aligns your employees, creates fluid communication, and helps build resiliency that adapts to change. If you develop a unique, authentic culture, your employees can reap the benefits of a “small-company” feel, while driving “big-company” results that advance your business goals.

Want the best of both worlds? Here are 5 tips to create a unique culture:

1) Develop corporate values to align employees with business objectives and the bigger picture. Employees need to be inspired by something greater than themselves, so help them understand how their contributions affect the overall strategy.

2) Create a recognition program to reinforce behaviors that drive results. By consolidating recognition efforts with an online program, geographically dispersed employees feel more connected with your company. Recognition helps reinforce company culture — not the other way around.

3) Abolish the top-down hierarchy that’s typical at most corporations, and encourage leaders to be more approachable. When it’s clear that leaders are listening, it facilitates communication and creates an environment where employees feel free to voice their opinions. Host “lunch-and-learn” sessions or fireside chats where leaders and employees can discuss topics in an open, informal environment. Soliciting employee feedback often yields insights that help organizations operate more efficiently and effectively.

4) Let employees know their contributions matter. In “10 Reasons Your Top Talent Will Leave You,” leadership consultant Mike Myatt noted that more than 70% of employees don’t feel valued by their employers. You can turn this around in your company by introducing public recognition into your culture. Create monthly luncheons to recognize top performers. Encourage leaders to recognize employees during team meetings. These are simple steps that can make a big difference.

5) Reconsider “years of service” programs that aren’t tied to business objectives or employee engagement. Annual feedback doesn’t cut it anymore. Ideally, employees should receive recognition or feedback at least once a week, yet almost 60% of employees say that doesn’t happen. Create a positive culture of reinforced behaviors by introducing frequent feedback to complement the annual review.

Beyond The Basics

Don’t stop with only 5 steps! While these tips will put you on the right path, you won’t gain that “small-company” feel without also recognizing that culture happens organically, over time. Ultimately, your people will create your culture. Give them the freedom to express themselves. Commit to an evolving process, and see how your culture takes shape.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Create A “Small Company” Culture Anywhere

/4 Comments/ /by

What is it about small companies? Like a good restaurant or an undiscovered band, they often tend to attract a devoted following that can’t imagine going anywhere else.

Is it the quality of work? The people? The hours? The pay? What is that magical difference that makes small companies so attractive to top talent?

Does Size Matter?

The secret is culture. A strong company culture unites employees and gives them a larger purpose beyond their individual responsibilities. That’s why employees — especially Millennials — gravitate toward start-ups. They crave that “small-company” feel and want the chance to make an impact on culture.

That’s great news if your company is one of the little guys. But what if you’re at a large corporation? How can you offer employees the chance to make an impact if a reputation for process and procedure precedes you? Rules aren’t all bad, of course; structure helps turn chaos into order. But all too often when companies grow, they sacrifice cultural strengths along the way. What to do?

In today’s tough business environment, as large companies struggle to recruit, retain, and inspire top talent, you can’t afford to miss the cultural mark. Instead, why not approach culture as an ace up your sleeve?

Sustainable Advantage

A strong corporate culture can create a huge competitive edge. Driven by organizational values, business objectives, and employee engagement, it aligns your employees, creates fluid communication, and helps build resiliency that adapts to change. If you develop a unique, authentic culture, your employees can reap the benefits of a “small-company” feel, while driving “big-company” results that advance your business goals.

Want the best of both worlds? Here are 5 tips to create a unique culture:

1) Develop corporate values to align employees with business objectives and the bigger picture. Employees need to be inspired by something greater than themselves, so help them understand how their contributions affect the overall strategy.

2) Create a recognition program to reinforce behaviors that drive results. By consolidating recognition efforts with an online program, geographically dispersed employees feel more connected with your company. Recognition helps reinforce company culture — not the other way around.

3) Abolish the top-down hierarchy that’s typical at most corporations, and encourage leaders to be more approachable. When it’s clear that leaders are listening, it facilitates communication and creates an environment where employees feel free to voice their opinions. Host “lunch-and-learn” sessions or fireside chats where leaders and employees can discuss topics in an open, informal environment. Soliciting employee feedback often yields insights that help organizations operate more efficiently and effectively.

4) Let employees know their contributions matter. In “10 Reasons Your Top Talent Will Leave You,” leadership consultant Mike Myatt noted that more than 70% of employees don’t feel valued by their employers. You can turn this around in your company by introducing public recognition into your culture. Create monthly luncheons to recognize top performers. Encourage leaders to recognize employees during team meetings. These are simple steps that can make a big difference.

5) Reconsider “years of service” programs that aren’t tied to business objectives or employee engagement. Annual feedback doesn’t cut it anymore. Ideally, employees should receive recognition or feedback at least once a week, yet almost 60% of employees say that doesn’t happen. Create a positive culture of reinforced behaviors by introducing frequent feedback to complement the annual review.

Beyond The Basics

Don’t stop with only 5 steps! While these tips will put you on the right path, you won’t gain that “small-company” feel without also recognizing that culture happens organically, over time. Ultimately, your people will create your culture. Give them the freedom to express themselves. Commit to an evolving process, and see how your culture takes shape.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Is It Time to Hire Yourself? #TChat Recap

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(Editorial Note: Talent Science Expert, Dr. Janice Presser, led our community through a week of memorable #TChat events focused on weathering today’s rough employment waters. She adds these parting insights – focused on trends that deserve additional thought by anyone who cares about carving out a career path – or creating new jobs – or hiring creatively. For a list of links to this week’s archived events and resources, look beneath Dr. Janice’s commentary. Thanks!)

I hope we can agree on one thing: unemployment isn’t good for anyone. It’s not just that idle hands are the devil’s workshop, but that long-term unemployment scares all of us, even the currently employed. And that fear erodes our engagement, reduces our productivity, and stifles our innovative spirit.

Entrepreneurs play a major part in driving innovation and a growing economy. According to a study by the Kauffman Foundation (the world’s largest non-profit foundation dedicated to the support of entrepreneurship), entrepreneurs and their startup teams are, and have been, the ONLY source of net new jobs in almost every year since 1977! (The chart below reveals how startups have consistently created new jobs, compared to existing organizations.)

JobsChart Dr JaniceUnfortunately, the balance between jobs disappearing and jobs being created is only part of the problem. Are you trapped in a job that you really don’t fit, or worse, trapped in one that makes you miserable? Without a vibrant job market, getting ‘stuck’ like this has become a serious problem.

My Advice

If you’re entrepreneurial, give your ideas a chance. Organizations that help start-ups are popping up everywhere. Find a way to ‘bootstrap’ your idea with the help of anyone who’s willing to help you – especially if they approach the challenge from directions you haven’t thought of yet.

If you’re in HR, please recognize that resumes are losing their relevance, and work requirements are being transformed. Look to the emerging field of Talent Science for alternatives. For most jobs, understanding how a person ‘teams’ with others is at least as important as current and past employment. (Have you noticed that 401k documents say something like ‘past performance is not a guarantee of future performance”? That’s because it isn’t.)

If you’re looking, resist the temptation to apply for jobs you know you are likely to hate. Take some time to learn how you really want to contribute to the mission of an organization. Then articulate the key points, and communicate them widely. Social media – it’s not just for socializing any more.

– @DrJanice

Speaking of social media – how did the TalentCulture community leverage social channels to address this issue throughout the past week? Check out the resources below:

#TChat Week-in-Review

KevinMatuszak_TalentCulture_G.plushangoutvid

Watch the #TChat Sneak Peek video now…

SUN 2/10
TalentCulture Founder, Meghan M. Biro outlined the need for smarter hiring strategies in her Forbes.com post: Four Reasons Leaders Hire in 3D.

G+ Hangout Video: Sneak peek interview with special #TChat guest Kevin Matuszak (@Tooozy), who talks about his creative #HireKevin campaign to gain a position as the face of Applebee’s.

MON 2/11
#TChat preview post Narrowing the Unemployment Gaps outlined the week’s core theme and questions.

TChatRadio_logo_020813

Listen to the radio show recording now…

TUE 2/12
#TChat Radio Show: Dr. Janice joined radio hosts Meghan M. Biro and Kevin W. Grossman to discuss core issues and opportunities in today’s job market – and how employers should rethink current recruiting practices for everyone’s benefit.

WED 2/13
#TChat Twitter: Dr. Janice and Kevin Matuszak were on hand again, as #TChat-ters gathered around the Twitter stream to share ideas and opinions about why companies should act more creatively in filling talent gaps, and what unemployed workers can do to move their professional agendas forward. To see highlights from yesterday’s #TChat Twitter forum, watch the Storify slideshow below.

#TChat INSIGHTS Slide Show: “Narrowing the Unemployment Gaps”
[javascript type=”text/javascript” src=”//storify.com/TalentCulture/tchat-insights-narrowing-the-unemployment-gaps.js?template=slideshow”]

Closing Notes & Highlights Slideshow

SPECIAL THANKS: Another shout out to Dr. Janice Presser, CEO of The Gabriel Institute and architect of the underlying technology that powers Teamability™, as well as Kevin Matuszak, the mastermind behind the viral #HireKevin job campaign. You both caused us to think more creatively and carefully about what matters in hiring decisions and processes.

NOTE TO BLOGGERS: Did this week’s events inspire you to write about hiring job trends, recruiting practices or other workplace issues? We’re happy to share your thoughts. Just post a link on Twitter (include #TChat or @TalentCulture), or insert a comment below, and we’ll pass it along.

NEW LINKEDIN GROUP: Did you hear? We’ve expanded to LinkedIn! Come on over anytime to the TalentCulture – World of Work forum!

WHAT’S AHEAD: Next week – we’ll look at the human side of business through a different lens, as we examine the importance of “Brand Humanization – What, Why and How” on #TChat Radio, Tuesday, Feb 19, at 7:30pm ET and on #TChat Twitter Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 7pm ET. Look for details next Monday via @TalentCulture and #TChat.

Until then – we’ll see you on the stream!

Image Credit: Stock.xchn

It's the Brave New World of Work: #TChat Recap

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“Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else.” -James Matthew Barrie

Somehow I missed that memo the first time around. The one about making sure to underestimate your marketplace and overestimate your sales cycle when you’re starting a new business.

Or even a new career for that matter. New careers are self-contained yet interconnected businesses within themselves. Entrepreneurship has always included career management, business development, [personal] brand marketing, sales and sticky-sweet (but legitimate) customer service.

Because most, if not all entrepreneurs were employees with careers going anywhere but where they wanted to go. So they launch new careers, some of which eventually grow to make a few hires here and there, and a few others get really big by hiring tons of people, collecting tons of investment capital and riding sky-high (for now) with huge valuations (think social media firms of late).

But I did finally get the memo and read it thoroughly. You’ve heard the saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” From careers, to start-ups, to small businesses to big businesses — American’s longing for success and trying again is hard-wired into our DNA.

This is National Small Business Week, and as Matt wrote yesterday in his #TChat preview:

As Obama (or proxy) observed, it turns out Mom & Pop and VC babies share more in common than size; they share spirit, ‘the idea that if you have a good idea and are willing to work hard enough, you can succeed in our country…’

…For many more millions of small business owners, and workers, who have dared to dream and injected so much sweat equity into their bottom line, that creation myth is still being created.   They might call themselves small businesses, or entrepreneurs, or start-ups, but our economy – and our jobs – depends on their growth. So we just wanted to say thank you.

Indeed. Thank you.

Most of the #TChat faithfuls preferred going from small companies to working in big companies. I concur. And even though I’ve always worked for smaller firms, I have worked “with” bigger companies and have always wondered what it would be like to pull the curtain back in Oz and give it a go…

Somebody slap me. Working for yourself, for a small company, launching your own start-up or firm — these activities are what continually breathes new life into the sometimes failing lungs of capitalism (long-time smoker, you know). And it’s this economic activity that sparks job creation as well. Brand name firms may still pull in the greater talent, and they’ve got the revenue to get creative with “total rewards,” but even big firms have struggled of late and now focus heavily on internal talent mobility — I know you’re in there and are just right for this position because I can’t find you out there. Plus, in this (yes, I know how many times you’ve heard it) global, virtual, contingent world where depending on the projects and the hourly rate, talent is fluid from small to big and back again.

It’s the brave new world of work. Just don’t forget to read the memos, even the stinky ones from the ditto machine. Hey, I kinda liked that smell growing up…

Here were the questions from teh #TChat last night:

  • Q1: How do you define ‘small business?’  Is this the term we should be using?
  • Q2: Would you prefer working for a small business or a big company?  Why?
  • Q3: What role does talent play in small business success?  How can small businesses successfully compete with bigger companies in the ‘war for talent?’
  • Q4: What are some of the biggest advantages of working for a small business employer?  Drawbacks?
  • Q5: Do you think employers and recruiters value small business and big company experience differently?
  • Q6: What should big business workers know about moving to a small company (and vice-versa)?
  • Q7: What’s your best advice for someone thinking about starting a small business? Any myths vs. realities?