International Corner

Episode Summary – “Going Far to Win at Home”In this episode, I sit down with Frederic Vendeuvre, founder and CEO of Halifax to explore Halifax’s bold “far first, local next” strategy. Two decades ago, when most consulting firms focused on Europe or the US, Halifax went straight to Chile, Brazil, and Singapore.We discuss how launching in distant markets gave Halifax instant credibility in France, how they moved from serving French clients abroad to winning local ones, and the organizational changes required to become truly global. Along the way, Frederic shares candid stories of costly mistakes, tough hurdles, and the moments when he knew the bet had paid off.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why choosing “far first” can accelerate credibility at homeHow Halifax won its first international and then its first local clients abroadThe toughest challenges of global expansion (from admin nightmares to hiring missteps)The tipping points that showed Halifax had truly leveled upPractical advice for CEOs hesitating to take their business internationalHosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In this episode, we sit down with Romaric Philogène, CEO and co-founder of Qovery, a remote-first DevOps SaaS company born in France — and built for the US market from day one.Romaric shares how he approached global expansion intentionally, why the US was their first target market, and what it takes to win (and keep) American customers — even when selling remotely.We dive into:Why Qovery went global from the start — and how they validated the US as their first marketThe cultural and strategic differences between selling in the US vs. EuropeHow ROI-driven messaging shaped their GTM and customer success approachWhat it's really like building and scaling a remote-first international teamLessons learned from expanding into the US — and what other European founders should knowWhether you're building a SaaS product, expanding into new markets, or hiring globally, this episode offers a tactical and honest look at what going global really means today.🎧 Listen now and get the full playbook for international SaaS growth.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

🎙️ Episode Summary – Slow is Fast: Cracking the Code to Scaling in GermanyIn this episode of International Corner, we speak with Thibault Mathevet, co-founder of Collectif Skala and former expansion lead for Germany at Doctolib.Thibault shares hard-earned insights from his experience scaling tech solutions across borders—focusing on the unique challenges and success factors in the German market.Key Takeaways:🔑 The signals that show a business is truly ready to scale internationally🚧 Why rushing into Germany can lead to costly missteps🌍 The importance of building local culture, hiring the right team, and speaking the language🛠️ How to adapt (not copy-paste) your sales playbook to fit the German context📊 Core KPIs and mindset shifts that drive sustainable, long-term growth💡 “Going slow is the fastest way to succeed in Germany.”Whether you’re preparing for your first international launch—or reassessing a market that’s not working—this episode is packed with actionable advice for founders, operators, and go-to-market leaders.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

How do you launch a niche, eye-catching product into a brand new market and close your first 10 customers… globally?In this episode, I sat down with Lucia Gonzalez Aguilar to talk about how I-virtual Sales team cracked the code on genuine, multi-channel outbound—and turned curiosity into conversions.🎯 From day one, they went global—securing CE marking early on and targeting multiple markets at once. 💡 The tech creates a “wow” effect, and they built their entire outreach strategy around that spark of excitement. 📬 Mix of email + LinkedIn (cold calling coming soon) 🔍 Personalized > automated. Think: checking LinkedIn activity, likes, shared languages, or even acknowledging someone’s recent post.What stood out? ✨ She never personalizes the connection request. But once accepted? It’s a real conversation—pulling the thread naturally until the prospect wants to know more. 🤝 “I want to learn” is the icebreaker. Curiosity creates space for trust. 🌍 And yes, cultural nuance matters. WhatsApp in LatAm & Spain. GDPR strictness in corporate EU. Ramadan? A moment to connect, not sell.📊 Results? → 3-4 discovery calls per rep → 2-3 solid opps per rep → All from genuine outbound, led by just 2 people.If you are trying to stand out from the crowd, leveraging a personalized and genuine approach might just be your way to do itHosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

“Diverse teams deliver 60% better results and make better decisions in 87% of cases” (Forbes)Imagine we could apply this to early expansion? How much time would we save in the early days? How fast could we start seeing results in a specific market?Well that’s exactly what we discussed with Caroline Ramade, Founder & CEO of 50intech in the first episode of season 3 of International CornerYou have to think about diversifying your team in the early days, from scratch to ensure you see successful expansion results faster.Here is a snapshot of what we covered : The impacts on global expansion of diversifying your team very early on The main challenges of creating a true diverse teamHow to foster an inclusive culture within your organisation How to be aware of your unconscious bias and fight themA deep story about one of her hardest time she had to live by those diversity standardsHosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

And that's a wrap for Season 2!There were 24 episodes with tremendous guests who shared so many insights. I computed their best strategies and tips in this recap episode.Here is what you can expect : #1 Finding the right marketThe market assessment matrix - Maxime from Hublo in ep#45Expand remotely Zoltan from The Launcher code in ep#31Expand where your competitors don't go Zach, global Sales mentor in ep#27#2 Easier strategies than cold outreach to get thereProving ROI leveraging the land and expand - Anthony from Meeriad in ep#33Leveraging partners in the right markets - Sebastien from Beaver Partner in ep#43Leveraging communities - Coralie from Salesloft ep#37#3 Invest in peopleFocus on the Country launcher /how to hire the right one - Manon from Iron Hack ep#23 and Jules from Little big connection ep#41Build a true Team cohesion - Cecile from Partoo in ep#40#4 Invest in trainingLeveraging Sales enablement - Niamh from Mirakl in ep#35Feedback loop from the field Rachel from Zoom in ep#42#5 Structure and processes to adaptHQ organization - Florian from Alma in ep#29 Global vs local process - Frederique from Content Square in ep#39Season 3 will be coming soon - stay tuneeedHosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

You’ve sold to a few customers and now you are trying to achieve repeatability in that new market.Except… it doesn’t Work. But Why?And no… the answer is not Product Market Fit.Or rather… it is not that simple.In the last episode of international Corner, I’m welcoming Maxime Renault, chief Strategy & Expansion Officer at Hublo who shares how he has made Product Market Fit more concrete to them to successfully expand internationally Here is a snapshot of what you can expect in this episode:Why blaming PMF for a failure to repeat sales is the easy answerThe 4-success-factor matrix he has build to assess success rate in any marketTips to go from the launching to the developing phase in a marketThe criteria he looks for in a country launcher to make the market opening successfulHosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

You’ve mastered operational skills to launch new markets… GREAT.However, this is not enough. There are a number of soft skills you need to gain to become a global leader and be effective at scaling your company.Communication is one of them.External communication: to create compelling messages, amplify them while navigating cultural differences in the different markets you will growInternal communication: to scale your mission and vision & to make sure as you grow that communication doesn’t get lost in translationHow do you become this skilled communicator as a global leader? Victoria Rennoldson, communication coach and cultural intelligence trainer and the CEO and founder of Culture Cuppa, is sharing her best practices in this episode.A snapshot of what we covered:The 4 pillars to master as a global leader to become a skilled communicatorTips to improve yourself as a communicator with 0 budget to investScale your company mission and visionSeeking help & advice at every stage of your careerImportance of having a sounding boardA bit more about Victoria:She helps professionals to elevate and amplify their communication so they can speak with clarity and confidence.She supports individuals and teams to prepare to pitch, with public speaking, on video and in Lives to enhance their personal and business reputation and opportunities. She helps people with their speaking confidence, messaging, verbal and nonverbal communication so they can share their voice, speak up and become more visible to grow their audience and attract new customers and clients.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

While leveraging your home-market alliance program to expand globally, follow the 80/20 rule.If the targeted country requires you to adapt more than 20% of your current alliance program to get in there, maybe consider choosing another one.The key to succeed, is to make it simple. For this, 3 critical questions you need to consider:What are the right KPI to track?What is the momentum of your business model in the targeted country?Which models potential partners in the targeted country want?These are part of the tips shared by Sebastien Moreau, CEO and cofounder of Beaver Partner in the last episode of internationa Corner.Here is a snapshot of what you can expect : The 6 different types of partner modelsHow to make it simple if you want to successfully scale your programHow much of your alliance program you should harmonize vs localiseThe level of partner training investment you should dedicate to make it workHosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Managing more than 10 BDRs spread out across different countries…How do you adapt prospecting sequences for each market?How do you make sure each rep ramps up properly if you can’t coach them because you can’t understand German or Hebrew?And how do you set up the right KPIs to track performance fair and square for every one?Those are the questions Rachel Fay, Senior Manager, Business Development EMEA at Zoom answers in today’s episode of International Corner. One of the learnings she shares with us are the 3 tips she applies to adapt guidelines for each region: 1- Creating a buddy systemShe pairs each new rep with another BDR or AE speaking the same language to role play.2 - Fostering each rep to create an ecosystem with the wider teamShe pushes them to talk to marketing, finance people etc… that are speaking the same language as them within the organization to have coffee and get more understanding and support internally3 - Feedback loops with EnablementShe created a group of BDR delegates. 1 Senior BDR from each region joins a bi-weekly call with the enablement team to provide feedback and get help to adapt sequences and create scripts.We deep dive into the above and more in this episode with Rachel!Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

They've launched 50 countries in 10 years and now have 18 offices around the world.That’s what Little Big Connection has managed to do with a test-and-learn mindset and very little investment for each new country launch.But…What is their secret recipe to make it work?Jules Maillard, international expansion director, describes it in 4 steps:Hiring the right country launcherLeveraging the unlock program they created to support the launch of new marketsAdopting a low investment & test and learn mindsetCreating hubs to support multiple countries at a more local levelWe emphasize particularly on the unlock program as they have spent years fine-tuning it to adapt to any cultural specificities country launchers stumble upon when they are in the job.From closing the first deals, to hiring the first salespeople and to getting to maturity level in the targeted geography, the idea is to unlock rewards at every step of the way to help country launchers be succesfull in their mission.In the last episode of International Corner podcast, you’ll learn everything about the steps of that program and their secret sauce to build a country launching machine.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

9 months to take over a multi-market scope, structure it and scale it to get to the next stage of growth.When she arrived at Partoo, there were 6 people within the expansion team.2 years later, there are now 20 people.That is what Cécile Farah, VP Sales Expansion, and her international team did at Partoo.But it has been a long journey to make changes and generate positive impacts.In today’s episode of International Corner, she explains what it took to get there: 1) Build a true team cohesionAs she took over a scope with different maturity levels, people are not living the same thing from one market to another one. They had to learn to move together to make it. 2) Follow global processes but keep a local approachThey make sure they use the right processes at a global scale while having local adjustments to take opportunity of the famous land and expand strategy.3) Make the other departments understand what is going on in the different marketsThe idea is to spread the knowledge and adjustments needed to marketing, legal finance etc… to avoid copy, paste what they did in other markets and make sure the entire organization is on board with what they do.Find out more about these aspects in the episode!Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

As you move from the launching to the scaling phase in a new market, You’ll Have A Tough Time.Yet, you thought you went through the hardest part - getting the first few customers.Well… I hate to break it to you… but this was just a “Mise en bouche”.There are tons of aspects you need to consider afterwards such as:Building a clear vision of where you are goingSpreading clear communication across local and global teamsAdapting to the local market and localizing the Sales approachImplementing an agile sales processAnd the toughest part according to Frederic KINGUE JOHNSON, GM and VP South EMEA and Latam at Content Square :  Stabilizing a team to scale the business efficiently.A few highlights of our discussionMistakes when hiring in a new marketMisalignment to avoid between new hires / local people and HQ teamsGlobal vs local processChallenges when transitioning your team from the launching to the scaling phasesHosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

If you are working on expanding into new markets, your goal should be about finding Product Market Fit (PMF).It can sometimes be really tough to find it. And this is even more true for competitive markets such as the UK.Edouard Epaud, Head of Sales Uk at My Traffic was obsessed about one key aspect in this PMF quest.Nailing their Ideal Customer Profiles in the UK.To grow sales in the UK over the past 2 years, his team has focused on 3 aspects to keep iterating fast to find their ICP 1 - listening to calls again and again2 - Gather data points to find lookalikes3 - Get help from his growth team and his networkWhat else can you expect from this episode ? Differences in the way we do business France vs UK, finding your competitive advantage and tips about cold calling there.If you are struggling to find your PMF in the UK (or any market) and are looking for some tips to start the year strong, listen to this week’s episode of International Corner !Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Have you considered leveraging communities to grow internationally? This is a strong means to strengthen your lead generation efforts… and in a more genuine way. Communities are a way for you to: ✅ get insights ✅ get direct access to your target audience ✅ form meaningful connections But they are not a way for you to: ❌pitch your product ❌get a list of contacts to send aggressive cold emailing campaigns In this week’s episode of Interntaional Corner, Coralie De Robert, Sales Director at Salesloft explains how they are using communities in the Uk, Germany and France to boost their sales. Expect to hear about how they create communities, how they entertain it, their approach towards fellow community members and Coralie’s vision about the ROI it provides. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

The is no one-size-fits-all strategy to sell internationally. Just as much as there is no one-size fits all strategy to manage an international team. I think we’d all agree that one of the toughest aspects of going international is to make it right with people. People with different backgrounds People from different countries People with different personalities   And no matter how different we all are, as a manager, you need to make sure everyone can work together, in harmony, to reach a common goal. Anne Claire Cornée, Senior Director  EMEA and International Sales at Dailymotion currently manages a team of 3 individuals coming from different cultural backgrounds. Multicultural management is at the heart of her routine and she shares with us how she adapts her management style to each individual while ensuring a sense of togetherness. What you can expect in this episode: What multi-cultural management means to her The fit individual x the targeted market Her weekly routines with her team to achieve a sense of togetherness while making sure to meet individual needs Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

What if you could reduce your Time to first deal by 50% in all your markets? Imagine being able to have all your new Sales hires get their first deal x2 faster, in every market? Well that is what Niamh Murray Lalanne, VP Global Sales Ena blement at Mirakl managed to do with her team. The power of Sales enablement is often underestimated in organizations. This business unit is often created at a later stage of a startup's growth. And it is often created… too late. Yet, especially to help you go to the next stage of international expansion, Sales enablement is key. How are you making sure new insights & contents are not only rolled out in all markets but also digested and adopted by all Sales teams?  How do you successfully onboard new comers to make them operational as fast as possible? In the last episode of International Corner, we discussed how you can leverage Sales enablement to grow internationally. A snapshot of what we discussed: When to start creating a sales enablement organization as you expand internationally The Mirakl enablement team organization and how they work with Sales folks and Sales leaders of different markets Proving ROI of such an organization to your board Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

You sold to a firrst few clients in the US, great! But how do you achieve repeatable Sales now? How do you prove you can sell again and again to the same type of companies, the same persona for the same price? Well, as usual for the folks who work on expanding internationally, you know there is no one-size-fits-all solution. But there are stories worth listening to get inspired There are mistakes worth studying to avoid losing time There are ideas worth using in your own context to help you grow faster And today I believe you will want to hear what Alex Louisy, CEO of Upflow has to say in the last episode of International Corner We discuss how they managed to achieve repeatable Sales in the US market despite covid times that account now for almost 50% of their total revenue. Content to look forward to: Why targeting the US was relevant for Upflow How they found their target market & the criteria that were key for them Their value-driven outbound approach to sell Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

If you are working on expanding into foreign markets, you probably leveraged some of your current customers to expand into other countries. This is the land and expand strategy That’s most likely how most of us get the first 2-3 clients in foreign countries But have you considered using this strategy as your main focus to grow internationally and not just to get the first few references? That's what Anthony, CEO of Meeriad have done to expand into several markets. They have mastered the art of landing and expanding into new markets. Anthony tells us everything they do to make sure they convert their first POC or pilot into successful international cross-sells. One key aspect he nailed to get there is this: How do you justify a soft ROI to your client? Sometimes there is no direct relation between your solution impact and a company soft ROI. For instance, how do you justify your solution can directly impact the retention rate of your customer? Well… Anthony found a way. And you can find out how in today’s episode of International Corner. What to expect: How Meeriad uses the land and expand strategy to turn POC and pilots into furthers Sales in other countries Justifying a soft ROI impact to your customers & prospects Getting the commit of your prospect/client during a POC/pilot to convert further locations Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Thinking about hiring your first local people in a new foreign market? Greeeeat. How can you avoid making mistakes? Well… let’s be honest, you most likely will 😅 But you can probably limit them by learning from Amanda Simon, CPO at The Briars group with her 30+ years of HR experience overseing several markets. We discussed 2 crucial topics that should be at the heart of your HR priorities as you expand in nex markets: Hiring the right way in foreign markets Growing a global corporate cultures in all markets you are in A snapshot of what we learned: DIfferences in hiring professionals across EMEA Top 3 mistakes made by companies when they hire the first employees in a new branch Her 4-step process to make sure you set up a global corporate culture and you make it live across time Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.