6 Questions Every Aussie Should Ask Themselves Before Doing Business In America
If you’ve worked in Australia your entire life, you may be shocked to find out how different America is when you first arrive. You can feel a world of possibility at your feet — yet a total lack of direction at the same time.
While I acknowledge that right now is NOT the best time to be building a business in the US, I thought I’d go ahead and share what I’ve learned on the ground. I’ve also included key takeaways from more experienced Aussie movers and shakers that may inspire you if expanding into America has ever crossed your mind.
Disclaimer: The US has a population of 330 million. References to “Americans” in this piece apply to my personal experience meeting professionals in the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin and New York. Please don’t take this article as an accurate representation of people across the entire country.
1. What’s my superpower?
In Australia, when someone asks, “what do you do?” I say I’m a business owner that runs a content strategy and copywriting agency. I then go on to explain how we adapt our skills to solve particular business problems through web copy, blogs, newsletters etc.
But this approach doesn’t go down so well in the US. Americans want to know what you kick butt at — not what you can do. Some of the responses I’ve received include:
- “Wait. Are you a consultant or a copywriter?” I’m really good at being both.
- “Wait. Which one is it? Video or social media posts?” Neither in isolation, actually.
- “Wait. Do you work with marketing teams or product teams?” Depends on what content we’re creating.
My most valuable piece of advice is:
“Forget about being a generalist; no matter how much experience you have, you’ll never be everything to everyone. Go narrow. Specialize in one skill or one industry, for example. Don’t worry about limiting yourself — it pays to be specific amongst a sea of competition.”
2. Can I talk the talk?
In Australia, we tend to be modest. We also like to be funny. “Not taking yourself too seriously is distinctly an Australian quality,” explains Bryony Cole, global speaker and Founder of the podcast The Future of Sex.
“Our sense of humor is reflected in the stories we tell. But while Aussies know how to laugh at themselves, Americans know how to talk about themselves.”
Consequently, you may find yourself at a disadvantage pitching against US competitors. While this might seem frustrating or off-putting at first, there’s nothing arrogant about it. Americans are optimistic and enjoy giving recognition and reward when it’s due.
Bryony sums it up well:
“Our idea of joking feeds into Tall Poppy Syndrome, which cuts down those who ‘big note’ themselves. I find this really limiting. If Australia cultivated a culture of celebrating achievements (outside sport), we could go a lot further. To succeed in the USA, you need to do both the risk taking and the talking.”
3. What type of work do I want?
In Australia, it’s normal for me to spend months or years building a relationship before I get a green light. In the US, on the other hand, sales move fast. There’s no shortage of sales opportunities if you know where to look.
Robert Quinn, CEO of Patch’d Medical describes our differences like this:
Australia: “No, no, no, no, no, hang on, no that sounds great, I’ll take one.”
USA: “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, hang on, yeah I think I’ll pass on this one.”
While this dizzying pace can be incredibly exciting, it’s also disorienting if you’re stretched too thin. I’ve personally been in this position where I’ve said yes to a million things related to content strategy and copywriting without thinking about whether it’s actually what I’m really good at, or the direction I want to work towards.
4. How much am I going to charge?
When I first started marketing our content strategy and copywriting services to American customers, I was so desperate to build a local portfolio that I offered to work for free. But James Sanders, CEO of Scoot Education, stopped me in my tracks and said:
“Never ever offer to do work for free. You don’t need to. If you want to, say you’ll do a discounted rate, but never do work for free.”
He makes a good point. Thinking about it, I want to make sure my input is valued. There are clients out there that are willing to pay for my expertise — I just need to find them.
To figure out my fees, I’ve:
- researched benchmarks on sites such as PayScale and Glassdoor
- asked what other creatives charge at networking events or meetings
- brought these numbers in line with what I normally charge in Australia.
To open doors to lucrative work, I’ve found that starting small is always a good strategy. Once a client gets to know you, they’re likely to come back again. A $10,000 research piece could lead to a $100,000 strategy project.
For what it’s worth, I’ve also spoken to several professionals that aren’t afraid to charge between $30,000-$60,000 per project. A tactic that takes the sting out of the price tag is completing the work over several weeks or months, irrespective of how quickly you can actually finish it. It’s easier for a client to justify spending $30,000 if the work is done over a longer stint of time (within reason, of course).
5. Am I prepared to forgo the warm and fuzzies?
As mentioned, it’s important to razzle-dazzle during your sales process. Speak to awards and accomplishments with conviction. Time is money and there’s not always a second chance to make an impression.
While I’m not an advocate of diving into a sales pitch without some initial rapport, here are some strategies I apply to shortcut my way to a meaningful chat.
- Prior to attending networking events (including virtual ones), I see if I can access a guestlist and strategize what skills I may possess that are relevant to other attendees. Showing how I can help puts me in good position for a follow up.
- Before a private meeting, I research the other person’s company, and have at least 3 questions written down that’ll help me scope how I can help them. (FYI, you might want to take note that the US comprises a whopping 6 time zones. Don’t make the same mistake as me and get these wrong when you send calendar invites.)
- When I’m writing an email, I keep it short and sharp. Americans like to cut to the chase. Don’t worry about niceties, such as “What are you up to this weekend?” They don’t care for it as much. Bevis Cheng, Co-founder of Impello, says:
“If someone needs to scroll more than a few lines on their smartphone to read your email, forget about it.”
6. Do I really understand the scale of the US market?
When I was young, I’d hear people say “Oh, London is saaaaaaah expensive.” But it really didn’t hit me until I moved to London for a gap year when I was 18 and almost fell sideways trying to buy my first Tube ticket. Likewise, I’ve grown up hearing people say “Oh, America is saaaaaaah big.” But until you get here and start doing business for yourself, it’s almost impossible to imagine the scale.
“For me, the biggest difference is the size,” says Julian Cole, Strategy Consultant and the creator of Planning Dirty.
“Everything is just bigger. The country is 10x the size. The budgets are 10x the size. A website build that would cost $40,000 in Australia would be $400,000 in America.”
But this does have its downfalls. Julian continues:
“The corporate structure is also bigger. There are 10x the number of people you need approval from, which can be super tough. Some things that should only take one week can take months. There are a lot more decision-makers involved.”
Doing business in America certainly has its pros and cons — I think it all comes down to what kind of challenge you’re looking for, and/or what type of product/service you provide. If you’re in the midst of expanding or would like to know whether a move into the US market could be right for you, I’d be happy to connect. Drop me a line: natalie@avion.agency.
About the author: Natalie Khoo built her business in Australia off the back of the 2008 recession. Having made all the mistakes since day one, she’s passionate about sharing her learnings with other business owners on a similar journey. Natalie’s career highlights include taking a 3-month scuba diving vacation in 2019 and not checking her emails once. She travels between Melbourne, Australia, and Austin, Texas, with her partner James.
To find out more: Visit the Avion website or follow Natalie on Instagram.
