Businesses going global

Kirsty Traill is an operating partner at Movac, New Zealand’s most experienced technology investment firm. She sits on the board of several companies and is also an NZTE Beachhead advisor. She’s based in California and says since the pandemic the way people do business has changed and for those looking to reconnect in person this will mean some changes. 

More people have shifted to a remote-first or hybrid working model and there is much more of a propensity for online versus face to face (F2F) meetings. Many people in the US have chosen to move to more rural locations meaning that most people will need more notice to schedule and organise travel. I would advise businesses to be mindful of people’s comfort level when asking for or booking in person meetings, as some comfort levels vary. 

I think for Kiwi businesses looking to reconnect it’s really important to first and foremost know and understand your audience and your target customers. This will help you position yourself for success. But make sure you can deliver against what you promise, consistently over time. Business moves a lot more quickly in the U.S. than in New Zealand, so fast, accurate communication matters. Build and leverage networks as much as possible, this will help you make connections with the right people faster, and don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. Think bigger than you might normally, set ambitious goals and strive to have as large of an impact as possible.  

Hema Dey is the founder of Iffel International, an award-winning marketing firm located in Los Angeles. With over 20 years of domestic and export marketing strategy experience. She says businesses need to be a lot more patient these days when trying to connect with overseas markets and customers. 

My best advice is to assess each situation and allow for extra time as people learn to deal with face-to-face meetings again. Don’t expect a quick result with the compounding macroeconomic issues surrounding us. If it used to take eight touches to get a reaction, assume it is sixteen now.

It’s a good time for businesses to reassess their approach to the market and make sure it’s fit for the current climate. The USA is a complex market, and it must be segmented out with one marketing plan per state, sliced by three to four different generations of decision-makers. US decision-makers also prefer processing one message at a time, so your branding and messaging will have to be kept concise and easy to relate to within 30 seconds. eCommerce is an essential factor in marketing throughout the USA, ensuring clarity every step of the way. It is vital to surround yourself with local trusted legal, tax, regulatory, and HR advisors to provide accurate guidance on compliance matters as you expand and grow. There is no forgiveness and only penalties for malpractice.

Emma Dunstone-Brown is based in California and is the founder of LaunchJuice.io. She works with emerging food and beverage businesses to create fresh product concepts to expand their product portfolio with confidence. She says her biggest advice to export businesses is to make sure you know your business plan inside and out. 

My most significant learning as a Kiwi setting up in the U.S. market is to be crystal clear on where to focus your time and energy and leverage the abundance of resources available to fast track your learning. I’m all for planning, but taking action is the best way to learn and grow as well as a tenacious approach that means you keep trying new things, meeting new people and adapting as you go. Also, surround yourself with people in the market who lift you while ensuring mutual value with those connections. 

Danu Kennedy has lived in New York for over ten years and holds a Bachelor of Design in Interior Architecture and a Masters in Architecture from Victoria University of Wellington. She is the Design Director at Parts and Labor Design and says Kiwi export businesses need to ensure they are flexible and meaningful in today’s fast changing markets. 

A willingness to connect (give and take) has been vital in my experience. Learn to be as fluid as possible. A rigid perspective can sometimes close you off to potential opportunities that you may not have seen coming. 

Being face to face is often more productive than doing things over a screen because there’s a different energy there. If Covid has taught us anything, it is to spend our time on things that are meaningful to us. Motivation for business travel and your time should come from a place of inspiration. Why are you doing what you do? If you can answer that question, it’s likely the trip will be worth it.

Milly Olykan is the Vice-President of International Relations and Development at Country Music Association (CMA) based in Tennessee. She has developed the organisation’s international programme, helping to promote both artists and the genre in foreign markets. Her advice to Kiwi companies is to back your ideas and project confidence. 

Americans are all schooled to be incredibly confident in presenting themselves, and culturally I think that’s different for New Zealanders. We’re less likely to talk about ourselves, confidently, comfortably. We are also likely to cut to the chase quite quickly whereas our American colleagues will always provide a detailed context or set up in a meeting environment. I’ve come to learn how helpful this is – bringing everyone up to speed and not assuming we’re all on the same page. No back story or context is too much.

I hope we will  carry with us some of the learnings from conducting business remotely. Things like making the most of the remote connections but using in-person times very constructively. I think Kiwi companies need to be mindful of the fact that many markets have had quite different experiences with Covid and appreciate the balance people need to do business well. We all need the downtime to process and return to projects with a fresh perspective.

‘A decade in a day’ that’s the term being used to describe how fast some markets have changed since the global pandemic forced the world to reevaluate how it did business. For example Grant says for the beer industry consumer change was instant with bars closed overnight and online sales exploding. Why, where and how consumers enjoyed a beer all changed. 

Grant says these changes are common for many industries and as New Zealand businesses start to reconnect with the world it’s important they ask some really simple questions about their value proposition and their connection to consumers.

“If a New Zealand business development manager hops on the plane and tries to sell the portfolio they had two years ago to the same customers they are going to face some challenges, not only the value the portfolio offers, but also the cost to supply the same portfolio. Getting New Zealand products to market these days is more expensive and some products and services that Kiwi businesses may have been very comfortable selling even a year ago are now marginal.

However he says these challenges provide a great opportunity for Kiwi companies to really strengthen their end market, consumer first approach.

“It’s exciting because New Zealand has a lot to offer especially when it comes to premium products and services. Kiwi brands have such a great reputation overseas and the world has been starved of Kiwi banter for too long, so I really hope we can come out of the blocks swinging.”

Give your business a Warrant of fitness – Here’s what you should be asking yourself. 

1. Who is our customer and who is our consumer? This is such a basic question, but it’s important to revisit because things have changed so rapidly, if you don’t re-evaluate your business could be marketing to a group which no longer exists. And each international market is different.
2. One size does not fit all – What’s changed and what are the new facts? Each market has responded differently and had their own local trends.  Local data is required to assess the growth opportunities and premium value. What works in New Zealand will not work everywhere else.
3. What scenarios could you be facing in the future? Past sales figures won’t predict the future in export markets.  Time to reassess the risk and reward of international business with new cost pressures and value propositions.
4. Is your international business focused, single minded and all going in the same direction? Make sure you are all on board with the game plan, pick the products that work and do them really really well. This takes focus, and cutting marginal SKUs to energise the portfolio that works. 
5. Do you have a focus on premium and is your value chain ratcheted as high up as possible? Things like supply chain delays and shipping costs have made it more expensive to do business from New Zealand. Combined with new consumer preferences the international market ranking for businesses will be different to two years ago.  Time to look at the value chains of each market to reengineer the optimum route to consumer. Is it time to have a local presence in the lead markets to enter new premium customers, or time to consider a direct to consumer sales model?
6. What markets will you be most successful in over the next year? Do not try to necessarily re-engage with every market at once, pick a few to focus on and test and learn fast. These will then become the blueprint for you to re-engage or move into other markets. Some markets you will crawl in to understand, some you can walk to finetune the proposition and in some markets where you are leading run, run, run!
7. Are you prepared to fuel the flux? Take the state of flux that the world is in right now and fuel it, capitalise on the change. New Zealand will always be a small country, but we can be world class. 
8. Are you telling a story people need to hear? Right now it’s tough, and there is a tendency to see marketing as a cost, but a strong brand presence and story is so crucial as you re-engage. Have you tested the brand value proposition in each international market and does your messaging work (understood)? Are you using the best of New Zealand, do you have something that overseas companies can’t compete on? You will have higher costs, so make sure you have a solid value proposition that comes with a proven international selling story.

• CASE STUDY – KEA CONNECT 2022 RETROSPECTIVE REPORT
• INSIGHTS FROM OUR GLOBAL COMMUNITY
• THIS MONTH IN NUMBERS
• GROWTH THROUGH KEA CONNECT
• NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
• TRENDING AT KEA
• UPCOMING EVENTS
• HOW KEA CAN HELP

Trevor Mallard’s Irish ties

Former speaker of the house Trevor Mallard has taken up a new role as the New Zealand Ambassador to Ireland. He spoke to Kea about the opportunities and learnings the Emerald Isle can offer New Zealand and why he’s keen to promote cultural and family ties between the two countries, plus he shares his own family ties that have made his relocation much easier. Read more

North America

In March the big news was the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank, with authorities moving quickly to stabilise things. North America Regional Director Gary Fortune, looks at what this means for Kiwi tech businesses and what effect it could have on consumer confidence in the US. READ MORE

UK and Europe

In March Kiwi in the UK and New Zealand have been celebrating changes to the Youth Mobility visa, UK/Europe Regional Director, Sara Fogarty looks at what it will mean for those Kiwi looking to travel to the UK and for Kiwi businesses looking to hire staff in key industries. READ MORE

China

Last month China fully reopened visa systems to foreign visitors, including tourists. This follows more than three years of border restrictions. China Regional Director Rebecca Bao looks at the effect this is having on visitor numbers and how the relaxing of restrictions is seeing in person events increase once more. READ MORE

New Zealand

The Government has been focused on Cyclone Gabrielle recovery and the rising cost of living. A second tranche of Government programmes has been stopped or slowed to deliver $1 billion in savings which will be reallocated to support New Zealanders. Kea Global Chief Operating Officer Saya Wahrlich looks at the key points of these two pieces of work and the impact they will have for Kiwi businesses. READ MORE

BUSINESSES ASSISTED MADE IN MARKET THIS MONTH**

SECTORS KEA CONNECT SUPPORTED THIS MONTH

*Year to date reflects financial year commencing 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023
**Some businesses were provided with connections in more than one market

Kiwi healthcare business eyes US market

Orion Health offers software to public and private healthcare providers from integration through to population health management and precision medicine. The company’s CFO’s has recently relocated to the US and is interested in connections with those in the population health and insurance industries. Kea introduced Orion Health to the chief scientific officer and co-founder of an international healthtech company, the director of a global health organisation and the advisor of enterprise information from a not-for-profit health organisation in the US.

Cyber security company searching for connections in Australia

Quasar Scan is a cardholder data discovery software product. It’s used to scan an organisation’s entire technology environment to identify locations of unprotected credit card information. The company is looking to accelerate its growth internationally as a scalable product and seeking connections with IT/Cybersecurity professionals in Australia. Kea was able to link Quasar Scan with the founder & CEO of a cyber security company that builds resiliency in high-growth tech companies in Sydney.

DLA Piper in top spots for inspiratia 2022 rankings

DLA Piper has been ranked in the top three law firms advising on completed renewable energy and infrastructure deals for both deal count and transaction value in 2022. The ranking is compiled by inspiratia, a leading provider of global analysis and data in the new energy and infrastructure sectors. READ MORE

Investment opportunities in aquaculture – NZTE webinar

Join NZTE on 13 April (9am NZDT) for an exploration of investment opportunities in aquaculture with Hatch Innovation Services. Carsten Krome, managing partner and co-founder of Hatch Blue, will provide an overview of how venture capital investing works in the industry and discuss when and how – as well as the do’s and don’ts – of raising money. SIGN UP

Bottling the Kiwi export spirit

In the early 1960s a group of seven New Zealand’s pioneering winemakers set about distilling a brandy they hoped would rival French cognacs. Kea caught up with the guardian of 7Cellars brandy, Nick Nobilo, to find out why it’s time to share this piece of our early export spirit with Kiwi around the world. READ MORE

Taking to the seas

Listen to Kea’s latest World Class New Zealand speaker series, where we hear from Kiwi couple, Veronica Lysaght and Nigel Jollands, who are sailing home to Aotearoa from the UK on an incredible two year journey to promote climate change action and learn from 50 communities along the way. LISTEN

Building a community in a foreign country

Olivia and her Kiwi husband James moved to New Zealand at the end of 2021. Since arriving they’ve experienced lockdowns, unprecedented rain, flooding and cyclones. Olivia discusses expat life, what’s surprised her most about moving to New Zealand and the challenges which partners of Kiwi returners face when trying to find their place in a foreign country. READ MORE

WEBINAR: Modern Entrepreneurship – Brought to you by the University of Auckland, Connect and Develop is a series of virtual development talks for professionals and students thinking about success factors in today’s and tomorrow’s workplace. Whether you are pushing the status quo within a company or aspiring to start a business, get tips to help you grow and succeed as a modern entrepreneur. SIGN UP

WEBINAR: Climate change leadership from a fossil fuel CEO – Join former Z Energy CEO Mike Bennetts to examine the challenge of balancing stakeholder needs with the pressing concern of climate change. Hosted by Boma CEO and World Class New Zealand award winner Kaila Colbin, this free webinar opens the floor for discussion on “walking in a world of paradox” – and what it means for the change we aim to create. SIGN UP

Vicki Lin’s introduction to the world of film and television happened quite by accident, originally applying for a TV commercial only to support a friend she found herself landing the role while her friend missed out. One thing led to another and soon Vicki found herself starring in the popular TV show ‘Being Eve’ before fronting the iconic Kiwi kids show ‘What Now’.

After a decade on Kiwi screens she decided to move back to Taiwan to be closer to her ill grandmother, and after a while started working for an English speaking radio station before being given the opportunity to enter the world of documentary making for a company which had only recently opened offices in Taiwan. The job opened Vicki’s eyes to the possibilities of documentary making and soon she was working on series for National Geographic, the Discovery Channel and the History Channel. Vicki rose through the businesses eventually moving into directing and relocating to China before deciding it was time to do something different. 

“I was the supervising producer for Greater China and it was exhausting. But it was an incredible job and I feel so privileged because I feel like I have been able to live more than my fair share of the average life, but I realised it was time for my next adventure.”

Vicki decided it was time to set up her own company and invest time and money into the sort of content she is passionate about. 

“For me it’s an exciting time to be here, to document the growth of China. I feel like we have really been able to be a part of the change of China, because it’s such a big country, a lot of the change that happens will eventually affect other parts of the world.”

“There is so much choice now in terms of what you can watch. It’s not like the days when you had three channels and the Goodnight Kiwi came on at bedtime. We have to make things that are digestible for people. I want to use what I do to convey a message of hope, and I have a genuine desire to find solutions to some of the problems we are facing as a collective and I think I can do that by sharing stories that could help us all. 

Film and television crews in China are often large teams of people who are trained and specialised in individual jobs or roles. Vicki says her company has taken more of a Kiwi ‘number eight wire’ approach to the market and she operates a small team where everyone is cross trained and pitches in to help out as and when needed. That approach has helped her stand out in the competitive China market. 

“We keep things very lean, I don’t have a huge team, my company is very flexible in the way we work. I think my upbringing and my Kiwi attitude to life and work has been a huge benefit. Kiwi work hard, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously and we know how to be humble. That definitely helps when working in the Asian markets, you often need a more humble approach. The ‘jack of all trades’ attitude is also a real advantage, being able to come in and just do what needs to be done. Also New Zealanders have this beautiful ability to just adjust, you can throw us up in the desert or on top of a volcano or in the middle of an ocean and we just get on with it.”

When she looks back at the changes to the creative landscape in New Zealand Vicki says she is most proud of the strides Aotearoa has made in embracing diversity both on and off the screen. 

“I think diversity has really come a long way, I remember growing up in East Auckland and there were hardly any Asian people in our neighbourhood. One morning our family woke up and there was this spray paint all across this new fence that my dad had just put up in our backyard, it just said “gooks” and we watched as my parents desperately tried to scrub it off. There was very little to no representation of Asians on mainstream TV, and I faced my own identity crisis because I would go to school each day and not really see people like me, there were no role models. Nowadays I look at New Zealand and I see the different foods and the festivals and the work my creative friends are doing in the film and television industry and it’s amazing to see how far things have come and realise the opportunities and inspiration that that provides.” 

Vicki’s family still live in Auckland and while she hasn’t been able to visit lately thanks to the pandemic she says maintaining a connection to friends and family back home is important.  

“I talk to my parents regularly, my mum is still baking bread like it’s lockdown! I also like to follow the work my Kiwi friends are doing. We all worked in film and television at the same time and to see how things have evolved and where they have ended up is really exciting. You hope that you are not failing the team, by being out here and doing the work that you are doing. You hope that you are lifting the game and in turn lifting New Zealand, even though no one asked you to be an ambassador, New Zealand has a really good reputation as a country of creatives and you want to keep it that way.”