The following text was written at the conclusion of managing an international accelerator for 8 years, where more than 600 technology-based companies participated in processes of exploring new international markets.
Sometimes we focus so much on the results we want to achieve that it is common to lose focus on the path we travel in search of those results. When in reality, the process that allows us to cultivate any outcome consists of not only of the work we do day-in day-out, but also the expressions of the individuals involved in the process, the sum of these expressions is what begins to create an environment that become critical in the processes of opening any enterprise or organization – be it moving towards new markets, creating new products, or simply arriving at a new growth milestone.
Along the journey of working with different companies, I have seen a new energy within entrepreneurs that have created their own micro-ecosystems; this dynamic can be a key differentiator not only in the speed with which they move towards new opportunities, but also in the “how”.
When a company is going through a process of this type, such as internationalization, I have observed three factors that I see as being fundamental in the process:
The first is understanding, the power of comprehending what the transformation implies for the company both externally, as well as internally. As important it is to define the new market to be broached, the problem to be resolved, if this is the correct one, the strategies to arrive at them; as it is, understanding the processes of change and learning that the organization will have to go through internally, as well as the implications for the group of individuals involved in this.
The second is passion, which for me is nothing more than the spirit that moves us to achieve what we seek. When companies share this passion and there is shared responsibility in pursuing goals, a collective energy is created that not only makes it more probable that the result will be achieved, but also that the path to achieving the goal will be more enjoyable.
The third is to not hold onto goals, when we decide to open ourselves to new horizons, plans become living things. Every step in this phase becomes an experience, a lesson, which, if we know how to absorb them, will mold the original goal we set out. Understanding that this is a living process gives us the freedom to create.
I have also observed that in this new generation of businessmen and businesswomen, there is a greater consciousness of the cascade effect that their micro-ecosystems can have in impacting larger environments. This is opening more collaborative landscapes with deeper visions of the footprint that a company can have on its community.