When should a business venture into global markets, asks Reza Shojaei, founder and editor of Canada's biggest online casino site CasinoTop.com 

In the first part of his interview, Reza Shojaei, founder and editor of CasinoTop.com, Canada’s biggest online casino affiliate site, spoke about how honesty and passion can be powerful drivers for a start-up to take the first leap. Embracing – and expecting – mistakes is also a key lesson. 

“Mistakes are going to happen, and the first thing one has to do is accept this as a fact. Moreover, one shouldn’t let past mistakes give direction to the future,” he said.

Mistakes are part of our everyday lives, whether it comes to business or personal aspects of it. However, it is important to remember that everyone makes mistakes, and the key is to learn from them. 

But how does a foundling start-up achieve enough business – and traction – to expand and internationalise? 

Ensure you put your customers and clients first and take good care of your employees

Shojaei has plenty of advice to share as Value Marketing, the company behind CasinoTop.com, has grown into a multinational successful company, owning multiple casino affiliate sites that target various markets worldwide including the Canada, UK, Japan and Nordic countries, and with four offices worldwide and headquarters in Malta. 

“Building a successful company with a global reach takes time,” he says. “And there is a natural progression. You start by putting people first – and as the needs of more consumers are met, they will continue doing business with you, and tell their friends about it. That is how a company increases its custom and can start planning expansion into different markets.”

“One of the most important things you can do is to ensure you put your customers and clients first and take good care of your employees. At the end of the day, every business is a “people business”, and without happy customers, you will have no business,” Shojae explains. 

In addition, Shojaei says that a dedicated and motivated team is important for any business. At the end of the day, oftentimes your employees are (one way or another) the first contact between your business and you. 

Expansion takes time – and also needs the right timing 

“Data can help a business decide when it is the right time to expand,” Shojaei says. “Through the correct interpretation of data, a business can find the answer to many questions: Is there a steady profit? Do other markets have a need and a demand for my products?”

You should never rush into expanding your business, but instead, make sure that your business is standing on steady footing in all aspects.

“Expanding a business costs money – and so before fuelling growth, a company needs to ensure that it has a solid financial footing,” Shojaei says. 

It is vital to secure the financials before even thinking about expanding, because with expansion comes more expenses, too.

Another factor that determines how a business expands is the very nature of the business – is it an online venture, or does it rely on a brick-and-mortar presence? All of this should be thoroughly thought out in the business plan.

“Online businesses already have a good platform to allow them to expand into different markets and reach customers around the world,” Shojaei explains. “On the other hand, a location-based business requires more complex bureaucracy, administration and logistics. Also, the distinction between online and physical might not be that clear. Take Amazon, for instance. Although it is an online-based business, it still requires storage and shipping locations in target countries around the world.”

Business expansion is not without its difficulties

“In the case of Value Marketing, for instance, we have offices in Norway, Malta, Bali, and Israel, and a team of copywriters all over the world. Communication between all the teams can be tricky. Our business meetings are held on Skype, and we have editorial meetings once a week, so all copywriters can discuss new content ideas. Because our copywriters live in different time zones, this means that when I’m going to bed, some copywriters are awake. 

“Because we operate in different time zones, we obviously need a main contact between all employees who is always available, depending on the time zone.”

Despite the challenges, the rewards are worth every effort

“One of the biggest rewards of expanding your business to other markets is that by being present in various countries, you can harness the top talent from around the world. Talented, motivated and goal-oriented employees will work with you toward the same goal. They can provide valuable insight and new points of view, thus helping the business to stand out from the rest. And that, in turn, opens up new business opportunities – and further room to expand.”

So, although the road to success can be very rocky, long, and include a ton of hard work, the rewards are always worth it. Being able to look at the work you have done over the years together with your team and seeing all the progress inspires everyone to do more and achieve more. 

No matter the business model or goals, you will always encounter challenges in the business world, whether they are financial or otherwise. The key is to work together with the team, listen to the opinions and expertise of others, and aim to untangle the issues and move forward. 

Hard work, dedication, and consistency will help you to achieve all your business goals, and at the end of the day, reaching your goals one by one is absolutely rewarding. You will come up with better and higher goals and it motivates everyone. Simply put, teamwork makes the dream work. 

“No one can succeed alone. You will need a reliable and dedicated team around you who can support you and work together with you to achieve common goals. Not only that, but a strong team can, at the end of the day, be the difference between failure and success.”

Look out for the third part of this interview next week.

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