http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?fid4ct=39317 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:15:34 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss RapidFeeds v0.1 -- http://www.rapidfeeds.com One of the most common problems for international companies entering the US market is focus. Most companies come from small markets where they achieved success through a niche offer to a range of different segments. A similar approach in the US often leads to them achieving early success but results in them getting stuck of the wrong side of Geoffrey Moore's chasm. Companies proudly point to their clients in 10 or 15 industries and across three or four countries. This is enough to attract the innovators and early adopters but not enough to allow them to move into the mainstream market where the real revenues are. International market entrants are not alone. Many US start ups fall into the same trap. A common outcome is that real revenue growth never comes. Investors get fatigued by demands for additional capital or lose belief in the exit opportunity. The end result is a "zombie" company that has enough cash flow to survive. The failure to achieve the required dominance in any one segment to trigger substantial revenues and profit means that true success is never achieved. The lesson - identify the customer segment that most values your solution and own it - then move to adjacent markets. http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=5493756 http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/?iid4ct=5493756 Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:55:00 EDT