Why good ideas don’t always travel well

Last week we were flying back to the United States. As we were about to board our plane, I noticed something: a little library inviting travelers to take a book and leave a book. It is an exchange tradition I really enjoy in my neighborhood in California.

Typically found in streets with plenty of pedestrians, these little book stations work as simple exchange points. You take a book and bring one back another time, or leave a book you have finished for someone else to enjoy. But the little library at the airport was empty, and that actually made perfect sense. Travelers usually bring the book they want to read, have limited space to pick up another one, and unlike in a neighborhood, there is no sense of community.

This is a lesson that perfectly applies to internationalization. It is not because something works in one market that it will automatically work in another. Your customers may behave differently, the buying process may be different, or your sales channels may not work in the same way. Before copying your existing model, ask yourself:

“What are the conditions that make it work,

and do those same conditions exist in the new market?”

That doesn't mean starting from scratch. Understand what is behind your success, identify what is different in the new market, and adapt where needed. Sometimes a great idea simply needs the right context.

Greetings from Silicon Valley,

Sophie

P.S. If you happen to travel through Brussels Airport with an extra book in your luggage, Gate 47 is your chance to prove my theory wrong 😉