Purpose of this Research
The main goal of this research is to discover the do’s and don’ts of a successful US market entry for Benelux ventures. Through a quantitative and qualitative study with 133 participating companies, insights were gained into the expansion journey and lessons learned of these different companies. The main research questions were:
Is a local presence required in order to succeed in the US market?
How can companies better prepare for a US market entry?
What are the primary challenges encountered by ventures operating in the U.S. market?
What are the main factors for success for ventures in the US market?
Methodology and Respondent Breakdown
Out of the 133 participating ventures, 103 were from the Netherlands, 20 form Belgium and 10 from Luxembourg. The companies varied in industry, company size, and years of experience in the US market in order to gain as much information as possible about doing business in the US.
Figure 1: Degree of Activity in the US
The companies were divided into four different groups, based on the stage of their expansion:
Group 1 is companies already operating with a U.S. legal entity.
Group 2 is companies operating without a U.S. legal entity.
Group 3 is companies that had left the U.S. market.
Group 4 is companies thinking about expanding into the U.S.
By dividing the companies into groups, the comparison can be made between the different challenges and opportunities faced by businesses at different stages in the expansion journey. Among all companies, most fell into the first two categories (90%).
Qualitative Interviews
In addition to the quantitative survey, an in-depth qualitative interview was conducted to delve deeper into the areas and experiences of the expansion journey. In the end, 8 extensive qualitative interviews were conducted with companies in different industries and different stages of their expansion journey. These interviews contributed to a more comprehensive understanding of the international business landscape and strategic decision-making for companies, and quotes from the participating companies are shared throughout this report.
We prioritized diversity in venture size, ensuring representation from large corporations, mid-sized enterprises, and small businesses. By including ventures of varying scales, we aimed to capture the unique strategies and challenges encountered by organizations of different sizes in navigating the U.S. market landscape.
We sought broad representation across industries to understand the sector-specific dynamics inherent in transatlantic business endeavors. By engaging with ventures from a spectrum of industries, ranging from life sciences and health to engineering and construction, we gained insights into the diverse challenges and opportunities prevalent across sectors in the U.S.
We selected ventures based on their stage of expansion in the U.S. market. This segmentation ensured representation from companies at various stages of their transatlantic journey, including those already established in the U.S., those in the process of expanding, and those contemplating market entry.
