?? "The Rock" Does International Expansion Right, Global B2B Growth, & Gathering In Person

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson founded Teremana Tequila only a few years ago, naming it in part after the word "mana," which means "spirit" in Hawaii. Last year, German spirits company Mast-J?germeister shared that it wanted to "internationalize" Teremana, with expansion in the US and UK markets.

Now, check out the latest...

As of today, the plans the brand has unveiled are even bigger, with intentions to focus on Germany, Australia, Colombia and the United Arab Emirates as well. It's exciting when a company begins to expand internationally, but in this day and age, it happens faster than ever before. With a strong online presence, Johnson already has a global footprint and followers, paving the way for a faster global success in business too.

Already, Teremana has become a fast-growing premium spirits brand, selling a record-breaking one million 9-liter cases faster than any other before it. This sales volume would reportedly mean a valuation of more than a billion US dollars. No doubt, the brand was helped along by Johnson's 397 million followers on Instagram, where he often promotes Teremana, but it has also won many awards in its own right within the spirits industry.

Standing out on a shelf is difficult. No one knows this better than the brand managers behind consumer packaged goods. In their crowded market segments, they push the boundaries of creativity every day. They have to build strong and differentiated brands, come up with unique packaging to capture consumer attention, while leveraging influencers to boost reach.

But let there be no doubt.

Brands that go global earlier in their journey can accelerate a growth trajectory they're already on.

For that reason, I'll be excited to see where Teremana goes next!

Global B2B Growth

The best companies going global end up making their products and services more widely accessible over time. This means that language and country do not prevent people from accessing what they offer. I refer to these businesses as GEOs, or globally equitable organizations, in my latest book, Take Your Company Global.

Over time, because they are more globally equitable and locally accessible, a GEO eventually ends up with revenue composition that is reflective of the world economy. That doesn't happen overnight. It takes many years of dedication, and focused commitment to international expansion.

That's why I appreciated this image posted by Kevin O'Donnell and wanted to share it with my readers. I love that Kevin shouts out Global Leaders, such as Microsoft, Oracle, Google and SAP, based on the fact that their revenue composition is more reflective of the global economy.

He also shouts out high performers with global growth, where I was pleased to see HubSpot listed, after having spent the better part of a decade working on international growth there. He also shouts out future contenders, those that haven't done as much yet to increase their international presence. Those companies might have some of their best days of growth ahead of them, if they play their cards right.

Kevin is sharing some really interesting points, and I'm always glad to see more folks talking about global growth! Give him a follow here.

Gathering In Person

Doing global work can be lonely at times, can't it?

I was reminded of that this week, which I spent partially in Chicago for a really fun conference with Zappi . I got to see my customers, my colleagues, my boss, and two members of my own team, including one brand new hire!

Since 1996, I've worked mostly in highly remote and global companies. I have long advocated for remote work, but mostly because it makes work more inclusive. I'm a major fan of the flexibility afforded by remote work. It opens up access to jobs for people who need it, including caregivers, people with disabilities, and so many other groups.

It also helps level the playing field for people located in more distant and remote parts of the world too.

But I have a major caveat.

I also think meeting in person is essential, and I don't mean in the newfound "hybrid" sense of going into an office once a week, although I see certain value in doing that as well.

You see, back in the early days of remote work at AT&T (when we called it "telecommuting"), we actually gathered in person a couple of times per year at our HQ office in Monterey, California. Those were the highlights of my year, in fact!

But in recent post-pandemic times, I've found that meeting in person was increasingly harder to orchestrate, especially due to travel bans and budget cuts. That struck me as a missed opportunity, because there's nothing like in-person collaboration to truly build relationships, accelerate progress in business and help break down silos between teams.

You might be saying, "But I'm an introvert. Spending a lot of time with others in person leaves me feeling depleted. I prefer to avoid that."

I get it, I'm an introvert too.

But the fact is, introverts also prefer deeper relationships, and we can't easily or quickly achieve that outcome without spending time with people in person every so often.

So, this week, introvert or not, I encourage you to get away from your desk and go somewhere to interact with human beings. Connecting with colleagues again. Like in the olden days of yore. Before we ever heard of Zoom.

The more AI grows, and the more popular remote work becomes, the more important it is to spend time with human beings and to remember what actually makes us human.

The power of in-person connections and community is real. And I am here for it!

Adam Lucchesi , Glenn Fleischman , Chuck Rodriguez , Elana Heffley , Hannah Roberts , Isabella Jacks , Andrew (Bubbles) Moreno , Ryan Barry

Grace Notes

Thank you for reading this newsletter!

Here are 3 other ways we can connect:

1. Read my new book.

Get my latest book, Take Your Company Global.

2. Check out previous books.

Get my prior book, Found in Translation, written with Jost Zetzche

Published by Penguin Randomhouse, this book is popular with language lovers and international enthusiasts. It's also helpful to inspire high school and college students, so they can apply language skills in their future careers.

3. Tell a friend.

If you know someone who is Making Global Work, and might benefit from this newsletter, tag them in the comments, or share the link to this edition.

See you next week,

Nataly